Something in, something out helps manage the number of items in a home.

That means storing all tools in a toolbox and not leaving a stray screwdriver in a junk drawer.

Like with like involves organizing your belongings so that “all like objects live together - not most of them,” Mellen says.For example, “your keys have a home and they’re either in their home or they’re in your hand unlocking something,” Mellen says. He suggests following what he calls his “organizational triangle” - “one home for everything like with like and something in, something out.” “With each item I’m considering, I decide if it’s meaningful, useful or useless.” Meaningful items get to stay, useful items that she no longer wants are passed along, and useless stuff goes in the trash.įrom there, Andrew Mellen, a professional organizer in New York City, encourages people to start organizing. “I create three piles: what I’ll keep, what I’ll donate and what I’ll throw away,” she says. To start her decluttering project, Sabrina Hamilton, 54, of Colorado, picks one room, assesses the clutter, and starts sorting, using a system many professional organizers follow. After that, pick one small area to tackle, like a drawer, in order to ease yourself into the work. “Grab a trash bag and just walk through the space throwing away anything broken, damaged or actual trash.”Ĭardboard boxes can take up a lot of space, so removing them changes the way you view a room, Bell says. “I always suggest starting with removing the trash first,” says Nikki Bell, a professional organizer in Houston. So where to begin when it comes to organizing and decluttering? The older you get, the more mugs, memorabilia, furniture, books, papers and accessories seem to pile up. She decided to tackle organizing what had accumulated in those boxes since she didn’t “wish to move all of these things across the country.” LaZar, 54, had lived in Cedar Crest, New Mexico, for 24 years and realized her family had “accumulated a great deal of stuff.” Much of it was squirreled away in boxes in her garage, barely looked at. “The more you have, the less life satisfaction people report.” Decluttering made simpleĪfter Beverly LaZar went through a divorce and began contemplating a move, she assessed what she wanted to take with her. “The more clutter you have, the less happy you tend to be,” says Joseph Ferrari, a professor at DePaul University, who along with his research partner has studied the negative impact of all that stuff. But the reality is that a few small steps can help jump-start the effort and may even improve your mental health just as much as your home. It often feels overwhelming, like there’s no time to take on a big project that will overhaul a space.

They look to Marie Kondo to organize their closets and drawers by tossing items that don’t spark joy.īut it can be hard to get around to decluttering in real life. People watch The Home Edit on Netflix to see pantries and bookshelves organized in a rainbow of colors and messy garages and bedrooms transformed. En español | We love to think about decluttering and organizing.

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