The 10 Basic Commandments of Organizing Your Home
Jul 01, 2021 05:00 AM
Organizing your home can seem daunting if you're not the decluttering type by nature. However, even the most organized people don't have magical powers - they just stick to tried-and-true habits and tricks that soon become second nature to them. You can, too, if you start with these simple rules for organizing your home.
There are a few basic principles - you might even call them "commandments" -that you should know before you set out to organize your home. Save this information and pin it to a bulletin board. Every time you start decluttering, read them again until they are internalized. Once these commandments become a habit, organizing (and more importantly, staying organized) will become part of your daily routine. Not only will it save you time, it will save you energy and money!
1. Don't organize clutter.
In other words, do a thorough decluttering and purge before you start so you don't waste energy and space organizing items you don't need, use, or love. When decluttering a room, first take everything out. Then clean the room by thoroughly dusting, scrubbing or polishing. Instead of deciding what to get rid of, ask yourself the question, "What should I keep?" Touch each item, and put back only what you need and love. Set up a system to get rid of the rest, such as a donation bin or trash bag, and dispose of it as soon as possible.
2. Start with the easier spaces first.
Your closet is a great place to start because it's easy to figure out what no longer fits or doesn't look good anymore. Tackle the time-consuming or emotional areas like photos later, after you've built confidence and experienced how great it feels when you score the little "wins"!
3. Keep flat surfaces clear
Keeping flat surfaces clean is visually appealing and makes everything seem neater and more organized. Flat surfaces like tables, desks, and countertops take up a large horizontal area, so they look (and feel) airy and calm when they are clutter-free. Find ways to store most of your items out of sight, and keep these flat surfaces as clutter-free as possible to instantly create the impression of order.
4. Gather and sort first, then organize.
Resist the urge to buy organizing tools until you know exactly how much of an item you want to store and where. If possible, use what you have on hand to organize first, and buy additional materials only if needed.
5. Make it attractive
When you buy bins and baskets, keep them neutral and classic, so they match any decor, are easy to find, and allow you to add more if needed. If you're chopping something, make sure you should paint, decorate or arrange it in a way that makes you happy when you see it. The beautiful basket on the shelf can not only be decorative, but can also be used to store unused remotes.
6. Give everything a home
The saying "a place for everything, and everything in its place" is a simple but brilliant mantra to keep your home organized. One of the main reasons for clutter is not knowing where to put something. Once you designate a place for an item (or category of items), it has a home. This will help you and your family to make it a habit to put everything away properly.
7. Group all like items in your home together.
When organizing, first put everything in each category together so you can see how much you have, and then store those items together. For example, if you have batteries scattered all over the house, gather them up and store them in an accessible place. Now you know exactly what you have and where to find it every time you need it.
8. Finish each task
Completely finish each organizing project or task before moving on to the next. Block enough time for cleaning up as this usually takes quite a bit of time. Be realistic in your expectations or else you'll be burned out before you've really started.
9. Do what works best for you.
Everyone organizes differently. There is no "one size fits all" method that can be applied to every family and situation. Discover the solutions that work best for your family and situation. In many cases, there are multiple hacks that cover a single organizing challenge; choose the one that works best for you and implement it.
10. Make organizing a part of your daily routine.
In addition to larger projects, take a few minutes each day to declutter and clean up. Organizing is not "one time" and "done." It's an ongoing process - make it part of your daily habits and reap the rewards!
Great tips!!! Thx!