Home Organization Tips

Home organization is important for many reasons. Not only will being organized help you keep your home clean, but it can also help your life run more smoothly and you may even find yourself sleeping better.

Clutter happens over time and when we spend as much time as we do at home, it can become harder to recognize clutter and the need for organization.

Getting organized means you will have space for the things you actually love, a place to sit and watch a movie on family movie night. No more misplaced bills, forgetting appointments or searching for something you need right now.

Depending on how much clutter there is to tackle will depend on how big the hurdle is going to be to get organized.

With today’s busy schedules, keeping your home organized may seem an impossible task – but it’s not. Below are some organization tips that can help you get – and stay – organized.

Accept the Need to Declutter

First of all – we all probably have something we need to prune – not just in the garden either. Even if we are careful, new things can find a way into our home every day.

If we can’t let go of items as we bring new in – clutter happens and it can get out of control. That’s when we need to look around, see the clutter and accept the need to declutter.

A Place for Every Thing

The number one tip for organizing your home is creating a place for everything. As the old saying goes: “a place for everything and everything in its place”.

If an item does not belong somewhere, it will probably just sit on the steps or the dining room table for weeks. You might walk by it and think, “Where will I put this?” and continue walking because you really don’t know what to do with it.

When everything has a place, you will find what you are looking for. You won’t be wasting time and money looking for something and buying things twice or three times.

The first thing you need to do is give every item a home. This may include purchasing bins or baskets, getting rid of things you don’t use and have no place for, or giving things away.

File or Dump the Paperwork

Junk mail and other papers can take over a desk or table with lightning speed. You can stop this by quickly going through the mail and making the decision to file it or throw it in the recycling bin.

Even today with electronic files and paperless billing, we still accumulate paper. On average, we really don’t get much mail on a daily basis. Don’t just set it down and let it pile up. When you get in the house quickly go through it. Each item will be filed, dealt with as you’re sitting there or tossed.

If you only have time to sort papers and no time for paying a bill, keep an action item bin. Just be mindful to clean out your action bin on a weekly basis.

Put Things Away Now, Not Later

Another thing you can do to help stay organized is to put things away instead of setting it down thinking you’ll put it away later. Let’s face it; life happens and we get busy and may very well forget to come back to put that something away.

This is just one way clutter happens. The reality is it only takes a few minutes of your time to put something away now, rather than later.

Make it a Family Affair

Get the kids and hubby involved. Maybe before dinner the kids can tidy their rooms and help with the family room. Your significant other can help with the kitchen and other areas of the house.

After all, if there are others in the house, they are helping to contribute to any mess made.

Say Goodbye

Learning to let go of items that you no longer need or use is essential to good home organization. If you try to hang onto everything you own “just in case”, it won’t be long before you have a house full of clutter.

If you’ve been saving the kids school papers from day one and they are grown and have lives of their own now, maybe they want to take some or all of it off your hands to keep for their children.

Learn to say goodbye to items that you no longer need. As you go through each room or closet, have your bins handy. Use one bin for things that can be donated and one for giving away to family or friends, and keep a bag handy for garbage.

Don’t think too much about these items right now, go with your gut instinct and be honest – donate, give away, throw away. If you do not have the room for it, it has to go.

Spring and Fall Cleanings

A good Spring cleaning, when done correctly, is a great way to ward off disorganization. Use this time to go through cabinets, drawers and closets.

Give away items you no longer use. To keep the clutter from building up, consider implementing a thorough fall cleaning as well.

The Benefits of Organizing

The benefit of home organizing far outweighs the trouble it may take to achieve it. You will find that it actually takes less time to keep your home clean and organized, and that you will be spending less time trying to track down missing items.

You will be surprised at how easy it is to get and stay organized. You’ll be even more surprised at how good you’ll feel once you are done.

More Organizing Tips:

A Procrastinators Guide to Planning and Organizing

5 Tips for Staying Organized