A 4-Step Approach to Clear Clutter and Get Organized   by Cyndi Seidler

Any room or space that makes you feel overwhelmed, uncomfortable, or dysfunctional is an area that needs order.

Clutter is simply the accumulation of items in places they either don't belong in or don't fit in. It all begins to look like a junk pile at first glance because it's all mixed with other unrelated items or sitting somewhere that covers or blocks something else (like a furniture surface or floor area). It can also take the look of a mess, where items are stacked or crammed together in a space (like a closet).

But, I don't need to explain what clutter is. If you see it, you know exactly what it is.

The thing to ask is, "Why is it there?" "How did it get there?" "What causes it to accumulate?" Your answers will reveal the REAL problem, because clutter isn't the real problem actually -- the real problem is the reason the clutter happened in the first place. Clutter is just the manifestation of the problem (which does become a problem in itself, of course). You'll find the reasons are often: no system or method or space for something.

A cluttered bookshelf, for example, would have more books on it than the shelves can store, and possibly lots of knick-knacks and other paraphernalia spread out along the shelf surfaces. The real problem then, would be that there is not enough bookshelf space for the books or too many books. It might also be that there is no other place to display or put the miscellaneous items sharing the shelves with the books.

So, we start with getting rid of the clutter but, if we don't know the reason it happened, we can't establish solutions for it not to occur again, and clutter begins to accumulate once more. My following method should handle this.

The ESAP Speed Organizing Method™

This approach to clutter is my ESAP Speed Organizing Method: Empty, Sort, Assess, Place. I refer to it as a "speed organizing" approach because, when you have the necessary tools to do a project like this, it can be done swiftly. And, once organized, regular organizing clean up is a snap!

1. Empty. This means to empty a room, a drawer, a closet or cabinet space. Call it a "clean sweep," if you will. Just take everything out and put it in a container or bag to place in a sorting area. For a room, it's even best if you remove all furniture, too. By removing everything in a cluttered area, you'll be able to achieve a "fresh start" (or a fresh outlook) to organizing it and establishing solutions for the space (in Step 3).

2. Sort. This step involves going through your belongings and putting into boxes or bins by category. You can establish the categories based on scanning the area for the types of things in it. This could be categories for clothing, tools, tape media, books, paper, linens, tools, toys, etc.

Think of this sorting step as cull, clarify, classify -- the three "C's" I use to organizing paper applies with anything.

Having the proper organizing tools at hand for an organizing project makes the project go quicker and easier. So, when you embark on this step, you'll want to have sorting boxes, bins, or containers and large trash cans or heavy-duty trash bags at hand. You'll also need to designate an area for the sorting step, and this can be another room somewhere in the house or garage, or outside.

3. Assess. This entails a review of your belongings to determine what to keep and what to get rid of. You'll need boxes or bins for things to a) put away, b) throw away, c) give away.

This assessment step is the decision-making step. While you assess what you have, you will be making decisions on what stays and what goes. This step can make or break your organizing endeavors if you are keeping more than you have space for. Try to challenge yourself to keep only what will fit into your existing spaces, or know that you will need to purchase merchandise to place or store them in.

That is why this step also involves assessing the allotted spaces you have available for certain items, and then finding any kind of storage items needed. This could be:

* storage products to store items that didn't have a place before. * purchasing furniture items or shelving that provide extra storage.

Browse through the organization sections of departments stores, home improvement stores, or office supply stores. Look online or go to the store physically (check out our Products section for ideas, too). See what specialty catalogs offer. Get some magazines to inspire some organizing solutions for you.

4. Place. This is putting things you're keeping in designated places -- establishing a place for everything, and placing everything in its place. At this point, you'll place, or position, items into their respective "home" (a place in a closet, cabinet, drawer, or storage unit). This step can also be called the "Put away" step.

Too overwhelming to start?

These 4 steps are designed to keep the organizing process for decluttering simple. At the start (especially if an area is very overwhelming), it may seem like a daunting task. If this is the case, try breaking down the disorganized area into small tasks, if the overall task seems too much to deal with. For instance, in a kitchen, organize one cabinet or drawer at a time. In a closet, organize sections of it at a time, like the shelves, then the clothes, then the floor area. For entire rooms filled with clutter, tackle a section of the room at a time.

It would even be a good idea to tackle the project with a friend or family member. Put on some music and make it a fun project event. Be sure to take breaks, as needed!

The important thing to to schedule a time to start and schedule time to do the project. I call it "speed organizing" because it can go rather fast when you have the right tools at hand and the correct solutions in place.

Staying Organizing

Once you are organized, you'll want to keep it that way. Having the right storage solutions is a major part of it, but doesn't encompass the fact that we need a disciplined approach to maintaining order. The key here is that, once you have streamlined your belongings to fit the space you have (in Step 3), you'll need to establish some rules that keep you from filling up the space again. This could be:

* buy one article of clothing, get rid of one article of clothing * don't buy more than you need or have space for * don't keep what is broken and isn't repaired promptly * get rid of previous catalogs, magazines or newspaper issues when new ones arrive

A person can cut their organizing time in half by having and using the right organizing solutions for their needs. That is why, to maintain order, you should also designate time each day to do Step 4 on an on-going basis.

This way, instead of spending hours dealing with an accumulation of clutter, you're spending minutes. It's SPEED ORGANIZING at its best!

About the Author
"Organizer to the Stars" Cyndi Seidler is an author, syndicated columnist and professional organizer.

Founder/owner of HandyGirl Organizers (http://www.handygirl.com), a Los Angeles based company, Cyndi has helped many individuals get organized.

Cyndi developed the Web site, Organized-Living.com (http://www.organized-living.com).