Bedroom Closet Systems and Your Habits

My initial intent for this site was a focus on the physical aspects of bedroom closet systems and what composes them.  I’ve found, though, that there is a foundational element that we need before doing any organization in our houses, cars offices or any other space we use on a regular basis.  That foundational element is the ability to follow a system – a way of doing something – consistently. Without this ability, your results of your organizational efforts will soon be whittled away.

People get scared when they hear the word system.  They picture losing their freedom.  They envision an environment with no creativity.  They see a rigid, unyielding structure that they must become a slave to.  In fact, it is just the opposite!

When I need to be creative, original and free I have to be able to think clearly.  I need to have a mind that is free from worrying about many of the other minor things of life that continually gnaw at us – my bedroom closet is a mess, the laundry needs to be done, the bills need paying, I can’t walk across the floor without stepping on Lego blocks.  How can I be creative when I’m worried about finding a shirt or underwear to wear in the morning?  If the lawn needs mowing your mind is on that rather than the more important things you could be doing.

All of these relatively minor day to day problems can be managed via systems.  Being free from systems is actually being a slave to these other little problems in life.  Systems will not hold you back.  They will not take away your freedom.  They will actually enable it!

The good thing about a system being in place is that if you keep it up regularly for a period of time, it becomes second nature – a habit.  Studies have shown that it takes about 21 consecutive days of doing something for it to become a habit.  That’s all!  You can make a habit of any system in only three weeks!

What should your system look like?  You just have to make decisions on what you believe will work.  It does not have to be perfect.  You can change your system whenever you find a better way.

Do you do 1 load of laundry a day?  
Do you iron your clothes before they go in the closet or when you take them out to be worn?  
Do you hang all your pants together or hang outfits together?  
Do you separate dress and polo shirts?  
Do you store skirts next to dresses?

Questions like these have to be answered for you to have a system…so you can do the system…so you can make it a habit.  Creating good habits like how to manage your bedroom closet systems will free your mind.  You will be able to concentrate on more important things.  These personal habits and systems are OHHH so much more important than any physical components you can buy.

Technorati Tags: Bedroom Closet Systems, closet organizer systems, clutter, Habits, Maintaining Closets, Systems

Where Do I Put My Clutter? Answer #5

We’re now into the fifth, final and worst of the answers to, “Where do I put my clutter?”  A question that has plagued us for generations…well, maybe more since the industrial revolution and the abundant society we now live in was begun.  AT LEAST since McDonald’s started giving toys with every kid’s meal, though!

If you’ve been following up to now, there have been three acceptable ways and one unacceptable.  All are listed below and are in order – most preferable to least preferable for decluttering you bedroom closet system or any room for that matter.

1. Dispose of it post #1
2. Store it in your current space (use your space better) post #2
3. Put it in the attic/garage/closet post #3
4. Rent a storage building post #4
5. Dump it where ever post #5

The is the last answer in a list of decreasing order, so you know it cannot be good.  And you’re right.  This answer is to just put the clutter in any old place.  No rhyme or reason, just put it somewhere.  It doesn’t matter where.

In essence, this answer is to do nothing.  Leave it as clutter.  Give up.  Continue experiencing the pain of stepping on the bit of clutter left in the middle of the floor in the middle of the night.  Continue experiencing not being able to find the clutter when and if you need it.  Run the risk of it getting broken, because it is in a spot that it doesn’t belong.

If you are reading this, you are probably sick and tired of being sick and tired.  So take action and do something about it.  Don’t let #5 be YOUR answer.

If you’re already calling it clutter, seriously consider getting rid of the item – answer #1.

If it’s only clutter because it doesn’t have a home, give it one and keep it there – answer #2.

If it’s clutter because it’s going to be a long time before you need it again, put it into a longer term storage space – answer #3.

Don’t throw good money after bad to rent space to store stuff you don’t need, though – answer #4.

No matter what, DO SOMETHING!!!  :-)

Make the best choice you can and choose answers for your clutter as close to the top of the list as possible.  Enjoy your stuff, but manage it so that you can continue enjoying it.

Remember:  In life you can’t have everything…Where would you put it?!?

Technorati Tags: Bedroom Closet Systems, closet organizer systems, clutter

Where Do I Put My Clutter? Answer #4

This is the fourth of five posts answering the timeless question of:  Where do I put my clutter?  Do I stow it on the bedroom closet system or set it on the kitchen table?  What is this thing anyway?!?  It’s clutter…

The first three posts described acceptable places to put clutter.  These were to dispose of it, store it in your current space or store it in your long term storage areas like the garage or closet.  These are listed in order of most benefit to least benefit, because things in the closet or garage can easily get damaged or lost.  Then no one can benefit them.

