Get Organized (GO) Part Four: Ourselves

Part Two of a Four-Part Series on Getting Organized from local professional cleaner and organizer, Jeanie Bigham:

Getting Organized Hurdle #4: OURSELVES

The last hurdle may just be one of the hardest. We fill our homes with stuff and never get rid of it when we get more stuff, even if it's to replace the broken stuff. We keep it all because "Hey, I might need that someday".

We also have emotional ties to things like every piece of artwork our child made in Kindergarten, even though he is now in college and the artwork is somewhere in a box in the basement. Some of this hurdle just might take a psychologist to get over but you can do it.

Rule of thumb: if you have not used, needed or much less thought about this item in a year get rid of it!

This is one hurdle I have no problems with; in fact I have the opposite problem: I throw away everything. To make things complicated I married a “I might need that someday” man.

As you are organizing your home, make 3 piles

• Junk Pile
• When it comes to your junk pile never look through it again. This is a classified pile.  No one in the family may look in. It goes straight to the trash.
• Give Away Pile
• Like the jun pile, never look through it again. You put it there, if you take it out it's to go in the trash. Take that pile straight to your local second hand store. Now if you did want to make some money off these items only choose those big ticket items that will bring in some money. Then choose a day that you want it sold by. If it's not sold by then it's gone. Get rid of it.
• Keep Pile
• Go through it a few times. Ask yourself with each item:
• When was the last time I used this? If the answer is within the last year you may keep it.
• How about  those broken items? How long have they been broken? Will you really fix it? Have you really missed it since it's been broken?
• When it comes to those things that have no real use but you are attached to ask yourself these questions, “Will my children or children's children really care about this item when I'm gone?” “When this item is worth money in 20years will I even  remember where it is or am I willing to keep it in good condition for it to be worth anything.” This last question always reminds me of the boxes and boxes of magazines my husband has been keeping because they may be worth money someday. Those magazines are in such bad condition from being stored in all kinds of climates and being moved every where you wont be able to even know what magazine it is soon.

If you get overwhelmed give me a call. It's always a good idea to get an outside person with no attachments to your stuff to help you organize. To check out me and my cleaning/organizing business, go to my website. I will gladly come to your rescue!

Jeanie Bigham

Owner/Operator

Outstanding Cleaning Divas

801-604-2414

outstandingcleaningdivas@yahoo.com

CLICK HERE for Part One: Time

CLICK HERE for Part Two: Money

CLICK HERE for Part Three: Space