Organizing a Hall Closet - SORT and SUCCEED
2 Materials
$10
3 Hours
Easy
It's probably not true that if you had a bigger space, you'd be better organized. Take this hall closet. It looks completely cluttered and small, but it turns out there is plenty of space.
What it needs are the five steps to organize any space: SORT and SUCCEED.
Start with a written goal
Organize into groups
Reduce, release and reset
Tweak and enhance
Succeed and celebrate!
The first step to organize any space is to START with a written goal. It's not getting organized unless you start. And having a specific written goal will keep you focused and on task.
It may seem overwhelming, but break it down, one little area at a time. It may look a bit worse before it gets better, but you can do any household organizing project like this in just a few hours.
Organize into groups. I know, it seems crazy, but once you've sorted everything into groups, half of the organizing project is done already. Coats with coats. Hats and mittens together. Backpacks all together.
Reduce, release and reset. In this case, instead of having a bunch of tote bags all jumbled together on the floor, we used one tote bag to hold all the others. A few bags were past their prime and got tossed. A few bags got moved to where they could be used more. The remainder get hung together here.
Then tweak your space to make it work for you. Label bins, so everyone in the house knows what belongs there.
Have trouble getting into the bins? Turn sideways and stack folded scarves.
Sure, it's a closet, but who says it can't be pretty, too? Hang some artwork here. Maybe this artwork doesn't fit in throughout the rest of the house, but look how adorable it is here.
Not a lot of wall space to work with? Hooks can still hold a lot if they are hung down low, in this case, below some original molding. We think this might have been the cabinet where milk was delivered in the old days.
It may be a walk-in closet, but you still need to keep it organized to use it. Now that we can see the floor, let's use it for walking, and not for storing things.
Once you've succeeded with an organizing project, celebrate with some (non-clutter) reward. For me, just standing in this pretty closet is a reward in itself. But for you, maybe treating yourself to a new umbrella that actually works would be a nice little reward. (Just be sure to throw out the broken umbrella!) Or maybe just treat yourself to an hour on the couch with a good book.
If you are looking for a good book, be sure to start here. http://HeartWorkOrg.com. Organizing Your Home with SORT and SUCCEED will be available on Amazon late January 2018.
This might not look like fun to you, but I LOVE organizing closets, basements, bedrooms, kitchens and every other space in the home. If you are looking for help in the Philadelphia area, or if you need some guidance to get through a project like this wherever you are in the world, please reach out for help. We can't wait to see YOUR organized home.
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