Does a 30-Day Checklist Really Work?
With thousands of home organization checklists available online, we at The Closet Works asked one of our employees to put our 30-Day Home Organization Checklist to the test to see how it compared – below is her thirty day tidying adventure!
Staying organized is very important to me. I am what’s known as a Purist, or the archetypical organizer who has to have everything in its proper place. That’s why I was excited to try out the checklist – not only because I could declutter my home but also provide our customers with details regarding what the checklist is and how it can benefit them, too.
My Checklist, My Rules
Now, I have to admit that when I first volunteered for the assignment, I hadn’t decluttered in a long time due to my busy schedule. I had a lot of catching up to do – but 30 days to catch up sounded good to me! Doing it in bite-sized chunks definitely took the pressure off since I didn’t have to get it done immediately.
After looking the checklist over, I noticed there were rooms or spaces that didn’t apply to me, like the garage or child’s playroom. The rooms that didn’t apply? I simply crossed those days off and decided to dedicate that time to rest & relaxation or errands.
30 Days to Straighten Up
Day 1: The Junk Drawer – Even though it was just Day 1, I knew I was in good hands because I had never thought to organize my junk drawer – really! For me, the junk drawer has always been a catch-all for the small items I just didn’t want to deal with at the time.
Tip: Use inserts to create specific spots for each item in your junk drawer so it stays organized.
Day 4: The Fridge – My husband tends to be messy. He leaves the caps on our condiment bottles askew and food containers lidless, meaning my fridge was not so nice looking or smelling. Taking everything out and wiping down the shelves provided me with a clean slate to then group similar items together.
Day 6: Hanging Clothes – I have always organized my closet by type and then by color. Always. When I read, however, that I would have to donate and/or throw away clothes I hadn’t worn in a year… well, let’s just say that’s when my anxiety kicked in. I didn’t want to discard anything because of their meaning to me. I realized, however, that if I was committed to decluttering, I’d have to toss some. I now have two donation boxes waiting for someone new to call them their own.
Tip: When you donate used clothing items, ask the organization or charity you’ve dropped them off at for a receipt. Come next tax season, you can deduct them!
Day 28: The Basement – 22 days came and went with me tidying everywhere from my sock drawer to my home office, as well as my car. I was on schedule and feeling like I could tackle anything thrown my way without stressing. Then, Day 28 approached, and I was stumped. My husband is a contractor and our basement, his workshop. As you can see from the pictures below, it was a disaster.
This wasn’t going to take 5 to 15 minutes like the previous tasks, so I needed a game plan. I decided to allocate two days to tackle it. One day was to determine what was kept, tossed or donated. I also began to organize my keep piles into ‘where should this be stored?’ heaps. Day 2 was focused entirely on putting everything away and cleaning. The result? A very happy husband and a major project completed!
As an organized person, I never thought that a checklist would help me. The devil, however, is always in the details. And those details are what I missed when it came to my previous tidying efforts. Another benefit I earnestly loved about this checklist was the time it gave me to get it all done. Some tasks were easy and only took a small chunk of time, while others, like my basement, took far longer.
Overall, there is no guarantee a checklist will work because a checklist is just another tool. The important thing to remember here is that a tool is only as good as it’s wielder. If you’re a disciplined individual who can manage your expectations and come prepared, then yes – I am confident in saying that this checklist can help you get organized. Don’t take my word for it, though. Try it out yourself and download it today. What do you have to lose – clutter?
Interested in learning more about getting organized or The Closet Works’ installations? Request a free consultation with one of our professional Designers today.
