Typically, when one resolves to organize a cluttered basement or home office, there is a tendency to throw out not enough of what needs to go, too much of what shouldn’t go, and put the keepers into systems that won’t last.  All of this can be solved by good sorting practices.

The right tools.
Don’t rush out and buy plastic bins that may be too small or too big for your needs.  A ten-pack of banker boxes, however, can be used and reused many times during the sorting and because they are lidded, they can be stacked to open up work space during the sort.  Some gallon and quart size Ziploc bags are great for smaller categories and subcategories.  Finally, make temporary labels with Post-It’s and markers to keep it all straight.

General to specific.
Start by sorting with very general categories—office supplies, décor, keepsakes, clothes, loose paper—and sort very quickly.  You will address each category one at a time later, so don’t over-think it at this stage, just sort fast and generally. When you’ve got a lot of stuff to process, momentum is important to get you through it all.  So don’t dawdle on details!

Room to work.
As you sort, focus on carving out enough room to work.  Start by clearing off one wall to collect all the items you have sorted.  Then move toward the opposite wall to collect all the items you review and keep.  Clear room near the door to collect the trash, sell, and donates that are headed out.  Also, keep an “elsewhere” box by the door too collect items that need to go to other parts of your house.  If you don’t establish these clear zones, you’ll be surprised how quickly you can get confused about what’s already been decided and what hasn’t been decided.

Context drives decisions.
The reason it is always makes sense to start large organizing projects with the right sort is because it makes purging much easier.  With your stuff sorted, you are able to see it in context, which makes decisions significantly easier.  When you focus on just office supplies, for example, you are not distracted by other categories and you can see just how many empty binders you have, and will be easier to assign some to the donate bin.

Big categories last.
As you are sorting, the largest category will become obvious.  The biggest category, typically paper or clothes, will seem most urgent but resist and save it for last.  Clearing off the smaller categories first will give you the focus AND space you need for the biggest category.  Big categories require room for several subcategories.  If it’s clothes, for example, these might include donate, give to, keep-summer, keep-winter, laundry, dry clean, and tailor.

Quantity dictates systems.
Only after you have sorted and purged all the items in your room, will you be clear on the quantity you are keeping and NOW is the time to determine what plastic bins and other organizing systems you need to STAY organized.

During the sorting process, you will undoubtedly come across items that you will find very easy to assign or purge, but unless it is something you can do faster than dropping them in the sorting boxes, hold off.  If it easy to assign or purge now, it will be even easier to do so when you are reviewing sorted categories.

Save Money
Good organizing begins with good purging.  There’s no better time to purge than before a move.  The more you get rid of, the more you will save on moving costs and storage costs.   There’s a lot of low value stuff we tend to hang on to because it may come in useful, while we are settled, but when it’s time to move, that stuff can take up a lot of truck space.  Now is a great time to let go.   Toss of donate, if at all possible.

Reassessment Answers Placement.
As you are packing up your stuff, now is a great opportunity to rethink exactly WHY you are keeping what you keep.  When you answer the question of WHY you keep something, you also answer the question of WHERE it should go.  It’s important to note that you may be keeping the same item for different reasons.  Take, for example, books.  Maybe you have a whole library of books, but no room for a library in your new home.  As you are packing up, maybe the books you are keeping as reference, could go in a box labeled “home office.”  It might make sense to put the recipe books in a box labeled “kitchen” and the books you’ve lost interest in could go in a “donate” box.  Just be sure to donate them BEFORE you move!

Start Fresh
Once you have gotten your possessions down to a manageable quantity and you are clear on why you are keeping them, you are in great shape to establish systems that work, whether you are in your current home or in the new one.  An effective organizing system is made up of two components: an appropriate structure and an easy habit.  The habit component travels well and the structure component is usually not dependent on the new rooms.   But let’s say it is.  Suppose you had a ledge in your kitchen near the exit door, which you dedicated to exit items.  Not only is there no such ledge in the new kitchen, but the kitchen is not near the exit door.  It’s easy enough to introduce a new structure, like a small table, near the exit door.
Perhaps this table can even come from the old library you no longer have.

