Organization 101

Last post we talked about the clutter that consumes our living space. Today, we will be focusing on how we can organize all the clutter and junk in our room. While reading Almost Amish, listening to Money Saving Mom's audio book, and the wise counsel of my mother, I have learned some very valuable lessons concerning organization. 

The first thing we must do is streamline our stuff, which just means to simplify our stuff.  Go through your entire room top to bottom. Evaluate each item and designate them into three piles-- toss, give away, and sell. It can be very hard to give your stuff away, but you can't hold on to everything. My mom says if you have not used it in 6 months, your not ever going to use it. So if that crochet bin is sitting in the corner waiting to be picked used, toss it.  It is better for you to just give it away.  

Here are some helpful questions to ask yourself to know whether or not you should keep a particular item:

- Do I need this?

- Do I use this item regularly? 

- Do I like this item?

- Is this item taking up space I do not have?

- Could I bless someone else with this item ?

Even if you give away half your stuff, that does not insure you that you will have a clutter free room. The key is Maintenance, Maintenance, Maintenance.  Maintenance is the key to a organized life. It can take a lot of self denial to put your clothes away instead of sitting down to read, but trust me the reward is much greater. You must stay on top of clutter.

Another way to live organized is to institute a no pile rule. It is very easy to use your night stand table as a haven for all kinds of things. Not having any piles on your furniture is a guarantee to a cleaner room. Lastly, the key to organization is, and this may be the hardest, keep things out. Buying all the cute things your little heart desires is a sure way to accumulate clutter. Do you really need another pair of shoes? Is it necessary for you to buy twenty bracelets? Use the self-control that God has given us, and you will see that you will not miss the things you wanted to buy.

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and self- discipline 2 Timothy 1:7

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Hope this helps. Leave a comment to tell me how you are doing on your organization  journey!