Get Rid of the Mess,
Get Rid of the Stress

By Paige Greenfield

It pays to get organized

At Home

“Your home is a haven from the rest of the world,” Smallin says. “When you have a more orderly environment, there’s more of a sense of peace so you really are creating a welcoming space to come home to and feel good about.” Here’s how to make your living space the place you want it to be.

Instant makeover  Over the years you’ve accumulated enough tools, gadgets, and doo-dads to run your own cooking show out of your kitchen. Problem is, you’re more of a bread-buyer than breadmaker type of gal. Problem solved: “Clear off your kitchen counter completely,” Smallin says. Then, put back only the things you use on a regular basis and store the rest away in cabinets.

Clean out the closet  It can be tempting to leave every piece of clothing you own in your closet. But are you really going to wear those bermudas in October? Instead, create what Smallin calls an “everyday closet.” The only clothes you should be looking at are those you could potentially wear this season. Clear out anything that doesn’t fit, needs repair, or that you didn’t wear last fall. Next: Every day for a week, spend 10 to 15 minutes going through one drawer or one shelf at a time. You can even do this during commercials.

Kill bills  “There’s actually no reason to save bills that you’ve paid unless you work out of your home or need to document them as business expenses,” Smallin says. If that’s the case, get a folder, label it, and stuff the bills in there. “We make more work for ourselves when we dump them into a pile.” Once you’ve paid a bill, shred it. Even better, eliminate the paper trail and set up online bill paying. “It takes some getting used to, but it’s well worth it,” Smallin says. And when it comes to credit card bills, you only need to keep up to a year’s worth at a time. Create a folder for each credit card, and after you pay this month’s bill, shred the one from last year.

Donate year-round  One problem with cleaning is what to do with the stuff you don’t want. Keep a donation box somewhere in your home where you can put clothes, toys, old cell phones, kitchen gear, and eyeglasses to give away. Donate the stuff to a charity of your choice. Many, like the Salvation Army and Big Brothers Big Sisters, pick up the stuff from your house at no cost. Your unnecessary belongings are going to a good cause.

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