“Kiss Your Clutter Goodbye”- Part 4

The Kiss Your Clutter Goodbye Series

We’ve arrived at Part 4 of the “Kiss Your Clutter Goodbye” series. In this series, we are exploring some organizing concepts that will help you declutter and maintain your newly organized spaces.

This concept is REALLY different. But I like it because traditional methods of decluttering and organizing don’t work for some people. Maybe this is you. Have you tried the KonMari Method or Color-Coding without success? This suggestion might not be right for you either, but it may help you think of something that is right up your alley!

Edit Your Rooms

It is sometimes easier and more fun to make your organizing project more like something else. Consider working as though you were reading a book. The book is your room, the furniture a chapter, the storage within each piece of furniture, paragraphs, and finally, the items in each space the words. Start editing the words that don’t work in the paragraphs until things seem to run smoothly. By thinking of organizing as a book you will:

  • Be able to keep focused on the task at hand.
  • Work on one chapter at a time, resisting the urge to move on to something else.
  • Find motivation for a project that doesn’t seem exciting to you.

It works because you will focus on a method of organizing that will be different than what you have used before. You can edit however you’d like. It’s your project. Once you get started and develop your method of editing, you can use it throughout your space.

Traditional methods of decluttering and organizing don't work for some people. Maybe this is you. Click To Tweet

This idea really brings home that “One Solution Fits All”  isn’t always right. But using an out-of-the-box concept might spark your creativity and get you to organize your space. Follow along with the “Kiss Your Clutter Goodbye” series for different strategies to get rid of what is holding you back.

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Janet Schiesl

Janet Schiesl

Janet has been organizing since 2005. She is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Basic Organization.

She loves using her background as a space planner to challenge her clients to look at their space differently. She leads the team in large projects and works one-on-one with clients to help the process move quickly and comfortably. Call her crazy, but she loves to work with paper, to purge what is not needed and to create filing systems that work for each individual client.

Janet is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a Past President of the Washington DC Chapter of NAPO were she has been named Organizer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.

Janet Schiesl

Janet Schiesl

Janet has been organizing since 2005. She is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Basic Organization.

She loves using her background as a space planner to challenge her clients to look at their space differently. She leads the team in large projects and works one-on-one with clients to help the process move quickly and comfortably. Call her crazy, but she loves to work with paper, to purge what is not needed and to create filing systems that work for each individual client.

Janet is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a Past President of the Washington DC Chapter of NAPO were she has been named Organizer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.

12 Comments

  1. Linda Samuels on February 19, 2024 at 8:58 am

    What a clever idea! This reminds me of some of the non-traditional strategies Judith Kolberg suggests, especially for individuals with chronic disorganization.

    Sometimes, turning a process on its end is enough to create interest and momentum to move forward in a new way. Love this one!

    • Janet Schiesl on February 19, 2024 at 1:26 pm

      Something just a little different to help us with the process. Thanks for loving this idea.

  2. Diane Quintana on February 19, 2024 at 9:59 am

    I agree with Linda. This brought Judith’s book to mind right away. Thinking about something differently, essentially turning it into a game, can make the process so much easier for people who struggle to declutter and organize.

    • Janet Schiesl on February 19, 2024 at 1:27 pm

      Absolutely, anything to make the task easier.

  3. Seana Turner on February 19, 2024 at 11:10 am

    I love the idea of bringing a new “lens” to a decluttering and organizing project. Sort of like looking at a word puzzle upside down – you see things differently! I’m all about trying whatever lights the spark and help us power on: having a friend, hiring a professional, looking at a room like a book, setting a timer, filling a container, etc. We love books in our family, so this approach might be a lot of fun!

    • Janet Schiesl on February 19, 2024 at 1:29 pm

      Organizing is a big task, and I’m hoping that my tips will help and inspire a lot of people.

  4. Jill Katz on February 19, 2024 at 4:42 pm

    Your “Editing A Room” strategy reminds me of the Rebel in Gretchen Rubin’s “The 4 tendencies” book. The rebel can’t use standard rules so “gamifying” the project or appealing to one’s identity (if one likes reading, for example) is a good tactic to use. I agree with others that this strategy would also work well with someone who has chronic disorganization. For someone with ADHD, it can appeal to their interests and for those with executive functoning, it can allow them to chunk the project, making it less overwhelming. So creative!

    • Janet Schiesl on February 20, 2024 at 6:48 am

      Thank you for your input Jill, I appreciate it.

  5. Julie Bestry on February 19, 2024 at 6:42 pm

    I love the idea of looking at downsizing/purging as editing. It makes something people avoid because it feels painful or boring into a process that feels like creation rather than removal. Gamifying, as Jill notes above, or crafting, is another way of looking at it. After all, Michaelangelo allegedly said (in Italian of course), “The sculpture is already complete within the marble block, before I start my work. It is already there, I just have to chisel away the superfluous material.”

    • Janet Schiesl on February 20, 2024 at 6:49 am

      That’s a wonderful comparison Julie, I love it.

  6. Kim on February 20, 2024 at 8:26 am

    Interesting way to looking at things differently. Breaking the tasks down in this way would really be helpful for people.

    • Janet Schiesl on February 20, 2024 at 5:53 pm

      I’m hoping that our clients can find another way t make the task much easier to do.

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