5 simple steps to getting organized this fall

It's officially fall — time to sweep up the final grains of sand hanging around from summer and get back into a routine.

"September is the new January!" jokes Margie Villard, who owns and runs her professional organizing business, Joy of Organizing, in Charlottetown. 

She teaches clients some basic principles of getting  — and keeping — an organized home and life, in 5 steps, which she agreed to share with us.

1. Plan ahead

Meals, schedules and travel are the major things a family needs to sit down together and plan ahead, Villard said — set aside some time on the weekend. 

Have a list of menu items to cook for the week, and shop for the groceries needed. You could even prepare most of the meals for your week on Sunday, she said, right down to breakfasts and snacks.

People get emotionally attached to things and they have a hard time letting go.— Margie Villard

An easy way to do that is have theme nights, she advises: Mondays are chicken, Tuesdays are leftovers, etc.

Try to plan a family sit-down meal together too. 

If kids are on the go with sports and other activities after school, have some meals on hand in the freezer or pre-cooked "grab and go stuff," she said. "That'll make your life easier in the long run." 

Think about holidays and travel ahead of time too, she recommended. 

"Something as simple as — Christmas is coming up, have you started your shopping yet?"

Plan now to tackle your shopping, buying a gift every month or every two weeks.

"By the time Christmas comes, it's like oh! I don't have to worry about this, my shopping's all done." 

2. Let go

"It could be let go of stress, let go of control. Control is one of the biggest factors for people being disorganized," she noted. Perfectionists often procrastinate organizing until they have time to do it perfectly, which is unrealistic.

Let go of physical stuff, too, Villard advised. People often hang on to items out of guilt, which is negative. 

Ask yourself, it it useful? Do I like it?

"Clothes is a big thing," she adds. "Especially, women tend to keep three or four different sizes." Clothing is easily recycled and not expensive — she advised lightening up your closets.

"People get emotionally attached to things and they have a hard time letting go," she said — pointing to that collection of concert t-shirts some men have. 

Couples often disagree on what is useful and what they'd like to keep, so Villard advises each family member have their own space to keep meaningful items. 

3. Visualize

"Have a goal for what you want a room … to feel like," Villard advised. "It's easier to work toward." 

Decide what you want the purpose of a room to be, too. 

"Especially on P.E.I., the kitchen is the heart of the home," she noted, but, "when it is being used for eating, then you have to have a home for where the homework goes in the meantime."

Villard's solution: a tray for each child's projects when they're not being worked on.

4. Where's your fork?

Forks belong in the cutlery drawer in the kitchen. Everyone knows where they are, and they're easy to find quickly. 

Use the same concept throughout your home, Villard advised: All who live there should know — and agree — where things should go. 

"Or else you're the one putting it back all the time, and you're getting frustrated," she noted.  

5. Maintenance

Whew — you're all done organizing, good job! Now all you have to do is keep it up, Villard said.

"It's like cleaning your house — you don't clean it just once and it stays clean forever. You have to … stay on top of it," she said. 

Each person in a home can have a basket with their name on it, she suggested. At the end of the evening, items not put away in their proper places can be tossed neatly into their basket for that person to put away. 

Retail therapy, or shopping as a hobby, has become very popular, Villard noted, and she's okay with that. But there's a catch.

"As long as it serves a purpose, go ahead," she said. Just remember to ask yourself where the item will go, what will it replace, and whether you really need it. 

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