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The 80/20 rule can be applied in many situations and states that 80% of the results come from 20% of the effort. It is also known as the Pareto Principle. The principle has been named after Vilfredo Pareto—an Italian economist—who, in 1895, noticed that about 80% of Italy’s land belonged to 20% of the country’s population. Maciej Duszyński states in his article Pareto Principle & the 80/20 Rule, “Pareto’s principle is more of an observation than a full-fledged scientific theory. It is commonly noticeable in a variety of contexts—but it’s not applicable to each and every scenario. Plus, the numbers 80 and 20 should not be added up to 100. The fact it’s called the 80/20 rule is simply a catchy, historical catchphrase.” As an organizer, the 80/20 helps people to easily, and subjectively analyze what they use the most, how they spend their time and how to manage their projects.
Possessions
Many times Professional Organizers will talk to clients about the 80/20 rule. I will say, you use 20% of your stuff, 80% of the time. This means most of your stuff (80%) is not used very often. Think about your clothing. Do you have some outfits you wear a lot? You love how they look, feel and you get a lot of compliments. If you apply the 80/20 rule you can let go of 80% of your clothing because you don’t wear them very often. Think about your other possessions. Do you have DVDs, books, jewelry, tools, toys and dishes filling your closets and cupboards? Let go of the 80% that you almost never use. Organize, enjoy and respect the 20% that you use frequently.
Time Management
Once you realize that 80% of your outcomes come from 20% of the time and effort you spend on them, the importance of prioritizing becomes obvious. If you have a To-Do List, prioritize the top 2 items (20%) and complete them first. Although the other items, of less importance, might not be completed the ones you did complete will have a big impact (80%) on your accomplishments. Don’t neglect the other tasks. Move on to doing them once you clear the big ones. You can delegate the other tasks. The 80/20 rule will help you to use your time efficiently.
Projects
It is important to understand when a project is finished. The first 20% of the time you spend on a project will get you to 80% finished. Trying to get the final small amount completed perfectly may not be a good use of your time. When you have 80% of your project perfected should you move on and publish it, institute the changes or present it for discussion? I have a saying on my bulletin board that says, “good enough” + “published” is 1000 times more valuable than “perfect” + “not quite ready yet”. I have seen weeks, months and years spent focusing on making the last 20% perfect. It can be a stumbling block to your success if it allows you to procrastinate and lets you hide behind the fear of accomplishing a new challenge. The feedback you receive on your project will be more valuable in perfecting your work than you spending more time on it.
Paper
An organizer, Linda Samuels reminded me that the 80/20 rule can help you with your filing. She says, “Applying the rule to papers is a good one too. We only retrieve 20% of the papers we file. And since most people (other than organizers) dislike filing, it’s a good thing to keep in mind. Perhaps recycling rather than filing is a better option for that other 80%.” You usually keep more paper than you need and that makes it difficult to find the 20% that is important in our files. This is true for emails also.
Kevin Kruse states in his article in Forbes, “No matter what your situation, it’s important to remember that there are only so many minutes in an hour, hours in a day, and days in a week. Pareto can help you to see this is a good thing; otherwise, you’d be a slave to a never-ending list of things to do.”
What 20% of your effort gives you 80% of your satisfaction?
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home and office. She guides and supports you in managing your time. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Reading time – 3 minutes
Do you enjoy watching all the TV shows about people getting their homes and lives organized? Some of those shows make it look so easy. So you start thinking about doing it yourself.
Do it yourself?
This is a good answer if you are healthy and can lift and move things around your home to other spaces and out to your vehicle to take away to be donated. If you can schedule time for your project and are motivated to make your home work well for you, set the time up now to begin your project. There will be a lot of decisions to be made about what to keep and what to give away. If making those types of decisions come quickly and easily you will be successful in organizing your home. You will need a system for sorting, parting with items and organizing things well. If you have that plan or want to research how to get organized you are ready to start.
Need some instruction and guidance?
If you enjoy the physical labour of working around your home and creating a space that suits your lifestyle and personality but you’re not sure of the steps try purchasing an online course. They can give you the guidance you need when you’re not sure what comes next or how to set up zones in a room. Once you learn the process you can repeat it until your entire home is organized.
Need some motivation and accountability?
