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Organize Bedroom

Submitted by Lena

You don't know where to start, do? Well, here's a plan:

1) On several small pieces of paper write down everything that needs to be cleaned. [For my room, I used "bed stand", "under the bed", "TV stand", "clothes in closet", "junk in closet", "desk drawers", "shelves", and "clothes drawers".] Put those slips of paper in a box or hat, mix them up & pick one. Whatever you pull, you MUST clean. There's no switching. =]


2) You will have 4 piles of stuff--TRASH, KEEP, GIVE AWAY, AND 'AWW BUT I'LL MISS IT'. The TRASH pile is stuff you WILL throw away without a second thought. The GIVE AWAY pile goes to a charity or thrift store. Mind you, the TRASH and GIVE AWAY piles should be the biggest. Think critically about your KEEP AND 'AWW BUT I'LL MISS IT' piles. Think about these things for those piles: Have I used/worn it more than once in the past year? Could someone use this more than me? And most of all, Do I need it?

Get rid of TRASH pile and put the GIVE AWAY pile in a bag or box and get it out of the room. Put away what you have left NEATLY and ORGANIZE IT*!

IF THE PROJECT YOU JUST DID WAS A SMALL ONE, PICK ANOTHER SLIP OF PAPER. IF IT WAS A BIG ONE THEN TAKE A BREAK, PICK A NEW SLIP OF PAPER LATER OR THE NEXT DAY TO GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK SO YOU DON'T GET "OVERWORKED".

*ORGANIZING BY PROJECT:
CLOSETS, clothing: Decide if the clothes you're putting back are right for the season, if not put them in a plastic box and store them. You might want to color code your clothes or put likes with likes (Dressy clothes, T-Shirts, Long Sleeves, Hoodies, Work out).

Closests, junk & things: You don't really need to STORE junk unless it's sentinmental, so toss it or give it away. Invest in a small closet rack, door organizer or several small bins that can house your junk NICELY.

Drawers, clothes: Follow same directions as "Closet, clothes". If it's a sock/underwear, go through socks and underwear and get rid of stained, holey, or too big/too small items. Get rid of items you don't like wearing or never wear. Put underwear on one side, socks on the other. For actual clothes, FOLD them nicely and put them in the drawer.

Drawers, junk: Follow the 'Closet, junk" directions. If you're drawers don't shut right, there's a problem. Go through the de-junking process again. Invest in drawer organizers to store your junk. For pens & pencils, make them pass this test:
1) a) Do the pens work? b) Are the pencils bigger than 3 inches? c) Do your cheapie mechanical pencils have any lead? [You know you were just going to buy some lead after you read this, too!! ....not] If you answered NO! toss it.

2) Do you like a certain brand of pen or pencil that you use all the time? If you answered YES! keep THAT brand. Toss the junky ones or the ones you never use.

Shelves: Take everything down, dust them and only put things back that you read/REALLY, REALLY like to look at/are delicate. If you have leftovers, give away or trash. If they are sentimental, store them if you must.

Stands, bed or TV: Follow same directions as "Drawers, junk" and "Shelves".

Under the bed: TAKE EVERYTHING OUT! Follow all directings above. Vacuum and sweep all dust bunnies and other creatures. Go through it all and de-junk the majority of it. Invest in under-the-bed plastic bins that are CLEAR. This will save you the hassle of going through every item. Label the bins with contents.

GOOD LUCK & HAPPY ORGANIZING!