On Labor Day weekend in 2018, one of my favorite friends flew to my home and helped me completely transform it. For three days, we spent 12 hours per day going through every cupboard, drawer, shelf, and closet–getting rid of the junk and creating systems to help my family stay organized. I can’t think of a better bonding experience for two friends or of an event that has impacted me quite like that one.
This friend I am referring to is Candi Kidd, who was on the podcast last week teaching about time management. I’m so happy to have her back for Part 2 talking about home organization. The process of organizing your physical spaces is about so much more than having beautifully labeled bins and throwing things away, though both can be very nice. Candi has taught me that our physical things remind us of the “shoulds” we have in our lives. Clearing things away or organizing them to be more accessible and functional can help us to accept ourselves more fully and live with more intention and joy.
In this episode, Candi and I are breaking the 3 in 30 rules and sharing FIVE takeaways that go along with the FIVE-part formula originally taught by author Julie Morgenstern about how to organize any space.
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- S is for Sort. Take everything out and sort it with similar things. If you’re organizing a pantry, that might look like making piles of baking supplies, canned foods, breakfast foods, noodles, etc.
- P is for Purge. This can be emotional because it’s where your expectations and your reality are often misaligned. Remember that it’s okay to accept who you really are and get rid of the physical items that remind you of who you think you should be or who you thought you would be.
- A is for Assign a home. Every item needs a place where it “lives” or goes when it is not in use, and sometimes it can help when you think in terms of zones. Create a baking zone, a lunch zone, a breakfast zone, and so on.
- C is for Containerize. After you’ve assigned a home (and only then!), measure and buy the containers you need. You can buy beautiful airtight containers if you have the budget, but dollar store containers work great too. Just try to make sure your containers match if you really want to feel put together when you glance into one of your spaces.
- E is for Equalize. Maintain the organization you’ve set up by using labels, specific labels for things like “Powdered Sugar” or more general for things like “Snacks” that often change. Remember, you will need to periodically reevaluate and possibly change your systems if they aren’t working for you.
>>>Are these tips about organizing any space helpful? What would you add to the takeaways? Tell us in the comments below.
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