How To Plan a Day of Organizing
How To Plan a Day of Organizing
So, you’ve booked a day off to try and declutter and get organized. However, by the time you know it, the day is over and you haven’t gotten anything done! What. the. heck.
You’re not alone! But, it doesn’t have to be that way.
Recently, a client of mine told me she was booking a full week off to get organized. My first instinct was to think “girl, you need a plan!“
So, I took a tour of her home, gathered some information about her space, and went home to write her a plan.
Here is the e-mail I sent to my client.
“Here is what I gathered from our walkthrough.
Areas that need some loving;
1. Living room
2. Kitchen
3. Hall way (including book shelf, front entryway closet, and bathroom)
4. Master Bedroom
5. Babys room
6. Spare Bedroom
7. Basement
It’s typical that when there is one area in the home that needs organizing/decluttering, that it’s usually bits of every room in the home (so you’re not alone in this!)
For your week off, I feel like it would be beneficial for you to focus your efforts on the main level. As I mentioned to you before leaving on Saturday, it will be very easy to become distracted during your time home because there is always so much that can be done, so it’s important for you to really plan out your week home. It may feel weird to do so because you probably have not done this in detail before but I urge you to do this before starting your “Vacation” tomorrow morning as soon as everyone has left for the day.
Sit down with a schedule for your week with the times that you have home. I’d like for you to plan which area you will work in and for how long as well as what needs to be done in the space. Tony Robbins actually teaches this method of planning and it is VERY effective.
For example:
Monday
10-1230 Gather all the toys in the playroom and begin placing them into categories. At the same time, collect any toys that may be scattered in the hall way as well (if any). From here, be realistic about which toys baby actually plays with.
Have 3 piles: Keep, toss, donate.
Once you have put items into categories and decided on what is to stay, you will then create a plan as to where the toys will go.If the thoughts don’t come to you right away, that is okay- take a break and have some lunch and drink water. It’s important to take a break anytime your mind is drawing a blank or feeling overwhelmed because you aren’t doing yourself any good staring at a pile for hours wondering what on earth you’re going to do with it!
Write down a list of supplies that are needed to finalize the playroom and move on to the front entry way closet. PURGE!!!! This closet isn’t used for much so again, be realistic. I invite you to be ruthless during your time home this week. Even if you can’t see what’s in the space, you know its still there and it still acts as a “to-do”
The more you plan, the better your time will be at home. Allow yourself to really sit with this and THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX! Even if you have the couch or the TV in one area of the living room, it doesn’t mean it can’t be changed. You’re creative as I learned during our time together on Saturday, create a vision and run with it!
Check in at the end of the day to see what kind of progress you made during that day. It will allow you to gain clarity as well as give you an opportunity to celebrate your hard work for that day. Remember, this time is not for tidying and doing chores, it’s meant to purge and create organized systems that work and that will last. Don’t feel discouraged if you don’t get everything done that you wanted to during this time. I’m sure you will hit creative blocks and that’s okay. Move on from that space and continue. Also realize that you will not be able to do the entire home during this time so again, don’t get discouraged. Simply try your best and when I get back, we’ll continue!
Here is a quick snapshot of the areas that I feel can be completed during your time home.
1. Complete kitchen (pantry, remove appliances that you no longer use, buy containers to complete the spaces as discussed) (2-3 hours)
2. Living room (as written in detail above) I also recommend mounting the TV, removing that dresser and getting a bookshelf instead. This will allow you to store more toys on there. Just a thought! (2-3hr)
3. Front Entryway Closet (45 mins- 1.5 hr)
Purge!!!!
4. Bathroom (purge, categorize, buy containers to house each category. Dollarstore will work! Take photos of the space before you head to the Dollarstore and measure the space as needed) (1-1.5 hr)
5. Baby room (go through clothes, remove any clutter that is in the closet, consider consolidating the clothes that are in the older white dresser into the change table and remove that old dresser) (2-4hr)
6. Master Bedroom (go through your clothes, remove the tall filing cabinet and consolidate the files into a box or bin with your other files. These can be gone through at another time. Put clothes away and play the yes or no game when going through your clothes. What this you ask? (2-4 hr)
Yes or No game= Hold each article of clothing up to you one at a time. Ask yourself “Do I love this, do I wear it, am I actually ever going to wear it again- yes or no?”
You notice how I didn’t put in there “how much did I pay for it, when will it fit me again, etc”. This method reallllllly works, so try it.
7. Spare room upstairs should be last because a lot of it is simply clothes and other random items. When you do begin to tackle the area, focus on going through clothes first as well as cleaning up the floor space. Then focus on one small area at a time. Break the entire room into small pieces instead of looking at it like it is one big room. This should help! (4-6 hr)
If you have time left in your week after going through these areas then begin focus on the basement. However, the only thing I want you to focus on here is PURGE AND RELEASE! What I mean by that is think of everything you do not want in the space, create a big pile and go to drop it off for donations right away. Start clearing up the space first- this should be an easy start!”
Yes, I know it was a long e-mail and I don’t expect you to have read all of it, but for many people, it will be very helpful.
Here is another example for you:
Here are the key points in planning your day:
- Write out each area that needs some “attention” on one side of the page
- Write down how long you think each area will take to complete. Be realistic!
- Plan the day by writing out the amount of time you have for that day. Add in break times and other responsibilities you may have for the day
- Write in short form what you plan to do in each space as well as what needs to be done.
- Be kind to yourself! Realize that you cannot get everything done in one day. Reflect at the end of the day and thank yourself for showing up.
The more detailed your plan is, the more successful your day will be. Plan. Execute. Reflect!
I hope you found this helpful. If you did, please share it on your social media! Also, if you have any questions or something you’d like me to write about, get in touch with me on social media, I’d love to hear from you!
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