Organizing is one of those chores that I find too easy to put off. When I'm already juggling work, errands, and a social life, the idea of tackling my closet or bathroom cabinet falls to the bottom of my to-do list. That's why I decided to commit to a 3-month organizing habit for one year.
I live in an 800-square-foot apartment, and it doesn't take very long for things to pile up. A few extra coffee mugs here, a couple of new sweaters or tote bags there, and suddenly my cabinets and single closet feel like they're bursting at the seams. In the past, I'd wait until the situation felt too overwhelming to ignore and then I'd spend an entire day sorting and reorganizing everything. While those big decluttering sessions felt satisfying in a way, they were also exhausting (plus, they ate up an entire Saturday).
After one particularly tedious all-day organizing session, I decided to try something new: Setting aside a smaller chunk of time every few months to tackle whatever part of the home needed my attention most. I treated this task like an appointment I couldn't skip. After a full year of trying this method, here's what I've learned.
Add Time to the Calendar
To hold myself to this plan, I blocked out a two-hour time period on my calendar. I knew that if I treated this task like an appointment, I wouldn’t skip it—which is how the mess happened in the first place. Two hours felt like enough time to make a difference without swallowing up a Saturday, and I could devote it to whichever space in my home needed the attention: the living area, the kitchen, the bedroom, or the bathroom.
For the first clean-out, I focused on books to donate in the living area and then honed in on expired products and replacements in the bathroom. Maintaining this initial sweep only takes a few minutes, so these days I spend the most time in my kitchen and bedroom.
My Organizing Approach
Cleaning out a kitchen is straightforward and feels fun when music is playing or a movie is on in the background (my other recommendation). Expired food gets tossed, never-used gadgets get donated, and crevices get wiped down. Figuring out if clothing should leave a closet is a little trickier, but here’s my trick: I pretend the clothing belongs to a friend, rather than me, and I feel less emotionally attached. If I haven’t worn an item in more than a year, it gets donated or put up for resale. If I’m on the fence about a piece, I place it in the front of my closet.
By the time the next quarterly clean-out happens, I’ll know to part ways with it if I still haven’t worn it. Once the two hours are up, I take out the trash and place the donations in my trunk. I also have a calendar event for delivering my donations by the end of the week.
The Result
In the year since I started this exercise, my home usually looks pulled together at a moment’s notice (granted, it very much helps that I live alone). But more importantly, I’m not stressed about cramming items into limited space or struggling to find something I need.
It’s also turned me into a more conscious consumer: Since I know what I have, I don’t buy more. And because I’m aware of what I never use or wear, I leave those shopping possibilities alone. Thanks to a two-hour appointment I set for myself every three months, organization comes more easily.
Kelly Dawson is a writer, editor and marketing consultant. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Architectural Digest, Travel + Leisure and other publications.
