How to organise (1) - where do I start?

This week I'm answering the ONE question I get asked by clients more than any other question.

Marcia, I want to get organised but it's all so overwhelming. Where on earth do I start?

First of all, relax and take a deep breath.

1. Start with the area of your home or life that bothers you the most. If you can't bear to choose clothes every morning because your wardrobe is too cluttered, then that's probably a good place to start.

2. Decide what you want to have happen in that space. Do you only want clothes in your wardrobe, or do you want shoes and handbags in there too?

3. Declutter. You can't organise clutter. Get rid of everything that shouldn't be there. Some things need to move to other rooms and some need to move right out of your house!

4. Organise what's left according to your personality. Not everybody is a minimalist. Some of us need to surround ourselves with our treasures and that's okay. Your system works as long as you can find what you're looking for relatively quickly (within a minute).

5. Maintain. Last but not least, do a quick, 5-minute maintenance session in each major space every week so that your space remains organised.

In the next couple of weeks, I'm going to be posting on each of the points 1 - 5 above, so stay tuned.

Have an organised week!