Basics of Organizing Tutorial

Welcome to the Basics Of Organizing!  If you have come here first you are in the right place.  Oba is all about real world organizing.  We are here to show you how to organize real spaces with real stuff…real imperfect stuff.  But it is the stuff our homes are made of. 

Picture perfect organized spaces are great…but they do not show real life.  I’m assuming your junk drawer doesn’t contain highlighters of all the same size and color, batteries in all the same brand and in every size imaginable, and rubber bands in the cutest shade of green…you get where I am going.  Most junk drawers contain JUNK!   So let’s forget about picture perfect and let’s organize our real stuff. 

The steps we will show you today apply to EVERY organizing project.  If you are organizing a small drawer or a huge master closet, the steps will be the same. So let’s jump in!  The first step in the process is to remove everything from the space you are wanting to organize.  We need to see what we are working with.  You’re going to find things you didn’t even know you had.  

Now that we have everything out we can assess what we have to work with.   Step 2 is to sort everything into “like” groups or categories.  Think of it like creating a family for everything.  If you are doing a bathroom put all skin care together, all hair products together, all shaving items together.    If you are organizing your pantry get all your baking supplies in one spot, your spices in another, chips together.   You get it.  At the end, everything will be in a group. 

We always combine steps 1 & 2 to save time.  As I take something out, I create a group or I add it to a group I have already created.  Once you have taken everything out and everything is in a group we can move on to step 3.  Purging.

Here we need to access every item.  Is it empty?  Do you have 2 of the same items and are they both open and can be combined?  Do you not like something or don’t use it anymore?  Do you not even know what some of the things are?  Sometimes you find things that should not be in that space and needs to be rehomed.  Like if you find a bottle of shampoo in your laundry room, it needs to go in the bathroom.  So for every item decide if you are going to keep it, throw it away, donate it, or rehome it.  It’s good to have trash bags on hand during this part.  I like to use white trash bags for trash and black for donation.  Small items are easy to drop off for donation but if you are wanting to donate large items such as furniture, many of your local donation organizations will come pick up your items for free and give you a receipt.  You can use that receipt for tax write off purposes.  Keep track of your donations, they add up at the end of the year.

Purging can be very hard for some people.  We get it.  If you can’t decide whether or not to get rid of something then don’t.  But give yourself a time limit such as, “If I have not used the item by this time next year, I will get rid of it.”  When going through the purge step I like to remember the old phrase, out of sight out of mind.  Most likely if you get rid of it, you will never think about it again.  You will not miss it, but you will feel lighter and be more able to enjoy the items you decided to keep.  So maybe purge a couple things that are hard for you to let go of and see how you feel.  The more you do it the easier it gets.

Now that we have purged we need to organize the items we have left.  This is the fun part and the part that Oba has made so simple for you with our organizing packs.  It’s just a matter of putting things back, but this time it will be organized.  Step 4 is to return the items to the space in an organized fashion, keeping them in their groups.  And most of the time we are going to containerize our items. 

Do you have a lot of things in one group and only a few things in another?  Grab your large bins or drawers for the big groups and the small for the few.  Sometimes it takes a couple moves to get things where you want them.  Don’t worry, that is just a part of the process.  But since we have given you the best products for each space, the process will be so much simpler than you imagine. 

Now for the finishing touch.  Labeling!  Step 5 is to label everything in a bin, drawer or basket.  This may be my favorite step.  I love little details that make a huge impact.  Our Label It! Label Packs have pretty much every category under the sun.  So find the appropriate label and get it on there.  Not only will you know what goes in any container, but it will be crystal clear to everyone in your household making it so simple to maintain. 

Now that you know the basics of organizing you can organize any space.  But we have made it even easier for you.  Every pack has it’s own video.  So when this video finishes jump over to a room specific video and get even more tips and tricks.  So are you ready?  It’s time to pick your first pack and get started or it’s time to put the pack you have already received to work. 

You can absolutely do this!  Seriously, you can.  You got this.  You can be organized!  Please remember to share your completed spaces with us.  You can upload your photos and testimonials right on our website.