As we continue answering the question we have just crossed the line into the non-beneficial and non-acceptable answers.   Read on for answer #4!

1. Dispose of it post #1
2. Store it in your current space (use your space better) post #2
3. Put it in the attic/garage/closet post #3
4. Rent a storage building post #4
5. Dump it where ever post #5 (in development)

Drive into any small town these days and inevitably you will see rows and rows of storage building, storage rooms, storage facilities and storage caves.  Our stuff has overrun our space sooo much that we now have to rent even more space to store our “belonging” that we “want”, and will “need” later.  There are many quotes before, because I don’t think any of those terms are right.

It’s clutter, so it doesn’t “belong” anywhere.  We don’t really “want” it, otherwise we’d make space for it in our current area.  Personally, I’d rather have more living space in my home than stuff space.  We don’t really “need” it, otherwise we wouldn’t go leave it in a dark dank storage cave.  How often do those facilities get accessed?  Once a week, once a month?  More like once a year if that often.  You’re old college furniture will miss you more than you miss it…

If the attic/garage/basement wasn’t bad enough, most storage buildings also have a similar environment.   The down side is that they are also away from your home.  Now if you need something, you have to travel all the way to the facility and hope to find the item, wasting gas and time.

You also run the risk of giving up and buying a duplicate rather than trying to find the one in storage, wasting your money.  Speaking of wasting money, if you rent one of these building that’s extra money being spent to store things you apparently don’t use.  Depending on the size that’s $25 to $100+ a month!

Could you possibly do something with this stuff using answers 1, 2 or 3?  Donate it and take the tax write off.  Sell it or give it away allowing someone else to get the benefit from the item rather than giving their money to Wal-Mart to buy a new one there.  Find a place for it in your home if you REALLY do care for it or need it – whether it be in your garage or on your bedroom closet system.

Just keep in mind:  In life you CAN’T have everything.  Where would you put it?!?

Technorati Tags: Bedroom Closet Systems, closet organizer systems, clutter

Where Do I Put My Clutter? Answer #3

Clutter and what to do with it???  A question for the ages, that DOES have an answer.  5 answers in fact.  Some we don’t want to hear and some that aren’t GOOD answers.  None-the-less, these answers will impact many areas of your life and home.  From work to cooking dinner and from your glove box to your bedroom closet system.

In the first post I first revealed the 5 answers to the question and went over answer one – Dispose of it.  By far the best answer for something you’re already calling clutter.  In the second post I went over answer two – store it in your day to day space, another acceptable answer.  Now I’m going to go over answer 3, which is also acceptable.  In the last 2 posts I’ll go over the unacceptable answers.

1. Dispose of it post #1
2. Store it in your current space (use your space better) post #2
3. Put it in the attic/garage/closet post #3
4. Rent a storage building post #4 (in development)
5. Dump it where ever post #5 (in development)

The first three answers are all acceptable to me as they are all using your space and using it for what it was intended.  I separate attics, garages and closets from other household areas in the second answer for a reason.  This has to do with long term and short term uses.  Things out and about in your home are typically used continually – i.e. “Honey, can you get me the remote control?”  Things put into attics, garages and closets in your home are meant for longer storage – i.e. “Honey, when are you going to put up the Christmas decorations?”

Putting it into the long term storage areas is what we have a tendency to do with our clutter when we finally get disgusted enough.  Stow it someplace out of the way.  The downside here is that it is out of site and out of mind.  If you do need it, it is much more unlikely that you will find it.  If you do find it, it is much more likely that it will be damaged or otherwise unusable.  While attics, garages and basements are good for storage, there is a problem with storage in general.  Remember:

As things sit, they deteriorate.

This is true even in environments like those found in attics, garages and basements.  They are not air conditioned and typically full of pests.  Things get knocked around and damaged while you try to find something you need, put the lawn mower away in the garage or put the Christmas decorations away in the attic.

Then if you need the item and can’t find it, you have to go buy another one.  Now you’ve got two of the item that you rarely use and consider clutter.

Obviously this is not an answer that I highly recommend.  Though it is acceptable, answers one and two are much better.  Don’t go overstuffing your bedroom closet systems or piling items in your garage or attic.  Keep those spaces organized so you can find your long term items.

