This post includes affiliate links. When you purchase through these links, we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. For full details, please see our affiliate disclosure page.
The thing is I have a little secret… well actually it is a 14 year-old secret. Her name is Lauren and she is my daughter. Why the confession, you ask? Well, the thing is … Lauren… is well, disorganized! There I said it. For the last six years, I have worked as a professional organizer, helping people tackle clutter in their homes and work spaces. I love what I do. As anyone can tell you in any profession, it is always hard to work with family. Working with mine is no different. When it comes to my daughter, I have challenge just like the rest of you.
So I have decided to share our journey together. When she wanted to change her room from that of a young child to a growing teen we had to make some very hard choices. I just didn’t know some of those choices would be hard for me to make (yes, I am sentimental like the rest of you). Who would have known that I would be hesitant to give up that Anne of Green Gables doll that we bought in Prince Edward Island. Why is it so hard to give up the bright red patent leather Buster Brown boots that she wore when she was 2 years old? But why can’t I keep it? This was going to be hard on the ‘mommy’ me not the ‘professional organizer’ me.
One of the first things I did was pick up a copy of Organizing from the Inside Out by organizing and productivity guru, Julie Morgenstern. I take her advice to heart: “The key to successfully organizing a kid’s room is involving the child in the project as much as possible.” No truer words of advice were spoken.
Tips to Help Declutter a Child’s Room
We need however, to start from the beginning. Here are a few tips that you may need to start to declutter:
- Start with a room overview. Assess the situation quickly. Note what has to stay and what should go.
- Make a sorting area outside the room. Separate this way: keep, donate, hand-me-down, has another home, trash.
- Work clockwise around the room and start to sort all like items together (clothes, books, hair products, etc.).
- Don’t leave the area to “put something away” this is just a way to lose focus and get distracted.
- Try to do this work as quickly as possible; the less you think about each item, the faster this process will go. BE RUTHLESS.
Stay focused, keep it fun, and play good music. Once the room is cleared of all the stuff, it is time to start making some decisions. In the next post, I will discuss how to help you and your teen deal with the sentimental items and how to make a plan to organize her space. It is after all a place that he or she will be using for a while.
How do you help your teenager assess their room in terms of what’s working and what’s not working? How have you figured out solutions to make his or her room a happier place?
🏡 Where to Stay: Top Accommodations
🥾 Explore: Tours & Experiences
🚙 Hit the Road: Car Rental Deals
🛫 Get Away: Find Flight Deals
🎒 Shop: Travel Essentials
🥾 Explore: Tours & Experiences
🏡 Where to Stay: Top Accommodations
🚙 Hit the Road: Car Rental Deals
🛫 Get Away: Find Flight Deals
🎒 Shop: Travel Essentials