Must Follow Rules…
When you find yourself struggling to ‘organize’ keep the following rules in mind:
Everything has a specific home.
Put things back - every time.
Set limits - if something comes in, something goes out.
Contain items as much as possible.
Small steps equal large gains - just start somewhere.
Keep at least one small spot organized at all times.
Do it now!
Follow through completely - don’t leave a project partially done.
Reward yourself.
Make adjustments as needed - nothing will stay organized forever.
Now, let’s elaborate a little on each of these, shall we?
Everything has a specific home. Just as it states, give each item in your home a home. For example, throw blankets. Drape them across the back of the couch or chair, buy a pretty basket to roll them up in to store them when not being used, hand them on a pretty ladder or (my newest find) buy some pretty hooks to hang them on the wall. When everything in the home has a home it’s easier to tidy up daily.
Put things back - every time. When you get something out of it’s home you know where it needs to go back to. So take the extra step to put it back where it belongs. Once you create the system for giving all of your items a home, this step gets easier and easier as you create the habit.
Set limits - if something comes in, something goes out. You may have heard me say it before regarding shoes. When I make the decision to buy a pair of shoes I choose a pair that I haven’t worn in 6 months to a year and out they go. They either get donated or consigned and in some cases trashed.
Contain items as much as possible. I’m all about baskets, containers, lazy susans, drawer organizers, etc. I like for my items to be contained. This is makes it easier to find things and keeps them tidy.
Small steps equal large gains - just start somewhere. If you are new to getting organized (and decluttering), it doesn’t have to be too overwhelming. If you have the thought, “man I wish I could get myself organized”. Let me tell you right now, you can! It is overwhelming. It is hard. But it can be done. It starts with mindset then action. Just start somewhere.
Keep at least one small spot organized at all times. I’d really like for you to have more than one spot organized at all times but just like number 5 states, we’ve got to start somewhere and why not start with one spot. Go through your home and find 5 places that you consider to be unorganized. Decide out of those 5 places choose two that causes you the most stress. Then decide which one you interact with on a daily basis and start there. Get the space decluttered and tidy. Everyday set aside 15 minutes (set your timer!) and get it back in order.
Do it now! If you have the thought come to mind on a project or tasks and it’s something that you don’t want to do, STOP. Think it through. Don’t keep putting it off because they will cause you more stress in the long run. Take the time to start the project and if you can’t finish it, make a plan to finish within a short window. Which leads to number 8.
Follow through completely - don’t leave a project partially done. It’s inevitable at times to finish a project all at once. And it’s okay. Make a plan to finish it in a short window. Don’t drag it out because that will lead to prolonged procrastination and the project will end up never getting finished.
Reward yourself. Don’t go out a buy yourself something (maybe in some cases). Reward yourself by sitting down for 20 minutes and reading a book. Reward yourself with a hot bath. Go for a 20 minute walk (even if it’s around your yard).
Make adjustments as needed - nothing will stay organized forever. For me, each season brings a different type of feeling. Some are busier than others so I adjust to my cleaning and laundry schedule for those times. Tax season usually brings a little chaos of paper clutter. I adjust for that. Spring and Fall clean out brings clutter and I adjust for that. Planning is very helpful and even though the plan doesn’t always work out at least you had a plan and have a mindset to get a new one when the first one goes array.
We all have busy schedules. We all have times where we don’t want to do anything. But, when we have systems set in place in our homes it makes things a little easier on us when the schedule is busy and when we would rather just sit and watch tv with our family.
Less is more.