You may have good intentions about organizing your home. Getting started and continuing the work is the hard part of the job for you. Make sure to book appointments in your schedule to do some organizing work. The appointments may be shorter ones every day or longer ones once a week. Be consistent, working daily or weekly so you will see progress and that will motivate you to keep going. Find an accountability partner. That is someone you tell about your project, when you will be working on organizing your home and exactly what you will do that day. They will contact you to see if you did the work. Try working virtually with a Professional Organizer. They can help you with the initial planning, you meet with them to discuss how the project is moving forward and if you are stuck, together you can come up with solutions. They will keep you motivated and accountable. Here are the virtual services I offer.
Need some help letting go of things?
Do you find it difficult to decide what to let go of and pass on to other people to use and enjoy? You may be very sentimental and want to keep everything. Try thinking about keeping only the best of the best instead of everything. If you have the best quilt, the best teacup, the best photos in one album, the best painting you will still have all the memories and less possessions to clean, pack, move or display. Other people will be able to enjoy using the items. It is important to remember that not everything that comes into your life is meant to stay forever. Develop some questions you can ask yourself to help you decide if you are going to keep something or let it go. Decide if you need to touch an item one last time to be able to let it go or if holding and touching the item makes you want to keep it. In this second case, you may need a friend to help you. If you’re having trouble letting go of things from your past and moving forward I have a 9-week one on one coaching program.
Need some company?
Do you really dislike working alone? Do you like having someone to discuss things with? Ask a friend to help you. Put on some motivating music and make it fun. Make sure you know what you want to do so you can tell your friend what to do. Have a plan. You want to make good use of the time and not let it become a conversation, coffee or consoling time. Working with a Professional Organizer is a great way to have help with your project. Two people working at it will get it done twice as fast.
Here are the in-person professional organizing services I offer.
Need some help maintaining your organization?
Do you have a beautifully organized home and bit by bit the place starts to become messy again? There may be 2 reasons. First, you may need to adapt your plan so it can work better. Wherever the piles are forming it is a sign that the place you have chosen to store those items is too far away or too hard to access. Try storing those items in a new place so it is easy to get them out and put them away. The second reason for the mess developing is you need a maintenance schedule. Each evening take 15 minutes to put things away and get ready for the next day. Once each week use an hour to make sure your system is working, everyone is putting things away and declutter some items you may not need. As time goes on you may find small tasks and situations occur that you need help developing a solution for. Sign up for my Laser Coaching Program. They are quick 15-minute appointments to discuss one (at a time) specific organizing dilemma and decide on a solution to implement. 
Everyone has different organizing skills. No matter what part of getting organized is a stumbling block for you there are resources to help. Share on X Let me know in the comments what is the hardest part of getting or staying organized for you.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home and office. She guides and supports you in managing your time. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Reading time – 5 minutes
With school out for summer and children around more of the time think about organizing things so they can keep their stuff put away. Too many times children can only do half of the job because the shelf is too high for them to reach and an adult needs to finish the job. Organize things so they can do the entire job of putting things away or getting things out. It will be less frustrating for everyone.
1. Place hooks so children can reach them and as children grow, the placement of their items should change with their higher reach.
Have hooks at a variety of heights so each child can reach a hook
2. Organizing items for children to use should be kept within their reach. If a child constantly needs help accessing these items this will cause frustration for both parent and child. Keep books, toys, dishes, coat hooks, clothes closet bars and towels at age/size-appropriate level.
3. Designate a place for sporting gear, helmets, pads, shoes etc. It may be a shelf or a pegboard with hooks or a mess bag. These 3 options allow the sporting gear to dry out before the next usage. It is important to air out damp items so they don’t get mouldy. When the children arrive home they won’t need to ask a parent what to do with their stuff and when an adult asks them to get ready they can easily collect everything they need. No more piles of gear left on the floor by the door.
4. Establish a routine for water bottles and lunch bags. Make sure the children know how to empty and recycle items from their lunch bag and where to put the bag for storing or use the next day. Do water bottles need to be washed every day or refilled? What is the rule in your household?
5. Wet swimwear needs to be hung up and dried or washed. Make a place for towels to be hung and bathing suits to be dried. Teach your children to wring out or roll their bathing suit in their towel before hanging it up. This will prevent a puddle of water from forming on the floor. Placing swimwear and towels on a hanger to dry may be easier to reach than putting it on a line. You may want to set up a portable clothes drier so it is easy for the children to reach.
