In high-school I had the opportunity to help out in a kindergarten class during my co-op placement. One of the skills that the teacher would test was a child’s ability to sort items. Kids were given a handful of different coloured dinosaurs and asked to sort them.

Some kids chose to sort by size, others by colour and others by type of dinosaur.

As an adult, the task of sorting seems rather simple. Yet, when it comes to organizing our homes and small businesses somehow it gets a lot more complicated.

“Do I file this paper with my expenses or warranties?

Do I put this big Costco-sized box of spaghetti in the pantry or shelves downstairs?

Do I put my sweaters in storage for the summer or leave them in my closet?

Where do the extra toothbrushes go and where did I put those files on our dental plan?

When did I buy those extra ___? I didn’t even know we had those in the garage!”

Before we know it, we have all kinds of things in all different places!

Sorting items is an important step in home and office organization. Everyday Organized follows a PLAN – SORT – WEED – LIVE strategy. Last month, we talked about the importance of making a plan before starting any organizing project. The next step is to SORT belongings into groups.

Sorting is super important because it allows us to see what we’ve really got.

When we gather all our kitchen utensils into one big pile and start sorting, we just might find that owning 6 whisks isn’t entirely necessary! You need to know what you have before you jump to the next step – weed. Don’t skip out on the sorting step.

Yes, it can look like you are making a bigger mess at this stage in the organizing process, but it is so important to see everything you have and put it into a category.

If you’re feeling a little lost, not sure how to start or maybe you’ve lost motivation mid-way through a project, get in touch with EVERYDAY ORGANIZED. I'm here to help homes and small businesses get on top of the clutter, reclaim their spaces . . . and sanity!