Create Good Habits
Organize Your Home Like Never Before With These 12 Tips
November 18, 2020 by Julia Weaver
Having an organized home is something we all strive for, but may not always be a reality. With our busy everyday lives it’s sometimes difficult to find the time to begin organizing, or even know where to begin. All you may need is a little guidance and we’ve got you covered. Whether you live in a condo in Miami, or a home in Atlanta, there is no better time than now to start organizing. We’ve collected the top organization tips from experts in the field to make your organizing dreams a reality.
Stay organized as you’re minimizing
When you’re cleaning out your bedroom closet, you’re going to create a lot of piles, and things can get confusing fast. Get different types of bags and assign them purposes — white trash bags for trash, clear trash bags for donations, old tote bags for textile recycling, large zipper storage bags for off-season clothes, etc. That way you won’t accidentally donate or throw away clothes you want to keep. – Lisa Linard, Professional Organizer & Move Manager
Be realistic about the clothes in your closet
When decluttering your clothing pay attention to fit, fabric, silhouette, colors, and current lifestyle. Build a wardrobe that consists of garments that dovetail with the life you’re currently living rather than an aspirational life. – Metropolitan Organizing
Keep storage bins accessible for your children
Make sure that the storage solutions in your children’s room are light and not too high. This will allow your child to have a greater role in the organisation of the room and will give them responsibility. In no time, you’ll see your child is more accountable and responsible for keeping their room organised. – Dotcomblinds
Fuel your body before diving into your project
No matter what area of the home you’re organizing, the number one thing to do is to make sure you’re fueled up properly. If you’ve eaten a breakfast of coffee and doughnuts, you’re simply not going to get organized very easily. Your motor skills, cognitive abilities, mood, and energy levels are all affected by what you eat. Depression and anxiety levels are heavily exacerbated by the wrong diet, which can make it nearly impossible to get organized. Start off your day with a high-quality breakfast such as grass-fed protein, homemade bone broth, green veggies, and sweet potatoes is my daily staple. What is the right fuel for your body? – Seattle Sparkle
Eliminate your never-ending piles of paper
To conquer “paper nests” all over your surfaces, create a space (one space is all you need) for incoming mail, magazines, catalogs, and any loose notes you receive. A beautiful bowl, and wooden tray – anything that can hold a week’s worth of information is ideal. Go through this inbox by taking it to a surface – dining room table, countertop – to sort, discard, recycle and keep – then once you are done processing the bulk, return the bowl, empty or not, to its place. – Discover Organizing
Organize your kitchen by how often you use items
In the kitchen especially, decide which items have earned a home in the “high rent districts” and aim for “one movement access”. This means items you use daily might deserve counter space, or an easily accessed spot all their own (not nested among other heavy or bulky items) in the most convenient, prime real estate, cabinets. Items used less frequently than weekly can be slightly less accessible in higher cabinets, farther to the back of a base cabinet, or nested. Items only used once or twice a year (be honest with me about that kitchen aid mixer) might even belong outside of the kitchen in a less accessible or long-term storage area. – Organized Treasure
Consider the heights of your family members as your organizing the pantry
When organizing a pantry, keep in mind the heights of all the people who will use it. Make healthy snacks available to kids by placing them on the lower shelves, and stash the “grown-ups only” treats out of reach. And remember – if you don’t want to eat it, don’t keep it in the pantry. – Skeleton Key Organizing
Try to keep your office organized with like-sized boxes
It really is all about the size of your storage boxes when it comes to office organizing. Use a clear plastic storage container that is sturdy – like the 18 Qt size from Sterlite. Like sized boxes store easily together and you can stack them in small spaces. – Dallas Organizing
Display your craft supplies in a convenient manner
Organizing a craft room isn’t about hiding away all the supplies. No artist or crafter designs something creative from hidden supplies – you have to see them. Organize your craft supplies in crystal clear containers so you can see what’s in the box. Next, stack them on some kind of open shelving or table surface, but not too high – only two or three high before you hit the next shelf. Then label-label-label! It’ll take some time but be so worth it in the end. Anything to make it easier to find what you need when your creative inspiration strikes! – The Clutter FairyDallas Organizing
Have your day-to-day toiletries accessible
