Why are people messy?
Why are people inherently messy? We go through the effort to cleanup a room and within a few months it is back to how it was. It is just that people are messy or is it that we don't fully appreciate how to keep things tidy? Ultimately it comes down to two factors: usability and expansion.
Usability
When a lot of people go to the effort of tiding a room they tend to overlook one important factor; usability. There is no point hiding away all those documents and items that you use on a daily basis if you are just going to get them out again. Sorting out a room does not mean putting things into boxes so they are out of sight, it means being efficient in how you organize your items.
Expansion
It is a guaranteed fact that we will accumulate stuff. Printouts, mail, to-do lists, new documentation and things we buy all have a habit of ending up on your desk or stacked on the floor as a temporary measure. Unfortunately that temporary measure soon becomes a permanent position.
What we have here today is a five step plan to help you unclutter and organize those messy rooms.
Step 1 - Change
One of the reasons we are so reluctant to tidy up an area is that it's what we consider to be the norm. That big pile of papers on your desk has slowly grown over time and we now just accept it as normal. It was there yesterday, it's here today and it will be here tomorrow. The first step is to make the normal messy areas completely abnormal and unusable. The easiest way is to dump everything into a large pile in the middle of the floor. This will not only free up space but it will force you to sort through the items.
Step 2 - Identification
Now that we have a large unusable pile we need to identify what we have. Label four pieces of paper with "Keep", "Store", "Sell" and "Rubbish" and lay them in different corners of the room. Now just go through the pile and place the items on the appropriate tag. If you use the item on a semi-regular basis then it should go on the "Keep" tag. If you need to keep it but don't need access to it very often then it goes on the "Store" tag. The "Sell" tag is for high value items you no longer need while the "Rubbish" tag is for any items that can be thrown out.
Step 3 - Sorting
At this point move all of the rubbish items into the trash. Take note that you may want to shred any old documents that you no longer need. Any items that are to be sold can be boxed up and placed in a different room to get them out of the way. At this point you may want to do some quick cleaning as most of your desk space should be free.
Now group similar items together and put them in a pile where you would most likely use them. Keep building these piles until you have been through all the items. At this point you will probably find that you will need to move or swap piles around now that you can see exactly what you have.
Step 4 - Storage
All of these piles will now need to be put into a storage container. It may be as simple as a folder for your current documents or as large as a new bookcase. Stationary organizers, plastic boxes and filing cabinets are just a few of your options. Once you have worked out what to buy make sure you purchase above and beyond what you need to allow for future expansion. Then it is a simple case of packing all of your items into their respective storage containers.
Step 5 - Maintaining
When you acquire a new item don't simply chuck it on your desk. Just spend a few seconds and decide where its new home will be and ensure that it goes there. This way it is very easy to maintain an tidy environment by just spending a few moments putting things away and not allowing the clutter to develop.
Conclusion
Hopefully this guide will help you in organizing your household. Just remember the two important rules: it must be usable and it must allow for expansion. If you stick to these two rules you will have a tidy house or work environment that is easy to maintain.
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