In my last blog post I wrote about the five simple steps I use when organizing projects. I often have clients fling open the door to a room or closet and exclaim, “I don’t know where to begin!” If this happens to you, please know that you are not alone. This is a common experience.
Here are some more ideas about Step 1:
If it’s not going to live there – it should leave there.
As I mentioned last time, the first step in organizing is always to remove any items that
don’t belong. If they can be reused or re-purposed, please consider taking your belongings to Goodwill, or recycling things, if possible, rather than throwing them in the garbage.
Sometimes when I walk my dog on the night the trash goes out, I notice that people have put out items that could be donated. I feel sad that so many things that could be re-used are filling up our landfills. I realize it takes a little effort, however we could all use a little good karma, right? 
And if you want to make some money, an effective strategy is to put your belongings in one area (or bag or box) for future consignment (clothes, shoes, purses, jewelry, etc.), and/or to sell on eBay or on Craigslist.
Also consider putting things in one area (or bag or box) that you plan to give to a family member and/or friend. In a future blog post I’ll be talking more about this … now is a great time of year to discover items for re-gifting - with the holidays coming up soon!
The simplest way to effectively accomplish the “letting-go-of-things” strategy is, as you are removing items, position various sized boxes and bags nearby. Then when you begin to fill those containers, label them using sticky notes – so you don’t get the containers mixed up – also so that you don’t have to think again about what’s in any given box or bag.
I use sticky notes rather than labeling with a thick black marker, at this point, because you may find you need a much larger or smaller container for any given category, and the sticky notes allow you to switch boxes or bags easily. Further along in the process it can be helpful to label the containers with a marker, so that the note doesn’t fall off in transport or in storage.