We start with the one-space-at-a-time method of the four approaches to begin organizing your spaces. To begin to organize any space, you need to know what you have and what space you have available to store it in. And to know that, you need to clear out your space! All those items lurking in your dark corners need to be brought to light and we need to illuminate your spaces themselves so that we can truly evaluate how to utilize them the best. Let us understand how to approach clearing out your spaces in the most efficient way possible. You will need my 7-step guide to organizing any space, my room evaluation chart to help you determine your level of clutter, and my declutter challenge calendar and guide which can all be found here.
There are four approaches to clearing out an area depending on the current state of your space. In the previous post, we went over determining what level of clutter you have: mildly cluttered, moderately cluttered, severely cluttered, and critically cluttered. Do not be afraid of what level of clutter you have! Again, this is just going to help us to determine your approach to organizing your spaces so that you can get them organized more efficiently. Also, when looking at your spaces you may notice that some areas may be mildly cluttered, and some may be critically cluttered. Remember this so that when you go into clearing out one space with one approach and try to tackle another space with a different level of clutter, you will come back to this post and the next three and review the four approaches.
In this post, we are covering the one-space-at-a-time method approach to clearing out your space. This method works best for the mildly cluttered as you can find things because they are in their general area.
Terry Elisabeth’s GUIDE ON HOW TO APPROACH CLEARING OUT YOUR SPACES
The One-Space-at-a-Time Method
| HOW | EXAMPLE |
|---|---|
| This approach works best for those who have mildly cluttered spaces. Since your stuff is not scattered about your house and your house is generally organized—though cluttered, all your clothes are in your closet, all your toiletries are in your bathroom cabinet—you will likely have clear areas to utilize for clearing out your spaces one at a time (i.e. a closet, a pantry, a bathroom cabinet) and then sorting your items in the next steps of organizing. You will just want to make sure that the space you are organizing is completely cleared out and that you have all your items together where you can see them so that you can thoroughly sort through all your items in the next steps of organizing. | Since all your food can be found in your pantry and it simply just needs to be organized efficiently, you can focus on clearing out just your pantry. Your kitchen counters and dining table should be clear enough for you to utilize these surfaces to place all your panty items. Then, these surfaces can be designated for the sorting categories in the next steps of organizing. |
One of the most important things to remember in the first steps of organizing is that IT ALWAYS GETS WORSE BEFORE IT GETS BETTER! All those things that have been settled into their spaces now must come into the light so that we can SEE what we have and so that they can be put away more efficiently and finally be used or appreciated!
The sooner you understand that piles are necessary for the organizing process, the more at ease you will be so that you can look forward to completing the process. When clearing out your spaces to sort your items, I want to note that the four approaches to clearing out your space as noted in this post and the next three can be used for any level of clutter, I am simply suggesting what may be your initial approach and the most efficient based on your current level of clutter.
So, don’t forget to grab my 7-step guide to organizing any space, my room evaluation chart to help you determine your level of clutter, and my declutter challenge calendar and guide which can all be found here. If you would like, you can take pictures of your piles with the hashtag #pilesbeforesmiles and tag me @terryelisabethllc. All my social media links are below. Let’s get organized!
Happy Organizing!
Author of “How to Organize Any Space in 7 Simplified Steps“