Shortcut Organizing

Shortcut Organizing

You just heard that your mother-in-law is coming by for a visit, or an old friend is going to stop by tomorrow to say hello. Your house is filled with clutter, and you start to panic. How are you ever going to get the house looking good in just a day, or even a few hours?

Think it's impossible? It's not. Here is a great 5-step strategy:

1.  Bag it.
Run around your house, placing a large plastic trash bag in each cluttered room.

2.  Stuff it.
Room by room, stuff all of your clutter into that room's trash bag. If you have a family, assign each family member to a room and have that person do this task. No matter what, don't even think about what you're putting in the bag. Just toss it in. This has to be super-quick. (Exclusion: If something is breakable, just put it in a corner of the room for now.)

3.  Hide it.
Put the filled bag in that room's closet. If you don't have a closet in that room, label the bag and then put it into a different room's closet, or the basement or attic -- or your friend's house for the day if you're really desperate and you have absolutely no storage space at all.

4.  Dust, vacuum and shine.
Put on some energetic music. Really crank it up. Then, dust and vacuum each room as quickly as possible. Don't be wasting time trying to get the dust out of the crevices or vacuuming under furniture. Just do it quickly and be done with it. You should be able to do each room in 10 minutes flat -- 5 minutes for dusting, 5 minutes for vacuuming. Finally, get some window cleaner and shine up any stainless steel faucets, or large appliances such as a stove or refrigerator.

5. Add some special touches.
By now, your home should look fairly presentable. Take a shower, put on some relaxing music, and grab a lemonade. You've done good, and your home is ready to welcome your visitor.

Right before your visitor arrives, turn the lights down a bit, and light some candles. This way, any dust you missed will be harder to see. You might also want to toss a Mrs. Smith's apple pie in the oven, not only to give you a nice dessert for later, but to fill your home with a lovely aroma.

Now, this strategy certainly doesn't mean your home is now organized. After all, those bags of clutter are still in your closets, or at your friend's home. If they're at your friend's home, be sure to retrieve them!

But, you have made your organizing a bit easier now, since all of the clutter is contained. Your job over the next few weeks is going to be to plow through each of those trash bags and get that stuff organized. If it's trash, keep it in the trash bag. Otherwise, take it out and find an appropriate home for that item.

In the end, this one visit and your super quick organizing shortcut strategy, can get you on the road to a more organized, clutter-free home for the days ahead.