When Sheree reached out to me to be a guest blogger, I was excited because I love to talk about organization and can talk about it for hours. I hope that the tips I provide for you today resonate with you enough to make real change within your space or home and most importantly to be intentional behind the act.

Recently, I completed an Instagram organizing challenge to motivate individuals to let go of items so that they could organize specific areas for 15 minutes. But Instagram only provides a limited amount of space to share content so I thought this would be the perfect time to expound on those tips plus more. Now you may be thinking, that it’s not possible to get organized within 15 minutes but it is! After you purge items, you feel lighter and motivated to continue organizing and that was the ultimate goal of the 15 minute organizing challenge. The challenge also shed light on the areas that tend to be overlooked when it comes to organizing and items that no longer serve a purpose.

I totally understand that we are busy, busy people who are juggling a lot – work, school, family, personal relationships and most importantly the relationship with ourselves. But through it all we have to maintain order to make it through our daily routines. So, I wanted to share four items and spaces that you can purge and then organize – restoring order to your home or space that will make you feel lighter and serve as motivation to organize more thoroughly.

Purging

About two weeks ago, I was helping my client purge through their items which isn’t the most favorite thing to do when it comes to organizing but it’s so necessary. It doesn’t make sense to continue to throw items from one box to the next and call it organizing because it isn’t. Purging and letting go of items an essential step that must be done before organizing. So, as we’re sorting through their personal items, I could notice a shift in their movement because they started to quickly identify items that they no longer needed and deemed suitable to purge. Afterwards, they said, “I feel so much lighter – like I was shedding so many layers” and that right there was music to my ears. I try to teach my clients that they have the power over their belongings and not the other way around. It’s ok to purge items that are no longer purposeful. But then the million dollar statement arises, “but this was a gift!” Well, I’m sure the person who gifted you the item intended for you to find the item purposeful and not have the gift collect dust in a box or a closet. This is why it’s important to purge and purging for 15 minutes is a great way to build up momentum and then prompt you to organize because you feel lighter and motivated afterwards.

Here are items and areas that I suggest purging for 15 minutes:

Car Trunk

Many times we throw items inside the trunk of our car only to say, “I will come back and get that later” and unfortunately, later turns into never. Have you ever opened your trunk only to say, “oh that’s where that was – I’ve been looking for that” or have had to push things out of the way to make room for what really belongs in the trunk? Then a purge is needed. I suggest going through the trunk of your car and identify items that truly belong in the trunk, items that need to be discarded and items that need to be stored in another designated space. Once you purge then I suggest, getting a trunk organizer which can prevent clutter from forming again because there are spaces to store items. I purchased mine from The Container Store and I never have to worry about a junky car trunk. The trunk should have items that you need to access for emergencies like:

-jumper cables

-blanket and water

-first aid kit

-tools

Photo Source: The Container Store

Pens & Markers

I recently purged a cup that I was using to store pens and markers. When I was watching television and relaxing, I took a blank piece of paper and dribbled on the paper with each pen and marker. This task literally took me anywhere between 7-10 minutes to determine which ones were still functional and which ones were not – threw away the dried up pens and markers and kept the ones that still worked. Simple! I felt lighter and didn’t miss a beat of relaxing and watching television. A simple purging task like this one, can leave you feeling accomplished. Remember purging doesn’t always have to be viewed as being overwhelming because as you can see, even the smallest of items like a cup holding writing tools can build up. I encourage you to go through those pens and markers and purge! And let’s be honest, how many times have you experiences reaching for a pen or marker only to discover that it has dried up and then you have to search through for one that works? You just wasted a solid 5 minutes right there so purging and then organizing those pens and markers will save you time in the end. Save yourself the hassle.

Make Up /Nail Polish

As a woman, I absolutely love dressing up and going out with my friends for a girls night out. We all know that presentation is everything so besides selecting an outfit adorning your face with makeup is also a part of completing the look. But just like the cup of pens and markers, you can experience make-up clutter as well. Have you ever been dressed up and ready to head out and went to put on your favorite lipstick but only to discover that it’s barely any left? Now, I don’t mean to be dramatic but that’s a disappointing feeling to look forward to using something and it not be there. This could have easily been resolved if the make-up was purged, allowing you to take inventory of what you need to re-stock up on and what needs to be thrown out. So go through your make-up and determine what’s essential to hold onto and what can be discarded. Our make-up can definitely accumulate at a quick pace and get out of control and I also believe it’s overlooked when it comes to organizing. Once you have purged and organized the make-up you intend to keep then consider using acrylic organizers. I have one for my make-up and one for my nail polish. It’s a great way to contain your items in a chic but organized manner and your make-up is easily accessible.

Photo Source: Target

Photo Source: Target

Photo Credit: SoleOrganizer

Kids Play Room

The playroom for the kids is just that a room for the kids to let loose and have fun. But as time goes on, the toys begin to overflow from the safety of the storage bins which is a clear indicator that a purge must take place. So, take time to purge through the toys and determine if there are toys that are broken, toys that the kids don’t play with as much and which toys they still find enjoyable. Now it may be hard to let go because of sentimental value but consider donating to other children who aren’t as fortunate. We have to do away with the mentality of holding onto items that aren’t useful and kids are always on to the next best thing.

These purging tasks are meant to de-clutter your space and restore order. But you will also “shed layers” as my client said which will make you feel lighter. You’re letting go of unnecessary items to make room for things that are purposeful and needed. When you purge and then organize, you are creating a foundation which should be solid and should last which is why 15 minutes of purging then organizing to is a great reminder.

I would love to hear about it how lighter you feel after purging! If you need some guidance, I have created a purging checklist to guide you through the purging process which can be downloaded here. Be sure to head to the website to get access to the “Soleful Resource Library” which contains printables + checklists to help you stay on task and organized. Remember that, “being organized is a lifestyle and not a chore”.

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A LITTLE MORE ABOUT SOLEORGANIZER

SoleOrganizer offers a functional and creative approach to organizing for individuals who are ready to get organized but most importantly stay organized. Nowadays it has become more frequent. to not be able to enjoy the things we once did or even just have the time to relax because our spaces are consumed by clutter.

SoleOrganizer teaches individuals how to restore order back to their lives by educating individuals on letting go of the non-essential items and implement functional systems that will acquire simplicity.