I'm in the midst of a massive household organization effort. Spurred on by the need to sort through my mom's things for her estate, I'm going through all my cabinets, drawers, boxes, and closets. I'm donating, recycling, or tossing things I no longer need (with a goal of minimizing what ends up in the trash) and creating better organization of the things I'm keeping.

This week, I thought I'd do some blogs discussing my process in the hope that it will assist your efforts.

The obvious question is: Why organize? And the follow up is: Why now?

Having a well-organized house is beneficial in so many ways:

• Coming home to a place where everything is in order offers a sense of calm — especially when the world outside seems so disordered. It's hard to fight the world's dragons when you have no calm place to gather your strength. It forces you to fight the current ALL.THE.TIME.
• Knowing where things are reduces the little stresses of every day. I can find the bill I need to mail before I'm assessed a late fee. I can find the ingredient I want to toss in the soup before the noodles get mushy. I actually know I need to buy more toilet paper BEFORE I run out. I can find matching shoes without calling in a search team.
• My house is easier to clean. It's amazing how much faster it is to dust and mop when you don't have to move a ton of stuff.
• I save money because I don't buy stuff I already have and just can't find.

I'm doing now so that I'll be ready for the holidays. A well-organized house will make it easier for me to invite friends to stop by. It will make it easier to decorate. I may find presents I meant to give people in past years. And, when winter sets in and I spend much more time indoors, I'll be in a place where I can coo and rest and craft and read — with everything I need close by to sustain me.