Project Organize: Where to Start

Updated on February 14, 2024

Project Organize: Where to Start. Tips on where to begin when starting a whole home decluttering project to keep it from being so overwhelming.

On Monday, I posted about taking back control of my house with Project Organize.

Where to Start When Decluttering Your Home

Today, I am going to share some ideas about where to start. As tempting as it may be to jump right in and start tearing your spaces apart, this is rarely a good idea.

Without a plan, you will often burn out before you make any real progress, and then you will have a huge mess on your hands.

Write a Master To-Do List

The first thing I did was to sit down in each room of my house with a pen and paper and start writing. I wrote down every. single. thing. that I wanted to organize in the room.

If a particular area was large (such as a closet), I broke it down even further – top shelf, hanging rack, hooks, anything on the floor. This way, I can work on areas I can realistically complete in one afternoon and check things off as I go.

Set Limits

I am limiting myself to just the inside of the house. I have two big sheds (no garage) and outdoor areas that need to be addressed down the road, but right now, I want to focus on the inside since this is where we spend the most time.

You can’t tackle the whole house at one time, so by breaking it down into manageable chunks, you are more likely to succeed. And it is okay to say this can wait in certain areas.

Find Inspiration

To get motivated, I read and find inspiration from other people who love to organize and simplify. Below are some of the books I have been reading lately.

Books on Organizing and Decorating

I refer to these books (and sometimes magazines) when I feel stuck in a space. Getting ideas about what might work in my spaces that I haven’t thought of before can be helpful to get started.

I might be slightly nerdy, but I love looking at beautifully organized spaces. It makes me happy!

You can also search Pinterest for great ideas. I have an entire board dedicated to organizing ideas. You can search by room or area you are organizing and find many great ideas to fit any budget.

Pinterest Organization Board

Organizing Rules

There are some simple rules to follow when organizing any space, big or small.

1. Label some boxes or trash bags – this is how you will sort your items
   • trash
   • sell/donate
   • keep
   • belong in another room
2. Empty the space
   • If you can, empty the space completely, but if you can’t, work one shelf at a time, etc.
   • Emptying the space can show you what you have all in one place. It can also help you to see your space in a new way. It is easy to get hung up believing certain things belong in certain spaces in your home because they have always existed. Do what makes sense for you and your family, not how you think it is supposed to be.
3. Stay focused
   • If you find items that belong in another room, place them in a box (laundry baskets work great for this, too) to be dealt with at the end.
   • It is easy to get distracted by putting away things that don’t belong, and suddenly, you are cleaning out the fridge when you should be working on decluttering the linen closet!
4. Beat the timer!
   • If you are feeling helplessly unmotivated, utilize the power of a schedule and a timer.
   • Schedule time with yourself every day to do a little bit. It is an appointment with yourself.
   • Timers can help you try to beat the clock. It can also get rid of the feeling of not wanting to start. It isn’t so overwhelming if you allow yourself to quit when the timer goes off in, say, 15 minutes!
5. Wait to buy containers.
   • Lastly, only buy containers or bins AFTER you have finished organizing and purging. There is no way to adequately know what you will need until you are only left with what you keep. This can keep you from over-buying.
   • Remember to take any necessary measurements with you to the store.

I would love to share my detailed list with you, but your list will look different. Each person has different levels of organization, and each home and family is unique.

Start with Your Problem Areas

I plan to begin by tackling the areas that bother me most. The rooms with unfinished organizing tasks that I have never done. The areas that seem to be clutter magnets pretty much all the time.

I may finish one room completely, or I may do the part that bothers me most before moving on to the next most bothersome area.

This is not how I usually work. I normally complete the entire room before moving on to the next one. But this time, I am going for motivation. And seeing those organized spaces that used to make me cringe helps me to keep moving forward.

What is your favorite source of organizing inspiration?

This post is part of Project Organize: The Basics. Together, we will work on setting up basic systems in our homes to conquer overwhelmed and busy schedules.

These are the basics we need to do daily that will set up the foundation for success. This will allow us the space to tackle the larger decluttering projects with ease.

You may also like:

• Project Organize Refresh
• Project Organize Challenge
• Organize Your Holiday Binder