It’s a mistake to think that a new location will solve everything, including old organizing challenges.  If at all possible, it’s best to work them out before you move.  You’ll have your hands full enough with other new things to get used to.

In a healthy household, old stuff must circulate out as easily as new stuff circulates in.  Circulation prevents accumulation.  When it’s as natural as breathing, it’s easy to stay organized.

“Purge” means not only toss, but donate, sell, gift, or simply reassign.  Nonetheless, many of my clients just don’t like the word.  “Purge” carries connotations of political executions and vomiting.  So here are some alternatives my clients have come up with.

I once worked with a doctor who initially told me that he wasn’t ready to work with me until he had done some “gutting” first. Much more pleasant than purging.  I guess this wouldn’t have bothered me so much if this was a butcher or even a surgeon, but this was a pediatrician.

Another client, a psychiatrist, spoke of “debriding” his papers. Debridement is the removal of damaged tissue or foreign objects from a wound.  Charming.

One alternative I do like is “pruning.”  I like the analogy of removing dead leaves to strengthen the healthy ones. People always feel so empowered when they have pruned away several bags of garbage because they can breathe new life into their environment and into themselves.

Perhaps my favorite alternative is “editing.”  It’s good to edit your stuff, not censor it.  Censoring would imply blocking out what matters, but editing is all about taking out what’s not helping to strengthen what’s important.

Yes, anyone can edit, but sometimes it takes a professional to edit in a way that will make your words really work for you.

This writer stands ready, scalpel in hand.

Don’t Like: The Toy Box

A traditional toy box looks charming on the stage of “The Nutcracker,” but is not helpful in the 21st Century home. First, it’s a concealer and doesn’t invite use. Second, it’s too small for large toys and too large for toy pieces. Finally, it doesn’t take advantage of vertical space and in the event it can actually close, items that get stacked on top of it prevent access.

Do Like: Dedicated Zones and Shelves

I don’t think you can force kids to organize, but if you’ve got any chance to make it happen, your odds are increased by making it fun. For example, if your son loves big cars and trucks, section off a generous corner of the playroom floor and call it “the garage.” Then an integral part of play time can be driving the trucks into the garage. At least it will be easier for an adult to do than trying to force these things into a toy box. In another example, perhaps your daughter can put her plush toys to bed in a hammock, low enough for her to reach, but high enough to take advantage of some unused vertical space. I also favor simple open shelves over closed boxes. Perhaps an open shelf of toys looks less attractive than a closed box, but an easily accessible shelf is more useable and therefore more attractive than a cluttered floor.

Don’t Like: Baskets and Colorful Bins

In organizing magazines the pretty basket is heavily employed, but in real life I find these baskets to be either empty or full of unused clutter. I find this in the typical playroom too. Colorful bins are no better. What’s the problem? Again, the bins and baskets are concealers. You can’t see what’s inside and in the case of the baskets, they’re difficult to label. Oh I realize you need a system for your child that is not dependant on reading, but let’s face it. More often than not, it’s not your child that will be putting things away.

Do Like: Clear Plastic Roller Carts

These simple carts are available at office supply stores like Staples and make sense for toys for a lot of different reasons. First, they’re clear and your child can immediately see inside. Second, with the smooth plastic surface it’s easy to apply a label. (Remember who’s going to be doing most of the picking up.) Third, each drawer sets a limit on what can go in there, particularly for toys and games with many small pieces. Fourth, they take advantage of vertical space, but retain accessibility. Fifth, they represent dedicated zones. You could have one for different Lego sets and another for arts and crafts. Finally, the wheels give you flexibility. You could roll the arts and crafts cart from the playroom to the kitchen table, while you prepare dinner. You could keep the carts in front of the shelves and still access the shelves easily by simply rolling the carts away. Keep a rolling cart on the floor of a closet and you not only maximize space, but prevent junk from being indiscriminately tossed on the floor.

