77 MINI-ORGANIZING PROJECTS: ELIMINATE CLUTTER WITHOUT FEELING OVERWHELMED

Transcription

1 77 MINI-ORGANIZING PROJECTS: ELIMINATE CLUTTER WITHOUT FEELING OVERWHELMED Jill Annis Simply Organized, LLC

2 Copyright Information 77 MINI-ORGANIZING PROJECTS 2014 Jill Annis. All Rights Reserved. Notice Of Rights: All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher. For information on getting permission for reprints and excerpts contact Notice of Liability: The information in this book is distributed on an as is basis without any warranty. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of the book, neither the author nor Simply Organized LLC shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the instructions contained in this book. Published By: Simply Organized LLC Madison, WI Jill Annis Page 2 of 11

3 Table of Contents Introduction.. 4 Keys To Success 5 In 5 minutes you could 6 In 15 minutes you could.7 In 30 to 60 minutes you could 8 Conclusion.10 About the Author Jill Annis Page 3 of 11

4 Introduction Are you waiting for someday to arrive so you can start organizing? Is someday that day when you will have more time, a weekend without commitments, when the kids are in college, when you retire, or feel less overwhelmed? Plan on starting today by letting go of two common organizing beliefs. Belief #1: Believing you need a large chunk of time to tackle any organizing project. Instead accept that it s possible to organize in short chunks of time, even if you only have 5 minutes to spare. Belief #2: Believing you need to completely organize an entire area of your home or office in one work session. Replace it with the concept of breaking large organizing projects into smaller, more manageable projects. You will be thinking, I can do this! instead of feeling overwhelmed and paralyzed. Starting is the most difficult part of the organizing process, I get that. I d love to have you start taking small action steps today with the guidance of this book. In the following pages, you will find 77 mini-organizing projects to help you get started. First decide how much time you have to devote to organizing on any given day, then choose a project. I think you will be surprised at how much you can accomplish in just minutes. Are you ready to get rid of some clutter and feel better? Start by reading the keys to success Jill Annis Page 4 of 11

5 Keys to Success 1. Make quick decisions about your stuff and stick with your decisions. 2. Set an alarm or timer. This will help you focus. 3. Take a photo before you begin to record your progress. 4. Do not empty large spaces with the intention of organizing in one session. This will only lead to confusion. Pull out a single item at a time and decide if you should keep it. 5. Have a donation and trash bag with you at all times. Once it's in the donation bag it stays in the donation bag. 6. Done is better than perfect. We will not be perfect no matter how hard we try. Not. Going. To. Happen. 7. Don't beat yourself up for any reason. It doesn't feel good when you do this! 8. Remain in the area you are de-cluttering during your entire session. If you leave the area you know what's going to happen {you may never return}. Items that need to be moved to another area should be placed off to the side or in a container and moved later. 9. Be ruthless. What is the worst thing that will happen if you get rid of? 10. Turn off all distractions: cell phone, computer, t.v. 11. Put away items you placed in piles during your session and need re-locating. 12. Create a staging area for items you chose to donate, possibly in your garage or basement. Let s begin. Decide on the number of minutes you have to devote to a session and then choose a project. You ve got this! 2014 Jill Annis Page 5 of 11

6 In 5 minutes you could. 1. Sort a stack of magazines or newspapers. Recycle/donate old issues you haven t read. What is the worst thing that will happen if you let them go? 2. Catch up on your laundry. Place one load of laundry in the washer. Set a timer to remind you that the load is complete. 3. Iron one shirt. 4. Mend one clothing item in your mending pile. 5. Fold one basket of clean clothing and put them away. 6. Put away stray items that don t belong on your kitchen counter and wipe down the counter. 7. Quickly sort your mail and pull out the junk. Toss, recycle or shred junk mail. 8. Empty the trash and recycling bins. 9. Empty trash from your vehicle. 10. Return one phone call (if you are fairly certain you will be able to leave a message). 11. Pay a bill either on-line or by check. 12. Delete 25 s from your inbox. 13. Clean out one file folder. Look for bulky brochures or booklets that are out dated. 14. Remove items from your desk that do not belong there and put them away. 15. Set up one reoccurring bill as an auto pay and you will no longer need to remember to write a check. 16. Unsubscribe from 3 lists you are no longer interested in. 17. Toss expired cosmetics. 18. Toss old leftovers from fridge. 19. Find 10 things to donate and put them in a bag in your car. 20. Recycle or toss empty bath product bottles from your shower/tub Jill Annis Page 6 of 11

