Summer has officially arrived: the time for outdoor fun and summer grilling (including “grilling” our clutter)!  By grilling I am referring to examining the clutter and deciding how to organize and eliminate it in a way that does not interfere with our more pleasurable summer activities.

Think Small

The summer months are not amenable to tackling large jobs like basements; however, they can be used to work on smaller, organizing tasks that can be accomplished quickly and will enhance the order in our lives.

Closets are a great place to start!   When organizing a small space, I recommend completely emptying the space. This enables you to clearly see everything and makes sorting, purging and cleaning easier while also facilitating the organization of remaining items.

When organizing a closet that holds toiletries or medicines, use open containers to store items that are similar.  This makes them easier to find and prevents items from getting lost or spilling out onto shelves.  Labeling also helps family members locate items at a glance!

Consider Your Pantry

The pantry is another straightforward space to organize! You can also rotate foods that should be used in a timely manner and eliminate items that have expired.  Because the pantry has many items of varying sizes, you can use storage containers, mason jars and perhaps a Lazy Susan to effectively organize it.  Remember to group similar items together and label shelves so that others can arrange your groceries according to your system.

There are many small spaces that can be organized in less than an hour; select one or two per month and you will have accomplished much while still enjoying your summer activities.

Darla Pompilio

Your Tasks – Our Time, Inc