Spring is finally here! And if you are anything like me you are in a huge hurry to get the winter stuff put away to make room for the fun spring and summer stuff. Storage in our house is always an issue so I have asked an organization expert in Niagara to offer some helpful tips to get organized this spring.
by Julie Stobbe of Mind Over Clutter
Now that we are leaving winter behind, the warmer weather brings on a feeling of change. There is a change in your wardrobe, hobbies or activities and schedule. These changes in your lifestyle create a need to organize your life for the new season, Spring.
S – Schedule a time to reorganize your home for Spring. It may be a large block of time to get it all done at once or smaller blocks of time to do one room or area at a time
P– Part with items that you didn’t wear or use this winter.
Will your children’s clothes fit next winter?
Are your shovels, sleds in good repair or is it time to replace them?
Will the skates fit next year?
Some items you may want to sell in a yard sale or on Kijiji . Put them in a container ready to sell in the fall.
R– Remove your winter items from the prime real estate storage areas. Prime real estate storage areas are bedroom closets, entry ways at the front and back doors, garage, etc ,spaces that are used every day by most people in your family. Put your winter clothing, boots, hats, mitts, and outdoor toys in the basement or a storage area (closets, shed, attic) to open up space in your clothes closet, entryway and garage for the items you use daily. Put out your umbrellas, rain gear, shoes, lighter weight jackets, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, balls, tennis racquets, and bike helmets etc .
I Inside your storage areas,
Store things you use at eye level,
Infrequently used things should be stored up high or down low .
Make sure to store things close to where you use them. Piles are sign that things are not stored where they are used most often.
N New activities may cause chaos in your time management. Sit down and schedule activities for your children, and yourself as well as rescheduling weekly and daily chores that maybe effected by the new activities. If you have a lot of hobbies you enjoy, this maybe a time to change to a new hobby and put your winter hobby away until next year instead of having all your hobby items available year round.
G Get your reorganization done early and then enjoy your spring and summer:
- in your easily available wardrobe that you love,
- with your new relaxing schedule and
- participating in your active lifestyle.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Silver Leaf Member of Professional Organizers in Canada (POC). She started her business, Mind over Clutter, Professional Organizing Services in 2006. She is the past Chairperson of the Education Committee for POC. She works with residential and office clients, on site or virtually, helping them to remove distracting clutter, streamline their systems, manage their time and brings happiness to their homes and organization to their offices. She is available for speaking engagements for community groups and corporate events.
Website and Blog: www.mindoverclutter.ca
