blkkitchen41112.jpgAs a follow up to our recent post 5 Strategies for Decluttering a Small Space, we asked Washington DC's organizing and de-cluttering guru Nicole Anzia of Neatnik for some more words of organizing wisdom. Instead of giving us additional organizing and decluttering tips and strategies, Nicole though it would most helpful to tell us what NOT to do when trying to harness chaos in our homes.

Some of this advice is hardly new or shocking. But Nicole says these five missteps are the most common in her line of work -- and most likely to derail even the best efforts to conquer clutter. Here's what she had to say:

1. Organize First; Buy Second. Do not go out and buy a ton of storage pieces and supplies before you sort through your home. All of those pretty bins, boxes and baskets at The Container Store are very enticing, but they won't do you any good unless they fit the space (on the shelf, under the bed, in the closet); hold what you need them to hold, and function properly for your particular space. I recommend cleaning out first, assessing what containers you REALLY need, and then buying a few bins to start. You can always add later, but you don't want a bunch of empty containers cluttering up your home while you figure out where you might use them.

2. Don't Bite Off More Than You Can Chew. Do not set aside an ENTIRE day to organize your WHOLE house. Very few people have the energy and/or focus to spend 8 hours organizing. You'll likely become frustrated and less efficient as the day progresses. It's much better to spend a few hours -- 2 or 3 -- on one project or space. This way you'll feel motivated to do more, not burned out by the process.

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Here is a photo from a (successful!) decluttering effort by the blogger at Pancakes and French Fries. This is the stage at which many people start to go wrong: They make the piles but never follow through on the donating or tossing.

3. Complete Each Task -- Completely. Of course you will need to sort things into categories (e.g., toss, recycle, donate, give to friend, put in deep storage). But here's the crucial part: Once you have decided where something is going to go -- take it there. Never keep bags for charity or boxes for friends in your home to deliver later. Do it now. Finish the process. Take the bags and boxes out to the trash or recycling immediately. If you're donating something or giving something to a friend or family member, put the items in your car or make arrangements for dropping them off. You've done so much work getting this stuff ready to take out, complete the deal!

4. Rome Wasn't Built In A Day. Do not think that once you've organized your space, that you are done. You'll feel like a failure when you have to clean it up again in a month. Realize that while you have created a new, efficient, and logical system for processing and managing incoming and outgoing items, you are not done. There is no autopilot. You should expect regular upkeep, but just be glad that the new system is far more efficient than the old one.

5. Good Enough is Enough. Very few people have closets and drawers that resemble those in catalogues. Trust me. I've been in a lot of houses and apartments and even after we've totally reorganized a space, it doesn't look like an ad for The Container Store. It looks great and works properly, but it is a space that is used by an actual human being, not one that has been carefully staged by a team of stylists and marketers for a non-existent resident. You will ultimately be disappointed if perfection is your goal. The goal is to set up a space that works well for your needs. That is success.

(Images: 1. An enviously well organized NYC kitchen from Apartment Therapy's Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces - photo by Jim Franco 2. A successful decluttering in process at Pancakes and French Fries - photo via Pancakes and French Fries)

(Originally published 4.11.12 - JL)

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