Today, I’m sharing an organizing tip that will hopefully make your de-cluttering process easier. The organizing tip I will share today is the thing that took my de-cluttering process to the next level. It was at this point where it became more about simplifying instead of just getting rid of stuff.
After going through the whole house, and getting rid of the things that didn’t take much thought, I still wasn’t satisfied. It was getting to the point where I could see and feel a difference, but I still felt like there was so much more that I could do.
The Best Orgainizing Tip
I started to use this organizing tip I learned called “the boundary”. I heard about this method from Dawn of The Minimal Mom. This idea is originally called the “container method” from Dana of A Slob Comes Clean. Once I put it into practice, I quickly realized how life changing this was. For me, it has been the best organizing tip that I have found and use..
Setting a boundary means choosing a drawer, container, shelf, etc. as your boundary. You then have that amount of space to fit like items, or items that go together. If you are dedicated to a certain space then it helps to narrow down your choices. It takes things you have in large capacity and minimizes them down to a manageanle amount.
Examples of using a boundary
Below, I highlight some of my own experience with setting boundaries.
Kitchen Towels
My kitchen towels were out of control. I only have one drawer I can dedicate to towels in my kitchen so I kept the over flow in the upstairs linen closet. They were taking up to much space, so enter ‘the boundary’. First, all of the Christmas ones got put in with the Christmas decor. Then I separated the towels into each season/holiday. From there I got rid of any that were worn or stained. Then I realized I had towels I never used because I didn’t like then. From there I had the amount that I was satisfied with and would fit with in my boundary.
Once all of my towels are worn out, I do plan on going to a neutral color that will work all year round. That will allow me to down size to just the drawer in the kitchen. So much easier which is what I’m going for -Simplicity.
Christmas Decor
I had three totes full of Christmas decor, but year after year there were things I wouldn’t use. When I put my decor away this year, I decided to make my boundary one large tote and one small tote. It was a success! I just put away the things that I actually put out and it all fit nicely.
One thing I realized, in decorating and undecorating, was its was easier for me to quickly put it all away and not deal with the excess. For example, I had bulbs and other ornaments I would never use year after year They were just taking up extra space. You can see, from the pictures below, how I went from a box and a tin, to just the tin. Now I know that every ornament I have goes on the tree.
It was the same with the bulbs shown below. The first picture are of the ones I actually used and the second is of the excess I haven’t used in 10 years. What was I waiting for? Time to donate!
DVD’s
In an age of so many different streaming services, I can image there are a lot of DVD’s collecting dust these days. My first thought when dealing with our DVD’s was to get rid of all of them because they are never used. My motto when de-clutter has become “Use it or Loose it”. So it made sense to just get rid of them all. Well, I admit that there were some I could not get rid of and my husband wasn’t ready to part with any of his. I decided it made the most sense, at this time, to at least get then off the shelf and out of there cases. So, I took Dawn from the Minimal Mom’s advice and bought a storage case. (See pictures below.) That became the boundary. I had done this years ago with my CD’s, Yes, I still have those, too! Wish I had thought to do this with the DVDs back then. It would have made moving them into our house a lot lighter to carry. I will link the DVD case that is pictured here and a smaller option here
Sentimental Items: Paper
This is a hard one for me. I have been saving greeting cards for half my life, I do look through them from time to time, but needless to say it was unnecessary to keep them all.
I decided to allow my self 3 different boundaries. One for myself, another for my husband and one for us together. Doing it that way felt doable.
In the one for my husband and I together, I put cards we’ve given each other through the years, wedding and anniversary. cards, as well as some pictures from our younger years together. Is anyone laughing at that? I seriously just laughed out loud. I know, we are still young, but we look sooo young in photos from 15 years ago. Any way…There is plenty of room to be able to add to it through the years.
The one for my husband includes pictures for his school days, some cards he has gotten in recent years, his teen Bible and a current event book he made in high school.
As you can see below, my boundary is the biggest. My goal was to get everything in with plenty of room to spare for adding more through the rest of my life, but I may need to enlarge the boundry one of these days! Baby steps are sometimes better than nothing, right? At least its all in one place now.
Boundary Options
I hope the ideas from my own experience were helpful and spark some of your own ideas.
I’ve linked some storage options down below that could be used for making a boundary.
- Colapsable Fabric Storage Cubs
- Plastic Storage Baskets
- Foldable Baskets with Handles
- Plastic Stackable Basket
- Clear Plastic Bins
- Clear Plastic Bins with Dividers
More Inspiration
Also, I linked a video from the Minimal Mom that will be helpful to you, as well. I see the title says it’s her favorite tip. too! I’m sure if you start putting this into practice it will be your favorite, too.
I highly recommend checking out the Minimal Mom. I have learned so much from her. She is the source of my inspiration. When ever I need motivation, I watch one of her videos and then get to work. Happy organizing, friends!
This post includes affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I make a small commision at no extra cost to you.
For more de-cluttering posts you can click here.