Technorati Tags: Bedroom Closet Systems, closet organizer systems, clutter

Where Do I Put My Clutter? Answers #2

Where do I put my clutter?  A common question with many answers that we do not always recognize – or we choose not to recognize.  This question affects everything in our car, our wallet/purse, our bedroom closet systems and our garage.

In the last post I showed the 5 answers to the question and went over answer one – Dispose of it.  By far the best answer for something you’re already calling clutter.  Now I’m going to go over answer 2, which is acceptable.  In the next posts I’ll go over the last acceptable answer and the two unacceptable answers.

1. Dispose of it
2. Store it in your current space (use your space better)
3. Put it in the attic/garage/closet
4. Rent a storage building
5. Dump it where ever

Give it a home in your home – If this REALLY is something that you need or want then it needs to have a home in your house so you can get to it when you need it.

If you are already maintaining your home well, then your rooms should have storage and/or display space available.  This space is room you left so that your house has room to grow and accept more stuff.  Unfortunately, if you are asking the question about what to do with your clutter, this probably isn’t the case and you’ll need to read on to the next items.

Utilize your existing space better – In our homes we have a certain amount of space and sometimes that space doesn’t get used to its fullest extent.  Other times the space gets used for a purpose for which is was not intended.

WARNING:  As you look to use your existing space better, DO NOT cram pack it full thinking you are doing well.  If you try to store more in that existing space you run the risk of making it unusable space – unusable for the purpose for which it was intended.

Every room, table top and shelf has a purpose and you have to maintain that purpose.  If you are storing magazines and newspapers in the living room floor so that you cannot walk, you have missed the purpose of the living room floor.  Though empty, the living room floor is used for walking.

Look for unused space.  Find it by looking up, down and all around.

1. Up – Is there space above cabinets or on top of shelves or tables
2. Down – Is there space on the floor of closets or under furniture
3. Behind – Is there space behind the clothes in your closet, behind furniture or on the back of a door
4. Left & Right – Is there space along the inside wall of a closet or beside a piece of furniture

WARNING #2:  Remember objects placed out of site will also be out of mind.  The next thing you know, you’ll be buying a replacement, because you don’t remember where you put the original.  :-)

Utilizing your space better should also include finding the right systems.  What shelf fits this space?  What bedroom closet systems best use the entire area in my closets?

Remember, every house only has so much physical space.  Even a professional organizer cannot magically shrink your stuff to take up less space.

Remember:  In life, you can’t have everything.  Where would you put it?  :0)

Technorati Tags: Bedroom Closet Systems, closet organizer systems, closet organizing, clutter

Where Do I Put My Clutter? Answer #1

Where to put clutter is a common question I have run across.  It impacts your garage, your bedroom closet system and even your car.  Any place you spend time, there’s your clutter.  I’ve even seen the question pop up in my friends’ updates on Facebook.

While we often seem confused as to the answer there are really only 5 places that your clutter can go.  Not all are easy and not all will work for every piece of clutter, but consider each when deciding what to do with your clutter.

1. Dispose of it
2. Store it in your current space (use your space better)
3. Put it in the attic/garage/closet
4. Rent a storage building
5. Dump it where ever

This post will dive deep into the first answer and future posts will cover the other four answers.

By far the best answer for clutter is to some how get rid of it.  If you actually call something “clutter” then you really have to ask yourself if you really, REALLY NEED it.  Up to now you have not found a home for it.  There probably has not even been a need to find a home for it, because you did not need to find it to use it.

There are different ways to dispose of clutter depending on what it is, what condition it is in and if you want to try to get some compensation for it.  Read these 7 options and see which applies to the clutter you have.

1. Recycle it if it is worn out, unusable or outdated
2. Throw it away if it is worn out, unusable or outdated and cannot be recycled
3. Donate it to a church clothing house of Good Will Store if it is usable and in good shape
4. Give it to a friend or family member who could use it like newlyweds or folks going through hard times
5. Put it in a yard sale if it is in good shape and you want to get some money out of it
6. Send it to a consignment shop if you do not have time for a yard sale
7. Sell it on eBay if it could bring more money with a wider audience than a yard sale would bring

Each of these are good options, because they get the items out of your home!  Your use of your bedroom closet systems, your shelves and your cabinets will be much improved.  You will not have to search through all the unnecessary stuff to find what you do use!

