Organizing doesn't always mean complete overhauls of an entire room. So many feel overburdened with the heavy idea that organization's meaning is clearing an entire day to take on the worst of the worst. I'm here to tell you: rewire how you think about organizing! Because it shouldn't feel looming or scary! The idea of organizing is more maintaining your spaces than anything!
Letting the clutter build until you can't take it and waste an entire day off on putting it all back together sounds exhausting! I absolutely don't want that for you. My goal is to give you tools to contain your space so on the messy 1-10 scale, you never go past a 5 (yes, it is possible!). By taking small steps during initial setup or a few minutes everyday, your home will look like it's been freshly organized on a daily basis! Plus, you'll make every space more functional and easy to use.
Here are my tips to do just that:
1. Never leave a room empty-handed
If there are things that need to be put away, put them away! Make that habit! It sounds so simple, but when you don't take the two seconds to put the peanut butter back in the cupboard or get too distracted by your package, that you leave the scissors out... you suddenly have clutter galore! Your home suddenly feels littered with trash and surfaces are taken up by strewn-about objects that don't belong there. For the love of all that is good, grab something to put away every time you leave a room!
A small tip to help you accomplish this small tip is to get a small basket to collect items from a room when you're ready to leave. Maybe commit to three items and fill the basket every time. Use one that matches the aesthetic of your home so that it looks like an intentional piece. Here's some of my top picks for functional and pretty baskets...
2. Start with the short, easy tasks
Have I mentioned Dave Ramsey theories can be applied to home organizing as well? In my last post, I mentioned how Ramsey's snowball method can be applied to organizing by making you feel accomplished in the smaller, more achievable goals that motivate you to then complete bigger projects little by little. Soon you'll have your whole to do list checked off and be on that final, huge project you've been avoiding. The point is, you'll visibly see the progress and want to continue feeling like you're accomplishing things. Man, these experts should make a website or something!
Oh wait... He does.
3. Remove manufacturers labels
By taking off labels from any bins and containers in your home, you'd be surprised by how much a difference it makes when that visual clutter is gone! Less to distract your eye from, equals more of a cohesive feel for what you've organized. I want your home to look beautifully lived in, and this is the perfect way to do just that!
4. Line it up
Pull all containers on your shelves to the front so that they are lined up in a straight line. This is another practice that allows for your eye to not be drawn to a specific portion or feel as though there's too much to look at. Never underestimate the little things - they often create the biggest impact!
In the pictures below,, you can see that the shelves are deeper than the items being stored on the shelves. Rather than pushing the baking ingredients, the snack jars & cereal containers, and the drink bins to the back of the shelves (where a jagged line would be created in the front), we have lined everything up along the front of the shelf. It's ok to have extra room in the back - as that is where you can store "extras" if necessary!
5. Labeling
In my opinion, labeling makes the most difference when it comes to maintaining an organized home. Matching labels are a huge plus for keeping things looking streamlined and adding to the cohesiveness of a space. Labels will not only help beautify and align the space to make any OCD heart flutter, but also create a productive, easy-to-navigate living space.
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