When it comes to clutter, everyone has their own personal tolerance levels. While some people are fine with a coat thrown over a couch, others recoil at the sight of anything out of place. Wherever you may fall on the spectrum of preferences for organization, you’ll find that keeping most of your household items in their desired spaces gives you a sense of calm that makes it easier to accomplish your goals.
Purge the Main Storage Areas of Unnecessary Items
A disorganized home is typically one that is overflowing with items that no longer serve a purpose. Take a moment to perform an inventory of each of the main storage areas in your home. Perhaps, your kids have outgrown last year’s winter clothing, or you might have an overabundance of shoes in your closet. Finding items to trash or donate to someone who needs them frees up space for the things you truly need.
Personalize Communal Storage Areas
In many homes, you’ll find areas where multiple people toss their belongings. An overflowing coat closet can become a major issue when no one can find their umbrella or coat on a bad weather day. The same is also true of restroom cabinets that can become a jumble of hygiene and hair care products, if no one takes charge of the area. Giving each person a bin or shelf to contain their items not only makes them easier to find, but it will also be easier to tell when something is left out of place.
Create a Closet Organization System
Closets should feel like a personal sanctuary where you can begin to get ready for a productive day. Yet, many people begin their day in a state of stress as they try to find their favorite sweater hiding in a pile of clothes. Using an organization system can make it easy to quickly find that perfect shirt to go with your new pair of pants. While the initial process requires some work to set up, you’ll save hours each week on searching for things you need when everything has a place.
Establish a Defined Clean Out Routine
Even the best organizational system only works if you don’t let clutter pile up. Make a schedule for decluttering for each of the hot spots in your house. For instance, you might tackle paperwork and mail that accumulates on your desk at the end of each week. Or, you might opt to do a monthly pantry clean out to remove outdated cooking supplies.
Assess and Refine Your Plan Periodically
You’ll also want to make sure that the primary systems you’ve set up continue to work for everyone. After you’ve tried your new systems for a month, take some time to check each room in the house. Are your kid’s socks still scattered throughout the house? If so, then they may need a reminder to put them in a hamper at the end of each day. Alternatively, you might find that you prefer to store your sweaters closer to the front of the closet rather than in the back. Changing things to fit how you are using them makes it easier to stick to your plan.
An organized home promotes a greater sense of positive wellbeing that infuses everything you do in a day. At first, it might take some shifting around to find your desired place for each item. But, the effort is worth it when you are able to enter your home and feel an instant sense of serenity.