This Month's Plan

This month join with other club members to organize the living room.

• Enter the steps below into your Navigational Binder.
  or
• Revisit this page to see what task is scheduled for the week.
• Refer to your book Your Step by Step Guide To Successfully Organizing Your Life for additional information on how to follow the steps below.
• Visit the Message Board to obtain help and advice.

Organizational Goal

The goal is to organize the living room so that items are located close to where you use them.

As you plan your living room break areas up into work stations or zones. Keep within reach items you use in your zone.

Week 1, March 1-7 Plan Your Living Room

Supplies You Will Need

• Labels. 3M Post-It® notes work well.
• Pen and paper.
• Organizational units.
• Tools to install organizational units.

1. Plan how you will organize. Use 3M Post-It® notes to label where things will go. Create zones into which you store items you use in the area. For example, reading materials and facial tissues by your reading chair.
    
2. Obtain any organizational units you need. Dividers for drawers, additional shelving for walls or closets.
    
3. Install organizational units. Drawer dividers or shelf extenders can be set aside until you organize the space where they will be used.

Week 2, March 8-14 Drawers And Shelf Areas

Supplies You Will Need

• Give-away, put-away, and throw-away boxes.
• An out of the way location to set items until they are returned to storage areas.
• Drawer separators and organizers.

1. Empty out your drawers and shelf or storage areas.
    
   • Throw away any items that are damaged, worn out, or expired.
   • Give away items in good shape that are duplicates or you are not using.
   • Move items that are used once or twice a year into seasonal storage.
   • Set aside items you plan to return to the storage areas.
      
2. Return items to your storage areas.
   • Put items close to where you use them.
   • Place frequently used items where it is easy to reach them.
   • Use difficult to reach spots for items you use infrequently.
   • Arrange items so that you can easily see what you have.
   • Keep items that are the same together.

Week 3, March 15-21 Coat Closet

Supplies You Will Need

• Give-away, put-away, throw-away boxes.
• An out of the way location to set items until they are returned to your closet.
• Closet organizer units.
• Tools to install organizer units.

1. Empty out your coat closet.
    
   • Throw away any items that are damaged or worn out.
   • Give away items in good shape that are duplicates or you are not using.
   • Move items that are used once or twice a year into seasonal storage or a hard to reach section of the closet.
      
2. Install organizer units.
    
3. Return items to your closet.
   • Put items close to where you use them.
   • Place frequently used items where it is easy to reach them.
   • Store items to keep them in good condition.

Week 4, March 22-31 Surface Areas

Supplies You Will Need

• Give-away, put-away, throw-away boxes.
• An out of the way location to set items until they are returned to your surface areas.
• Decorative containers to hold small items.
• Storage bins for long term storage items.

1. Empty off your surface areas.
    
   • Remove all items from your surface areas or work with one section at a time.
   • Use your give-away, put-away, and throw-away boxes to sort items.
   • Put items that create clutter into bins for long term or seasonal storage.
      
2. Return items you use frequently to your surface areas.
   • Put items close to where you use them.
   • Use decorative containers to keep small items organized.
   • Designate storage space in drawers for small items that create clutter.

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right inside of your check register.

BudgetMap