Jennifer Malocha, host of Let’s Talk Radio Show interviewed Debbie a couple of years ago to share with her listeners some great tips to organize any space. The crux of the interview were these points:

One component we take our clients through is the SPACE process.  We adapted this SPACE process  from Julie Morgentsern’s book “Organizing from the Inside Out.”

Sort like items together. (ie. in a kitchen, group all wooden spoons together..how many do you have?  Do you really need 7 wooden spoons?)

Purge – get rid of clutter (anything that is not adding value to your current lifestyle can and should be let go).  Have a donate pile, a toss pile and a recycle pile.

Assign a Home to those items you are keeping – keep like items together, keep items close to where they are used and keep items used most often the easiest to access  (ie. if your turkey platter is used only once a year at Thanksgiving, it is fine to keep the platter but it doesn’t need to be taking up valuable space in your kitchen.  It can be stored on a high shelf in your pantry or in a closet.).

Contain – once you know exactly what you are keeping and where it will go, you will be able to measure the space and buy the appropriate containter (if needed).  Containers are great because they set boundaries.  For example, once your magazine basket or rack is full, it is time to get rid of one.  New one in, old one out!

Establish habits – one of the most important steps in the organizing process is to establish habits.  We can spend time organizing with someone, but if we don’t take time to teach habits that allow them to maintain the organization, we’re just putting a band-aid on the pain, not treating or healing the wound. Organizing is a process, not an event.  Maintainence is a huge part of staying organized.

Any time of transition or life change is a great time to get organized, or to review and adjust your organizational systems to make sure they still support you and your current situation.  These times can include: graduations, marraige, the combining of two households, downsizing, moving, getting divorced, having a baby, a new job, a new house, going back to school, a death in the family, etc.

For more tips on organizing any space in your life, check out the entire interview here!