Notepad and Pen. Don’t forget your notepad and pen – they will be used after you see what you have left to organize in the room. Write down things you may need to make the organization process easier – boxes for CDs, containers for art supplies and paper, shelving for books, etc. Due to budget constraints, you may not be able to purchase all the organization tools you want, but you can buy what you can and keep a running wish list for each room.

Now that you have your tools in hand to make the process as easy as pie, you have to actually go through things and even part with items. This is the hardest part for just about everyone. We acquire so much over our lifetime, but the stuff we have is useless if we don’t use it. Here are a few tips to make parting with things easier:

Picture an Organized Home. While sorting through a room, mentally picture it as a well-organized, well utilized space. Don’t stop there – think about how you will feel walking into a clutter-free zone where you could instantly find what you were looking for. That’s a nice thought, right? You can even go a step further. Take a before and after picture. Place the pictures somewhere personal – in your day planner, in a photo album, etc – and look at them from time to time. The sight of the before picture will put a smile on your face, as well as keep you motivated to keep the space organized.

Memories Have Their Place. The number one reason why people keep things they no longer need is because it is tied to a memory. That hutch that is falling apart and can no longer hold dishes belonged to Grandma, and Grandma used to put her pies there, or that ticket stub is from the first date you and your husband or wife had. While that is a touching reason to keep something around, why haven’t you done anything with it if it means so much to you? That doesn’t mean you should throw out everything that means something to you; rather, organize it if you can, or repair what is broken to make it usable again. Place memorabilia in photo albums or scrap books. Repair old furniture to new and use it. Buy small boxes or file folders for children’s artwork and store it – or better yet, frame your favorites and get rid of the others. And those other things that you feel like you can’t part with but aren’t offering any purpose – take a picture and get rid of it. If it is just cluttering up your room, then it is cluttering up your life.

Now that you’ve gone through your things and have large piles to throw away, give away or sell, you are through with the hard part. The next thing to do is organize your space.

When looking at your space, decide on how to arrange the furniture and any new shelving or organization tools to make the best use out of the room you have. Have fun with it – use a few colorful leather boxes/seats for board games or pictures, get some fun boxes and containers for supplies, fit in some neat pieces you have collected between books on the book shelf. Frame and throw some of those old posters on the wall to bring life to the room. You want the room to be fun, livable and organized – not boring and cold.

To make things easier to find, label all boxes, containers and photo albums. Find a place that makes sense for everything – computer paper shouldn’t be on the other side of the room than the printer and CDs should be close to the sound system, and so on. Strategically place things to make your life easier, not harder.