When you think about organizing your home where to start seems like an almost overwhelming decision. There is so much to consider that it can stop you in your tracks before you even begin. Not to worry. Here are some tips on how to organize your home and where to start!
Organizing Your Home
If you’ve ever seen shows with professional organizers who come in and seem to magically transform people’s homes, you know they make it look so easy. It’s like one moment the place is a disaster and the next it’s sparkling clean and completely organized. While they do have a team of people helping them that you don’t normally see, the magic is in the fact that they follow certain rules when it comes to organizing.
Thankfully, you don’t have to be a professional organizer to have the same results. Although, keep in mind that unless you have a team of workers at your beck and call, it will definitely take you longer than a half-hour show. Here are the guidelines that professional organizers follow so that you, too, can transform your home from chaos to organized.
TL:DR Version of How to Organize Your Home
- Take a Deep Breath
- Do It Right Away
- Organize in Chunks
- Group Like Items
- Label All The Things
- Expect Emotions
- Get Rid of Trash & Donations Stat
Take a Deep Breath
When you’re getting ready to organize, the most important thing to do is take a deep breath. Realize that it’s hard work – both physically and emotionally. Give yourself grace, but don’t accept excuses that keep you from getting the work done. Take a deep breath, let it go, and then buckle down to organize.
Do It Right Away
Once you decide to organize, jump in and commit to the process. Don’t procrastinate and leave piles or boxes for later. Dig in and get it done. It’s not glamorous and you’ll burn off some calories, but you’ll be thankful in the end.
It’s important to tackle each thing immediately instead of putting it aside until later or making a decision at a later time. Make the decision right away – keep it, donate it, or toss it. The process will go faster and you’ll be organized before you know it.
Organizing Your Home In Chunks
It’s so tempting to want to tackle the whole house at once when that organizing bug bites you. But when organizing your home where to start is where you feel the most uncomfortable. Let’s face it, clutter and disorganization can take a toll on your mental health and if there’s a room in your home that drives you especially crazy because of the disorganization, that’s where to begin.
Not only does separating the spaces make it easier to stay organized and focused, but it also gives you a quicker win. Once you have one room completed, you’ll find that you’re excited to tackle the next one. Organizing is catchy and you may find yourself doing more than you ever anticipated. The good news is that your home will then be organized and you will feel a whole lot better about it!
Group Your Items When Organizing Your Home
One of the most important and effective tactics of organizing your home is to group like items. For clothes, seasonal grouping is great. It allows you to put away clothes for winter in the summer and vice versa.
In the kitchen, the same rule of grouping similar items applies when organizing the pantry or the closet shelves and drawers. Snacks all go together. Baking supplies should be next to one another. And those coffee mugs should all be on the same shelf.
Group things that belong together and don’t let them stray to other piles.
If you’re organizing one room and find things that belong in another, put them in a tub to the side. When you’ve completed organizing the room you’re working on, take those items to the places where they belong. I suggest waiting until the room is completely done before taking the things to their respective spots in the house because I know how easy it is to get distracted once you leave the space you’re working in. Trust me, just wait.
Label All the Things
One of the keys to organizing is to label. Label the boxes and bins. Label the shelves. Label the spices. Label, label, label.
The more you label, the more likely you are to put things back where they belong and keep your home organized.
Remember, being disorganized and allowing clutter to pile up is a habit that you have to break. If you don’t give yourself the tools you need, like labeling, you may find that you have a harder time staying organized.
Expect Emotions and Let Them Go
I think one of the hardest parts of organizing your home is that there are so many emotions we place on items that we have accumulated.
That ticket stub from the basketball game we went to with our best friend? Gotta save that.
The giant, ugly plastic cup we got on the boardwalk that summer when we spent a week at the beach? Heaven knows that has to stay!
The truth is that even without those things, you will still have those memories.
If you’re really having a hard time letting go of things that you have no need for and, more importantly, no space for, take a picture of them and save them to an album on your phone called Memories. That way you can let the physical item go but still have a recording of it for when you want to stroll down memory lane.
Get Rid of the Trash and Donations Right Away
I saw a meme the other day that jokingly said: “I’m so glad I cleaned out my closet so that I could drive around with bags of clothes in my trunk for three months!” The truth is that that happens a lot!
The key to effectively organizing your home is to get rid of the things you’re not keeping immediately. Don’t just put those bags of donations in your trunk, take them to the donation center or bins the same day!
Put those bags and boxes of trash in the trashcan immediately. Don’t just keep them by the front door or on your closet floor for “when you go out next.” Go out now and take care of it.
When you get rid of things right away it clears the clutter – physically, visually, and emotionally. It opens up space and gives you room to breathe. It also guarantees that you won’t have second thoughts and start digging in the bag for that plastic cup you threw away!
Decide what needs to go and then get rid of it.
Make a Commitment to Yourself
Organizing your home is great, but if you’re not willing to make a commitment to yourself to keep it organized, why bother? You have to commit to improving your life and how you live. Clearing the clutter in your home will help you do that, but you have to keep it clean.
You really can do it.
Where to Start Organizing Your Home
Organizing your house can be an overwhelming venture, but it’s one that you should commit to doing. Not only will it make your living space look better – not to mention bigger!, but it will also help clear the clutter from your heart and mind.
Don’t be afraid to take the first step. Or, if you’re afraid, recognize the fear and then do it anyway. You’ll love the way it looks and feels to live in a clean, organized, clutter-free space!
