Organization is something most people struggle with from time to time. Even if you’re a relatively organized person in your work life, home life can be a different story. Finding a place for everything and making sure it goes away in that spot when not in use is often easier said than done. Eventually, a lack of organization can start to get to you and leave you feeling overwhelmed and unsure of where to even begin to make things better.
If those sentiments sound familiar, then you may want to take notice of National Get Organized Day, which takes place on April 26. This could be the incentive you need to take the bull by the horns and finally tackle organization in your home.
To help get you started, here are some small and easy things you can do to improve your organization. You may not need to follow all these tips, but chances are at least a few will prove useful.
Try the 12-12-12 Challenge
Decluttering is often the first step in organization. More often than not people accumulate items over time and not all of them are needed or necessary. That means you’re storing them for no good reason, and taking up precious storage space in the process.
The 12-12-12 challenge is an easy concept to try. It requires you to find 12 items to put away in their designated storage spot, find 12 items to donate, and then find 12 items to throw away. Dealing with just 12 items at a time can make the task of decluttering much less overwhelming, but after completing this challenge you will have addressed 36 items – which is huge.
Tackle Your House Room by Room
Another tip to get organized is tackling your house one room at a time. Looking at the space as a whole is daunting, and also unnecessary. If you have an average-sized home, or larger, chances are the organization will require many days’ worth of work – possibly more. Tackling the project one room at a time means the rest of the house is still useable and you logically go through things, not missing any spaces.
Research Different Storage Options
Sometimes the problem isn’t that you have too much “stuff”, it’s that you don’t have enough storage solutions. The good news is that today you can find storage solutions meant for just about any space. Once you get a visual of how many items need a new spot, then you can start to figure out what size and type of storage you need.
Before shopping for storage options, make sure you take careful measurements of the space, writing it all down so you don’t forget.
Can’t Find What You Need – Try DIY Storage Solutions
So what happens if your storage needs are so specific that you can’t find what you need? Rather than just settle for something, you can try a DIY storage solution. There is no shortage of DIY project ideas online that take you through the process step-by-step. Many use basic items that you may already have in your house. A little creativity and vision will help you with this task.
Start Using a Calendar at Home
This particular tip is incredibly simple yet it’s transformative. By using a calendar that is posted where all can see life can become much more organized. One hack is to use a dry-erase calendar so you can easily add and remove things as needed. You may want to look for one that also includes space for notes about upcoming appointments, tasks, and so forth.
If you don’t like the idea of hanging a calendar in the house, try looking at the calendar apps that are meant to share with other family members and offer family accounts. These are updated in real-time allowing everyone to stay on the same page in terms of what’s going on.
Use a Grocery List Every Time You Shop – Don’t Over-Buy
One room that can get messy and disorganized is the kitchen. This is especially true if you have a smaller kitchen. This leads to the next simple tip and that’s to start using a grocery list each time you shop. The biggest mistake you can make is to over-buy items that you bring home and have no place to store them.
The concept of a grocery list may be new to you but once you get the hang of it – it will become a habit. Try starting with a weekly meal plan and then make your grocery list based on the ingredients needed for your meal plan. This ensures nothing goes to waste since you only purchase what is needed that week.
Tidy Often Rather Than One Big Clean
While not everyone will benefit from this tip, many people find it more approachable to tidy small amounts daily or every few days, rather than letting things build up and then you’re stuck doing a massive cleaning.
It will likely still take the same amount of time in total, but breaking it up into small segments makes it seem like less of a chore. It’s also usually easier to fit 15-30 minutes into your schedule versus hours.
Don’t Procrastinate – Put Things Away After Use
This tip is the perfect example of something easier said than done. You may have good intentions to stay organized, but once things start to slide it will snowball from there. This is why it’s helpful to put things back after being used. The longer they sit there, the more likely it is that other items will also start to build up.
Remember, you are building a new habit and that habit is to live a more organized lifestyle. Habits take time and they aren’t always easy to embrace at first.
Get Everyone in the House Involved
The final tip is to ensure you’re not going about things by yourself. If you have others living in the house with you, everyone needs to be on board with better organization. Everyone can take part, be in charge of a specific space, and be dedicated to keeping things more organized moving forward.