Keep multiple bottles of health and beauty products or large packages of toiletries in storage areas like linen closets or labeled and accessible bins or baskets. Keep prime real estate areas like under the sink, counter space, and in-sight shelving on the walls and in the shower for smaller quantities and everyday usage items. – Dexterous Organizing
Remove clutter from your home
Ever feel overwhelmed by all the papers, mail, notices, artwork, and other items in your home? Don’t be a packrat. Remember this acronym to ‘trap the R-A-T’: Retain, act, and throw. – ClutterBusters
Assign a purpose to each area of your home
Divide your home office into zones (ex: the desk, supply closet, filing) and assign a specific purpose to each area. Within each space, identify the materials (supplies, furniture, equipment) that are essential for creating systems and structure to support the activities that will happen in the zone. Once this is done, remove items that don’t belong and assign homes for all items that will remain. – The Organizing Zone
Feeling Disorganized? A Bit of Planning Can Pay Dividends
Use A Planner To Get Organized
Feeling disorganized is no fun. Experiencing it, even less so. So many of us keep plodding on planning to get things in order some day. But that day never seems to come. What is the result? Is it confusion, procrastination or even desperation?
The big danger about being disorganized is that it becomes a habit. True, habits can be changed, but it doesn’t happen automatically. Change does not have to be difficult, but it takes a little time to see results. Breaking habits happens when we take action.
Use a daily planner as a key tool in tracking your activities, create quality time with people in your life and carve out time to keep yourself fit for duty. Missing an appointment can be embarrassing and damage your chances for making an impression with clients You can experiment with color coding to highlight the category of your time commitments. Green works for me in designating time that generates income. Green is the color of money and a reminder that activities that focus on creating income are important.
Blue can be used to accent time scheduled for family and friends. That time should be just as important as money generating time slots. You can
work so much that there is no time to maintain relationships. What good does it do if you have more funds and no fun to make life seem worthwhile?
Yellow reminds me of sunshine – time to exercise and spend time in outdoors. Adding sunshine promotes health as your body creates Vitamin D and adds energy to your day.
Which colors are used is not important, just be consistent in blocking time for business and pleasure. Use of time blocks helps you see at a glance how you are spending your energy over weeks, even months.
Something as simple as using a spiral bound planner or online resources that are free can make a big difference in how you use your time to create success in your life and business. Take a few minutes at the beginning of a new week to map out a plan and gain control of your time and energy.
Get Your Car Organized
Is it to to get your car organized? One of the first ways to start on the journey to organize and clean is to start with something that can be finished in a short amount of time. If your car could use a touch of decluttering, now is the time to get your car organized.
Quick and Easy Tips
Check out these quick and easy tips to start driving clean wheels!
Trash
Grab a plastic bag or a trash can and do the obvious – dump all the trash. Let’s see what is under your seats? Hopefully, not boxes of old chicken bones and remainders of the last couple of drive-through fast food moments – but if so, now is the time to take care of all the stuff hiding in forgotten places in your auto.
Seek And Find
What really needs to be in your car on a daily basis and for your safety?
- Can you find your instruction manual?
- Do you have a spare tire and does it have the proper amount of air in it?
- Do you have loose items in your car?
If you have loose tools or even books and boxes, they can become flying missiles if you have to stop quickly. Secure any items that could become flying objects and be the cause of your next emergency visit to the hospital. Personally, I love this organizer since it is perfect for the person on the go, regardless of age. If you want one, you can buy it here.
I have used these with small children so they did not get back of my seats dirty with footprints. It is especially handy to hold your iPad or another type of tablet for child viewing. With a headset, you can avoid listening to continual cartoons while transporting children or grandchildren!
It is also good with business stuff since you can store a variety of items in the pockets and basic office items are out of reach.
Removing unnecessary items not only tidy up your car but you get rid of the additional weight that can affect your gas mileage and that is no minor consideration these days.
Keep It Organized
After you get your car organized, it is easier to keep it that way. These tips will help:
- Make sure you have a trash bag in your car. You can find stylish ones on Amazon, at your local Walmart or Target.
