I am a packrat. There, I admitted it! I love pretty knick-knacks and doing a variety of crafts, and my “stuff” tends to end up everywhere. Last January I started a project I call “Zen Cleaning.” Get out your digital or regular camera, and play along!

Pick just one room or area to work on at a time. If you try to tackle your whole house at one time you will go into total overwhelm! Take a good look around and see what annoys your eyes. That little rat hole corner where everything gets stuffed… the china cabinet that’s needed reorganizing for years… the magazine rack that has overflowed onto a couple of end tables perhaps! Now, snap a picture of it! Put the photo on your computer, or tack it on your bulletin board. As you look at it, ideas will occur to you of how the room could look.
What I did with my “before” photos was to edit them with photo editing software (I used Photoshop) and moved objects around or erased others on-screen. It was much easier than doing it to the actual items! If you are not as computer savvy, you can accomplish the same thing with a printed photo and a pair of scissors. Cut out and rearrange the objects on a piece of paper. Once you’re happy, tape or paste them down.
After you get your ideas in focus, store up a few spoons and get started! Make sure to ask for help with moving heavy objects, etc. or do a little at a time… you can’t enjoy the most beautiful space in the world too much if you’re in pain!
A catchphrase that I use in de-cluttering is “2 Into 1.” I am always on the lookout for two things that can be turned into (or stored into) one thing, taking up less space! A perfect example occurred to me this morning. I noticed I have two different silk flower arrangements in the bathroom. When I get a chance, I will combine them into just one arrangement.
The standard advice given in reorganizing clothing is to have three boxes or bags – “definitely keep, ” “definitely toss or give away,” “needs repair.” You can take this same principle to organizing “stuff” too. Label your boxes “trash,” “sort and put away,” and “file.”
Once you have ridded yourself of the trash, you can file the filing container and then go to work on sorting. This is where it gets really interesting! You will probably find items you’ve thought were lost for years during this process. At this point it may be helpful to use some small boxes or plastic baskets to further sort your items – for example, if you are de-cluttering a dresser top, you might need boxes for makeup items, jewelry items, hair accessories, etc.
When you get ready to put them away, try to make the items as accessible as possible. For example, I clamped all my hair clips onto one of those metal paper-clip type freestanding paper towel holders, and it sits on my dresser. It takes up much less space than throwing them all into a drawer as I’d done before. It also makes them all instantly visible so I don’t have to dig for them.
I’ve just started “Zen II – The Saga Continues” at my home. I’m digging deeper, finishing unfinished craft projects, and actually getting rid of some knick-knacks this year, so wish me luck!
Written by: Sheila Talley © 2005