In Organizing with G.R.A.C.E. I introduced a 5-step system to organize anything.
If you are having trouble applying it, that’s okay!
What you need is practice.
Let’s get practical!
It’s time to clean out our purses, bags, briefcases, messenger bags, backpacks, and for those who use your car as your purse, your car.
Here are the five easy steps to organize anything, using our purses as a model.
Gather
This one is already done for you. You have been using, whether you realized it or not, your purse as a gathering tool for all the things that flow in and out of your hands throughout the day.
So gather up your purse and we are on to the next step.
Remove
Dump everything out onto a large flat space. This way you can see everything at once.
Now remove anything that does not belong.
First, remove anything that is obvious trash!
Next, sort things into categories that make sense to you.
For example in my purse I had:
- paper (receipts)
- personal care (lip balm, hand sanitizer, mask)
- must-haves (keys, cell phone, I.D.)
- office supplies (pens, notepad, calculator)
Now take a look at each category one at a time. Decide which item can stay.
Then put away the things that don’t belong in your purse but belong somewhere else. Set aside the things to give away for your next trip to the local charity store. And don’t forget to throw away the trash.
You should only have left those things that will go back into your purse.
Assign
Look at your purse.
Look at your stuff.
Will everything fit?
In this exercise we already know where we are going to assign our things – the purse.
But before you start stuffing things back in, take a look at how much room you have.
Do you need to remove a few more things before moving on to the next step?
It’s always a good question to ask.
Contain
Now that you know what you have left that will go in your purse, think about how you want to contain the things in smaller ways.
Are there any ways to contain by category some of the things that are going back in your purse? Does your purse have pockets? Do you have smaller containers you can use inside your purse?
One thing I have found helpful is to have all the containers that I use inside my purse be different sizes and textures. That way I can reach into my purse in the dark and find what I need quickly.
Here is what I did with my purse:
- must-haves: phone into inside pocket, keys in pocket next to it, quilted wallet in the middle of the purse
- personal items: lipstick, lip balm, hand sanitizer and nail clippers all go in a small velvet zippered bag
- office supplies: pens, small notepad, calculator, scissors (yes, I carry small child scissors with the safety cover except when I travel), go in a zippered cloth pencil case
- larger items: brush, eyeglasses in case go in center of purse
- smaller items: silver business card case, gum, and tissues go in zipper pocket inside of purse
See what you can contain in your purse.
Experiment
While you are organizing, think access. Where can you put things so that you will have access to them when you need them?
Once you do decide and place it, get into the habit of putting it back so that you can have access to it again.
Experiment. Make changes if needed.
And, if you are someone who goes everywhere with just your phone and keys, I envy you. 🙂