9 Strategies for Organizing
Your Home
By Karen Fritscher-Porter
Home organization means being able to find
your stuff when you need it, not after an hour
or more of searching. But home organization
doesn't necessarily mean you're neat or clean.
It doesn't even mean you are not a pack rat.
Home organization just means everything has
a place and you know where that place is in
your home.
An organized home helps foster peace of mind.
For example, when you have a closet packed full
of miscellaneous items, don't you sometimes
think "I've got to put that on my to-do
housekeeping list"? Or you think "I've
got to go through that closet to find those
missing papers, shoes, whatever." And then
when you don't do it, you get a nasty reminder
every time you open that closet door. Now multiply
that scenario and thought pattern by the number
of other areas in your home that give you that
same feeling. When it's visible, clutter weighs
on your mind because you can't forget about
it. It's there every time you open the closet
door! So getting organized once and for all
could decrease your stress levels by putting
your mind more at ease.
Following are 9 simple, practical strategies
for home organization.
1) Cluster like items
When you organize an office storage closet
at home or work, place the different types of
paper beside each other on a shelf. And what
goes with paper? Envelopes. Put the different
types of envelopes adjacent to the paper. Adjacent
to that you might put writing instruments used
on paper like pencils and pens. And so forth.
Organizing holiday ornaments? Keep bins of
Christmas supplies together. Keep bins of Easter
decorations together. Then put all of these
holiday storage bins in one clustered area in
your garage or attic. You can also use the cluster
mindset for toys and sports equipment.
2) Make things convenient
This simply means placing most frequently used
items toward the front of shelves or on shelves
within arms reach or at eye level of the user
(whether that's you, your spouse or your children).
Place infrequently used items in those hard
to reach cabinets in corners, cabinets above
your refrigerator, in the attic, etc.
Arrange shelving or other organizers in convenient
places. For example, place shoe racks, umbrella
stands and hanging baskets for gloves in a closet
near the entryway you use most often.
3) Label it
Invest in an inexpensive label maker. You'll
have fun labeling items (e.g., home recorded
DVD's) or labeling places where items should
go so they always get returned to the same spot.
For example, label specific garage shelf spaces
for hand tools or power tools. That way nobody
in your family will ever forget where they got
an item they're using and they'll know where
its exact "home" is.
4) Don't keep an item if you can find it
elsewhere
So much research, forms and other paperwork
is easily accessed these days through the Internet.
Just keep a simple list of Websites and useful
phone numbers and then you'll always know where
to return to or who to call in order to access
that information again.
5) Handle it once and handle it NOW
That's how the organizing professionals suggest
you handle paperwork, whether it's incoming
mail or something on your home office or work
desk. If you can't handle it now, then put it
in a tickler file labeled with a specific intention
(e.g. holiday cards to mail by month, bills
to mail by week).
6) Make it your system
I once knew a woman who placed labels inside
her kitchen food cabinets. So cans of green
beans and peas always went on their designated
label or row and a can of tuna went on its labeled
space. When you could see the label, it meant
that it was time to buy more tuna or green beans.
Was this a bit over the top with detail? Not
for her. The system suited her personality.
It worked for her.
Lesson learned: Own your home organizing system.
You can use other people's home organizing tips
but only if they suit you, they suit your thought
process and they mesh with your daily routine.
You're the ultimate user of the home organization
system.
7) Be flexible
If your entire home organizing system, or just
part of it, is not working, change it. Try a
different method. Put something in a different
spot. Observe other peoples' homes and work
spaces for ideas. Look at photos in home decorating
magazines for ideas. Don't be afraid to admit
temporary home organization failure and start
again as often as needed. It's okay!
8) Be patient with others
You know the cliché...you can't change
other people. Unfortunately, that cliché
is usually true though so many of us choose
to learn it the hard way. Don't expect everyone
in your family to start immediately singing
your home organization tune. They may never
do so. But you work towards compromise and understanding.
And you can make subtle polite requests like,
"Honey, will you put your shoes in the
closet for me so I can vacuum that area?"
or, "Will you put the car keys here when
you get home so I can find them in the morning
without waking you."
9) Get help when needed
Not everyone is good at clearing clutter, especially
quickly; nor is everyone good at thinking in
an organized, analytical way. And that's okay.
But if you're having a problem clearing the
clutter, consider calling in a paid professional
home organizer (search online or in the phone
book). Even if you just hire an organizer for
a few hours or a day, he or she will at least
be able to help you brainstorm about organizing
your home in a manner that suits you. Then you
can take that next step toward home organization
on your own. And keep working at it until you
achieve a system that works for you.
Karen Fritscher-Porter writes
about home organization at EasyHomeOrganizing.com.
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