I use the Zone Plan to organize and deep clean my home. April seems the perfect time to work in the main bedroom because I store my clothes there and now is a seasonal change. Let me explain how this Zone Plan works for me.
I divide my home into 10 zones and every month except for July and December I work in one zone. During that month I deep clean and reorganize everything in that area. Let me walk you through the steps for the main bedroom.
1. First, I start with my vision for the room. Since this bedroom is shared with my husband, it needs to be a shared vision. We want this room to have a calming, relaxing atmosphere. We like soft lighting but enough light available to read. My husband meditates here so it is important that the room have an uncluttered, peaceful feel.
2. I make a list of what I want to change in the room to make it match my vision. This year I want to buy new sleeping pillows as our old ones no longer support us. We will also sort through our belongings in each area and see what no longer seems worth keeping.
3. I schedule times to do cleaning/reorganizing tasks. The bedroom lends itself well to working on one wall a week.
· One week I will organize the closet while Rob organizes his dresser drawers. I will pull out all clothes, shoes, and accessories and sort them. I will get rid of items that no longer fit or that I don’t want anymore. I will wash out the closet and return the items I am keeping.
· The next week I will work on my dresser. Every drawer will get a good cleaning and items purged. The dresser is washed and waxed. The picture above the dresser will get a good dusting.
· The third week I will work on the wall where the bed and end tables live. The bed will get completely stripped down, the mattress turned, the frame cleaned and then put back together. The winter duvet will go to the drycleaners and then get stored for the summer. The end tables will have all excess reading material removed and both will get a good cleaning.
· The last week I finish up everything that is left. There are two windows and a ceiling fan in that room that will get a good cleaning.
By the end of the month, the room will be sparkly clean and welcoming. I will put out fresh flowers and admire our work. I feel that we will sleep even better in the clear, clean bedroom.
If you want help or just some accountability in working your organizational plan join Diane Quintana and me on our Clear Space For You clutter support group.
Jonda S. Beattie, Professional Organizer owner of Time Space Organization, and co-owner of Release, Repurpose, Reorganize. She is based in the Metro-Atlanta area. As presenter, award-winning author, as well as a retired special education teacher she uses her listening skills, problem solving skills, knowledge of different learning techniques, ADHD specialty, and paper management skills to help clients tackle the toughest organizational issues. Jonda does hands on organizing and virtual organizing. For more of Jonda’s tips connect with her on Facebook.