Don’t Like: Stacking Boxes

Stacking boxes tell me one thing: you’ve got too many toys. I know this because stacking boxes are for storing things, hiding things away, and leaving things inaccessible. When these things are toys, you’ve got to ask yourself why you are keeping them. If your child still loves these items, consider some of the “do-likes” I mentioned. Otherwise, they shouldn’t clog up the playroom. If it’s a unique Barbie doll in it’s original box, then perhaps it belongs with the other items you are hoping to sell on eBay. If they are outgrown toys that you are saving for your future child then they should be stored more remotely. If, however, your current children and future children have no potential interest in a toy, I have another suggestion.

Do Like: Regular Purging

Most kids I see have way more toys than they can enjoy. The most helpful thing you can do in that case is donate the excess to needy children. This is not only helpful to needy children, but to YOUR children. They can see and access what is most important to them if the less important toys are not in the mix.

A word about original boxes.

If you’re a fan of Antiques Road Show like I am, you have seen toy expert Noel Barrett freak out when a vintage toy has its original box. If you’re thinking you should keep all your child’s toys in their original boxes, just in case, STOP IT! What makes these vintage toys in their original boxes valuable is their rarity and their condition. The first indication that you do NOT have an item worth collecting is if it is sold as a “collectors edition.” But let’s leave that aside and assume you’re going to ignore me. At least, recognize that you are buying Vancouver Olympic Barbie for its collectibility and not for your child to paint tattoos on. Protect it well and keep it out of the playroom. Also, don’t keep the box as the perfect storage container, because that’s not how it’s designed. Product boxes are designed to capture your eye and protect an item in shipping, not for actual usability. What can be useful is to cut a descriptive piece of your box out and place it inside the front of a clear drawer or clear bag that is containing loose pieces. This makes the contents more findable, compelling, and useable.

Bottom Line

Keep it simple. Think in terms of usability not conceal-ability. Don’t expect your kids to suddenly love cleaning up, but make it easy for an adult to do it. If a child sees you quickly sorting items into their simple clearly-defined homes it MAY actually look like fun. It would be like an advanced version of the simple shape toy, shown above. There’s no reason it can’t be fun!

I know you’ve heard the catchy rule of thumb many times: “When in doubt, throw it out.” That’s easy to remember and it’s certainly captures the right spirit of purging, but I also think it can be quite damaging. Many is the time I have seen a client swing from one extreme to another. They get the urge to purge and they suddenly go from keeping everything to tossing everything. I have to keep them from traveling down the path to regret. I don’t want the client to regret their decisions and I don’t want them to regret the process of organizing. The bigger goal of getting organized outweighs the obstacles of a few tough decisions.

Being organized is not about just throwing everything out. Obviously some major purging is usually necessary to get organized, but the goal is to first know WHAT you have, to know WHY you are keeping it, and to know WHERE to find it.

This brings me to another popular organizing rule of thumb: “If you haven’t used it in a year, throw it out.” An argument could be made that if one knew where an old coat was hidden, one might have worn it. There was probably a good reason that coat was hidden, but OK, hang it in a more prominent place, THEN if you haven’t used it in a year, out it goes. If it’s sort of a keepsake you might want to take a picture first.

One condition to the “Don’t throw it out” loophole is you must simply ask yourself WHY you wish to keep something for now and WHERE will you keep it so you can find it. If you can’t find something, there’s no good reason to keep it. I’m not always sure if I’m ready to let go myself, so my solution is a trial purge box.  If I empty a closet out and find a few items that I MAY still want to use, I’ll put them in a box, label it, DATE it, and stow it in the basement. The dating is really important, because our internal sense of timing is never as good as we like to think. When I return to that trial purge box in 12 months or so, I am in a MUCH better position to say “goodbye” to it because I have generously seasoned my decision with time.

Now don’t get me wrong. Giving yourself permission to keep-for-now is not a license to keep everything. It’s simply a device to free up the purging log jam. When you allow yourself this device, however, an interesting thing often happens.  By forcing yourself to ask why you are keeping something and where are you going to put it so you can find it, that’s often enough make you realize,”Aw to heck with it. It’s not worth it!”

TODAY’S KEY TO UNLOCKING CLUTTER: As long as you answer the questions “Where will you be keeping something?” and “Why?,” keeping an item for now can can be just the thing to keep the organizing train moving full steam ahead.

Have you ever thrown out something you’ve regretted?