How To Organize Now For More Summer Fun

It is such a gorgeous spring day I washed my car. I will wonder where I am now that I don’t have to look out of windows covered with smudged gunk the tires spray on the windows and rear view mirror. I got out the window cleaner and while washing the windows the birds nearby were chattering away. Ahh, it is so good to hear the birds again.

This must mean spring is here which means there is some spring organizing that needs to be done. I have a small table on my front porch and I was changing the quilt on it. I looked around and realized there definitely places needing some paint touch ups. There is green ugly carpet on the porch and this is the year I am going to replace it

1.Check around your home and see what maintenance needs to be done, check to see if you need to get rid of clutter.

It can be as easy as sweeping the cob webs out of the corners on your porch or near the ceilings in rooms in your home.

2.Put back the screens you took off your windows last fall.  While you’re at it wash the windows. Clean the gutters and downspouts. April showers bring May flowers and you want that water to have somewhere to go.

3.Replace the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. This a good time to change furnace and AC filters.

I was teaching a class the other night on organizing at the community school and one woman said she hates to move anything to a better place because when she goes to get it she thinks of the old place instead of the new place where she moved it to. I know this has happened to me too.

4.When you make a home for an item think ahead to where you will use the item and think of the most logical place for it to be. Take a moment and work it through in your mind. If it is something you don’t use very often make a list and keep it in your planner of where you have put certain items. Or tape the list to the inside of a closet door.

5.Keep like items together. This doesn’t mean only having items you often use in just one room. (Things like scissors, tape, paper etc.). Make homes for like things in as many rooms as you use them in. Always put them back in the same place after using them.

6.Is getting rid of clutter a daunting task for you because you feel you have so much to do? Set a timer for 15 to 20 minutes. When it dings stop, walk away, go get a drink. Give yourself permission to stop at the end of this time or depending on your energy keep on organizing for another 15-20 minutes. The biggest thing is not to keep working until you are burnt out and will never want to get back to the task at hand.

7.Every few months in our neighborhood there is a food drive for the local food pantry. What a nice opportunity to go through your pantry and donate food your family doesn’t eat but is still good. Keep a basket on your pantry shelf just for treats. This way you will always have a designated place even when the treats are gone and before you make it to the store.

8.Put away the winter sports equipment and get out your summer gear. By taking inventory now you’ll know what still fits and if you need to restock before that first big outdoor party.

Get rid of clutter by starting now before summer is here when you won’t want to do anything but play and have fun.