Organize + Energize: Word of the year - Memorabilia
Tuesday, October 06, 2015
Memorabilia: (n) Objects kept or collected because of their historical interest, especially those associated with memorable people or events.
The word of the year has been by far: Memorabilia. There isn’t an organizing session that goes by that I don’t say this word. I even have my young clients saying it.
This word is used often because when people are disorganized, memorabilia is found all over the home and office. It’s usually never contained and it’s found scattered in closets, spare bedrooms, and junk drawers. If you have piles, I can guarantee there is memorabilia in there. If you have piles that turn into clutter, the important memorabilia gets stuck in with the items that really don’t mean that much. You’ll want to cherish your memorabilia. If it’s getting stuck with items you don’t care about, how much does it really mean to you?
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTWhen most people are decluttering and find memorabilia, they get stuck. You begin to reminisce and then 2 hours have gone by and you aren’t even close to finishing your organizing project.
When decluttering, you have to disconnect. If you are organizing a space and you find memorabilia, put it in a box and continue decluttering. There will be time later to reminisce. Continue on with the rest of your organizing projects in the house and keep adding to this box. If you are working through family memorabilia, create a box for each family member. Once your entire home is organized, then you can grab your box and focus just on memorabilia.
Winter will be here soon and a cold, snowy day is the perfect day to tackle sorting through memorabilia. Here are 3 steps to organizing memorabilia.
Categorize. This is optional, but you can categorize your memorabilia. You may have certain categories of memorabilia that you’ll maybe want to refer to at a later time. It will be easy to find if you have categories. Later in life, you may find that certain categories no longer have the meaning they once did and it will be easy to just get rid of that category.
Contain. Whether you put items in decorative boxes or bins, it’s your choice, but you must contain memorabilia. Designate a container for each family member. Every child should have one, regardless of what age they are. You are never too young or too old to have one.
Maintain. Memorabilia will arrive in the home and it will get placed in the memorabilia bin. If you want to enjoy it for a while and keep it displayed, that’s ok! When you are tired of looking at it and want to replace it with new memorabilia, be sure to place it in the designated bin.
Once your memorabilia is contained and you have a system to process it, you will never have the headache of finding it in random places in your home. Make a plan and put this organizing project onto your winter calendar.
Kristin Carcieri-MacRae, the founder and owner of Organizing in RI, has always enjoyed finding creative ways to streamline the environment around her. She has appeared on air on Patricia Raskin's Positive Business Radio and her articles have been published in the Rhode Island Small Business Journal and New England Home Life. Kristin's CD, Organizing Basics, is a 1-hour guide for the person who wants to get organized but doesn't know where to start. She is also available for organizing workshops. Tune into her weekly radio show, Organize, Energize! on talkstreamradio.com.
Related Slideshow: 5 Organizing Blunders
Avoid these mistakes and your project will take less time than you expected. You won’t be as stressed or as overwhelmed as you anticipated. You will be amazed at what you have accomplished. You will be motivated and energized to tackle another project.
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