6. Remember to always keep cleaning supplies and medicines out of the reach of children.
7. If children are permitted to use the microwave oven unsupervised, place the unit at a height where children can remove food easily without climbing on counters or standing on chairs. This will help prevent injuries from hot food spilling on the child or a child falling.
8. Label bins, drawers, and shelves with pictures or words to make tidying up quick and easy.
Label containers to make clean up easy
9. Establish a bulletin board, magnet board, or a wall covered with magnetic paint as an area to display children’s work. As new work comes home, remove items from the display area and put them in a box. When the school year is over, go through the box and decide which pieces to save and put away and which to recycle.
Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of physical activity to reduce clutter, in your home and office. She guides and supports you in managing your time. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Reading time 5 minutes
We are looking forward to using our vehicles more and travelling again. Vehicles are used as mobile offices, restaurants, entertainment centers, locker rooms and homework stations. Keeping a vehicle clean can be easy. Here are 7 tips to help you organize your vehicle.
Garbage Bag
1. Have a plastic garbage bag in the front and back seats of your vehicle. It can be hooked on the headrest or armrest. Make sure all garbage is put in the bag and not all over the floor. When the bag gets full unhook it and put it in your garbage can on the way into the house. Keep a few extras in the vehicle.
A plastic garbage bag can be hooked on armrests.
Place a garbage bag in the back seat by hanging it over the headrest.
A garbage bag can be anywhere in the car, just make sure it is used.
Have a backpack ready
2. If you have a young child keep a backpack ready at the door to take with you in the car. Fill it with things your child can use to entertain themselves. When you arrive home put everything back in the backpack and bring it into the home. This prevents toys, papers and video games from being left all over the vehicle. It also prevents things from being damaged by being left in a sweltering vehicle.
Use your cupholders for temporary storage
3. Cup holders are a great invention. Put a clean tall cup in the holder and use it to hold pens, pencil crayons, small toys, notes, papers, and snacks. It will help to keep items confined to a space and prevent them from being lost in the vehicle.
Use a cup for your change. it will be easier to retrieve your change. Keep the cup in your cup holder.
Bring snacks from home and keep them in your cup holder
Use a cup holder for children’s toys
A portable office
4. If you use your car for an office try using a bin, box, or bag to contain all your supplies. There are a number of portable office organizers available or make one that is personalized for your situation.
Customize your own portable office for your specific needs
This organizer keeps the seat clear for items while organizing your office supplies
This office organizer attaches to the seat so it won’t end up on the floor of your vehicle
This is a portable office that can easily be taken with you to the car, meetings, library or hockey arena
This mobile workstation can help to keep your work organized
You spend a lot of time in your vehicle. Keep it a safe and healthy place free from flying objects and germs. Share on XClean up messes quickly – people and the vehicle
5 . Keep disposable wet wipes in the glove compartment for quick clean-ups. I have a small container of water, soap and a cloth for washing hands and faces. I keep it in a small box so it won’t roll around the van. I bring it in, change the water and put it back the next time I go to the van. Keep a roll of paper towels handy. You never know when they will come in handy for bigger clean-ups. If you have a mess in the vehicle clean it up right away. You have the products with you so it is an easy job. Always take everything out of the vehicle when you arrive home. Use the car door pockets and seatback pockets for items that permanently stay in the car. If you start with a clean vehicle on every trip it is easier to keep it clean.
Take everything out of the car each time you arrive at home.
Keep disposable wet wipes for quick clean ups of spilled drinks, and dirty hands.
Be ready to jump in your car and go and enjoy your trip, short or long
Keep your cargo area under control
6. It is easy to put things in the back or trunk, arrive home and rush into the house. If you don’t take the things out then when you add more it becomes fuller and fuller. There are certain things that live in the cargo space. Find a home for them. A box, crate, a built-in storage area, a bag hooked to the side with a 3M hook, under the bottom by the space tire. Make sure the other items are stored back in their proper place in the garage, basement or home.
