The year is almost over and it's finally time to get organized and declutter. Sound scary? I know many of you want to get started but are either not sure how, or simply can’t stand the thought of doing it. Have no fears! The Mommy Master® is here to help.

Follow these helpful tips to begin your cleaning adventure. That’s right, I used the term adventure. Are you ready?

• Have a good attitude about the project you are about to dive into:
  • If you huff and puff and complain, this is going to be a miserable experience for you!
  • Ensure you are in the right frame of mind before you get started.
  • You have to really be in the mood to organize, in order to be effective.
  • If you HATE these type of tasks, unless you are going to hire someone, put on comfy clothes, get yourself a tall glass of water (or wine), and get ready to sort, arrange and categorize!

• Don’t take on more than you can handle:
  • If you only have an hour, don’t start a project that will take an entire day.
  • Don’t commit to unrealistic goals and aim to finish a large task in a short amount of time.
  • If organizing isn’t your forte, do a little at a time, but stick to a timeline, i.e. I will finish my closet by the end of the week.
  • Don’t start tackling multiple areas in one day, i.e. pantry, under your bathroom sink, sock drawer, etc. as you will get burned out and end up with unfinished jobs.

• How to get started:
  • At first, choose something small to tackle, like a shelf in your pantry.
  • Take everything off that shelf to create an empty space to fill.
  • You will need to create a mess in order to create a masterpiece.
  • Don’t waste any time looking at the disaster on the floor or tabletop you just created, but instead, start organizing.
  • Don’t think, just continue on to the next step.

• How to organize:
  • Create different piles such as items to put back, items to throw away, items to donate and items that belong somewhere else.
  • Once you then carry out these tasks, your pile of stuff will start decreasing, making your job easier.
  • You will be left with only the items to put back, which should be less than what you took out, creating more space and making your job more manageable.

• Don’t be a hoarder:
  • If you haven’t used it in over a year and did not even remember you had it, donate it, throw it away or sell it! (Moms, I am talking about those maternity clothes you know you can’t part with but need to.)
  • It will feel good to donate your items and make it easier to let go of emotional things.
  • Remember the whole point of doing this is to focus on an area, get rid of what you no longer need, gain more space and organize your items.

• This is not an easy task so ask for help:
  • Involve the whole family and have fun together.
  • Assign the kids the toys and have them sift through and decide what they don’t play with anymore.
  • Spend some time organizing that horrific drawer of pictures with your spouse over a glass of wine, so you can reminisce and make fun of your 80’s hair together.

• Organizing and decluttering are addictive (yes, it’s true):
  • You will get obsessed and get a craving to clean!
  • Your spouse will wonder if you are pregnant and nesting but rest assured, you just so smitten with your work, all you think about is what to have a crack at next.
  • You will continuously look at your new creation, over and over again, because you are so proud of what you accomplished!
  • You will brag to all your friends about your hard work, post pictures and even think about starting an organizing business.
  • Okay, perhaps I am talking about myself, but you will too be very proud of your hard work which will motivate you to tackle more projects.

• How to stay organized:
  • It’s easy to keep your new space neat but after a while, it will get cluttered once again.
  • Spending an extra few seconds to put things back where they belong, will save you the time from having to re-organize your space all over again.
  • Tell your family how hard you worked and that you would like them to respect your efforts by placing items back in their designated space.
  • Be realistic and know that you will need to declutter certain areas more than once a year.
  • You may need to purchase certain products to help you keep your new uncluttered space clutter free.
  • If you recently organized your hair blower, straighteners, curling irons and more, only to find them tangled a few weeks later, you may need to purchase a storage system to keep them neat.

Whether you are an organizational freak (like me) and actually look forward to decluttering, or would rather swim with sharks than clean out your son’s closet filled with six month clothing even though he is now two, YOU CAN DO THIS! Stay focused, make sure you are in the right mood, and stick to an end goal.

When you cross the finish line, you will take pride in knowing you have an organized space, have gotten rid of items that were collecting dust, and are helping others by donating.

As busy parents, we don’t have nearly as much time (if any) as we used to pre-kids, so involve the whole family, have fun with it and get started TODAY! You will feel refreshed, cleansed, and glorious!

Thanks for reading!

Ellie, The Mommy Master®

www.MommyMasters.com

TOGETHER WE CAN MASTER MOTHERHOOD™...and our Mess!