5 tips for an organized home

This month’s installment of the “Come On In” series is all about home organization.

I LOVE to be organized. However, this is the first time in my life that I’ve really had to fight to keep everything organized. In 2013, we moved from a two-bedroom apartment to a four-bedroom house. It seemed like we had so much space, we would never fill it up. Guess what. . . it’s full. :)  I am always trying to declutter. I find joy in throwing or giving things away. Less is truly more.

There are FIVE new things that I’m doing to try and keep an organized home.

1. Choose a dresser over shelves.

Since Steve and I have been married, we’ve accumulated so many free shelves. Recently, we started to realize that half of the shelves stayed empty, and half were just cluttered and unstyled. We spent $25 to buy this beautiful dresser from a friend’s garage sale. It sits in the corner of our living room, where we can stash cords, papers, or anything that we don’t need sitting out, but still want close access to.

Similarly, instead of having flyers, mail, or other randoms lying around, I have purchased a few cute boxes to keep my counters clean. However, the key is to remember what’s in them, so that you don’t accidentally misplace a bill or other important reminder. :)

2. Keep a daily (hourly) planner.

I write EVERYTHING down—I’m a true list-maker. I have always kept a small “To-Do” notebook
and Post-Its close by. But just a couple of weeks ago, I switched it up a bit; I started a daily planner where each page represents only one day. It’s just a cheap composition book, nothing fancy or expensive. I write down the hours of the day so I can plan things according to a time schedule. I also leave a section for meal-planning, and blogging so I can prepare ahead of time. So far, I am loving it!

3. Cycle the toys.

Nolan has amazing toys, and plenty of them. However, over the summer, I was frustrated that he would get bored even though there was so much for him to play with. I began storing half of his toys in the basement, and I made a rotation schedule. He doesn’t even notice when some of the toys are put away, but he gets excited when he sees new ones out again. A good hour will be spent on a toy that he hasn’t seen in a month! :)

4. Schedule in the chores.

This is something that I’m just starting to implement, so I’m not sure how it will work out yet :) I can never remember how much time has passed since I last vacuumed, since the toilets were cleaned, or since the beds were washed. I just clean when they start to look dirty. Though this is a nice, laid-back approach, we always seem to fall behind in our chores. I would much rather have a routine. So I’m going to give this a try—Sunday afternoon will be laundry time, Wednesday I vacuum, Friday we clean the bathroom, and so on.

5. Get the excess out of the way.

We’ve been blessed that this house has ample storage space. We have an unfinished basement, an attic, six closets, and an extra bedroom. When I’m not currently using something (for example: summer clothes, holiday decorations, random-size cake pans, food bought in bulk), I need to put it completely away for the time being. This sounds obvious, but I often find myself suffocating in unnecessary clutter. To solve this, I cleared off a shelf in the basement for multiples of boxes of cereals and cake mixes, etc. that don’t need to all be in the pantry. I also designated a section of the basement for future garage sale items, and I pared down my closet to fall/winter-only clothes.

 

As a last thought, I firmly believe that you can’t have enough hampers and garbage cans in your house. I am always looking for the nearest of both! :)
      

How are you with home organization?

Please leave any tips in the comments—I’d love to hear more ideas! :)

Linking up with Andrea.