Seasonal storage “locker”
7. Sometimes the cargo area is used as a seasonal storage “locker” because there isn’t an easy place to store and access sporting equipment. Some situations are hockey bags, golf clubs, soccer equipment and water sports. When the season is over clear out the gear. Wash it, clean it, dry it and store it away until next year. Leaving wet equipment in your vehicle year-round will cause it to deteriorate and get mouldy.
I think I covered most problems in your vehicle, including garbage, toys, paperwork, messes and cargo areas. What did I miss? Let me know in the comments.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of physical activity to reduce clutter, in your home and office. She guides and supports you in managing your time. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Reading Tim: 5 minutes
We no longer call it hoarding or call a person a hoarder. Now we refer to it as hoarding disorder and a person with a hoarding disorder. There is much more respect for the journey being travelled by the person with a hoarding disorder.
Much is still not completely understood about hoarding disorder. Is it genetic, is it learned behaviour, is it caused by a mental wellness issue that triggers it? Is it a combination of all of these?
Making Peace with the Things in Your Life
In Making Peace with the Things in Your by Cindy Glovinsky, she writes about the internal battles of guilt and shame and by making peace with those a person can make peace with their things. She talks about figuring out what is going on in the person’s life so they can figure out why they are doing what they are doing. Part I talks about assumptions, Part II looks at habits and feelings, Part III describes possible causes of dealing with things and solutions and Part IV looks at ways to detach oneself from automatic emotional responses that perpetuate cycles of clutter.
Cluttered Pearls The Stigma of Hoarding
This 2013 article takes a close look at the many different types of behaviours involved in hoarding. The information is still true today. I hope you enjoy this perspective written by Jean Oliver http://www.nexusnewspaper.com/2013/01/24/cluttered-pearls-the-stigma-of-hoarding/
Hoarding Scale
The Institute of Challenging Disorganization is a resource for many different types of organizational problems including hoarding disorder. They developed the ICD® Clutter-Hoarding Scale® that is based on five levels of clutter. 
Clutter Image Rating
The Clutter Image Rating scale (with 9 levels/photos) was created by Dr. Randy Frost and Dr. Gail Steketee. They are experts in the field of hoarding. Their books are a good resource.
Offering Help
A lot of times a friend or family member will offer help. Too often the person thinks it would be better for the friend with a hoarding disorder to have a less cluttered space. The help is usually offered in a well-meaning manner. If the person with the hoarding disorder is not ready to change, progress will not be made or if some is made it will not be a lasting change. Talk to them about what they want and need. It may be to join a group for peer support in conquering their hoarding habits, working with a therapist or working with a Professional Organizer. The journey of changing habits and conquering shame is long but worth the time, energy and support you can give them.
Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments about your hoarding disorder journey.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of physical activity to reduce clutter, in your home and office. She guides and supports you in managing your time. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Reading time – 3 minutes
My guest blogger this week is Making Your Small Space Feel Bigger from Downtown Apartment Company
Last week I reviewed a book that helps you to downsize the items in your home. Once your home is decluttered and organized a few design elements can make your room feel more spacious. It is important to organize your home so it suits your personality and lifestyle. As design is is not my strength, I invited a guest blogger, Downtown Apartment Company, to share a design graphic to help you with making your smaller space feel larger.
There aren’t many of us that live in a place that is as big as we’d like. We have to work with what we got. Luckily, there are ways to make your place feel bigger without adding any square footage. Coping with a smaller living space can be done with a few easy steps.
Using elements of design and psychology, you too can make your small place feel like a big space!
No matter the size, there are a lot of simple yet effective techniques and tricks you can do to really open up your place and make it feel roomier. An example is altering the colours, textures and patterns of your home. Changing the overall design is a fundamental way to affect how people will feel in it.
Using a monochromatic colour palette, for example, will make a room feel more airy and open, compared to a room with loads of contrast. Accenting your room with light fabric curtains and furniture with long, thin legs will also add to the impression that your place is bigger than it really is. Decorating your walls with striped elements will guide the eye horizontally or vertically to creating the feeling of additional height or width, as well.
Accepting your small space doesn’t have to mean feeling like you’re always trapped in a phone booth. Mastering the design elements below will help you and others feel less claustrophobic and more like the place you’ve always dreamed of.
