1. Look at the all-over picture of your home, what you do in that room the most, what you need in that room and how you ‘wish’ it would look. Go through every room and decide what it is that you want to do with that room and write it down.

2. See if you can find any hidden storage areas in your room.
Decide if you want to add another shelf in the closet, use the storage space on the inside of a door, maybe use under the bed storage. Or how about a shelf above a window? OR, using a trunk for a coffee table or at the end of a bed!

3. Choose organizing products you like and that make you feel good, not necessarily what the ‘in’ thing is.
Do you want to use Rubbermaid or are the items in a hidden area where a cardboard box with a little contac paper on for decoration will do. Using things that you like will give you a better feeling about what you have accomplished.

4. Consider daily routines in your home.
Place items where they are going to do you the most good. Something that you use on a daily basis should not be on a high shelf. The vacuum cleaner should be kept in or near the room you use it the most-mines the living room, so it is in the hall closet.

5. Know why you want to get organized .
Are you doing this for yourself and to make your life easier and time saving, on the other hand, are you doing it because someone told you to or your neighbor is doing it?
In order to do a job 100% to your liking you need to do the job right or not at all. By not having your heart into it, you will only get stressed, frustrated, and over whelmed and then, you will waste money and not have a useable time saving solution to your problem.

6. Set long-term and short-term goals.
What will you be happy with ‘for now’? What would you like it to look like by the end of the year? In this hurry up world, sometimes doing things a little at a time in order to achieve the higher goal is better.

7. Develop a system for paper, files and bills .
By keeping on top of the paper filing, paying bills and keeping notes, you will eliminate 20% of your stress in keeping up a households financial records.
Want those articles in the magazines that you are keeping, cut them out, put them into a binder that is separated into categories. This way they are easily accessable when you want them and you will actually know where to look for them.

8. Keep your organizing simple !
Always remember to WORK SMARTER-NOT HARDER, take things down to the most simplistic form, it is usually the best way, easiest way and less expensive.

9. Learn how to throw things away or donate them .
Haven’t used it in a year? Get rid of it!
Doesn’t fit or haven’t worn it or used it? Get rid of it!
If it has needed mending for over 6 months? Fix it or Get rid of it! Get the idea??

10. Plan ahead and learn to save time.
If you know that you will need supplies and you already plan on getting them, make a list before you start your project and go and get everything that you will need. The job will go much faster because you will be so excited to see
what it will look like. Just keep in mind that once you remove all of the clutter, you may need a smaller container!

Hope this helps someone other than me!!
Happy organizing!

Maybe I should follow your lead