Getting organised doesn’t have to be about curating a Pinterest perfect home.
For me (and most of my clients), organising is about making our day to day lives easier, especially with young children at home.
It’s about setting up our homes so that every day tasks flow smoothly, the house is easy to maintain and keep clean, and things don’t completely fall apart when we have an extra hard day and can’t be on top of everything, or for when we want to take some time off to relax.
Over the last 10+ years, I’ve realised that over time I’ve curated a set of organising ‘rules’. These have become staples in my daily life, because they’re easy to remember, easy to action, and make my life so much easier!
Don’t put it down, put it away. I think we’ve all heard this one, and for good reason! It’s honestly not that much extra effort to keep walking and put that thing away where it really belongs. Once you put it down, it’s double the effort to pick it up again later and put it away!
A place for everything, everything in its place. Another phrase we’ve all heard before. It’s simple and easy to remember and it makes perfect sense. When your items have a home, they’re not clutter.
Put stuff where you look for it first. Do you find yourself losing a particular item and always starting at the same place when looking for it? That’s a sign to start keeping it there instead.
If you haven’t used it in a year, let it go. It’s taking up space and probably making you feel guilty whenever you look at it.
If you can borrow or replace it quickly & easily, let it go. Most of the things that end up as clutter in our homes are things we keep in case we need them later. But so many of these can be borrowed - camping gear for example - or replaced cheaply and easily. Op shops are great for things you only need every now and again. Spend a couple of dollars instead of $20+, and donate it again when you’re done with it.
Make the items you use daily the easiest to access and put away. If you use your toaster or blender each morning, don’t store it at the back of your cupboard. Keep it somewhere easy to to reach!
Keep like items together. Chargers go into a box together. Bandaids and bandages go into the medicine cabinet. Papers get filed after opening and actioning. Shoes into the shoe box. Hair elastics into the top drawer of the bathroom.
Wait 24 hours before purchasing that impulse buy. If you want it that badly or need it that much, it will be worth the extra trip back to get it tomorrow. If you can’t be bothered going back the next day, you didn’t really need or want it after all.
Develop a routine / rhythm / pattern. My bathroom is easy to clean because I follow the same pattern every time I clean it. Rubbish > Mirror > sink > bath > toilet > floors (I clean the shower at night when I’m in it). It’s almost on autolpilot now and doesn’t feel like a big job anymore.
When I’m hand washing dishes, it feels easier when I follow this pattern: Glasses > mugs > lunchboxes > cutlery > bowls > plates > chopping boards > pots and pans. And the water stays cleaner for longer!
Organise a small space at a time Don’t do a whole room at once. You’ll get overwhelmed, interrupted, tired, and it will end up looking even messier. Don’t even do a whole cupboard. Start with one shelf, and come back tomorrow to do the next one.
Those are my favourite organising rules, I hope you found them helpful! If you’re ready for next steps, you might like to join me at my next live Facebook workshop “Decluttering tips to free up your space and energy.” Details are below!
x Marissa
