Organize + Energize: 4 Areas to Declutter This Month
Tuesday, February 07, 2017
Last month, I gave you 4 spaces to declutter. This month I’m giving you 4 more and I’ll be doing this once a month. Before you know it, you’ll have decluttered your entire home and you’ll say, “That wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.” By breaking down your home into small projects, you’ll find you’re not as overwhelmed and you’ll stay on task because you’re just focusing on one area.
Here are 4 areas to declutter in February:
Medication. Go through your home and gather all your meds. Search the bathroom, linen closets, kitchen cabinets, desk drawers, pocketbook, car, bedroom, etc. Check for expiration dates and dispose of any expired medication. Be prepared, there’s going to be some really old, expired meds. I’ll be surprised if you don’t find any. Check your closet every year for expired meds. Believe it or not, your medications should not be stored in a medicine cabinet in the bathroom. The bathroom is the worst place to store your medicine. The bathroom is prone to high temperatures and humidity. Medications should be stored away from heat and moisture and closed tight. Keep in a hallway closet, or anywhere in the home where the room temp is between 68 and 77 degrees. Some meds need to be stored in cooler places. Always read the labels and also check with your pharmacist if you’re not sure of how to dispose of your meds.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTUnderwear. Ok be honest, when was the last time you took inventory of your underwear drawer. If you don’t have drawer organizers in place, you’re probably wearing the same ones over and over, neglecting the ones that are in the bottom of the drawer. It’s time to empty the entire drawer and take inventory. You’ll be surprised at what you’ll find!
Socks. Same process goes for your sock drawer. When there aren’t drawer organizers in place, you’ll wash your socks and then you’ll put those socks on top of other socks that you haven’t worn. You’ll keep grabbing from the top of the drawer and you’ll never wear what’s in the bottom half of the drawer. With drawer organizers, you’ll be able to see everything you own and you’ll rotate wearing these items.
Jewelry. Admit it, you’re probably hanging onto jewelry from the 90’s. How much of this jewelry are you actually wearing? Be honest with yourself. Also, is your jewelry just thrown in a drawer, on your bureaus or scattered all over the bedroom? It may be time to purchase some organizers and create a home and system for your jewelry. Take inventory, itemize, categorize and measure your space and purchase drawer organizers to fit what you need to hold. Wherever you decide to store your jewelry, be sure to maximize the space you’re organizing.
Mark your calendar to work on these projects one day at a time. Block off 1 hour to tackle each project. It’s not going to take you that long, but at least you’ll be giving yourself some structure. If you want to finish these projects in record time, remember to stay focused, on task and don’t leave the project room.
Kristin Carcieri-MacRae, is an organizing & efficiency expert and owner of Organizing in RI. Kristin teaches her clients that living an organized lifestyle will save them time and money, decrease their stress levels and help them become more efficient and productive. Her articles have been published in local and national magazines. Kristin's CD, Organizing Basics, is a 1-hour guide for the person who wants to get organized but doesn't know where to begin. She is also available for organizing workshops.
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