A NYC Professional Organizer’s Guide to a Clutter Free Purse

How many times have you “lost” your phone or credit card in your purse only to dump out its contents and find the missing item ten minutes later? Whether you’re working on your overall resolution of becoming more organized in 2014 or simply sick of wasting time looking for things in your handbag, you can certainly benefit from cutting the clutter in your purse. Our NYC Professional Organizer offers some helpful hint to get you started:

• Stick to the Essentials: Only keep the true essentials in your purse. Our professional organizer notes that many women in NYC walk around with their handbags filled to the brim because they want to be prepared for any situation, but this often does more harm than good. If you don’t absolutely need it, leave it at home.
• Size Matters: If you give yourself ample room, you give yourself ample opportunity to fill that space with clutter. Avoid using extremely large wallets, hobo bags, or satchels if possible and stick to pieces in a more manageable size.
• Sort Contents Frequently: It’s easy for the clutter to pile up if you only sort the contents of your purse every other month. Our NYC Professional Organizer recommends taking stock of the contents daily, recycling or filing any receipts, removing any items you won’t need the next day, and discarding any candy wrappers or unneeded notes at the end of each day.
• Make Use of Compartments: Choose a purse with built in compartments and be sure to use them! Give each item such as your cell phone, wallet,  keys and lip balm its own home so you’ll always know where to find it.
• Add Organizers When Necessary: If your purse doesn’t have the compartments and pockets you need, look for an additional purse organizer or use cosmetic bags to keep smaller items together. A favorite of our NYC Professional Organizer: Purse Perfector.
• Use Additional Bags: If you’ll need more materials than usual for a meeting or presentation, use a separate bag to keep your handbag clutter free and distribute the weight evenly to prevent back and neck issues.
• Make It A Game: Like anything else, purse organization is easier when you make it fun! Dump out your handbag on your bed, the floor, or a table and see how quickly you can point out items that really don’t have any business being in your purse – whether it’s your child’s toy, your husband’s watch, or an ancient tube of mascara you haven’t used in months.

Keep these tips in mind to kick your purse clutter habit and ensure that you’ll be able to locate all of the essentials in seconds. Need help organizing the bigger spaces in your home or office? Reach out to our Professional Organizer in NYC for a consultation!