- Whenever you are on a trip or just driving through the fast food lane, make your next stop, a trash stop, too.
- Whether going into the store or stopping for gas, do a quick scan of your vehicle. If there is trash, put it in the next trash can you see.
- When you get home, do a quick scan of what needs to go with you to the house.
- Use an organizer like this one to keep items corraled in the car.
- You can use trunk organizers as well. These are great when hauling groceries as well.
- Keep a container of Clorox wipes and Windex wipes in your car and when waiting in line at the drive-thru, wipe the dash, mirrors, etc.
These are quick ways to make a small change that will have big results.
Get your car clean and organized – start today.
Simple Organizing for Kids
I was browsing my local Facebook Garage Sale page and found this simple organizing for children example. What a cute way to explain that everything has a place and if it is put in its place, Mom will be happy! Chalkboard paint is a simple solution for labeling.
Start Young
For young children, pictures could be added so they could tell where their clothes are stored also. I can imagine sitting down and playing with a small child and deciding where things should go when they are clean.
With little ones, they will enjoy having input on the decision. When simple organizing for children is introduced as young as toddler age, they tend to be more open to putting things away as they grow older, also.
It is a challenge to suddenly announce to your teen that today is the day they start to live an organized life – and lay out the rules. However, if they have always been encouraged to keep a tidy room, you have a chance to see those habits carry over into later years.
Little Helpers
Other ways you can raise a little helper are simple.
- When a meal is finished, they can help take the dishes to the sink or help to load the dishwasher. This can be a fun time to interact and share some family time with the little ones. When chores are shared, it doesn’t seem like a chore.
- Simple habits such as putting away a toy before getting more out or helping put away the towels encourage good helper skills that you will really appreciate as they grow older and potential clutter looms larger.
- Make a game of putting toys away. A prize for the person who puts the most away.
- Let them help load the washer or fold clothes. I can remember folding my father’s handkerchiefs when I was about 3.
- Child size brooms and dustpans help them learn to sweep.
Please remember that this is a way to encourage little ones as they grow to be bigger helpers – it is not a way to put them to work at an early age. Spend fun time in addition to time spent putting things away.
Have Some Fun!
What are ways you learned to pick up after yourself? Ask yourself how that felt and how to better teach your children to be helpers. Singing a silly little song such as helpers, helpers, we are helpers as you put things away encourages giggles and smiles when done together with grown-ups! It is good to be a little silly and have fun. After all, it is about having a good time and sharing as a family.
Take a minute to hug your little ones today – and hang out with other friends with children soon!
How To Organize Your Purse – Quick and Easy Tips
Is your purse organized? Do you struggle to find your keys? It creates frustration before you ever leave the house!
Purse Organization Tips
If you struggle to organize your purse and keep it that way consider these tips:
The Right Bag
The first tip is to select the right bag for you. If you can put everything you need into a small handbag, that is awesome. However, I need to carry essentials with me and my purse is my best tool for that. Purses with built-in organizing pockets and zipped sections keep basics secured and out of sight.
Purse Organizer
Something as simple as a purse organizer can be a good investment and save time. I like this one because the dotted pattern does not show dirt easily. Plus it looks good with a variety of purses.
Zippered Sections
Have you seen purses or organizers with a section designed specifically for credit cards and cash? Being able to tuck a few bills away comes in handy and eliminates the need for a bulky wallet. Zippered sections are secure storage. A loop or clip where keys can be attached keeps them from falling into the bottom of the bag. Otherwise, they seem to fall straight to the bottom!
Pouch for Cell Phone
Do you prefer to carry your cell phone inside or out of your bag? A pouch for the phone is essential on my list. It prevents the frantic search when the phone starts to ring. Being able to reach the phone easily is priority number one.
More Tips
I found some excellent tips on the Quick and Dirty Tips.
Many of these tips are ones I share with my clients. As a personal organizer, I help clients organize the simple things first and that prevents clutter and frustration as we clean and organize their closets and their daily activities. Want to know more about how I work with clients – give me a call.