Have I missed anything? In the comments let me know how you make a space feel larger.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home, office, mind and time. She guides and supports you to be accountable for your time, to complete projects and to reach your goals. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Great ideas for downsizing, moving or moving a family member
This book written by Judi Culbertson and Marj Decker is a complete guide to help you declutter and move. It has practical solutions for downsizing your clothing, collections and dealing with sentimental items.
It also addresses how to move a family member to a supervised living facility. The authors remind you that if your parent can make decisions that your purpose is to help them move happily from a large space to a smaller space not make decisions for them.
It suggests that you write a book about your life, put it down in black and white. A number of different ways of recording events about your life are provided.
It has a chapter on the step-by-step process of moving into your new home. They examine the psychology of making the scaling down change.
It is a great resource to have. Who knows when you will need it.
If you need help preparing for a downsizing move book a virtual organizing appointment with me.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of physical activity to reduce clutter, in your home and office. She guides and supports you in managing your time. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Do you spend valuable time making a to-do list and it doesn’t seem to help you get anything done? Does that list keep getting longer and longer? There are many ways to keep track of tasks you need to complete. Bullet Journaling, apps, notebooks, lists or recording a list on your phone. No matter how you record your list here are some tips to help you become more productive.
11 To-Do List Tips
These suggestions are from “Don’t Agonize, Organize Your Office” by Diane A. Hatcher.
- Make an Action list, Today’s Goals list or give it a title that motivates you.
- Make a tomorrow’s list before you finish your day throw out the old list and start fresh daily.
- Lists help you to focus and this increases productivity.
- For lists or calendars to help you be more productive you need to use them consistently.
- Write down anything on your list you don’t want to forget and cross off items as they are completed to help you achieve a sense of satisfaction.
- If a list is longer than 10 items focus on priorities and meeting due dates.
- Record individual tasks on your list, not projects.
- Look at the list often and keep it visible in the same location every day.
- Double the amount of time you think each task will take to prevent over scheduling.
- Use one calendar to record all your appointments, due dates and deadlines. Refer to the calendar when you prepare the action list for the next day.
- Prioritize by time blocks. Choose tasks off your list that can be accomplished in the time you have at hand. Also, consider your energy level when you are selecting the task to complete.
Kanban System
What happens if your list has more than 10 items and you’re afraid you will forget something if it is not on the list? There is a Japanese system called Kanban. This is a good system for visual people and for projects.
- Place your list of items you don’t want to forget about in the To-Do column
- You pick 3 tasks you will be working on at any one time and move them to the doing column.
- You can only add a task from the To-Do column to the Doing column when you complete one.
- Using Post-its on a whiteboard, arrange in columns: “To-Do”, “Doing”, and “Done”. There should never be more than three notes in “Doing”.
- You can add a “Waiting” column if you are waiting for other people to send you information.
Let me give you an example. During the pandemic when my area has a stay at home order, and lockdown, I work on my new online course, Create an Organized Home. At the beginning of the project, all of these items were in the To-Do column, I picked items to work on and moved them to the Doing column and as they are completed they are moved to the Done column. The nice thing about the Done column is I can check and see if I missed something and put it in my To-Do Column.
To-Do Doing Done
Update my website Proofread the material Learn to write a course
Market my course Check settings Write the course
Add SEO to each page Find the best software
Determine price Put course on software
Release course Make videos
Your To-Do column is a holding area for all those things you need to get done not just related to one project as in my example. The Doing column is the high priority items to work on that day. The Done column lets you know you are meeting your deadlines and gives you a sense of accomplishment. Using this system you don’t need to keep rewriting your list. Move the Post-it note from one column to the next.
However, you structure your list you can only do a small number of tasks at once. Whether it is a list on paper, a digital list, a journal or post-it notes, set your priorities for the day, work on them first so you don’t get distracted by less important tasks and refer to your list frequently.
Let me know in the comments how you structure your To-Do lists.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home and office. She guides and supports you in managing your time. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
This week my guest blogger is Sophia Perry from Arizona Moving Professionals
There comes a point when any household or a business needs additional storage space. Many people use it during a move or for decluttering and organizing purposes. While storage units are often a necessity when running a business, in recent times, they are becoming increasingly popular for people who recognize the importance of having a tidy living space. Hoarding items can lead to feeling snowed under and consequently anxious and frustrated. Hence, storage units are a practical solution. However, if you intend to use storage and free up some work or living space, be aware that, without a mindful approach, you’re risking turning your unit into the ‘land of lost and found’. Therefore, you need a good strategy for organizing your storage unit for frequent access to optimize the experience of your stressless, clutter-free lifestyle.
