The Organization Process Explained
Step 1 | the Organizing Process | Assess
Our first step is to evaluate what you have. A visual inventory if you will. During this step we are looking for hidden potential in the way of unused spaces high and low. We’re checking to see what type of storage is available, and what kind, if any, storage containers you have. What kind of clutter are we dealing with; piles here and there or piles stacked up to my knees! It’s good to have a mental inventory of the situation and we often take pictures to help us remember what all is in the space. This helps a lot when we are shopping.
Step 2 | the Organizing Process | Sort
Regardless of the space you wish to organize, its contents will need to be sorted. It’s important to know how much of any one category or item you have so we’ll know how much space it will take up. Weeding out items you no longer want or that just don’t belong in the space is also important; we only want to keep in the space items that belong there.
Step 3 | the Organizing Process | Organize
When everything is sorted out and we know what’s what, and what’s not, we can finally put it away in a logical organized way. This step is like a game of Tetris. There’s a great deal of manipulating the various components to see what works the best. We may ask questions about the usage of an item to determine its importance. Some parts of the space are more “valuable” than others so it’s important to consider the frequency of use as well as the real estate it occupies. The end goal is to be able to easily access what you need.
Step 4 | the Organizing Process | Maintain
Some spaces have unique nuances that may need to be pointed out in order to maintain it. For instance: glasses that alternate upside down/right side up. Over all the main goal is to make it easy to maintain, but maintenance requires some follow through on the clients part. Returning items to their new home. Finding new homes for items that come in later by thoughtfully considering what category it belongs in.
Some clients just need some help after a couple months – perhaps they worked a lot and didn’t have time to follow through, or maybe they didn’t fully understand the reasoning behind the method of organization. That’s fine; no worries. Give us a call so we can troubleshoot what isn’t working, explain the system once again, or just “touch up” the areas you haven’t had time to work on.
“Anything can be accomplished when it is broken down into manageable steps. How do you eat an elephant – one bit at a time? (Although I don’t think it would taste very good.)”
~ Maureen Guzman Professional Organizer and Owner of Katy Home Organizer & Unpackanize LLC