PICKED UP

Clutter, clutter, clutter everywhere! That was the problem. Of course, the obvious solution was to declutter.

Admittedly, the four-bin method was used for sorting. There was one for donations to charitable organizations, and there was one for for-sale items. Lastly, there was one for recycling to family members and one for through-away/trash.

Unsurprisingly, the bin method is why the yellow and black professional storage bins contained all the for-sale items that were posted on Facebook Marketplace.

But, there was a dilemma!

In the bedroom, clothes and clutter weren't scattered all over the floor. In reality, professional storage bins contained all the items for sale that were taking up valuable floor space. On the left side of the bedroom, there were professional storage bins, and on the right side of the king-size bed, there were brown boxes and clutter. Something had to be done.

Admittedly, it was past time! Omg! It was definitely time!

Of course, a thought-out plan had to be formulated. The plan looked like this:

1. Each and every item in the for-sale bins had to be numbered. The numbers had to be entered into the Facebook Marketplace postings. The numbers had to be placed and taped to the correct item's plastic bag. Once the mission is accomplished:

 a. Move bins to the attic.

 b. Bins have to be positioned for easy access to retrieve items.

2. Clean out and sort a closet either the hall or bedroom.

 a. Bedroom closet sorted providing room for brown boxes.

 b. Move boxes and miscellaneous items to the closet.

After writing the plan, it was time for action. The implementation began and was completed over a three-week period. The project wasn't a rush. Naturally, help was needed to move the eight bins to the attic. That's not a typo! Eight bins!

Is a plan necessary? Yes! Believe me! A plan will save you time and money.

Before you buy the latest organizing system or EVERYTHING at the Container Store, you need a plan. Can you visualize what you want your room, apartment, or home to look like? Everyone has different tastes and lifestyles. It would be nice if one method or organizing system would fit all and magically go from chaos to sorted. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way.

Where to start? Starting with a sketch/drawing of what you are trying to achieve or from magazine pictures and clippings of how you want your room to look, will help you create a plan.

With an arrangement in mind, you can take it one room at a time or plan out your whole house. Again, personal preferences come into play during your design stage. Breaking the project into manageable pieces, you are more likely to complete and find satisfaction in your accomplishment.

For example, when organizing the bedroom, the room appeared overwhelming. Planning out the steps, the project became manageable.

The steps:

Plan.

Execute (Clean & Organize).

Finish & Evaluate.

Another method, instead of sorting and using bins, you can organize your items by categories. As seen on TV, a favorite decluttering method is going through categories; such as all your books and magazines or all your clothes in your closet and only keeping items that spark and give you joy.

Emptying everything out of the closet including all the clothes doesn't appeal to me. However, if it appeals to you and if you have the time and patience to go through everything in your closet, you should go for it.

According to the categories method, if it doesn't fit, if it doesn't spark joy, or if it is out of style, the clothes need to find a new home. You have options for disposing of clothing. Two of the options are as follows: you can sell the items yourself or you can drop them off at a consignment store.

At the end of the day, have a plan. Sorting, it doesn't matter if you use the four bin sorting method or the sorting and organizing by categories method as long as your home is picked up, arranged, and organized. After decluttering, you can relax in your home sanctuary!

Writer's notes: Thank you for reading!

This story is dedicated to my family.