When walking into a space that needs organizing, the first question I ask my client is “what isn’t working here?” In this case, her answer was, “Everything! I am not sure what is in this closet and why. I can find some things that I need but every time I open the closet doors I can’t close them fast enough. I used to be organized but feel like the clutter has taken me over.”
In order to create the organized space my client craved I resorted back to the same process I always use, which always works… How To Organize Any Space in 4 Easy Steps. We followed these simple steps and after 3 hours of sorting, purging and categorizing, we transformed the closet into an organized and functional space.
Have a Plan…
This step is crucial when organizing any space. You must know where you need to get to in order to figure out how to get there. Never begin any organizing project without knowing what you want the outcome to be. Our plan was to make this a functional office closet. In order to do that, we needed to identify all objects that were used in the home office and extract all objects that did not belong.
Sort & Purge…
The easiest way to do this is to remove everything from the closet first. By doing that, you are left with a blank canvas–meaning endless possibilities. We began by sorting and purging simultaneously. The objects that belong in the space dictated what the categories are. As we sorted we came up with the following categories:
-office supplies
-books
-files
-electronics/cords-
-receipts
-bills
-memorabilia
-computer
Any items that were unidentifiable, broken, or its intended use was not in the home office were either purged or placed into a box to be later dispersed.
Assign a home…
Once all of the items were sorted, it was time for us to assign the categories a home. We began with the items that were used the most and placed them into the ‘prime real estate’ in the closet. In this case, it was the bills; receipts and business file folders that are now sitting on the shelf above the file cabinet. We placed office supplies on the three shelves and the drawer on the right of the closet, keeping like items together. We containerized and labeled office supplies so that they could be easily identified.
Work the system…
By working hands-on with my client I am able to create a system that my client can understand. Because she was involved in the process, she is now more likely to maintain the system we created.
Organizing is like laundry, every time you turn around another pile seems to appear. They key is to do routine maintenance either daily or weekly based on what your lifestyle allows for. And remember, instead of putting it down, put it away!
About Lori
Lori Gersh is a hands-on professional organizer, move manager and the owner of Leave It 2 Lori. Her focus is on helping her clients in Beverly Hills, Westlake Village, Calabasas, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, Santa Monica, Studio City, Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, and other Southern California cities to declutter, organize, and transform their space. Whether you are upsizing or downsizing, organizing your home or your office, Lori and her team will handle it all.
