Say What? Catch Phrases

Bring rhyme and reason to organizing with these four simple mantras.

Use it or lose it. Whether it’s a tie that hasn’t been worn in a year or a pizza stone gathering dust in a kitchen cupboard, an unused item is only cluttering your home — and complicating your life every time you have to move it to find what you’re after.
When in doubt, throw it out. If you’re less than 100 percent sure that you’ll use an item or that you need it — or if you don’t even know what it is — get rid of it.
Put apples with apples. Grouping like items together makes it easy to remember where things are and encourages you to return items to their designated place. Assign every shelf, drawer, and cupboard a specific duty or specific contents. Think of it as giving a theme to each storage space.
Act like you’re moving. An impending move to a new house or apartment is always a great motivator for a decluttering mission. Set a fictional move date and use the time until then to get your belongings in order.