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Clutter and disorganization can zap your energy and create unwanted stress. It can mess with your daily routine (Affiliate Link), keep you from finishing things, and result in several unfinished tasks. Today, I will share some obstacles, tips for getting organized this year, and my previously written posts to help you overcome these issues.
Jump to:
- I don't know where to begin.
- Let's Streamline Your Home Declutter Challenge
- How to Awaken from Clutter Blindness - Part 1
- I Need to Declutter Quickly.
- 30 Days Spring Cleaning Challenge
- 15-Day Purging Challenge to Clear Out Your Home Right Now
- 29 Days Small Items Big Clutter Challenge
- I don't know where to donate my stuff.
- Giving Back to The Troops with Expired Coupons
- Where to Donate Baby Items
- Extensive List of Used Book Donation Places and Tips
- Places To Donate Jewelry You Do Not Want
- How to Get Rid of Household Electronics
- What To Do With Old Yearbooks
- Charitable Locations To Donate Stuff
- 15 Charitable Locations With a Cause
- Virtual Organizing Consultations
- Small Business Virtual Consultations Service
- Want to learn more about NAPO
January is Get Organized & Be Productive (GO) Month, and there’s no better time to consult an organizing or productivity professional. This annual initiative is sponsored by the National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals (NAPO). If you are looking for a Productivity or Professional Organizer, please click here to find one in your area. Let's get organized this year and make it an amazing one.
I don't know where to begin.
The first obstacle is not knowing where to start. It can get frustrating when you don't know where to start. Start by doing small tasks. If you have a large project, break it down into smaller tasks by writing the steps on paper.
Now, determining the amount of time you have to do these decluttering projects is key (Affiliate Link). You need to be realistic with your time. Therefore, if you have time once a week, you can break your tasks down to 2-4 hours. Instead, if you only have 15 minutes daily, you can separate your tasks into smaller 15-minute projects. Try these 15-minute organizing/decluttering challenges to motivate you to let go of things and get organized.
Below are posts I wrote about those who don't know where to begin.
Let's Streamline Your Home Declutter Challenge
I've been doing decluttering monthly/weekly challenges since my blog started in 2011. While the challenge has evolved tremendously with the help of clients, followers, and family/friends, the challenge now includes a simple way of planning your attack for these monthly decluttering challenges. Get your FREE challenge ebook.
How to Awaken from Clutter Blindness - Part 1
Are you wondering where the clutter is in your home? Have you ever walked around your home and couldn't find clutter you didn't want or need? Did you ever walk around your house and not see the clutter? You could be walking over things and not realize it. This is clutter blindness. This is part 1 of 3 posts and includes a free ebook.
I Need to Declutter Quickly.
Another obstacle people deal with is that they don't have enough time. Not having enough time is super frustrating for individuals. You may never feel like you can get to your decluttering project. In this case, there are some things you can do to help keep your decluttering project progressing.
First, you can repurpose items in your home to organize other spaces. Containers you have at home, like Mason Jars (Affiliate Link) and ottomans, could be used to manage the kids' crafts or toys. Visit my post about 10 affordable organizing products to finish those organizing projects.
Below are my favorite and most popular challenges to help declutter your home.
30 Days Spring Cleaning Challenge
Spring cleaning doesn't happen just in one weekend. Well, it can, but boy, will you be exhausted after you are done. I like to do these tasks over several weekends or even a bit each day. Doing these jobs for part of the day for the next 30 days or longer will help manage the time more efficiently.
15-Day Purging Challenge to Clear Out Your Home Right Now
The other day I thought, what would help people get rid of their unused stuff? A challenge, of course. But why should people do periodic purging of their things? There are many reasons; read more to learn about this 15 day purging challenge.
29 Days Small Items Big Clutter Challenge
Decluttering is so much easier when you clear out small tasks a little each day. As you know, small items in any house can envelop the home if not controlled. Every group in this challenge can get out of hand rapidly if not looked at and scrutinized periodically. This post will help you organize the small things in your home. These daily activities are specific to different areas of your home, and you can easily follow along.
I don't know where to donate my stuff.
The last obstacle I will discuss today is where one should donate their stuff. People sometimes feel frustrated with not knowing where unique items can be donated, so they figure they will not donate anything until they find out—resulting in lost time finding a new home for items and the items getting old, dusty, and unusable.
To remember what items go to what charities, I created a form you can copy for your home and donate stuff. If you find a great charity, you can write it down, indicate what they accept, and their address/phone number/email. You can also include the donation hours, pickup times, etc. Using colored dots, you can place a dot on each item and indicate where it will help you organize your charity items. This sheet is invaluable for more extensive purging sessions. But it also helps remind you where you donated items.