Remember:  You can’t have everything in life…  Where would you put it?!?!  :)

Technorati Tags: Bedroom Closet Systems, clutter, declutter

Boy Scouts and Bedroom Closet Systems

As I write this I am sitting outside a rustic cabin housing my son, his Boy Scout troop and a few male chaperons.  We’re on a camping trip in the cabin overnight and had to be very selective in what we brought with us.  Too much and we may be spending more time tracking our stuff than having fun.  Too little and it could ruin our fun by not having what we need.  How much stuff do we really need to get by?  That question impacted us in our overnight trip and will impact you and your bedroom closet systems.

• 1 Shirt
• 1 Pair of Socks
• 1 Pair of Underwear

That was ALL!

We each planned just to sleep in our shorts and wear them again the next day for a short hike before going home.  I promise we cleaned up and changed clothes once we got home!

Of the stuff we brought, excluding toiletries and food since they aren’t kept in a closet, all of the items would fit into a Glad freezer bag!  Surprisingly enough, we can actually get by with very little.  And by we, I don’t just mean Eric and me.  I mean YOU, too!

Think of the expert business traveler who brings only what he truly needs so that he can still fit his laptop computer into his carry on luggage.  Personally, I do travel a lot and do not want to pay $25 extra each way to put a checked bag on the plane.  I had to figure out how to fit all of what I needed for a week in a suitcase the size of about 22″ by 15″ by 9″.  If I didn’t then that trip would cost $50 more!  I had to seriously step back and ask, “What do I NEED?”

The opposite of the expert traveler is the stereotypical “diva” who travels with a whole entourage of suitcases, bags, make-up cases, satchels and so on.  Think of London from the Suite Life of Zack and Cody on the Disney Channel.  Yes, I have kids so I get to watch it as well as Phineas and Ferb.  If you don’t have the pleasure of getting to watch the Disney Channel, you may remember Mr. and Mrs. Howell from Gilligan’s Island.  Personally, I think they could have gotten by on the three hour tour without their suitcase of money.

I guess the main point I hope you take away from this post is that in America and many other countries we are living in a state of abundance.   We aren’t fighting for the necessities of life.  We are working to buy another dress or another pair of shoes or something/anything else that could very well wind up in our bedroom closet to overload our bedroom closet systems.  Give your life, your pocketbook and your space a break and seriously consider what you really NEED.

Technorati Tags: Bedroom Closet Systems

Bedroom Closet Systems and You!

Bedroom closet systems are great. There is much more to getting to and keeping an organized closet than just adding a great fancy schmancy set of shelves, though. The greatest, most expensive system with all the bells and whistles will not accomplish anything without you and how you use it. The shelves, drawers, hangers and other hardware you purchase are only 20% of the solution. The rest of the solution is how you get your closet into a usable state and how you keep it in an organized state.

To get your closet organized is a simple two step process:

1. Clean – Clean it up and clean it out! Empty the closet and throw away any obvious trash. Also get rid of any obviously unneeded items.
2. Organize – Sort through every item and make a choice! Ask yourself, “Do I really, REALLY NEED this?” Throw out or donate the unneeded items. With what’s left, put the similar things together – dress shirts, pants, shoes, etc. Doing this will make it much easier to find what you need when you put them back in. Now choose how you want to store them. Do you need a new closet organizer system, shelves, hooks? With unneeded items gone and like things together, you can make the best decision as to what hardware you need.
3. Maintain – Stop! You said it was a two step process!?!

Step 3 of the process is about keeping your closet organized after the initial effort is over. We can all clean something out once, but it is ever so frustrating to turn around and in a week, the closet is already back into the same shape it was in prior to our organizational efforts!

That’s why I believe a truly organized area NEVER has to be organized a second time. It is maintained that way!

1. Clean
2. Organize
3. Maintain – Everyone put everything back in its home! Give every item a home and always put the item back when it is done being used. Review the space periodically.

Step 3 sounds simple, but it is actually the hardest. If it were not hard our closets would stay in the pristine shape they were in after our organizational efforts. It is especially easy for a closet to get back in bad shape if more than one person is sharing it. Do you both agree where each item’s home is? Probably not.

To help keep your closet maintained, I recommend a periodic and quick review of the area. At first do it daily, then as things remain in good shape back off to weekly, then monthly. This review is a QUICK glimpse of your organized area to see if anything is out of place. If something is out of place, put it away and try to find out why it was out of place. If you can figure out why, you can keep it from happening again!

Did you see how all your bedroom closet systems were only in 1 step of the process? They rest of the process was what items you chose to keep in step 1 and how you maintain your closet in step 3. Granted, a good closet organizer system will help you maintain it, but it is still you doing the maintaining!

Technorati Tags: Bedroom Closet Systems, Maintaining Closets

Before the Bedroom Closet Systems

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