How to finally get organized for real- The Simple House 5 Step Process

Are you ready to finally address the elephant in the room and get your home (Ahem, your life) in order with some organization but don't even know how to start? Do you feel overwhelmed by the piles of laundry, kids artwork, and overflowing pantry? Do you feel more stressed inside your home than when you are away? Are you embarrassed to have people over because your house is "such a mess"?

Getting organized can be overwhelming and quite frankly just the thought can be daunting, let alone doing the actual process.

As a professional organizer, I have helped dozens of families get organized and stay organized with my simple 5 step process, and I'm sharing it with you today!

Before I get started, one thing that I want to let you know is that just recognizing that you have a problem with clutter and disorganization is a huge first step. Additionally, getting organized isn't something that you do one time and then you are done. Maintenance is required to keep it up and sometimes a new routine or habit is a must.

Also, this process is for someone looking to declutter, then implement product (aka bins, baskets, and organizers) and create an organizational system. Some may find they are just in the need of decluttering and purging and only need guidance with that. If that’s you, then this FREE decluttering guide I created is just your solution.

You can't be successful without a plan, start there and be realistic with yourself about the time, and the emotional and physical toll it can have on you once you get started. If you are already overwhelmed at just the idea, this might be your sign that you may need to ask for help. Are the other members of the household willing to chip in and help? Do you have a friend or family member that can be your cheerleader or can help along with the process? Or, are you a savage DIYer that's ready to face your belongings and finally get it under control?

Either way, here is the 5 strep process that I use with all my clients to help them achieve organizational success that lasts! Weather you are starting small with just a drawer or going big with an entire closet or room, this process is a must to follow.


Purge & Edit

The most important step

#1 Purge and Edit

This is the MOST important step in this entire process. You simply cannot get organized without facing your things and making decisions on what needs to stay and what needs to go.

Start with pulling everything out, and I do mean EVERYTHING. Completely empty the space. This means you are going to have an even bigger mess than when you started. This helps you see the quantity of things that you have and will make it easier to decide what needs to stay and what needs to go. If you struggle with just making the decision, see this Instagram post I made regarding questions to ask yourself when you are decluttering. (IG)

When you are pulling everything out, sort like things together into categories. If you are doing a linen closet for example, you would take all of your bed sheets and place them in a pile together, then take all of your towels and pile them together, etc. Once you have all of your categories, then you can start deciding on what needs to be purged. Put your items that need to be tossed immediately into a garbage bag. The same goes with your donation items, and have a plan to donate them right away so you aren't staring at them for the next days, weeks, months-thus adding to your stress.

Once you have sorted and categorized all of your things its time to find a home for those items. Deciding where are they going to live inside your home is the next step in the process.

Find Homes

Where will your items live

#2 Find homes

You most likely are going to find items that don't necessarily "belong" in the space you are working on. For example, if you are working on a kitchen drawer and you find vacuum parts mixed in with your turkey baster, and spatulas, you need to ask yourself where in your home would you actually go look for your vacuum parts and place them in that space. Its important that you place things in homes that make sense to how you move about your home, and where you would go to find them.

Back to the kitchen drawer with the spatulas. Are the cooking tools in a place where its most convenient and efficient for you to retrieve while you are cooking? Or are they in a spot that's much further from your stove, or prep area? There needs to be a little thoughtfulness when it comes to deciding where you keep things. If you always take your vitamins in the morning as you are making your cup of coffee, then maybe having them in the cabinet next to your coffee mugs might be the best spot. These are very personal decisions and every home and every space is going to be unique. Once the home has been established, then its time to let it breathe for a while.

Let it live

Ensure its the right spot

#3 Let it live

After you have placed your things in their "homes" you need to live with it for a little while to ensure you have established the right home for your items. Maybe you put your kids cups in a cabinet they can't reach and now they are constantly bugging you to get one down or climbing the kitchen counters to retrieve it themselves. Now you have realized that's not the best place for them and need to re-think your plan. Maybe you just moved into a new home and you thought that drawer by the pantry was the best place to put your ziploc baggies, but you now find it irritating that they are all the way across your kitchen from where you prep school lunches.

Once you have made sure that the home you established for your items is the most efficient and convenient (after all you want your home to work for you, not the other way around) then its time to consider if product is needed to help contain your items and establish a real organizational system.

Product Implementation

Contain and make beautiful

#4 Product Implementation

Instagram and Pinterest may have you think that running to Target or The Container Store to buy a bunch of organizational bins and products is the way to get you organized. The truth is, that sometimes its actually not necessary. Remember, you spent all that time removing things from your home, to only bring more, may defeat the purpose of getting organized. There are some spaces that require product in order to contain and maintain but there are certainly other situations where its not necessary at all. It all depends on the space, and your habits. A lot of times, bins can even help keep you disciplined with your habits buy requiring you to place things back where they belong.

If product is necessary, then I always recommend that you measure the space first. When shopping for products you want to make sure that what you are purchasing will not only fit the space but will provide the containment necessary for whatever is going to be placed in them. There are a million different organizational products on the market today and there are so many different routes that can be taken when deciding what to go with. Is aesthetics something that is important to you? Purchasing matching bins from a store where you know you can find another one 2 years down the road should you need more is what I recommend.

Don't even know where to start when looking for the right product? Then maybe a professional organizer is right for you. We know products in and out. We know what works and what doesn't. We even suggest things that you wouldn't have even consider before.

After products have been implemented (or not) then a little polishing is the last step of the process.

Add labels and Maintain

Labels truly establish the home

#5 Add labels and Maintain

It’s probably no surprise to you as a professional organizer that I am a huge fan of labels. They truly establish the zone or the home for your items, and helps to keep you disciplined to put things back where they actually belong. You aren't going to put crackers back into a bin that says "pasta". Our brains just don't work like that. Furthermore, it helps everyone living in the home to know where everything belongs and makes a HUGE difference with the cleanup. Anyone can help with clean up when there is a clear label indicating where something goes. Labels don't have to be fancy to be effective. Make it simple. You can do something as simple as a writing on a post-it note and sticking that to the bin. Or if you are looking for something more aesthetically pleasing, you can use a label maker and print some out or go real fancy with custom vinyl labels made with a Cricut or silhoute.

Speaking of clean up, maintenance is required in order to keep up with this organized lifestyle you are creating. I hear people criticize the organization by saying "yeah but it won't look like that in 3 months". And that is true if the process isn't followed correctly, and if you are unwilling to implement a new routine or habit that keeps it maintained. Your attitude reflects the space, and is critical in the maintenance of it. Spaces that are frequently used are going to require more maintenance.

Now that you have a game plan of the process, what’s the first space you are going to get organized? I’d love to see your progress and cheer you on, tag me in your stories on IG so I can applaud all your hard work!

XOXO Chels

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