This is where the rubber meets the road. Or at least where the rubber is put on the road.

 

Step 3

Create Organizing Plan

 

Step 3 is all about making decisions.

 

I know. Making decisions can be scary. You can do it! I believe in you!

 

There’s a way to make this more fun (well in my opinion anyway.) While making decisions about a space I like to move things around. See how furniture or small items will look and function in a new spot. As I mentioned in Step 2, measuring things out can be very helpful, but I usually like to go a step further and see how things look in the space before I make a final decision.

 

To create an organizing plan, first have your list of ideas in front of you. Think through how the space you are organizing needs to function. From your list of ideas, what fits into that function category?

 

Start with your most basic needs for that space and if space permits you can move down the list to any extras you would like to have fit in that space as well.

 

Once you know what has to go in that space for maximum functionality you can explore ways to store and categorize the items that will live in that space.

 

Ask yourself these questions to start getting a plan in place:

TIP:

You might have already answered some of these questions in step 2, which means you’re already ahead of the game!

      1. What specific items need to be organized?
      2. What organizing tools will best suit the items that need organizing?
      3. Do I have anything around the house that can be used to organize this space?
      4. What (if anything) do I need to purchase to organize this space?

 

This is where it gets fun. ☺️

 

This is also where budget can come into play. Buying the perfect piece of furniture and all of the beautiful organizing boxes, folders, bins, and accessories would be a dream come true for me. (I literally have lists on Amazon dedicated to said dream.) BUT being able to purchase everything brand new and tailored to the space is just not a reality for most of us. 

 

This is where my secret weapon comes in handy. Repurpose! I have many pieces of furniture that have held multiple uses over the years. It’s fun to think about how pieces can be used for different functions. And, have your organizing problem solved by something you already own. 

 

TIP:

If you do have money in your budget to purchase organizing goodies: think universal. For example cube shelves. You know, the ones that have anywhere from two to nine-ish cube-shaped shelves in one unit and they have either 9″ or 13″ bins to go with them in every pattern imaginable. These have been my go-to for several years now. I’m currently using one of the larger sized units as a changing table in my daughter’s nursery. And once it’s done being a changing table we’ll still have this awesome set of storage shelves to use however we need to. That’s what I call universal! 

 

Granted cube shelving units can’t solve every organizing dilemma, but they are pretty amazing and affordably priced for the basic models. I think you get my point though. Be intentional. Think, will this be able to help me in other areas of the house if the day comes when I no longer need it in this specific space?

 

Once you’ve answered the four questions above you move onto execution.

 

When will you start organizing this space?

How much time in your schedule can you spare in one stretch for this project?

Will you need to make an order or go shopping to complete this project?

 

Creating a plan beforehand gives you at least a partial gift of foresight. 

 

Once you start going through the clutter and getting the mess out of the space you’ve chosen things WILL get messier before they get better. This is important to know before you dive into an organization project.

 

This doesn’t mean you need to have enough time to start and finish a space all in one go. Sometimes (or usually) that’s not possible. With the knowledge that things are going to get messy you can plan accordingly.

 

Get take out for dinner if you know your kitchen is going to be a disaster for two days.

 

Let everyone know the main bathroom is out of commission for a week so they’ll have to use the guest bath for a while.

 

Or come up with a strategy to work around the mess.

 

That’s the great thing about having a plan. You can plan for the inevitable AND you know there’s a finishing point because you’ve planned for it! ?

 

So there you have it. 

 

You have your vision.

 

You have your plan.

 

Now all you need to do is go make it happen! ???

 

If you’re like me you’re still wondering, but how??!?!!?

 

If you’re not like me you’re probably not even reading this anymore and instead, you are tearing a space apart to start organizing. Haha

 

If you are still reading and would like a helping hand in the action-taking department sign up for my FREE Motivation Email Challenge. 

 

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