7 In 15 minutes you could 21. Organize your wallet. Toss receipts unless needed for returning items to the store or taxes. 22. Unpack a suitcase. Put laundry in laundry room and clean clothing away. Move suitcase to storage. 23. Unpack a tote bag. Toss the trash, file papers, put items away. 24. Organize your purse. Toss trash, record and toss receipts if applicable, remove stray items that ended up in your purse. 25. Delete 100 s from your inbox. 26. Clean off the refrigerator door. Look for events that have passed, old schedules, and any expired coupons. 27. Toss expired spices. 28. Dispose expired medicines safely. onsumerupdates/ucm htm#g uidelines 29. Sort your shoes and donate the ones you no longer wear or are painful to wear. 30. Spend 15 minutes putting items where they belong. 31. Toss or compost dead/nearly dead houseplants. 32. Organize your underwear drawer. Toss the worn, stretched out ones. 33. Organize your sock drawer. Toss socks missing their mates, with holes, or stretched out. 34. Match up a basket of clean socks. 35. Clear one wall mounted clothing/coat hook. 36. Menu plan for the upcoming week and write a grocery list. 37. Clean off the bathroom counter and put items where they belong. 38. Wash, dry and put away a sink full of dishes. 39. Empty and load the dishwasher. 40. Clear off the top of your fridge. 41. De-clutter coffee mugs or sports bottles. 42. Clean off one chair in your bedroom. 43. Put away items that are covering a piece of exercise equipment Jill Annis Page 7 of 11

8 44. Purge one bookshelf. Donate books to a local library or sell them to a resale bookstore. 45. List an item on Craig s List that you no longer use. 46. Delete unused phone apps. 47. Sort and organize your utensil drawer. Look for duplicates or utensils you haven t used in a long while. In 30 to 60 minutes you could 48. Clear off the top of your washer and dryer. Recycle empty bottles, wipe off the surfaces of both appliances. 49. Clean out 10 file folders and recycle or shred papers you no longer need. 50. Put away items that have landed in your entryway and don t belong there. Put away extra shoes. Hang up jackets. 51. Organize under your kitchen sink. Look for cleaners that are not used and safely dispose. 52. Organize under the bathroom sink. Discard the lotions, shampoos, and other products you are not using or donate nearly full bottles to a shelter. 53. Sort and purge items from one dresser. 54. Sort and purge items from one small closet. Use containers on the shelf for small items if needed. 55. Go through your hats and gloves. Toss gloves whose mates are long gone. 56. Organize jewelry and donate items you no longer wear. 57. Sort your outerwear by season. Pack up off-season items for storage. 58. Organize one child s closet. Pack up or donate/resell the clothing your kids have outgrown. 59. Clear off the top of your nightstand. 60. Clear off a coffee table or end table Jill Annis Page 8 of 11

9 61. Sort and safely dispose old or no longer usable paint. Check with your city for disposal guidelines. 62. De-clutter the top of your dresser. 63. Clear out the area under your bed. You may have forgotten what is stored there. 64. Organize digital photos. Categorize by date or event and delete unflattering and out of focus photos. 65. Categorize the food in your pantry. Donate food you haven t opened and won t eat. Some food pantries will take recently expired food. Check with your local food pantry before tossing items. 66. Organize pet supplies. Use containers for treats and for medicines. Hang leashes near the door. 67. Purge CD s. If they are downloaded to your computer/mp3 player, do you still need them? Resell or donate to a library. 68. Purge DVD s and video games. Sell the ones you don t want. 69. Sort your games and puzzles. Toss games with missing pieces. Donate games no longer played. 70. Organize a junk drawer, categorize and store items in drawer dividers or bins. 71. Go through your linens and categorize by size. Donate excess. A good rule of thumb is 2 sets of sheets per bed, unless you have small children then 3 sets is a good limit. 72. Organize one garage shelf. Store like things together in containers. 73. Organize craft supplies. Toss dried out markers and paint. Donate excess. Use containers to keep the supplies organized and simple to access. 74. Sort toys and donate the ones your kids have outgrown. Toss broken toys. 75. Clear the clutter that is blocking the entrance to your home. Sweep the stoop. 76. Toss kids papers that are no longer needed. Store their best work in bins, one per child. In addition, label each piece and label with a name and date/age. 77. Purge children s books they have outgrown. Libraries, friends, shelters, or resale stores will take your excess Jill Annis Page 9 of 11

10 I hope this e-book has inspired you to get started. You will feel spectacular after each mini-session! Please keep in touch. I would love to hear about your progress. your comments or before and after photos to: Jill@SimplyOrganizedWithJill.com Simply, Jill Annis 2014 Jill Annis Page 10 of 11

11 About Jill Jill is truly passionate about organizing. She created her business Simply Organized, LLC in 2002 to help others, just like you, make positive, life-changing transformations. Jill lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband, their black lab and has one grown daughter. To learn more about her business and sign up for her free newsletter, visit her website Call for your complimentary 20 minute phone consultation and you will feel motivated and ready to organize your space! Simply Organized, LLC Jill Annis Page 11 of 11