Organize like a kindergarten graduate

Here's a question I get often: How do you maintain a space after it's been sorted and purged and perfectly organized?

The answer takes its roots from what my soon-to-be kindergarten graduate learned this year, "If you take it out, put it away. Clean up, clean up, everybody clean up."

The organizing philosophy: Respect the work you've done.

If you add an item to your space, don't forget to subtract a similar, older item. Take 15 minutes a day to tidy up, toss the junk and plan for tomorrow. Make your list of 5 so you can relax and start tomorrow prepared and polished.

It seems simple but in the midst of life, it's a lot harder to put into practice, isn't it?

Maybe this will help: When you put it in perspective, what's more important -- the tiny hassle of putting stuff back or the immense relief of having full-time control?

If you have order in your house, if you can put your hands on everything you need, then you rule your schedule, your environment, your life. That's how you get the life you want, the perfect goal for summer.

By fall (just in time for first grade in my house), who knows what changes you will have affected!

LT