Ready, Set, Get Organized!
The new year is a beautiful time of year. Fresh starts, new chances, and more opportunity to learn and grow. I’m especially fond of the new year because it’s a time for refocusing priorities and reevaluating what one really wants out of life. In the work we do—organizing people’s homes—it’s become clear that getting organized is a popular new year’s resolution. While I strongly believe that you can start at any point in time, I love the collective motivating energy that comes with so many people feeling inspired at this time of year.
With that, I’m excited to kick off 2022 with the start of our very first LIJ Book Club. My book about the soul work of organizing, Life in Jeneral, recently released in December, so I thought what better time to support this community in their journeys than January? We’ve compiled a free interactive workbook to accompany you through each and every chapter (sign up here to get that workbook!) Totaling 70 pages, there are questions, prompts, checklists, and resources galore to support you. Along with the workbook, we’re going to be diving into the contents of Life in Jeneral each week on our Instagram. January will cover Part One: Soul Work, February covers Part Two: The Process, and March tackles Part Three: Trouble Spots and How to Maintain. Each week will have a theme from the book and we’ll be posting relevant content to teach, motivate, empower, and inspire you to continue on your organizing journey. There will be IG Lives, at-length tips & tricks, giveaways, and so much more. If you’re not already a part of our community on Instagram, be sure to follow @lifeinjeneral to stay updated. To get the LIJ Book Club Workbook, sign up here!
Before you dive into Life in Jeneral full force, there are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind. A big part of my process is what I like to call soul work. This element is grounded in happiness, and in helping clients figure out what will allow them to live more wholeheartedly in their own homes. Soul work entails getting to the root of certain habits you want to break out of, asking yourself tough questions, and flipping the script on the way you view your home. For instance, asking questions like:
What do you want from your home?
What’s most important to you in a home environment?
What kind of lifestyle do you want your living spaces and belongings to support?
Which things in your home are life-giving? How about life-taking?
For a full breakdown of in-depth questions regarding soul work, the LIJ Book Club workbook is the perfect resource. Download it here!
As you prepare to get organized, it’s important to take a step back, evaluate, and set tangible goals for your home. Ask yourself questions like:
What space in your house is the most important?
What space do you need/want to start first?
What are the various stressors that exist in each room?
What is your budget for product?
How long will this project/each room realistically take?
Once you have a clear understanding of what you’re trying to accomplish for your home, you can begin mapping out a plan of action. Try to not overwhelm yourself by doing too much at once. If you need to take it slow, or even make it a 2022 and beyond project, that’s perfectly okay! To avoid any overwhelm, we recommend starting small. With a single drawer, hall closet, or your bathroom. Even if it’s just the dreaded chair with clothes piled up to the ceiling in your bedroom, just starting on something you know you can complete will kickstart your motivation to continue.
After you’ve taken a dive into the rationale behind the way you live, and we’ve uncovered how you can move closer towards your goals for living with intention, we can begin the process of organizing your home. As you go, please remember: it gets worse before it gets better. While it might look like a bomb went off and stuff is everywhere in the midst of it, just keep going. It will get better as you continue, I promise. The method you’ll need to follow is the Life in Jeneral organizing process, which goes like this:
Remove all contents from the space. Yes, all of it! All shelves, cabinets, and drawers should be bare so you are starting with a clean slate. Wipe down the surfaces with some all-purpose cleaner at this phase, too! With stuff usually piled on top of or inside of them, now’s a perfect opportunity.
Categorize & sort. This step is where the overwhelm can kick in at first, but trust me, it gets better. When you sort through your inventory and categorize like-items together, you’re able to see everything that you own, which makes the purging process more straightforward.
Discard & donate. After your items have been sorted, create designated piles (or trash bags) for discard, donate, and/or sell. This creates a fluid process for going through your inventory without making it feel overwhelming and provides a visual indicator of your progress. As you purge, ask yourself questions like:
Do I love it?
Do I use it?
Do I need it?
Do I have duplicates?
Would I buy it again?
Why do I feel like I need to keep this?
These questions will guide you to make decisions and evaluate how you use your items. This is one of my favorite steps because it allows you to make space to see and use the items you do love!
Add organizational systems. After you’ve sorted and decluttered your inventory, it’s time to create systems. We call them systems because they’re meant to be created with intention to streamline your daily routines. While beauty can be a goal, functionality should always win here. As you create organizational systems, remind yourself of how you operate in a space, what you need to be accessible, and so on. This keeps items from getting out of order and most importantly makes it intuitive to put everything back!
Maintain. The key to being organized is implementing systems that work most functionally for your household. If you’ve added containers and placed them in ways that make sense to your flow and the way you think, maintenance can be simple. It will always be a commitment, but it’s one worth making. And if you’re proactive, those small daily habits will add up, taking away the moments of despair searching for your spare house key or looking for that quinoa you could’ve sworn you picked up at the store last week.
For more guidance as you begin your organizational journey in 2022, make sure you grab your copy of Life in Jeneral if you haven’t yet and sign up for the LIJ Book Club for help every step of the way, no matter your pace. Of course, follow along with the book club on our Instagram, too! There will be lots of great information, support, giveaways, and more. Let’s do this!