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To help you find the right charity for your stuff, I have shared several charities to help with specific items you may want to get rid of in your home.
Giving Back to The Troops with Expired Coupons
I was going through and pulling my expired coupons the other day and noticed I had several that I didn't use. After doing a little research, I found this site that helps Troops with expired coupons. Did you know? Military families can use expired manufacturer's coupons up to 6 months after the expiration date. Instead
Where to Donate Baby Items
Babies need a lot of stuff. From cribs to car seats, parents must buy the appropriate things for their age, which can result in many unused things that need new homes. This post will help you find a new home for these unused, unwanted baby items. But first, I have some tips for you before
Extensive List of Used Book Donation Places and Tips
While we all love books, sometimes we need to declutter them to buy more books. We only have so much room in our homes. This post shares a detailed list of Used Book Donation Places and tips. Plus, how to organize the treasured books you have left.
Places To Donate Jewelry You Do Not Want
Recently, I spoke with someone about her mother's buying and hoarding costume jewelry. She was concerned that she would be unable to get rid of rarely used costume jewelry. As she discussed the issue, she became increasingly frustrated with the possibility that she would have to trash all those jewelry pieces.
How to Get Rid of Household Electronics
There are lots of electronic devices we use in our homes. From TVs to cables, these items can pile up over time. Today, we are discussing ways to get rid of these household electronics and give you some inspiration on where to donate them. I hope this helps you get rid of your unused ones.
What To Do With Old Yearbooks
I have been going through my memorabilia. And I have A LOT OF IT. When I came across my yearbooks, I wondered what to do with them. What condition should they be in to donate them? Today, I am going to share with you what I found.
Charitable Locations To Donate Stuff
When you are getting rid of items, instead of throwing them into the trash, consider that you can donate stuff that is gently used to charitable locations either near you or mail it to a worthy cause listed below. With some planning, you can make a big difference in someone's life!
15 Charitable Locations With a Cause
Over the years, as I worked with clients, I found that people with a charity that offered a cause close to their hearts were more likely to get rid of their gently used belongings. Whatever the reason, they were happier when they gave to a charity they support than selling the item.
Closing
I hope this get organized this year post helps you get your home and life more organized. After 25 years of helping individuals and small business owners get their lives more organized, I can vouch that it is possible, and you can do it, too. Never give up. We all have obstacles we need to overcome to make our lives more enjoyable. We need to find ways to overcome these obstacles, and I hope this post helps you do just that.
About Me
As a member of the National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals (NAPO), I work to improve my clients’ lives by helping them create environments that support productivity, general health, and well-being. After all, working with a Productivity Consultant/Professional Organizer is no different than choosing an accountant, personal trainer, doctor, or other service provider! I love to help individuals and small businesses figure out their goals, determine a path to get there and help them stay accountable through the process.
Want to learn more about my services? Feel free to check out my services below. Below are both of my virtual consulting services to support you! This first virtual service is specifically for three different types of needs. Visit the page to learn more.
If you are a business owner, check out the second service. It will take you to my small business owner-focused website.
Virtual Organizing Consultations
Many people have asked me for this service, so here it is! I am so happy to offer Virtual Organizing Consultations (AKA Virtual Organizing). What is Not Being Organized Costing You? The scenario? When organizing independently, do you come across projects and don't know where to start? Sounds interesting? Click Contact Me Today to learn more.
Small Business Virtual Consultations Service
Are you struggling to get tasks done in your business? Do you need help identifying the areas that are most important to tackle? This small business virtual consultation service is just for you!
Did you ever need someone to be your sounding board, accountability coach(not certified), or someone who can advise you on a more effective system or process in your business? Did you need to bring your goals in the sky down to practical steps and processes to achieve said goals? Did you need someone to keep you motivated to move forward with your goals? I can help! It’s like having your virtual Chief Operating Officer (COO) at your fingertips! Click the Contact Me Today button to learn more.
Want to learn more about NAPO
The National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals (NAPO) was founded in 1985 as a nonprofit professional educational association for professional organizers. Today, NAPO has approximately 3,500 members worldwide, representing the full spectrum of the global industry: professional organizers, productivity consultants, authors, educators, trainers, manufacturers, service providers, and more. NAPO’s mission is to be the leading source for organizing and productivity professionals by providing exceptional education, enhancing business connections, advancing industry research, and increasing public awareness. Visit www.NAPO.net to learn more.
