Spring time is organizing time! We have renewed energy, we look forward to creating and cleaning, and we want to freshen our home. We can cover all the territory in our home working in baby steps to keep from being overwhelmed. This list of 31 short projects gets you motivated, gets you started, and gets a lot done over 31 days. Follow this list and do one project each day for 30 minutes to an hour. First toss, then donate or recycle, group by categories, and create a routine that helps you stay organized.
The 31 days project is grouped around rooms in your home. As you move forward, you will be breaking your organizing into small steps in order to finish in each space.
1. Any 31 items. Just walk around the house and choose any 31 items.
2. Kitchen junk drawer
3. Under the Kitchen Sink
4. Refrigerator
5. Freezer
6. Spice cabinet
7. Laundry Room
8. Laundry room sink area
9. Pantry medicine basket
10. Paper goods
11. Pantry
12. Extra bags around the house
13. Computer or home office desk
14. Warranty and instruction books
15. Bookshelves and books
16. Technology
17. Under Bathroom Sink
18. Medicine Cabinet
19. Make up drawer
20. Undies, socks, jammies
21. Night stand drawers
22. Coat closet
23. Media cabinet
24. VHS movies
25. Linen Closet
26. Purses and bags
27. Tops, tee shirts and dresses
28. Pants and skirts
29. Shoes
30. Car
31. Any 31 items. Eliminating an additional 31 items will make your home even less cluttered!
After 31 days, your de-cluttering and organizing will give you a boost for the entire year. Remember, organizing is a journey and not a destination. Take a few minutes every day to assess what you have and eliminate it immediately when it no longer serves your purposes, adds beauty to your life, or has meaning for you.
For over 10 years, Certified Professional Organizer and Certified Family Manager Coach, Ellen Delap has helped her clients make time and space for what’s important to them by organizing their homes, offices and their daily living. Ellen, owner of Professional-Organizer.com, works one on one with her clients in their home and offices streamlining their environment, creating effective strategies for an organized lifestyle and prioritizing organization in their daily routine. She specializes in working with ADD and ADHD families, adults and students.
Ellen has been featured on Stretch Your Dollar on ABC13 Houston, in articles in the Houston Chronicle, a guest speaker on radio KLOVE, and is a national expert on The Clutter Diet, an online organizing website. She is a Golden Circle member of the National Association of Professional Organizers and a specialist in chronic disorganization and ADHD with the Institute of Challenging Disorganization. Learn more about her and her business at www.professional-organizer.com, Twitter @TexasOrganizer, Facebook business page EllenDelapProfessionalOrganizer and Pinterest Ellen Delap.
