Open the DOOR to Simplicity

Today I want to present you with a way to think about the entire process of decluttering and organizing, and achieving a more simplified life.  I like to refer to the process as DOOR, Decluttering, Organizing, Opening, and Routines. 

Decluttering is the first step.  It is also quite often the most difficult and time consuming step.  It can be difficult when you are faced with decisions to pare down either sentimental items or items you once loved, but no longer fit your life, and time consuming considering the enormity of how many items have snuck into so many households.  Marie Kondo is a wonderful example of an expert declutterer.  She has been inspiring many to discard any items that do not spark joy.  Whether you are "kondo-izing" your dresser, or following one of the many minimalism decluttering challenges , the key is to purge, purge, purge! I encourage people to not move on to organizing until a significant amount of decluttering has been done.

Organizing is the process of putting everything in it's place.  Evaluate where the best place is for each item, and implement tools where necessary.  Another Marie Kondo organizing example, her use of boxes within a drawer to corral like items together.  (Tip:  for a budget friendly option instead of her expensive boxes, cut down a cereal or cracker box and cover with shelf paper.) 

After you have Decluttered and Organized you may think you are done, but that is only half of the process!  Next is Opening.  Space will open up when you declutter.  Do not be afraid to leave this open space as is.  Leave more open space than you think is necessary.  In music compositions, the rests between the notes are often just as important as the notes themselves.  Likewise, the open space in your home can be very conducive to reducing stress.  Another space we need to make sure is open?  Your schedule.  We are so over booked with jam packed schedules.  How can we ever expect to recover if we do not have restful unscheduled Open time in our week?  Granted, there may always be unavoidable jam packed weeks.  Make sure to follow up those weeks with down time.  Fight for that down time if you need to.  Write it down, block off your calendar, and simply say no.  You can always say you "have an appointment" . . . with yourself or that you have a "prior commitment" . . . of unscheduled time. 

Finally, we round out this process with Routines.  I like to think of routines as the heart of the organizing process.  Without consistent routines, things get out of control.  There are the obvious things that need routines:  dishes, laundry, housework, administrative tasks, etc.  Don't forget things like purging!  Stuff has a habit of sneaking back in.  You might also want to make a routine of evaluating your space, schedule, and routines.  What works for you today may not work 6 months from now.