secrets of a personal organizer

I have to try very hard to be clean + tidy. I always thought I was this really organized person who kept things relatively clean until the last few years when I realized I am naturally a messy person...

since having nixon I have gotten a lot better at keeping our house clean + keeping documents, meetings, and appointments in order-- but it really takes continuous daily effort

 I came across an article that lists out almost 30 secrets of a personal organizer that they would never tell you for free. you can click here to see the full list, I am going to list out a few of my fav's that really applied to me

1. create 5 piles

you need to set out 5 piles for sorting: move to another room, give to a specific person, donate, throw away, + lastly "marinating" pile. pack up the marinating pile with it dated for 6-12 mo. later and when that time comes and you haven't opened the box--- ditch it!!!

2. remove the clutter

people tend to organize backwards.

some people who think they're disorganized run out + buy storage bins, hooks, and containers. they get home and try to fit everything in them but things don't fit right because they didn't sort through the stuff first. when items don't all fit the bins just add to the clutter.

3. the number one problem

too much paper.

80% of the paper you get you don't need to keep! you need to weed out paper every day-- magazines, newspaper, catalogs, mail, receipts, and more. + try going paperless with bills.

4. sure, you could try selling that online

maybe it's worth your time selling something with worth over $100, but unless you are accustomed to selling items online or really need the money-- you should just give it to someone in need and keep on your organizing project.

5. put everything on your calendar

even errands, working out + cleaning the house. then you can prioritize by importance.

if it's not on your schedule, it's not in your life.

6. closet

switch all of your clothes backwards in their hangers, once you wear an item put it back in normally. in a year, if you still see items backwards you're obviously not wearing them....get rid of them

7. hanging shoe bags

in addition to using it for shoes it is great for gloves/hats in the winter, sunblock, sunglasses + goggles in the summer. also for crafts, toiletries and makeup.

8. biggest secret

don't procrastinate...

things that are postponed a few minutes eventually add up to hours. 

always open mail right away and discard what you don't need, do the few dishes in the sink, + put things away when you are done using them.