by Jessica Hughes
Labeling your bins takes the guesswork out of where things go.
Oftentimes, the holiday season can feel overwhelming with the in-laws in town, additional obligations, finding the perfect gift, and then wrapping it. With so much going on, being organized can make a world of difference and ease the stress of “what box did I put the Christmas lights in last year.” Decluttering and organizing can help you focus on life’s other obligations this time of year. But where does one start?
Christina DesAuguste, founder of The Organizing Company — a professional organizing company that helps people organize their “stuff” in a functional, good-looking way, says to start with a method. “For those starting the process of organizing, it is best to start with a method, rather than “tips and tricks.”
During the holiday season, one of the biggest mistakes DesAuguste says she sees often is people frantically throwing things in their hamper or some other “catch all” and stick it in the closet somewhere right before friends and family arrive. “It’s best to try and not hide your mess before company comes over,” says DesAuguste. “Instead, try to come up with a method or process that sets you up for success.”
One method DesAuguste suggests when bringing out decorations for the season, is to place your non-holiday items in the holiday bins you pulled out from storage. This way, when the holidays are over, you can easily make the swap.
Christina DesAuguste gets organized with one of her Hilltop clients in Denver.
Organization not only reduces stress, but it looks good too.
“Make a decision about how you store your holiday decorations,” says DesAuguste. “You can do it by room or by category. But try not to do a “free for all storage” and take the time to be methodical.”
While DesAuguste emphasizes there is no one size fits all for organization items everyone must have, she does mention a few things she thinks everyone can benefit from. “A label-maker is huge help in getting things back where they belong. It helps eliminate the “where does this go?” question.”
Another item she strongly suggests might be one that surprises you. “A three-step stool is great to have handy,” says DesAuguste. “It sets you up for success by having easy access to things, so you put items back in their right place.”
In terms of decluttering your space to make room for all your holiday demands, DesAuguste says she is a big fan of having children go through their toys before gift-giving season. “Choose things they are ready to part with and donate. That way when new gifts come there is room for them.”
But taking away your kid’s toys might prove challenging, so starting with big bulky items that don’t have any meaning is another option. Think of items like excess small appliances, comforters you no longer use, or cleaning supplies you don’t use anymore. One other item that is less obvious but easy to discard is old paint cans.
Often forgotten about, paint cans clutter basements, garages, and crawl spaces,” says Kevin Lynch, the Program Manager for PaintCare Colorado. “Free up some of that space by taking cans of paint to one of our local drop-off sites or using the PaintCare Door-to-Door service to make room to store presents in advance of the holidays.”
PaintCare is the paint recycling program in Colorado for consumers and businesses to drop off their unwanted paint, no matter the brand, for free reuse or recycling. With more than 160 participating drop-off locations, most locations are at paint and hardware stores.
So, why worry about getting rid of your old paint cans, aside from decluttering your space? “The older that paint gets the less usable it is,” says Lynch. “Unused cans of paint can become rusty and leaky from moisture, especially in our fluctuating Colorado climate.”
Drop-off is available year-round during the retail location’s regular business hours. And if you don’t have the ability to visit one of the drop off locations, the Denver area is fortunate to have a PaintCare home paint pickup program, called Door-to-Door Service, for households with more than 10 gallons of leftover paint, stain, and varnish. There is no charge for the pickup service; the cost is included on the sale of all new paint purchased, which is how the PaintCare program is funded.
If you’re not ready for a full-blow
n organization method, DesAuguste offers a few organizing “hacks” to help get you started. “Build a “10-minute tidy up” into your daily routine. Having this time to make sure things get back to their proper homes is a great way to prevent the overwhelm that comes with huge piles of mail/laundry/dishes, or a wild playroom.” She recommends doing this after dinner and before sitting down to relax. “But whatever time of day you and your family can be consistent is great,” says DesAuguste.
Another trick she mentions is to assign tasks to a certain day of the week. “For example, Mom’s laundry day is Monday, Tommy’s is Tuesday, and Suzie’s is Wednesday,” says DesAuguste. “Have a day of the week you open your mail rather than trying to open and deal with it while you’re carrying in groceries and unpacking kids’ backpacks- it just ends up in a pile somewhere never dealt with.”
She also suggests that until you are ready to get your house fully organized you can designate a day of the week that you organize. “Build time into your routine for things like this so they are more likely to get done.”
If you’re having a hard time starting the process of organizing and decluttering, Des Auguste says to simply start with your why in mind. “It helps to know why and deciding that it’s worth it is important to getting started.” Learn to organize anything in less than 10 minutes with Morton’s free video and guide at theorganizingco.com.