When it comes to organising your home – the topic seems pretty saturated. There is a wealth of information on the internet, professional organisers on almost every social media platform, and even popular TV shows with tips on how to organise your home so that it’s Pinterest-worthy!
Which begs the question…why is organising so all important?
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Although my home is far from as organised as I would like it to be – I think living in an organised home has so many benefits! It is my mission for 2020 to organise and simplify my home! #homegoals
Here are just a few reasons why having an organised home is so important and why you should organise your home:
AN ORGANISED HOME ALLOWS YOU TO ENJOY YOUR SPACE
Having an organised home allows you to enjoy your space and home to it’s full potential.
Imagine having a home full of clutter and then finding out that guests are arriving in 10 minutes… How do you feel right now? Anxious, stressed- out and overwhelmed by everything you need to do before they arrive?
Now imagine your home was as organised as you would like it to be…how do you feel now? Totally different scenario when the guests are at the door, right?
CLEARING OUT CLUTTER CAN HELP WITH MENTAL CLARITY
A recent study found that people who live in disorganised spaces were less able to focus on tasks and generally more tired than people who lived in organised homes *
My take away from this is: All that stuff in your home can be a reminder of how much we still need to do, sort out and organise. Or even just how much work (and time!) it takes to look after all of our stuff!
Now of course, I’m a believer in surrounding myself with pretty things – so having a few items in my home that I have to look after just for the sake of beautifying a space never seems like work to me! đŸ˜‰
But too much clutter can certainly be overwhelming for most people. This in turn can lead to in-action, as you feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stuff and just don’t know where to start tidying, so instead you do nothing, which perpetuates the situation.
ORGANISE YOUR HOME TO SAVE YOU TIME
An organised home allows us to complete tasks in a shorter space of time. When each item has a designated space and stays organised, you don’t need to spend hours looking for lost documents, lost car keys, or that thing you know you bought yesterday. This is a huge win – it helps clear up time for the things that you actually want to do!
AN ORGANISED HOME CAN POTENTIALLY SAVE YOU MONEY
You know you bought that item just last month, right? But now it’s nowhere to be found and nobody in the house has ever seen it? Sound familiar? I think we’ve all been there!
Imagine if it had it’s own designated spot… Then you wouldn’t be running back to the store to grab another one, only to find the original one you bought a few days later!
AN ORGANISED HOME CAN GIVE ITEMS A SECOND LIFE
Items sitting in a closet or cupboard not being used are far better off being donated or re-purposed! Instead of thinking about what you are giving away, or holding onto something for “in case, someday” – imagine the joy your act of kindness can bring to somebody else…
Perhaps this item that you only use once in a blue moon is something that they could use regularly and get great enjoyment from.
Imagine donating it so that it could be used…Now doesn’t that warm and fuzzy feeling you get feel so much better than holding onto it? #sparkjoy
MY TAKE AWAY…
So, with all these benefits listed and said – I’m in the mood for living my most organised life this year! I do feel like year-on-year, I become more and more organised – I guess you could call it a hazard of having three kids! đŸ˜‚ It simply is a necessity to stay on top of things!
But I will also be the first to admit that towards the end of last year, my systems slid and things didn’t run nearly as smoothly as I would’ve like. And there are definitely quite a few things in my home that need some refining…and quite a few drawers that need clearing out!
So, what is the best way to do it?
HOW TO SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS
Here are my tips for setting yourself up for organisational success. Of course, there is so much information out there on this subject – but these are just the things that I like to do when I organise my home and space.
START BY GETTING INSPIRED
This is always my first step. Search Pinterest, watch that organising TV show – buy the Martha Stewart Organising book with drool-worthy images. Whatever it takes to get you fired up to organise your home – DO IT! #doit now
Here are the 9 Books I think are absolutely awesome for organising tips and inspiration…
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
DECIDE ON A METHOD TO ORGANISE YOUR HOME
Because every organiser has a method, right? But decide what works for YOU! Tip: This step doesn’t have to be pretty!
Decide what you are going to use to sort your stuff… Will it be bins labelled KEEP, THROW, & DONATE? Boxes or sticky notes? To me it really doesn’t matter, as long as it works for you! Tip: Take a before photo – that way if you get discouraged half way through, you can stop and see how far you’ve come. Keep your inspiration pics close at hand too!
WORK ROOM-BY-ROOM
Go room by room – whenever an item belongs in a different room – put it in the designated storage container for that room and go straight back to the room you were working on – don’t allow yourself to get side-tracked! This is the easiest way to lose steam with organising and become overwhelmed! Finish one room at a time!
DECIDE HOW YOU ARE GOING TO STORE ITEMS
Once you have decided what you are going to keep (doubles and extras should always be kept to a minimum, only keep if absolutely essential!) decide how you are going to place your items in your space. Going hand in hand with the extras – if you by in bulk, don’t store the extras in prime space – rather store extras in mostly unused spaces – garages and basements (or any not-often-used spaces) are great!
I have a filing cabinet in my garage that I use to store my extra laundry supplies, as I do like to keep extras of these. I buy in bulk online and find it much more cost-effective that way. I also like to know that I have extra laundry supplies on hand and that I’m not going to run out!
DECIDE WHAT STORAGE CONTAINERS YOU NEED
Now you can decide what storage containers you need. Don’t forget to think creatively and use items that you might already have! If you are buying containers or storage – keep it as uniform as possible – this is visually the most pleasing. For example – if you are needing boxes of various sizes – keep the colour the same. I like to stick to neutral – white, black, grey or clear help me to feel calm and organised!
Here are some of my favourite items to organise your home:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
MAKE IT PRETTY
My absolute favourite part! You’ve put in all the hard work – now it’s time to make it look pretty! I love adding items to shelving or just cute odds and ends to make my home look organised and pretty at the same time! A pop of colour or an unusual container can go a long way!
I hope that this post has inspired you to organise your home in a way that feels doable for you! Just remember that small steps have a big impact – so even if you just devote 10 minutes a day to organising – every little bit helps! You will be amazed by how much you’ve accomplished over a period of time!
And my last tip before I sign off – if you are like me and love having a list (or list!) of what you should do, how you should do it, or when you should do it…I absolutely love Curbly’s cheat sheets…just sign up for their newsletter and download to your hearts content! My favourite is their “How to keep your Home Organized and Clutter-Free Cheat Sheet“!
