One of the projects I’m currently working on is assigning homes for all of my personal possessions and the items my family shares. I’ve come to realize that when an item doesn’t have a home, it makes it very hard to put it away. Where does it go? It usually ends up somewhere it doesn’t belong and it becomes clutter. I think this is the way piles are born.

I started this last year. I took some old sheets of paper and sketched the places where things are stored in each room. So in my bedroom, for example, I sketched the nightstand drawers and my dresser drawers. Then, I wrote in tiny letters what goes in those drawers. I did the same for my closet, the bathroom cabinets, etc. Now, when I want to tidy up or declutter, I can look at those sketches and see what should be in those drawers or on those shelves. The extra items will need to be tossed or assigned homes.

So far, I’ve gone through my kitchen desk, the pantry, the living room, and my bedroom. I purged a lot, and I’m starting to gather up a little collection of things I don’t know what to do with. They are mostly gifts that we don’t need, and probably won’t use, but they’re in perfectly good condition. Maybe donations?

I’ve also found things that require some action, such as: gift cards to be used up, new felt pads and socks for our kitchen chairs, and parts of things that need to be repaired. I’ve been trying to do those tasks.

I felt like writing about this tonight to motivate myself. I like to see in writing the purpose, which is really the benefit of the project. It also gives me clarity. It’s like telling a kindred spirit my ideas about simplifying my life. There’s so much scope for imagination.