Organizing Your Life: Home Edition

Posted on February 21, 2018

by April S

Clothes, toys, shoes, accessories, gadgets, computer equipment, manuals, paperwork and so many more things can clutter up our living spaces in what seems like the blink of an eye. Every time another holiday or birthday rolls around I think – where am I going to put all this stuff? I’ve found that having a box set up year-round helps clear the clutter – just chuck it in and when it’s full take a trip to your local donation center. The hardest part for me is letting go of things. I’m always thinking that whatever it is will be put to good use someday and have reservations about adding to all the consumer waste in our landfills. Now that I have kids there’s the sentimental attachment side of things. After all, how can I part with something that has so many warm memories associated with it?

Here are a few helpful questions that may help you decide whether or not it is time to let go of some of your things laying around the house taking up space:

  • When was the last time you used it?
  • Realistically, when (if ever) will you use it again?
  • Is it broken or missing pieces that make it unusable?
  • Are you really ever going to fix it?
  • Is it trash or can you donate it?
  • If you save something for sentimental reasons – will your kids really want it someday?

While you may not want to part with everything it’s important to start somewhere. That’s where the library can help. We have a variety of resources available to you as a library cardholder. So, check them out, get organized, and clear the clutter for good.


Declutter and organize your home

Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up by Marie Kondo; translated from the Japanese by Cathy Hirano

Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up” by Marie Kondo

Japanese decluttering guru Marie Kondo’s “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” has revolutionized homes—and lives—across the world. Now, Kondo presents an illustrated guide to her acclaimed KonMari Method, with step-by-step folding illustrations for everything from shirts to socks, plus drawings of perfectly organized drawers and closets. She also provides advice on frequently asked questions, such as whether to keep “necessary” items that may not bring you joy. With guidance on specific categories including kitchen tools, cleaning supplies, hobby goods, and digital photos, this comprehensive companion is sure to spark joy in anyone who wants to simplify their life.

Also available in Large Print, eBook and eAudio.
The Complete Book of Home Organization by Toni Hammersley

The Complete Book of Home Organization” by Toni Hammersley

Have you ever wished you had the time and tools to organize your house in a clutter-free, design-conscious, Pinterest-worthy way? From storage solutions and cleaning tips to secret space-saving methods and expert strategies, “The Complete Book of Home Organization” is packed with the tips and shortcuts you need to effectively organize your home.

From small spaces and apartment solutions to how to tackle a big, messy home with a 15-week total home organization challenge, this book covers it all. “The Complete Book of Home Organization” spells out everything you need to de-clutter your house, store your belongings, and keep your home—and life—in tip-top shape. With high-quality design, intricate detail, and a durable flexicover—this manual is the perfect gift!

Organize the 30 main spaces of your home, including the living and dining spaces, bedrooms and bathrooms, guest areas, baby and kids’ rooms, utility spaces and garages, entryways and offices, patios and decks, closets and pet areas! Keep track of your pantry, holiday and craft supplies, weekly menu planning, keepsakes, and schedules. From the basement to the attic, this book covers every nook and cranny.

With step-by-step instructions, detailed illustrations, and handy checklists, say goodbye to a messy home and wasted storage space!

Also available in eBook.

What your clutter is trying to tell you : uncover the message in the mess and reclaim your life by Kerri L. Richardson

What Your Clutter is Trying to Tell You: Uncover the Message in the Mess and Reclaim Your Life” by Kerri L. Richardson

With practical and warm advice, lifestyle designer and coach Kerri Richardson guides you to accept your clutter as a natural manifestation of your mind, body, and spirit looking out for yourself. It is your soul calling out for you to invest in self-care and to face the fears holding you back from being your best self. Richardson dives into the most common categories of physical clutter and provides efficient and effective steps for clearing the space for your physical, mental, and spiritual well-being to flourish. But more than house and home, Richardson encourages you to clear out the clutter of relationships and habits that have been occupying your time and energy for too long.

Let It Go: Downsizing Your Way to a Richer, Happier Life by Peter Walsh

Let It Go: Downsizing Your Way to a Richer, Happier Life” by Peter Walsh

Say goodbye to clutter, reduce stress, and live simply with this easy-to-use guide to downsizing!

