You’ve gotten motivated to organize an area that’s driving you crazy, but you need a strategy to get started. That involves making decisions—something you avoid whenever possible. Well, help has arrived: Scroll through this list of organizing methods and select the one that best fits your situation. You’re halfway done!
Organizing Method: Alphabetical order.
Best For: Your spice rack.
How It’s Done: Sort the spice jars; toss the ones past their prime; make a list (yea!) of the ones you need to replace; and then alphabetize them.
Organizing Method: Color-coding.
Best For: Your closet.
How It’s Done: Sort your clothes and discard anything you haven’t worn since 1999 (kidding—but if you never wear it, why let it take up space?). Use color-coordinated hangers to organize what’s left. You could organize by clothing type, purpose, or frequency of use. (And you thought color-coordinated closets were just for the superorganized. Ha!).
Organizing Method: Order of importance.
Best For: Your desk.
How It’s Done: Try to avoid feeling sentimental about each and every piece of paper. Instead, create separate piles for important or immediate correspondence, it-can-wait correspondence, and junk mail that should have been thrown away a long time ago.
Organizing Method: Storage bins.
Best For: Craft supplies.
How It’s Done: Creative supplies take up space, but they’re worth every inch, right? Using storage bins, arrange your whimsical assortment of supplies in a thoughtful, methodical way: a bin for yarn, a bin for ribbons, a bin for craft paper. … Before you know it, you’ll be able to put your hands on whatever you need, whenever you need it. And you’ll feel even more creative working in a neat space.
Organizing Method: Outside the box.
Best For: Your sock drawer.
How It’s Done: Stop trying to find matches for all the single, lonely socks in your dresser drawers. Take advantage of the new fad of wearing mismatched socks. It’s freeing! Think of all the time you’ll save.
