Where Do I Start? 3 Ways to Organize a Cluttered Space

You open the door to your spare bedroom, office, basement storage, or any other “room of shame” and you are completely overwhelmed. You just want to shut the door again and walk away.

But you know that at some point you are going to have to deal with this clutter. You might have an upcoming event where you are going to need to use the space for its intended purpose or perhaps you are just tired of knowing what is behind that door.

How do you even begin to start?

Let’s look at three ways to declutter that space and then look at some general rules that will work with all three.

Three Decluttering Methods:

·        The Mount Vernon Method of Cleaning is one method that has been around for a long time. It is based on the decluttering method used by the staff at George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate. They start in one corner of the room, usually at the entrance, and move clockwise around the room finishing each task before moving on. This works because it minimizes decision fatigue and you can see your progress as you go.

 This works especially well if your clutter is mainly stacked around the walls of the room and not a totally filled room with clutter.

·        Work your way up starts with floor, then attacks surfaces, and ends up with anything hanging.

Generally, you start with items that are on the floor right where you enter the room. Then move toward one wall and clear the items from that wall. That wall can then be used as a staging area for items that are going to remain in that room.

After the floor is cleared move on to all surfaces. Depending on the room this might be a bed, dresser top, desk, bookcase, or table.

Finally look for anything on the walls or ceiling.

·        Declutter by Category.  First scan the room for any trash. Have large trash bags and as soon as one is full, remove it from the room. Continue until you think you have all visible trash. Hold on to an extra bag for trash that may come from the other categories.  

 Then, depending on the room, choose another category.  The category might be clothes, books, paper, or sentimental items. With categories like clothing or books, make decisions as you go. Decide if you are keeping the items and if you keep where they are going to be placed.

At this point in the decluttering process, I recommend putting all paper in boxes with the exception of obvious trash. Schedule another time to sort through the papers. The same might hold true for sentimental items. For the moment, just put all sentimental items in a box and at a later time, transfer the ones you want to keep into a memorabilia box.

You may have noticed that with none of these methods did I talk about going through shelves and drawers where items are more or less out of sight. This still will need to be done but probably not on this first decluttering session.

General Rules to use with all of these methods:

·        Visualize your end result. Before you start decluttering your space, have a clear vision of how you want it to look when you are finished. What is the function of this space? How do you want to feel when you are in this space? You want to work toward a goal.

·        Gather materials. Have your trash bags ready. Prepare boxes labeled “keep”, “toss”, “donate” “keep but going somewhere else”.  You don’t want to stop your flow by having to go look for something you need.

·        Time your sessions. Block out a time to work that will not leave you exhausted. Use a timer to keep you on task. You can always reset your timer for more time but before you do check in with your body. You don’t want to be so exhausted that you won’t want to continue another time.

·        Schedule times to work. Put work times on your calendar. Put a beginning and end time for each session. Honor those scheduled times.

·        Set a deadline. Don’t leave this project open-ended. Decide when you want the room to be completed and schedule your work times accordingly.

What Doesn’t Work:

·        Waiting for a perfect time. Just get started now. Even if you have to spread out your scheduled times, you have a plan in place and a deadline.

·        Zig-Zag Method. Skipping around rarely works. Without a clear plan it can be hard to see progress and stay motivated.

Conclusion:

 Whatever method you choose to use, schedule time and get started. You can use any of the listed methods or a combination of all of them. When the project seems overwhelming, get someone to work with you. Having an extra set of hands to pull items out and someone to listen to you as you talk your way through your thoughts can make the project more doable.

If you are ready to work on decluttering a space or on any other specific organizing project and want some tips, encouragement, or accountability join Diane Quintana and me in our Clear Space For You virtual clutter support group. You could complete a small project or set up an organizing plan during the call. The group will offer ideas, support, and gentle accountability for working on developing plans or projects.

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.