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.

The biggest deterrent to dealing with paper is making decisions.  The vast majority of these decisions are easy, but we tend to tie them to the minority of difficult ones.  The best approach, therefore, is to take the majority of easy decisions out of the way first. Here’s how.

Establish a dedicated sorting table, 2’ x 4’ is perfect.  NOTHING but paper should go on this table while you are sorting.  Get a black marker, some Post-it’s, and some empty boxes (10” x 12” x 15” is good).

Bring every box, bag, and pile of unsorted paper to one side of the room.  Grab the first container of unsorted paper and just dump it on your sorting table and think only in terms of SHAPES.

This will seem counter-intuitive, because we are used to thinking of paper in terms of its value.  What I’m saying is forget the value and just start with the shapes.  What sort of shapes? For one, there’s the envelope shapes.  Toss those in the empty box labeled “envelopes.” Do the same with magazines, newspapers, catalogs, files (paper already contained in folders), small bits (less than 8-1/2 x 11), and loose (8-1/2 x 11) paper.

You are going to be tempted to say “But I can see that this is mostly junk mail and I want to toss this now.” If it’s easy to toss now it will be even easier to toss in the next round.  The reason to keep sorting is because you need to work up a momentum.  It’s easier to move more quickly when you have a singular focus.  At this stage, that focus is STRICTLY sorting.

Once you clear the table completely, grab the next bag and keep sorting, FAST! Before you know it, ALL your paper will be sorted by shape.  The next step will be easier than you think because you will be in a singular mode.

Start with the catalogs box.  That’s usually a quick win that brings a huge psychological boost.  One heavy boxful GONE! Whew that felt good!  Next Magazines.  Keep a few of those, the rest, GONE!

Now the envelopes: toss the “definitely junk mail” and box the “maybes.”  Grab a letter slitter and JUST slit the maybes.  Grab the slitted “maybes” and JUST extract the contents.  Grab the envelopes’ contents and JUST sort between “to file,” “to do,” and toss.

When you can focus on one singular activity at a time, you not only accomplish much more, much faster, you also work much more SAFELY.  By taking the less important bulky stuff out of the way first, you are able to focus more on the smaller, more important pieces, that require more careful reading.

Sorting through paper can be torturous, especially if it is just one piece at a time.  Working in focused stages gives you a real sense of accomplishment throughout the process because you can clearly see how you are advancing your progress forward.

I’m aware of the organizing advice of “only touch a piece of paper once,” but I disagree with it.  These piles of paper have eaten up enough of your space and time already.  It’s time for these piles to go, FAST!  This starts with sorting by shapes.

In this economy I realize that many of us have to go the DIY route, so here are some useful tips:

• Have an Exit Strategy- Before you dive into the clutter, put together a simple game plan for where it’s all going to go, because it’s so satisfying to get the garbage and donations out on the same day. Find out what time your local dump and donation service close down, if you’re doing the disposing yourself. Also, find out what items your donation service does and does not take. I’ve found that Goodwill tends to take the most, but Salvation Army sometimes will do pick-ups. If you want a one-stop shop for all disposal and donation, residents of Fairfield County will find no better service than Junkluggers. They’re terrific.
• Prevent Regrets- This takes just a little planning but it keep mistakes from being made. Start by clearing away one wall. Clear it 100%, even if you know you will be returning items to it. Reserve that wall for donation items, nothing else. Again 100%. Do the same with the trash. Reduce the guesswork to zero. This practice is particularly important if you are getting help with transporting donations and disposal, but it can also help prevent family squabbles.
• Like With Like- By making an effort to sort like with like, it is easier to really get a handle on your priorities. For example, let’s say you collect all your Christmas decorations in one place and it fills up half your basement. OK so Christmas is important, but what about that home office you’ve wanted to find a place for? By putting all your Christmas items together in one place it is easier to see how much you would be gaining by giving up half. Without this context you may decide you should save that faded, plastic Santa. WITH this context it’s easier to ponder whether you would really miss faded, plastic Santa AND how much it would cost to replace him in the unlikely event you actually DID miss him. Sorting survey says sayonara sallow Santa.
• Decision Table- Anyone who has worked with us knows we don’t go anywhere without our trusty decision table and for good reason. You may not notice it as you dive into those first bags and boxes of clutter, but after a while the repeated bending over can really take a toll on your back. Also, it’s just much easier to make decisions about your stuff if you can clearly see it, spread it out and process it on a clear, flat, well-lit surface.
• Take photos- this may sound unnecessary, but what I’ve found is that it’s surprisingly easy to forget how cluttered your space is after you’ve cleared it. It is tremendously satisfying to take before-and-after photos and it empowers you to take action with your next clutter challenge.

Hope these tips help and if you do take some photos I’d love to see them!