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. No more misplaced bills, forgetting appointments or searching for something you need right now. 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.
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 every thing, and every thing 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.
The first thing that you need to do is give every item a home. This may include purchasing bins or baskets, getting rid of items that you don’t use and have no place to store, and giving things away.
Touch it Once:
Junk mail and other papers can take over a desk or table with lightning speed. You can stop this by making a decision to only touch each piece of paper or mail one time. Sit down to go through paperwork. Each item will either be filed, dealt with as you're sitting there or tossed in the garbage. If you only have time to sit and sort your 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.
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 that you no longer use. To keep the clutter from building up, consider implementing a thorough fall cleaning as well.
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 to much about these items right now, go with your gut instinct and be honest - donate, give away, throw away. If you do not have room for it, it has to go.
The Benefits or Organizing:
The benefits of home organizing far outweighs the trouble it may take to achieve it. You will find that it actually take 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.
