12 NEW Organizing Hacks I Had Never Heard Of

Believe me when I say, I consume a LOT of organizing content.  Most of it is the same stuff over and over again.  But sometimes you just need something brand new!  Here are 12 new hacks that were totally new to me.  Keep reading, or check out the video here to find out what they are!

1.  Organize by urgency, not just by frequency of use.

Most of us know that we should keep the items we use regularly nearby and easy to get to.  And if we're only using a cake plate once or twice a year, it can be a lot harder to access.  But sometimes we only use something a few times a year, but when we need it, we really NEED it, LOL!

Examples of this. might be:

• Batteries
• Umbrella
• Printer paper/ink
• Bandaids

All those things can be pretty urgent when we do need them, even if they aren't used often.  The last thing you want is to need something “right now!!” and have to dig through to the back of the closet for it.

2.  Celebrate the things you didn't buy.

Most of us know that celebrating the things we declutter is a good idea.  It helps us stay motivated.  It can even be a good idea to use trackers to log decluttering progress.  But what about the things you just never bought in the first place?  What if you're at a store and would normally buy something but decide not to because you're decluttering?  Those things should absolutely be celebrated too!  That shows a real change and is a huge win!

I recently did this with a dish drying mat.  The cutest mat was on sale!  I do air dry my dishes, and I would use that mat.  However, right now I use kitchen towels, and it works perfectly fine.  My towels fit just right in my drawer and fold up nicely.  The mat would not.  I'd have to make space for it, and I'd probably get annoyed at having an extra item under the sink.  It might even get decluttered in a few months.  So I just didn't buy it, no matter how cute it was!

3.  Declutter while you're dressed up.

I know this sounds odd.  But I always work harder when I'm fully dressed, down to the shoes.  It just feels like I'm ready for work!  It puts me in a different state of mind.  I work faster and harder, and I just get more done!  I also make better decisions.  Try it– it really does work!

4.  Play Declutter Bingo!

Jobs are always more fun if you can find a way to gamify them!  I've created a bingo card for decluttering.  Play with yourself or with friends, or even with your kids!  I made a kid and an adult version, and it really does make the process a bit more fun!

5.  Make yourself a clutter jar.

Write down a bunch of different areas that are bothering you that need decluttered.  Put them all in a jar.  Keep them smaller areas like a bathroom cabinet or a junk drawer, not an entire room.  When you have time to declutter, pull a paper from your jar, and go declutter that area!

6.  Pretend you're going on an extended vacation.

Pretend you'll be gone 6 weeks or a year.  What would you take with you if you had to set up a house somewhere else?  Those are the items you really need!

7.  Pretend your favorite celebrity or your mother-in-law is visiting.

We've all heard the advice to pretend that company is coming.  But this takes it a step further.  If you can channel that energy, you will absolutely work harder and faster, LOL!

8.  Pretend you're on a home makeover TV show.

You'll make faster decisions and be more ruthless if you know people are watching you.  You can also pretend you're being interviewed about your items.  Why are you keeping or decluttering certain things?  It can help you talk yourself through it if you're stuck on something!

9.  Use the invisible roommate rule.

Imagine you have a roommate living with you who is super particular about tidiness and clutter.  What would bother your roommate the most?  What areas would you have to declutter and tidy up to keep her from going crazy?

10.  Give a troublesome item a job interview.

This would take forever to do for every item.  But if you're having a particularly hard time making a decision on an item, give it an interview!  Ask it why you should keep it.  What does it bring to the table over all the other candidates?  What are its strengths and weaknesses?  This can be especially fun to do with kids if they're struggling to make choices.

11.  Use House Hushing.

The concept here is that you're trying to quiet down certain rooms or areas of your home.  When there's a lot of clutter, it can feel like your house is shouting at you!  The advice here is to take out everything from a room, or at least the things that are “out” on the the counters, the walls, etc.  Live with it like that for a day or up to a week, and then decide what can be added back in.

It's kind of like a reset for your space.  Sometimes we don't realize how cluttered something has gotten until we live with it decluttered for a while.  Then we can make better decisions about how much should go back in.

12.  Pretend you're turning your home into an Air BNB.

When you go into an Air BNB, it's so relaxing!  There isn't a lot of clutter, and you mostly just have the basics you really need.  It's also set up for convenience!  If you were turning your home into an Air BNB, what things would you leave, and what would you get rid of?

If you've been at the decluttering game for a while now and have always heard the same advice, hopefully you now have a few new ideas!  Novelty always sparks a little extra motivation for me!  Do you plan to give any of these tips a try?

Organization that actually sticks for busy, happy lives