Let's talk about how to organize your home, the easy way.
People just assume I am an organizational wizard, but I have to be honest with you… I am pretty terrible when it comes to home organization. My home is really organized by default because we live minimally, and are very intentional about what we have.
This is really one of the cornerstones that I love to teach moms though! You can NOT out-organize clutter, just like you cannot out-exercise a bad diet. You can be the most masterful organizer in the world – and if you’re just shuffling around junk from place to place.. you’re going to end up with an unorganized and chaotic house.
Don’t worry though… this article is not going to be a “if you really want to be organized, you need to throw all your stuff out”.
I will let you know the organizations tips and tricks I have learned on my own, as well as ones that I have learned from some good friends. But, first…
You need to declutter
That is where it all starts – clear out the stuff that is just cluttering up your space and making things harder on you than needs to be.
Why is it important to declutter first?
Because first of all, STOP trying to organize your chaos and dead weight. Second of all, once it’s OUT you can actually SEE how the organization is going to where, where things can go, and you can actually have the space to keep your things.
Have you ever organized your kids’ playroom?
It looks GREAT for a couple hours and your like, THIS, this is the moment we were waiting for and this is the time that it lasts.. and then it doesn’t? And you die a little on the inside? It’s most like because you just have too much stuff.
When you try to just organize what you currently have as well, you end up just shuffling around a bunch of things you don’t even want around or use. Not only this a waste of your time – but it’s a waste of your energy! Decluttering allows you to have what you love, and then organizing is FUN because it’s the things you love to use and are excited to have a place to easily access them.
So once you have what you WANT and NEED.. start the organizing. Here are my quick and easy organization tips and tricks.
Organize by category NOT location
This was a game changer for me. I used to have toys in every room. Cleaning supplies in every room. Books around the house. It took me a while to have this aha moment where I was like “Oh hey, it would actually make so much sense and be SO easy if all our pens in the house were in ONE place, instead of running around trying to remember where I had left them”. Or having toys in ONE area of the house makes it so easy to clean up, play and stay not frustrated with stepping on toys all over the house. Or actually being able to see what cleaning supplies we have, which ones we need, and how much we have left because they are all in one place!
Now I know for a fact we can trick ourselves into thinking things like, “but my kids won’t like not being able to bring their toys all over the house as they please”.. and for a minute they might not, BUT overall they will LOVE having a designated space for their toys. And they will especially love knowing where they all are, and how easy it will be to clean up. Kids get overwhelmed by clean up if it is too much, and when they have free reign to take toys all over the place, it gets overwhelming for them.
Use the storage that comes with your house
Okay this one sounds weird, but hear me out. Often times we feel like our house is not equipped with enough storage space. While SOMETIMES that is true, usually it is that we are trying to store too much. We just have too much stuff. Then we got on Pinterest to find storage hacks and cool organizational cubbies and creations when really, we could just use what we have and be just fine.
If you truly do NOT have storage (bathrooms seem to be one that this happens in most often – THEN get some creative wall storage units, or cabinets.
See it, THEN organize it
This goes hand in hand with with decluttering your stuff first. If you can’t see what you have, then you can’t organize it. I am a big fan of pulling out what you have, coming up with a plan for how you want it organized in a way that works and lets you access things easily and put them back. Even if you have to pull it out, envision it, run to the store to grab the bins or storage items you need and then come back to it!
I hope this helps you – I know it’s not really a “here do it this way” easy answer for you, BUT if you follow this it IS a long term and sustainable solution for organizing your entire home in a way that lasts AND works!