Expert: Jan Hayner - 8/17/2009

Question
Hi. I need help organizing my bedroom. I live with my parents until I go off to college but I would still like my bedroom to be organized...it just feels like I have too much stuff and not enough places to put it all...I have uncluttered many times and threw away things I don't need but it still feels like I don't have enough room. I have scrapbooking stuff everywhere, a dresser and 2 closets packed full. I have millions of pictures because I am very into photography, movies, baby clothes and things, college papers, books, and random other things just placed everywhere.  

Answer
Hi Miranda;
You are like tons of other people, you get overwhelmed, just thinking about organizing. I can see why, you have a lot going on in your bedroom space. Let me see what I can do to help.

Now, you say that you decluttered by throwing out things, but what did you do with the things that you kept?

Part of organizing is giving everything a home that it can live in. Maybe that is part of your problem, nothing has a home! Just think if you would take all of those scrapbooking items and put them in under-the-bed storage containers. Everything would be handy when you want it, all together so you could find it, but organized and not lying all over the room. Another alternative is to purchase an upright dresser to store your scrapbooking items in (this may come in handy for other storage as well.

Take a look at your closets. You have things in there that can be put into storage for a different season.

First take everything out and put all of the out of season clothes in boxes. Don't buy storage containers yet beause you don't know what sizes you will need.

Now pick all of the clothes that you love and wear the most often and put those back in the closet. It is now time to take a good look at what is left--if your not wearing it, why are you keeping it? If you feel that you want to keep it, why is it taking up space on a hanger? It can be folded, put in a box and labeled so you know how to find what you are looking for.

Another thing about closets: Most closets have shelves above the clothes rod, the problem is, that they go to waste with junk and these can be used to store those boxes by just readjusting the chelf heights. Lower the clothes rod and move the shelves for more room.

You also have extra storage space behind your clothes. It will easily hold a shoe organizer for shoes, scraves, belts, purses etc.

Baby clothes belong in an attic or storage area unless you want to make a collage and hang them around the room or in picture frames (give you any ideas?). If you choose to do this, you can change the outfits occasionally to give the room a new look!

College papers should be organized as well. Purhase a two drawer inexpensive file cabinet and some manilla filing folders. Now label everything according to class or category. Also keep test papers until the end of the year, all of the answers from one test will come back again on another test before the year is over and you will have your own cheat sheets to learn from.

It is also great to make a binder of research and essay papers that you have done. This also can come in handy from one year to the next.

I hope that I gave you some ideas that are helpful and organize your life a little better. I also have some tips on my website http://www.organizingandcleaning.com for decorating and organzing a dorm room and some more on organizing homework.

Jan Hayner