Whether you are selling your family home, blending households into a new home, or cleaning out your aging parents’ home, sorting through a lifetime’s worth of accumulated possessions can be a daunting and stressful experience. Decluttering guru Peter Walsh recently went through the process of downsizing his childhood home and dividing his late parents’ family possessions. He realized that making these decisions about mementos and heirlooms creates strong emotions and can be an overwhelming chore.

In “Let It Go,” Peter will help you turn downsizing into a rejuvenating life change with his useful tips and practical takeaways, including how to:

  • Understand the emotional challenges that accompany downsizing
  • Establish a hierarchy of mementos and collectibles
  • Calculate the amount of stuff you can bring into your new life
  • Create strategies for dividing heirlooms among family members without drama

This new phase brings unexpected freedoms and opportunities, and Peter walks you through every step of the process. You’ll feel freer and happier than you ever thought possible once you “Let It Go.”

Also available in eAudio (hoopla) and eAudio (Overdrive).

Real Life Organizing: Clean and Clutter-Free in 15 Minutes a Day by Cassandra Aarssen ; foreword by Peter Walsh

Real Life Organizing: Clean and Clutter-Free in 15 Minutes a Day” by Cassandra Aarssen ; foreword by Peter Walsh

#1 Amazon Best Seller! – Clutter free solutions for an organized home

“Real Life Organizing” offers clutter free storage solutions and advice that can help you create a Pinterest worthy home on a small budget: Learn how to organize your home, simplify life and have more time for the things you love. Organizational expert Cassandra ‘Cas’ Aarssen, the guru from YouTube’s ClutterBug channel, reveals her tips, tricks and secrets to a clean and clutter free home in just 15 minutes a day. Aarssen, spends her time organizing other people’s homes, teaching college workshops on organization, and creating weekly videos and blog posts. Cas offers diy Pinterest type tips to people like you who are interested in how to get rid of clutter and how to organize your home.

Organized person on the outside: The secret to her success? She’s a giant mess on the inside, but an organized person who can teach you how to get rid of clutter and organize your home once and for all.

Also available in eBook.

Clear the Clutter, Find Happiness: One Minute Tips for Decluttering and Refreshing Your Home and Your Life by Donna Smallin

Clear the Clutter, Find Happiness: One-Minute Tips for Decluttering and Refreshing Your Home and Your Life” by Donna Smallin

Get rid of the clutter – and keep it away! Organizing expert Donna Smallin shows you how to enjoy the happy, healthy, and inviting home you long for with hundreds of time-saving, clutter-busting tips. Smallin’s simple and manageable approach helps you focus on the things that will make the biggest difference in the least amount of time. Clear away the clutter once and for all, and discover the peace of mind that has been hiding underneath.

Also available in eBook (hoopla) and eBook (Overdrive).

The Easy Organizer: 365 tips for conquering clutter by Marilyn Bohn

The Easy Organizer: 365 Tips for Conquering Clutter” by Marilyn Bohn

Say Goodbye to Clutter!

Do you feel overwhelmed by the “stuff” in your life? Are you tired of sifting through piles every time you or your family need one particular thing? “The Easy Organizer” can solve your problems.

This book has 365 home organization tips that will simplify the way you organize your home. Each tip is full of quick, to-the-point instructions that will give you immediate results. You’ll declutter your life in no time.

Inside you’ll find creative ideas for how to organize:

  • closets and clothing
  • children’s toys and artwork
  • storage ideas
  • entryways and mudrooms
  • the kitchen
  • the dining room
  • living areas
  • bedrooms
  • bathrooms
  • linen closets and laundry areas
  • craft and hobby materials

Plus the book’s time management tips will help you get more done in less time and there’s a bonus chapter with twenty-one key organizing concepts. When you apply these concepts to your home on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, being organized will become a way of life. Let the advice in this book help you create a clutter-free home and life you truly enjoy.

Also available in eBook.

Simply clean : the proven method for keeping your home organized, clean, and beautiful in just 10 minutes a day / Becky Rapinchuk

Simply Clean: The Proven Method for Keeping Your Home Organized, Clean, and Beautiful in Just 10 Minutes a Day” by Becky Rapinchuk

From the cleaning and homekeeping expert and creator of the wildly popular Clean Mama blog comes a simple and accessible cleaning guide with a proven step-by-step schedule for tidying a home in just ten minutes a day. Becky Rapinchuk, the “Clean Mama,” understands that many people don’t have enough time, organizational skills, or homemaking habits to have a constantly clean and decluttered living space.

