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Getting Organized: Purging the Unnecessary

by Mary 13 Comments

Getting OrganizedOne thing I want to work on this year is getting organized. There’s just too much stuff around here and my entire life is getting cluttered with excess things, thoughts, and activities that I don’t need. Between blogging, homeschooling, regular household duties, and trying to get my own personal interests in line, I have way too much stuff and it’s taking over.

To give you an idea about the clutter I’m talking about, take a look at this drawer.

drawer 2Yes those are banana clips in there, and yes that is a little jewelry box I’ve had since I was seven, and cassette tapes, and ok, I don’t even know what some of those things are. Now take your idea of what this drawer looks like and let’s apply this to the rest of my life. My calendar is disorganized, my social media needs to be cleaned up, my house is cluttered like this all over the place, and with all of this it’s no wonder my anxiety has been on the increase!

It’s time to do something about this mess.

I’ve already started getting some things straightened up and we have a huge pile of things ready to go out for donations, but this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Here are some additional ideas for things I’ll be doing, all of them revolving around the idea of purging. Getting rid of the excess stuff. Less stuff means better organization and a happier me.

magazines

Magazines: I’ll be getting rid of extra magazines I don’t need by recycling them. Some of them will be used for homeschooling to create collages. If they are useful, such as our National Geographic collection, I’ll create some magazine holders and keep them on a shelf in an organized way.

Planners: Planners need to be updated. I always have good intentions to use them and I’ve discovered keeping track of things digitally just isn’t for me. I’m keeping way too much appointment clutter in my head and I need to jot things down in one single place so I know when our homeschool meet ups are, when Dr appointments are happening, and when I have other obligations. Amazingly, I have it all in my head and I’ve never missed a deadline or appointment. However those ideas are constantly running through my head and writing them down will make a big difference.

Hot Spots: Hot spots need to go! Hot spots are the flat surfaces in certain areas that just seem to attract clutter. I have a lot of these in my house. We’ll be taking care of everything, throwing away things as needed, finding a new home for them as necessary, and of course donating if it’s called for.

pantry

Pantry and Closets: My pantry and closets need to be weeded through. There are so many things I need to toss or donate. Clothes that don’t fit me anymore or that I never wear are taking up a huge portion of my closet! Seriously I just need to part with them. There really isn’t that much of a sentimental value to them. Looking in my pantry, why do I have Brita filters? We haven’t had a Brita pitcher in years. I have no clue why that is there!

Office: I’m lucky enough to have an office all to myself and I never use it! It’s a mess. It’s become a dumping ground for everyone to stash things when they don’t know what else to do with them. This year I’m closing out one of my businesses I no longer want to pursue, so I’ll get all of that taken care of and it will make more space to organize my blogging business and homeschooling documents. After that I’ll be creating a space for me. Surrounding myself with things I love (like my Lego Mini-Figs and my Dr. Who stuff) and making a comfortable pace for me to sit and unwind.

This is just the beginning and it’s nowhere near everything I need to do. It’s giving me a little bit of a focus on where I need to start and where I want to go with all of this organization. Hopefully you’ll see some more posts about my progress and bright ideas I’m using to get myself organized in the near future.

What tips do you have to stay organized? I’d love to hear your life hacks, tips and tricks. Share your favorites in the comments below. 

Filed Under: Organization

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Dora

    at

    To be honest, this is an area in my life that I’m slowly starting to get in control of. We should do a decluttering challenge! I was watching a gal on Youtube yesterday & for the month of December she would let go, throw away, or donate some things. Day 1 you get rid of 1 item, day 2 you let go of 2 and so on and so forth. And on the last day you let go of 30 things! Kinda holistic and crazy approach, but at this point in my life, I think I have more than just 30 things that I am holding on to that I don’t necessarily need. You know what I mean?

    Reply
  2. Tiffany Shand

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    Great post. I’m working on getting more organised.

    Reply
    • Mary

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      Good luck! It can be a challenge, but it’s totally worth it when it’s done!

      Reply
  3. Amy Sorensen

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    I just try to think of it as never finished. Which sounds discouraging, but really just keeps me motivated to do a little bit often. January is my month to do a LOT of decluttering though. I cleaned out my kitchen pantry this week and I need to remember how much chime more functional it is when it’s organized.

    Reply
    • Mary

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      I’m doing little by little. I pulled a few more pieces of clothes for donation today and I went through a bunch of books. It’s slow going and some days I’m more motivated than other days, but I’m getting it done and that’s the main point!

      Reply
  4. ByBEck

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    Mostly I try to keep things organized around the house, but with my clothes I definitely have an issue :p

    Reply
    • Mary

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      I’ve attached false sentimental value to some of the clothes that I have. I’m going to do my best to say I don’t need to keep them. If they don’t fit I can donate them. It’s hard to convince myself of this, but I did the same thing a few years ago when I did an organizational challenge (and won) and I purged a ton of my old belongings and craft supplies. It felt great once I got past the anxiety of letting go of it all.

      Reply
  5. Amber Lea Easton

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    Oh, this is so needed right now. I really want to start minimizing and living a simpler life. Thanks for the inspiration!

    Reply
  6. Kiara Martilla

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    I’ve been working on purging as well! I’m a very sentimental person so it’s really hard for me to let go of the memories sometimes even though the item itself has literally no use (example: size 00 jeans because my grandma bought them for me. Umm. I highly doubt I will EVER be that small again!) so I have to constantly remind myself that these people i associate with these items would tell me I’m being absolutely ridiculous in keeping them.

    Reply
    • Mary

      at

      This is another tough idea, but if it’s hard to completely get rid of clothes like that you could always create something useful out of them. Use the fabric to make something you can us, like a bag. Another option I’ve seen people do is to take photos of things so they always have a record of them. It’s a tough job, but if you’re like me, you’ll feel so much better when it’s done and not near as horrible as you thought you’d feel in the end.

      Reply
  7. Clarissa

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    Great post! How has the organization been going? I’ve always been organized because it’s just a part of who I am, but I always still have the one drawer and that one hot spot (which happens to be my work desk) that still collects the clutter. But I also work on getting rid of that extra clutter and I’m also working on becoming more of a minimalist and not having as much as I do now anyway.

    Reply
    • Mary

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      Organizing is slow and steady. I like to really tackle a spot when I get in there, so I’m finishing up some minor unfinished projects as I go and getting things lined up to be more efficient for the family. My office is almost done, and that means I can get some other rooms rearranged and organized next!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. No Spend Month Challenge: Let's Start Off With the Rules - Living a Sunshine Life says:
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    […] such as you have to get rid of things around the house you no longer need. In other words, the purging aspect of getting organized, which I wrote about last week. I’m already doing that in my life so I don’t feel like […]

    Reply

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Hi, I'm Mary. Positive inspiration lifestyle blogger living in Nebraska. Check out the blog, get to know us, and find a little inspiration along the way. Please comment on the blog posts or shoot me an email if you have anything to share. We'd love to get to know you too! You can send an email to Mary@livingasunshinelife.com

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