Are you trying to spring clean and get your house organized? Here are some tips I'm using as I work on mine!
Five habits that will help keep your clutter under control:
-If you get it out, put it back.
-If it can be taken care of in under 30 seconds, just do it.
-Just like when you go camping, leave it better than you found it.
-Take a really close look at your home and what’s around you. Don’t let it become “visual white noise”.
-Break larger tasks down into small steps that can be done quickly and easily.
Four questions to ask yourself about your clutter:
-What is this item for and when was the last time I used it?
-What is the likelihood that I’ll ever use it again? When? Why?
-What’s the worst thing that can happen if I don’t have it?
-Where will I put it to find it again?
Three steps to get organized:
-Consolidate. Gather like items together. Put them close to the area in which they’re going to be used.
-Condense. Once you can see exactly what you have, you can start condensing it and getting rid of the excess. I find it helpful to decide on a reasonable number of items or containers of those items and then limit myself to that. If I get more, i have to get rid of some in order to let the new in!
-“Containerize”. Find baskets, bins, and other items to contain the items. Measure your items so you know what size container you need. Measure your space so you know what size container will fit. Once you contain, you can start to maintain!
Two routines that will help you maintain your home and keep the clutter from getting out of control:
-Take care of 4 things every morning. For example, mine are: tidy up my bedside table, tidy up the bathroom counter, pick up all clothing left on chairs, the floor, etc and put it into hampers/hang in closet, pick up all the dog’s and cats’ toys and put away in the toy basket
-Take care of 4 things every evening. For example, mine are: clean off the “hotspot” (an area where items just seem to get dumped and spins out of control easily – in my case it’s the pass-through between my kitchen and living room), take care of the trash and recycling, make sure all dishes are taken care of (in the dishwasher or hand-washed, not left sitting on the counter or in the sink), tidy up my computer desk
One thing to keep in mind about what you currently own and before purchasing anything new:
“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” William Morris
***Remember to use the four questions to help assess the true usefulness of an item. If it’s an item you find beautiful, remember that if you cram your house full of too many beautiful items, they start to lose their beauty. They need space so that they can draw attention and shine as something special and beautiful!
Amiyrah says
I love the idea of taking care of 4 things every morning. Morning is when we all are in a better mindset and don’t mind doing the “boring” chores, so it makes perfect sense.
Mariah says
I need to teach my son to pick up what he gets out! He’s a little tornado and wants everything out all the time!
Nickida says
These are some great tips. I don’t take advantage of my mornings either. I think I need to change things up.
Joyce@MommyTalkShow says
Great tips. I need to just do one thing and be an example for our son. He’s 3 and needs to start cleaning up after himself.
Diane @ Philzendia says
Great tips! I definitely need some help when it comes to getting more organized.I’m in the process of tossing a lot of stuff that we never use.
Michelle says
I like the idea of having a few things in the morning and a few things at night.
Niki says
I’ve been organizing like crazy this week…I have got to start using some of these tips, so I don’t have to do it all again.