This time each year I see a lot of posts and challenges that suggest grabbing a trash bag, running around your house, and tossing in one thing a day, ten things at a time, or just filling it up and chucking the whole thing. Done. Organized. Right? Not so fast. I would argue that you are using the wrong bag to organize.

I’m the organizer who wants you to stop decluttering. I want you to stop spending hours, days and weeks of your life running around and “decluttering” by throwing things in the trash or the donation bin. If you have to schedule big chunks of time to get organized, that means that you are far from your goal of being organized most of the time. That’s what I mean by “stop decluttering.” Whatever your lifestyle, I want you to learn how to BE ORGANIZED instead of learning to GET ORGANIZED. Make sense?

So what does the trash bag have to do with this? The trash bag shows up at the wrong end of the equation, after most of the damage has been done to the earth, your wallet, and your sanity.

Re-useable shopping bags are eco-friendly. Carry yours with you all the time. It is a container that helps you sense how much you are bringing home…before it overwhelms you. It makes you think about buying extra items “just in case,” items that are overpackaged, and impulse purchases.

You probably already own some re-useable shopping bags, but if not, here’s a link to Amazon (affiliate link) for a pack of foldable shopping bags like the ones I use.

I filmed this video in my office. I carry mine with me when I’m shopping for office supplies, clothes, groceries and everything else. You can stop decluttering in every room if you start being more aware of what you are bringing into your home in the first place, even your home office.

In my new book, I outline more ways to stay organized, which includes reducing the amount of mail that comes into your house by getting off lists (links included in the book), storing your supplies where you can get to them (so you don’t have to buy others to replace the ones lost in the rubble), and how to organize your digital files so you don’t have to keep printing off the same documents over and over.

Do you want more organizing strategies that help you BE ready instead of having you run around your house with a trash bag to GET ready?

My newest book is out now, and already a best-seller. Grab your copy by clicking here.

Not sure how to download a book? I explain it all here.