In “Simply Clean,” she can help you effortlessly maintain a tidy house and build habits to become a neat person no matter how messy you may naturally be! Along with a 7-Day Simply Clean Kickstart and a 28-Day Simply Clean Challenge, Rapinchuk includes plans for customizing the Simply Clean Routine to fit the busiest of schedules and any type or size of home. This guide also contains step-by-step tutorials for cleaning hard-to-clean spaces, dozens of recipes for organic, environmentally conscious cleaning supplies, and many of Rapinchuk’s famous checklists, schedules, habit trackers, and inspirational art prints. It really is possible. In just ten minutes a day, you can create a cleaner, happier home!

Also available in Large Print.

Year of No Clutter: A Memoir by Eve O. Schaub

Year of No Clutter: A Memoir” by Eve Schaub

Eve has a problem with clutter. Too much stuff and too easily acquired, it confronts her in every corner and on every surface in her house. When she pledges to tackle the worst offender, her horror of a “Hell Room,” she anticipates finally being able to throw away all of the unnecessary things she can’t bring herself to part with: her fifth-grade report card, dried-up art supplies, an old vinyl raincoat. But what Eve discovers isn’t just old CDs and outdated clothing, but a fierce desire within herself to hold on to her identity. Our things represent our memories, our history, a million tiny reference points in our lives. If we throw our stuff in the trash, where does that leave us? And if we don’t…how do we know what’s really important? Everyone has their own Hell Room, and Eve’s battle with her clutter, along with her eventual self-clarity, encourages everyone to dig into their past to declutter their future. “Year of No Clutter” is a deeply inspiring-and frequently hilarious – examination of why we keep stuff in the first place, and how to let it all go.

Also available in Audio (Book on CD), eBook (hoopla), eBook (Overdrive), eAudio (hoopla) and eAudio (Overdrive).

5 Days to a Clutter Free House: Quick, Easy Ways to Clear Up Your Space by Sandra Felton and Marsha Sims

5 Days to a Clutter-Free House: Quick, Easy Ways to Clear Up Your Space” by Sandra Felton & Marsha Sims [eBook from hoopla]

While most of us aren’t hoarders we can all benefit from assessing and reducing the clutter in our homes–and then organizing what’s left. Many things stop us from succeeding: the sheer scope of the project, the tendency to lose momentum if the job takes too long, and the fact that we’re always acquiring new clutter. But what if it really took only a week to de-clutter the whole house, and then you even had the weekend to relax and enjoy your new clutter-free space? Could it really be that simple?

Organizing and time management experts Sandra Felton and Marsha Sims show how with the right game plan and a healthy dose of adrenaline, anyone can de-clutter their home in just five days. With this systematic, team-based approach, even the most overwhelming de-cluttering job becomes doable. The authors’ enthusiasm and energy keep readers pushing forward to the goal, and their time-tested tips and habits help readers maintain their hard-won gains. The authors even show how to deal with common obstacles to achieving and keeping a clutter-free house, like filing, storage needs, health issues, space restrictions, the car, and even family sabotage!

Also available in eBook (Overdrive), eAudio (hoopla) and Audio (Book on CD).

More Books on Home Organization and Decluttering

The home decluttering diet : organize your way to a clean and lean house by Jennifer Lifford
Everything in its Place: The Power of Mise-En-Place to Organize Your Life, Work, and Mind by Dan Charnas
Organized enough : the anti-perfectionist's guide to getting-and staying-organized / Amanda Sullivan
Keep This Toss ThatKeep this, toss that : unclutter your life to save time, money, space, and sanity / Jamie Novak
Remodelista : the organized home / Julie Carlson and Margot Guralnick ; with the editors of Remodelista ; photographs by Matthew Williams ; creative direction by Alexa Hotz
Secrets of an organized mom : from the overflowing closets to the chaotic play areas: a room-by-room guide to decluttering and streamlining your home for a happier family / Barbara Reich
Never too busy to cure clutter : simplify your life one minute at a time / Erin Rooney Doland
Declutter Anything: A room-by-room guide to cleaning your home and simplifying your life by Ed Morrow, Sheree Bykofsky, and Rita Rosenkranz

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