Organize in a Flash

Most of the time, the reason you need to organize is because you don’t have time to organize! It’s a catch 22, but there are ways to make it go faster and more smoothly. Have you ever decided to organize and only ended up making a huger mess than you had before? It’s pretty common to start going through things and then get stuck in a rut of not knowing quite what to do. Or, you get plenty of ideas about what to do, but they require a big investment in a closet system or other large furniture. We’ve been studying home and closet organization for years and we’ve gotten pretty good at helping people quickly organize with only a few quick steps. Plus, when you do it right, maintaining the organization is easy and continual, so you don’t end up having to start over any time soon.

1) The first step to organizing anything is clearing out the things that you don’t need to waste your time on. Go in with a lot of trash bags or boxes and get ready to give things to charity. Things that you don’t wear because they don’t fit right, they have a stain, or you’re just not into the style anymore can go directly out of the closet or dresser. If you can’t decide very easily, set some limits for yourself. Say, "I can keep twenty shirts.” Pick out the twenty and then the rest goes. If you don’t have time to drop off a donation, most places will pick it up for you if you call.

2) When you get that part out of the way, it’s time to categorize. Make some large, general categories and make sure that everything has a category to go in. Avoid miscellaneous piles that can slowly turn into more clutter. Keeping the categories large will help you to envision how much space you’ll need for each one more easily. Decide which piles can be hung, folded, or stored in a spare closet or on a rolling garment rack outside of the closet.

3) If you want to keep more stuff than actually fits, you may want to consider some space saving clothes hangers. These hangers fit flat together, can be cascaded from each other, and can double or triple the amount of space in your closet. Investing a little in some specialty hangers that organize your ties, belts, scarves and more can help you to clear out space in drawers and cabinets making room for further organization.