Are you excited that Fall has finally arrived in Houston? I certainly am. With the cooler weather arriving, and the change of seasons, it gives us an opportunity to prepare for the upcoming holiday season.
In the world of home organizing, just about every professional organizer in Houston would say that now is the perfect time to declutter your home. There is a lot of hype during Spring, but trust me, decluttering and organizing your home before the busyness of the holiday season, will give you greater peace of mind as it allows you to end the year and go into the new year already organized! After all, as Zig Ziglar once said,” you can’t reach for anything new if your hands are still full of yesterday’s junk”.
Where do you begin though when you live in a city whose climate may call for a light sweater in the morning and shorts in the afternoon? You can start by peeking into your closet and dresser drawers and getting rid of any clothes and shoes that you didn’t wear during this past Summer unless of course there’s a good reason to keep them; perhaps you wear them for special events, or you didn’t wear them because of the season circumstance you were in like pregnancy. Don’t forget to get rid of any linens that have gone past their used-by date too! Make sure you have the guest room ready!
The kitchen is the heart of most homes and usually hides a lot of clutter for us. Go through each cabinet and drawer and toss out any unmatched Tupperware, unmatched water bottles, and duplicate utensils or appliances that you never use. Use this time to check your serving ware and dishes to make sure that you have complete sets for the season. Go ahead and take inventory of what you need and be ready for your guests.
Go through your holiday decorations and make sure they are in good form. You don’t want to decorate your whole tree just to find out that your lights aren’t working.
With the cooler weather amongst us, you can be assured that it is also the perfect time to work on the garage too. Purge the worn-out sports gear and toys that your children no longer use. Make room for all the anticipated gifts that you’ll receive.
Besides hiring a professional home organizer to help you tackle your organizing tasks, here is a simple list that you can use to guide you to reach your organizing goals.
Set a realistic Goal for your space; restore your living room to its original calm and Zen space and use the S.P.A.C.E. system to guide you along the way:
Sort through your items; like items with like
Purge things you no longer need
Assign a home to everything; “A place for everything”
Place items that you use frequently in an easy-to-access area in the space you use most often.
Items that you use often, but not as frequently, store them in an easily accessible space, where you can reach them such as the middle linen closet shelf.
Things that are used only seasonably or on rare occasions, you can store in the higher cabinet or the lowest shelves
Contain your belongings for more efficient organizing. Use what you have first and then purchase some containers if necessary. Empty jars, lidless Tupperware containers, and Ziploc bags can be used to corral those loose items that have been rolling around in your junk drawer. Label your containers if that will help you stay organized.
Equalize your space; Spend a few minutes a day putting things back in their space to keep the space maintained, feel free to tweak the system as needed.
Remember to give yourself some grace in the process. We aim for progress, not perfection. If you need help getting your Zen back, reach out to a professional organizer in Houston to help you! Happy Fall y’all! Let me know what you’re organizing!
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