I am a firm believer that cleaning your room makes your life better. I have been told that I am weird for saying that but it's honestly true! Going through your things can lead to a world of possibilities and while we are all stuck at home, this is the perfect time to do it. Throw on your favorite playlist and get going!

First things first, optimize your space

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The first thing you must do is pick a room you want to clean, I recommend starting with your bedroom. Put away any clean clothes that you have just sitting on a chair in your room, make your bed, and make sure you don't have any knick-knacks that are out of place. This way you are starting with your room all put together and you have some space to work. This should already make you feel good because, externally, your room looks great! After this, get three bags one for garbage, one for recycling, and one for donations.

Pick a place to start

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You don't want to just randomly be throwing open drawers with no direction, so pick one spot in your room to start. I usually go from one end of my bedroom to the other, that means my bedside table is first. I sit down on my floor and begin opening drawers and getting rid of things that I know I don't need. This can be very hard for some people but here's my quick trick: think about the last time you used it and the next time you will use it. Do I really need that EOS chapstick from seventh grade? No. When was the last time that I actually wore those sunglasses? Is it necessary to keep birthday cards from every single person? Why do I still have rocks from my second-grade geology phase? Keep an open mind and think critically about what is necessary. Repeat this process for every section in your room, your desk, bookshelf, cabinets, and every surface that holds ~things.~

Create memory piles

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Oftentimes, people keep so much clutter in their rooms because they have nowhere else to put that stuff. This is usually things like your old childhood books or toys, yearbooks, birthday cards, odd gifts, and stuffed animals. When I help my friends clean out their rooms, I ask them if it is crucial that they keep these objects and if so, can we move them out of their usual spot? Buy bins from the Container Store to store your memories away from prying eyes--I suggest keeping the sealed boxes under your bed, in your closet, or if your family has a specific place to keep your childhood knick-knacks. One place that I always have difficulties organizing when it comes to memories is my bookshelf. I always want to keep every book I've ever owned but there are some I know for sure I will never read again. Separate your books into three piles: keep displayed, memories, and donate. I recommend donating to Half Price Books because you can bring in books and they will give you cash for them!

The dreaded closet

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This is everybody's least favorite part, trust me I know. I have worked with many people who just try and avoid it forever, but organizing your closet can be the most rewarding. Before you even begin to organize your closet, you must go through every single item in there. Pick a place to start (I usually do pants because it is the easiest to gauge whether or not you need them). Here are the rules: if you have not worn it in the past six months or in the last season that is appropriate, get rid of it. If it is too big, get rid of it. Too small, get rid of it. Stains, rips, worn out, get rid of it. If you have even a small feeling that you do not think you will wear it again, just toss it. After you purge everything, it's time to organize. Get nice velvet hangers that are all one color and throw out all of your plastic ones; they are bad for your clothes. Then designate each part of your closet for different types of clothes and try not to overlap them, meaning don't put your sweatpants in the same place as your dress pants. This will give you a sense of place so that you always know where everything will be. Make sure you put your clothes away in the right spot after laundry or else this is useless.

Establish

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Once you have weeded through everything, the final step is to form your space. Make specific drawers for your electronics, your sunglasses, important papers, etc. But do not have them overlap. If you are trying to find a spot for your spare notebooks, don't throw them in with your spare make up brushes. Keep your counter space as clear as you can in order to keep the effect of a cleansed atmosphere. I would also recommend washing your sheets, vacuuming, wiping down any surfaces, and cleaning your mirror to get that deep clean feel.

I hope that you are able to find some organization inspiration in this article! I love to clean and I love to help others as well. In fact, I have my own organizing business where I actually go to people's houses to help them declutter. So if you are looking for extra help feel free to email me, mflagg214@gmail.com, and we can set up a time for me to virtually help you or if you are in the Chicagoland area, we can make a meeting for after quarantine has ended.