I’m loving this cord labeling idea from Apartment Therapy!  Use bread tags to keep track of what cord belongs to what!

Here are 10 other ideas to wrangle and label cords with things that you already own.

Sometimes, getting started organizing is the hardest part. You want to start, but you feel overwhelmed because you’re just not sure where to start!

Here are some suggestions that may help you to get started organizing:

Make a list 

Sit down and make a list of all the areas in your home that you would like to see organized. Seeing everything written down could help you to pick something, whether it be a small task or an area that annoys you!  Simply pick one thing, do it, then cross it off!

Start small

By starting with a small project, such as a single drawer, you may be inclined to keep going onto the next small project.  And so on and so on, until you’ve finished each area of your home!  Here are some small small project ideas to get you started:

• A drawer
• A shelf
• A closet
• One surface space
• Your spices
• One cupboard
• Medicine cabinet

Start in the room that requires the least amount of work

It’s a possibility, that by starting in an area of your home that requires a lot of organizing hours to complete, could turn you off before you start to see any results.  I personally, love to see almost instant results in nearly every situation. So when it comes to organizing, starting somewhere that doesn’t require a lot of effort will motivate me to carry on.

Start on the area that annoys your the most

Is there a an area in your home that annoys you to no end because you can never find what you’re looking for?  Start there.  If tackling an area means it’ll make your life more manageable while you’re working on organizing other areas, that annoying spot could be a great place to start!

Just start

If you’re not naturally a planner and you’re trying to get things just right in your head before you start, the planning process could actually scare you into doing nothing. Instead, clear your mind and tackle a drawer. Once you see how easy that was then you can move on to another, then another. Take baby steps and don’t overwhelm yourself by looking at the whole picture.

Set goals

Set goals that will allow you to look at the big picture.  If you don’t don’t start with a plan that focuses on the big picture then you could find yourself constantly ‘organizing’ your home.  In this case, you may not be making long term decisions about how to store your things to make them work with your lifestyle.  For example, I have a drawer in a storage pantry in our kitchen/dining area that is devoted to diapers.  I purposely put them in an easily accessible drawer because I knew we’d be constantly in need of them, yet they’re not in plain sight.  This works wonderfully for our lifestyle right now!

Get motivated

Find yourself some motivation!  Here are some ideas:

• Read organizing blogs – These blogs are full of useful tips for everyone!
• Read decor blogs – Maybe envisioning what your space could look like will motivate you?
• Watch an organizing show -Something like Hoarders could really help light the organizing fire
• Have guests over – Nothing gets your act in gear when you’re anticipating company! (or maybe this will only force you to shove things in the closets…)
• Lose something – hehe, but seriously, I’ve gone on organizing rampages when I can’t find something of importance!

Set the timer – If you know a project will take you 3 – 4 hours or more, you’re likely to put it off.  But, if you work at it and organize in small bursts, by setting a timer for 15 – 30 minutes, you’re more likely to get your project done!  Or how about doing a quick project (sorting the mail) while you’re waiting for water to boil or the microwave to finish?

Hopefully these are some ideas to help you get started with organizing your home to make it a place that you love being in!

What I really want to know though, is that I’m not the only person that tries to get as much done as I can while I’m waiting for the microwave to beep?

This week, I’m organizing my coupons.  Taking out the expired ones, clipping the new ones, then organizing them into my binder system.

If you’re following along with the Get Organized in January event you may be interested in reading this How to Organize Coupons post I wrote last year.  It details several different systems and ideas that may work for your coupon stash!

How do you organize your coupons?  Will you be trying out a new system this year?