Home organization has had a lot of different names applied over time, but at the end of the day, it is about having a place for everything and then putting things in their places. It is not a hard concept, but it is so hard to do.
1. The visual matters
You might not be a hoarder, you might not even have too much stuff, but how you organize it makes a difference. Your kitchen doesn’t have to have every surface completely clear all the time. It would be a bore to have to get the coffee machine out every morning.
But if you cover the fridge with magnets and scraps of paper which are years and years old, you will find it never looks as perfect as it could do. There are plenty of other places you can keep those items. Keep the fridge clear if you want to keep the kitchen organized.
2. Get rid of stuff you don’t use
It doesn’t matter if you donate or recycle or rent space in a storage units Staten Island facility for old documents you need to keep. If you are not using the stuff at least twice a year, move it out. You don’t need it underfoot every day.
3. Philosophy 101: Closet room equals more shoes
This seems a perfectly acceptable philosophy. There’s never enough room for shoes. If having the tidiest closet in the world means a pair of extra shoes, there’d be a line of buyers.
4. How about a big no to the junk drawer?
If you don’t have a junk drawer, then you have to do something with the things you’d put in there. Now that’s a sneaky way to deal with the used batteries and change from that vacation in Belize. You have to give the change to charity and recycle the batteries.
5. If you don’t use it let it go
That gadget you bought that does that juicer thing; have you used it in the last three months? All together now, let it go, let it go. This goes for any of the rooms in the house, except maybe the toy closet. You can even dispose your used car by donating them to charity.
6. The grocery list
This is where you write a list and you leave it at home when you go to the store. All those scraps of paper which have the things you’re supposed to buy but always forget. You can clear a lot of mess by moving your shopping list to your phone. You always have that with you.
7. Storage containers
These are the bane of many a person’s life. How about following the ‘let it go’ route? Match lids and bases and if they don’t have a top or bottom, let it go. For the ones you actually don’t use, recycle. It is a good problem – for someone else.
You can do this. It seems like a huge job before you start but once you get going it is really not so bad. When the job’s done, you feel like a superhero. Even you are the only one who notices, who cares?