It starts with setting your priorities
Storage units are a multifaceted solution for storing a variety of items. Apart from helping with organizing a business inventory or a loved one’s belongings and heirlooms, people also use storage units to keep their cars and vehicles during the off-season, such as boats or motorcycles. If you’re moving, planning a home remodelling, or have a knack for interior design and decorating, a storage space is a guaranteed way to simplify your life. First and foremost, it’s important to consider the intent and purpose of the unit you’re using or planning to use. Share on X
Create a mindful picture, and even better, an inventory list, of what type of items you plan to store. This will help you adopt a more organized approach towards your storage solution from the get-go. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself piling up unnecessary odds and ends and just spreading the enchanted hoarding circle outside your home or office. A storage unit is a fantastic way to declutter and harmonize your space or offset the stress of a move, as long as you prioritize keeping your items organized and easily accessible.
To organize your storage unit with success, create a master inventory list and set priorities regarding the importance of your items.
Plan the layout of the unit
The idea of vast space available to be used for storing your items might be tempting. However, you’ll need to consider what goes where to ensure you’re organizing your storage unit for untroubled access to your items. With this approach, you might realize that you have a lot of clutter to let go of and will surely provide you with a perspective on your priorities. All it takes is some pragmatic consideration of how quickly and how often you will need something.
Items that you use less frequently, or hardly ever, should go at the back of the storage. For a smooth transition, let movers load these last in the truck, as they will be unloaded first and consequently dropped off at the back of the storage unit. This is a good chance to give these items a second thought. Try to determine why you are keeping them and what do you need them for. Not only will this help you to arrange your unit for efficient access, but it will also give you a clear picture of the scope of your possessions.
Have a practical idea about the layout of your storage unit to ensure quick and easy access to your items.
Decluttering a storage unit
If you’ve been using a storage unit for a while, you know how fast and easy it fills up. However, with an effective decluttering and organizing method, you can have it sorted for smooth access to your storage unit. Without a doubt, decluttering is the toughest task, but it’s also rewarding in so many ways. A functionally organized, clutter-free storage area will enable you to find anything you need with ease, and you’ll save time and enjoy peace of mind. You can ask friends to lend you a helping hand or hire a professional junk removal company. Depending on the size of your storage unit inventory, you should plan accordingly on how much time you will need to get the job done. You can book a full day in your calendar to dedicate to decluttering your unit. Challenge yourself, commit and stay on task. The reward is a feeling of ease and relief once you see it through, and ultimately, effortless access to your needed items.
Decluttering a depot is a daunting task, so asking friends or hiring professional services can be of great help.
Find creative ways to sort out items
Although decluttering can be a challenging task, with a good plan and a mindful approach, everything is achievable. Give yourself a little pep talk on the importance of organizing your space for some healthy motivation. Since the purpose of a storage unit is to keep your items, their safety and easy access to them can impact your mood. Hoarding or not even knowing what things you possess can lead you to feel overburdened. Use your master inventory list to determine what is relevant for keeping and what’s worth parting from. Divide your excess items into groups, and decide what to toss, donate or sell. For a smooth and efficient decluttering project, take out the items you intend to dispose of first. Subsequently, it’ll be much easier to deal with things you plan to sell or donate. With that being done, you’re one step away from fruitfully organizing your storage unit for frequent access.
Divide your items into categories to efficiently declutter and organize your storage unit.
A neatly organized storage unit
If you run a business, frequent access to your storage unit is a given. As a matter of fact, even if you use it to store items other than office inventory, an organized storage space will help you feel more in control of your life. Once you’ve carried out the decluttering project, you may have noticed how relaxed you feel. With no junk to obstruct your way, you’ll be able to organize your storage unit neatly and have everything you need on hand, without having to waste precious time and energy searching through the mounds. In your recently created clean storage space, stack and group your boxes from the least needed at the back to the ones you need more frequently accessed toward the unit’s front entrance. Allow some space in between rows of boxes to create aisles for easy navigation. Last but not least, label the boxes according to their contents, and make sure the tags are facing outward and are easy to read. This is the most efficient method for organizing your storage unit for frequent access, which will make the chaotic mess and clutter, and the anxiety that comes along with it, a thing of the past.
