Photo by K. Deitz Photography
There’s an ongoing battle being waged against clutter in homes everywhere, and Marie Kondo feels your pain. Japan’s top organizational guru has become an international sensation, thanks to her bestselling book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Spoiler alert: There’s no magic way to get—and stay—organized.
Back here on the Main Line, Carrie Kauffman hears the same thing from all of her clients. “They feel like their house is closing in on them,” says the Bryn Mawr-based home organizer and owner of Carrie’s Essential Services. “They think they need to move to a bigger home, but the reality is that they just have too much stuff—or they don’t have a system in place and their things are all over the place.”
Kauffman offers three small steps to get started on your de-cluttering mission.
1. Set a timer for as little as 15 minutes, and just start doing something. Before you begin, take a picture of the area you’re working on. Then snap another photo once time runs out. Gradually increase the time increments until your project is finished. “You’ll be amazed at how much gets done in a set amount of time,” she says.
2. If you’re not using or wearing something, donate it. “You have to make a dedication to anything you bring into your home,” says Kauffman.
3. Set up a command center for your home. “It should be one place where everyone in the family knows they can go to get information about schedules, times for sport practices and games, etc.,” Kauffman says.
