Editor’s note: This article was originally published in Spring 2015 Home & Garden (Sound Publishing).

BY SHEILA TAYLOR

Many of my clients become frustrated with the level of disorganization in their homes, and they enlist my services. Here are a few organizing tips that you can use to bring organization, efficiency and calm to your home environment.

First, start off small. Try organizing a few drawers or cabinets, rather than the entire room. Plan out when, where and what you will organize, and stick to it. This process is great for those who are easily distracted, and also for those who do not have solid blocks of time to devote to organizing.

Tackling small organizing projects is beneficial in many ways: it isn’t as intimidating as a larger project would be, you can set short term attainable goals, and you can see the results of your hard work, which in turn encourages you to keep going.

When organizing, remove all items from the area, say a drawer. Sort them with like items, for instance, shirts in one pile, pants in another, etc.  Now comes the hard part. Evaluate each item: when was the last time you used it? Have you ever used it? Do you have multiples of the same item that you may not need?

Be honest with your answers and don’t be afraid to let something go if you can’t remember the last time you used it.

From the questions above, you can sort your items into four different categories: keep, throw away, sell or donate. When returning your keep items to the drawer, put them away neatly, which will entice you to keep a neat drawer going forward. For the items you wish to donate, bag them up and put them in your trunk. Add to your to-do list to drop off at the charity of your choice.

If you are not the creative type and need ideas on how to containerize items, google organizing ideas or organizing pictures. There are some very inventive ideas that you may be able to easily incorporate into your home. Think out of the box when containerizing your items.

For example, an over-the-door pocket shoe organizer can be used for more than just shoes. Use it on the mudroom door to hold hats, gloves, scarfs, sunglasses, dog leashes, keys and wallets. Or use it on the back of a child’s bedroom door and store small toys, as well as arts & craft supplies.

If you lack storage in your bathroom, cut the shoe organizer in half and glue to a rod, and hang it inside your bathroom cabinet. It can offer a home for nail polish, floss, deodorant, perfume, lotion and much more.

To increase the efficiency of your household, run weekly family meetings where each person’s calendar of activities is recorded onto the family calendar. Take note of work commitments, sporting events, school clubs and any other extra curriculum activities.

Once all events are noted on the family calendar, parents can discuss and coordinate plans for the upcoming week. Hold the family meetings on a night when all family members are normally at home, and set aside 30 to 45 minutes for the meetings.

I hope these organizing tips will prove helpful to you. If you are in need of hands-on organizing or organizing coaching, please contact me at the numbers provided.

Sheila Taylor is the owner of Clutter Controllers LLC and is a professional organizer. You can reach her at 360-917-9004. Email her at cluttercontrollers@hotmail.com, or check out www.cluttercontrollers.org.