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The messiness and clutter of different areas around the home can be demotivating and make one feel unproductive. I’ve got a feeling that if we can get things organized then we can find things easier, the house will be easier to maintain, and we’ll be able to get more done.
So what’s the plan of action?
1.) Filter:
- Every closet in the house.
- The kitchen cabinets.
- The laundry room/shelves.
- The entertainment center.
- Play rooms/areas.
- The garage.
Before
2.) Declutter:
- Donate clothes and shoes that haven’t been worn in over a year.
- Recycle/shred non-essential mail that hasn’t been needed in the past 3 – 6 months.
- Recycle magazines, newspapers and miscellaneous paper, that hasn’t been needed in 3 – 6 months.
- Donate/trash old, unused CDs, DVDs and books.
- Donate or trash toys that have been outgrown, are rarely used or broken.
- Host a yard sale or sell items online if you have enough of the above to make it worth the effort.
After
3.) Store:
- Every thing should have a specific place where it’s stored.
- Group similar items together and tuck them away in the same place every time.
- Invest in storage racks, shelves, baskets, etc. that compliment your home and style.
- Storage containers can be expensive, so purchase items slowly over time.
I’ve purchased one basket as seen below every pay period. I needed five and am currently only in need of one more since I’ve taken this photo. Since adding these baskets, the space has definitely looked so much better and has been kept by everyone in our home, including our toddler.
Setting your house in order using these three easy-to-follow steps will result in a neat and tidy home that’s easier to maintain. Organization such as this also makes the flow of activities in your home, such as getting out of the house on time or cooking a meal, feel smooth and efficient.
This is especially useful if you have toddlers in the home. Keeping a home neat and clutter free at all times with a toddler is not realistic. However, ridding the home of unneeded items and storing items, such as their art materials, toys, favorite DVDs, etc., in the same place every time easily becomes a habit that they too will form, if seen in practice often!
Feel free to use this technique in your work space as well. It’s sure to make for a more productive work week!
Photo Source
Are there any tips that you’d add to this list?
Share organization tips that you’ve found useful in the comments.
SUCH a constant battle!!!!!!! We have only four people that live in our house, but six people's stuff. I'm pretty sure the girls' stuff multiplies even when they're not home!
It really is, Jill! I know that there is no such thing as perfect when it comes to having a neat and organized home, but I'm hoping that reducing so much of the unnecessary stuff that we have and putting the rest away will help.
Great tips! Everything about being organized really boils down to those 3 steps. I love the idea of buying one storage item each pay period when you need several of them. Helps spread the cost out.
I totally agree, Hilda! It's such a simple, effective concept. But man, doesn't it require discipline!
And, yes, spreading out the cost is a must when you're on a budget!
Very good tips. Decluttering is so important and easier to do when the kid is away and not wanting to keep every little toy
Oh definitely! I sneak and throw away toys all the time. I'm also very particular about buying toys just to buy them and letting others buy my child things. I'm honestly starting to think I'm becoming a minimalist :)!
I just decluttered my shoes. It seems like I have so many more!
OMG, yes! Once I organized my shoes, I found a couple of pair I hadn't seen in a while, just hiding, waiting to be rediscovered and worn again. I've totally been shopping my closet lately!
These are all great tips!
Thank you for sharing!
http://www.distinguisheddiva.com/
No problem, Adeola!
We're definitely gearing up for some "Spring Cleaning" now that we've got the bedroom set. My biggest struggle is shoes! I've been trying to come up with ideas to get them off the floor and out of shoe boxes, but displayed so that I can see them all! Where'd you get those shoe shelves from??
I bet! I had a hard time with shoes until recently myself. I got these shelves from Target for $10 each. They aren't necessarily meant for shoes, but they work and I liked the price point. You can only store flats or tennis shoes on the bottom two shelves though (again, it's not meant for shoes) so keep that in mind. I also have a long vertical shoe cubby that hangs from my closet for some of the taller shoes, and because I had more shoes than I could fit on the shelves. I got that from Bed, Bath and Beyond.
May is going to be my big spring cleaning month! Fo sure!
Yes, Mandee! Do it! I hope these tips were helpful :)!
I am in the process of trying to come up with a solution for our front door and our desk. That desk gets so cluttered and my family has turned the front door into a landing zone for shoes and bags, not okay. I need to get the desk under control and maybe order something with cubbies like you have here for the front door. Great tips!
Oh, and those magenta booties – YES!!!
Now, I'm still trying to come up with a front door solution. We have that same problem (especially since I don't allow shoes on the carpet). I tried adding one of those shelves and it just did not work. I'm going to try out a cute basket that you just dump things into when you first walk in that gets taken upstairs whenever we make our way up. I'll keep you posted on how that turns out :)!
And I practically stole those booties from Old Navy. Only &9.99!
I love the idea of slowly adding storage- I'm always so worried that I'll invest in something and then totally hate it.
Totally, Ally! My aunt gave me that bit of advice when I first bought my home. It definitely helps with the budget and it gives you the opportunity to get a feel for your style and what you like.
I just recently cleaned out my closet of clothes that I never wear anymore that were taking up prime real estate and hangers lol! It blows my mind how all of it was able to fit in there…now there is so much room. My next step is to organize everything by color. Thanks for sharing!
Yes, Kayla! My closet and drawers were a mess. There were so many things that hadn't been worn in years. I'm currently looking into buying better hangers that all match so that my closet has a cleaner look. I like this idea of organizing by color, that making it look even better as well. I must add that to my to-do list!
Storage is so important It look pretty and it makes things easier to find. I am still on the hunt to find really good storage solutions to store my stuff in I love how you've made everything so simple! great post for those who are on a budget
Absolutely love your tiPs and I will certainly put them to good use! We have a two bedroom apartment and we're literally busting out of the seams with the new baby so these tips will certainly help!
We are right in the middle of preparing for our move now and now have to move ourselves. I am glad I came across this just in time. Thanks! 🙂
Nice tips. Thank you for sharing 🙂
I love your list of tips!! This is awesome – I did a similar post on spring cleaning that you can read here! Thanks for sharing!! : )
xo Adriana
Daily Dose of Design
I do need all the help I can get when it comes to organizing
Great post~ I LOVE spring cleaning! I usually do it all the time, not just spring! I always start to pile up on clothes and accessories and I find out I don't even wear all of it! Donating is such a great idea, I always feel better after shoving bags of clothes into one of those donation boxes! Your post has me excited to go clean now! Hehe, Thanks for sharing! Good luck with your spring cleaning!
This is great. ..thanks for sharing