Organizing can be a bit overwhelming…especially if it’s been awhile since you’ve gone through and organized a space in your home. You might find yourself looking at that mound of stuff and thinking, “Where the heck do I start?” Well, there are different ways to organize: top to bottom…left to right…working in concentric circles (start in one spot …”the center”…and work your way out from there)…or a doing a combination of these. But no matter how you start, there are some basic principles to make the organizing process a little bit more tolerable. One of those principles is to sort your stuff by by putting like items with like items. There are a couple of reasons why this is important:
1. Sorting into “like” piles allows you to see how much (or how little) you have of a certain item.
2. By seeing how much you have, you can make better decisions on what to keep and what to let go of. Often times you don’t realize that you have more than you need until you consolidate your like items.
3. It’ll save you money…and time. By knowing how much you have, you’ll stop wasting time and money on trips to the store buying things you already have plenty of.
So, let’s say for example we’re in your bathroom and you’ve got everything mixed up on top of the counter and in the drawers. You thought you had plenty of shampoo, but you can’t seem to find it. Well, let’s put a fix to that wasted time searching for things and let’s start organizing your space. As you grab your items, start sorting them by putting them into categories that make sense…categories like these for example:
- Makeup: eyeshadow, powder, foundation, lipstick, mascara, blush, makeup brushes etc.
- Hair styling products: mousse, hairspray, gels, leave-in conditioners, hair treatments, etc.
- Blowdryers, curling irons, and flat irons
- Hair brushes and combs
- Hair fasteners: rubberbands, bandanas, bobby pins, clips, barrettes and scrunchies (for those of you like me who still where them on occasion ;o)
- Dental care: floss, toothbrushes, teeth whiteners, retainers, mouthwash, toothpaste
- Nail care: nail polish, polish remover, cotton balls, nail trimmers, nail files, etc.
- Perfumes and body sprays
- Lotions: hand lotion, body lotions, foot lotions, sunscreen
- Hygiene products: soaps and deodorants
- Shampoos and conditioners
- Medical/First Aid: band aids, aloe vera, Neosporin, pain relief, bandages and tape
- Shaving supplies: razors, razor blades, aftershave, shaving cream/gels
Ok, so now you can take a look at what you have and decide what you need to keep or consider letting go of. Even if you don’t get rid of anything, at the very least now you’ve got your items sorted together into like categories which will make it much easier for you when looking for your things. What will make it even easier is “assigning a home” for all your stuff. But that my friend, is another organizing principle we’ll discuss at another time. Until then…go get your “sort” on! 
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