Share your tips for keeping a storage unit organized.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home and office. She guides and supports you in managing your time. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Yard sales are an excellent way to meet people, make some money and have fun. There are many ways to organize a yard sale. Timing of the sale is important to the success of the sale. You need to be flexible about pricing if you want to have less stuff at the end of the day. Let’s start with the easiest way to prepare for a yard sale.
This way takes less time and energy to set up.
Get a number of boxes or bins to collect your items. Mark each container with a price $1.00 $2:00 $0.25 $0.50 $5.00 etc. As you are collecting your items for the sale decide how much you will sell the item for and put the objects of the same price into the same box. You are pricing items as you sort them so there is less work to do later. Using boxes means you don’t need to price every item individually with a sticker. Many charities will not take items leftover from a yard sale. Part of the reason is they would need to remove all of the stickers.
Have separate display areas /tables for each price grouping. Place a sign on the front of each of the tables explaining everything on this table costs _______. You are finished and ready to have a great day.
This way will help you to have less stuff at the end of the day
Group your items into batches. For example a set of dishes, all the hand tools, groups of 10 books, baby clothing of the same size, CDs DVDs. The person needs to buy the entire batch not just part of it. This way helps you to move more items on each purchase. They buy 10 CDs for $5.00 instead of 1 for $0.50. Place batches of items in boxes or see-through bags.
This way makes sure you get the correct price for the item
If you want to use tags the easiest way is to:
- use one tag colour per price group.
- red for $10.00, blue for $5.00 etc.
- place a colour-coded sticker on each item and when the person buys it, you know exactly what to charge.
- Make a sign explaining that each colour represents a specific price
If you want to do more work you can price items individually.
- Place a sticker on the item and write on it the cost of the item.
- This is good for large items that will be priced higher.
In special circumstances, tags are very helpful if:
- the garage sale is for multiple families you can assign each group their own colour and you know which cash box to put the money in.
- multiple family members are selling items at the same sale you can assign each person their own colour and you know which cash box to put the money in.
You will need to remove the stickers after the sale before you can donate items.
How much should it sell for?
Pricing
If your goal is to sell stuff so you have less at the end of day price items:
- 50% of the original price for brand new or barely used items
- 25% – 30% of the original price for the older items
- You can always ask them to make you an offer. You might get more than you expected or less.
If you have more expensive items to sell do your research to determine a fair price for the article.
Sometimes a yard sale seems like a great way to make money. Make sure you are the type of person who likes to barter and is not offended when people tell you that something is not worth the value you have placed on it.
If you will be offended and not make a sale, a yard sale is not for you.
To ensure you get the sale by having change.
Make sure to never leave the money unattended. Keep the money in a waist pouch so it can’t be stolen.
Change
- have $25 in change
- $20 in $1, $4 in quarters, $1 in dimes and nickels
- If you don’t have change people will not buy from you.
Timeline for preparing for a yard sale
It takes time to set up and clean up from a yard sale.
- sort, clean, price 1 – 2 days
- advertising 2 hrs
- arrange and display wares 4 hrs
- get change 1 hr
- tag sale itself 1 or 2 days
- take unsold items to charity 3 hrs
Advertising
Advertising is a big part of the success of the sale. There are lots of Facebook sites, Kijiji and Craigslist where you can advertise for free. You may also have a local paper where you can place an ad. Put up signs to let people know where the yard sale is located especially if you are not on welled travelled streets with lots of cars and foot traffic.
Pick your date wisely. Spring and fall are the best times of the year. Long weekends are times when people travel. Weekends are usually better than weekdays. If you can do it with a number of families from your street at the same time you will get better results.
Is a Yard Sale for You?
Yard sales can be a fun way to get rid of your clutter, make some money and meet people if the weather is good. If you feel you don’t have the time, energy, a good location, great items for sale or don’t like bartering you may want to donate your items to a charity and spend the day doing something else.
How will you organize your yard sale? Maybe I didn’t mention your favourite way. Either way, leave me a comment.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home, office, mind and time. She guides and supports you to be accountable for your time, to complete projects and to reach your goals. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
