Simple Home Organization Crash Course
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I first published this article in 2019, to correspond with offering a new service… online organizing consultations. Aside from writing, organization is my favourite hobby. And, with my husband’s blessing, I even got a professional certification as an organizational specialist. But sometimes I run out of things to organize in my own home. So I love to help friends and family organize too. And also you!
So today we we are going to go through an updated organization crash course. If you haven’t already, I recommend reading my article on how to organize your home based on your personal organizing personality. You can find it here, but I’ll link to it near the bottom of this article as well. Knowing what organization solutions work for your personality is what makes the work done in this crash course stick! But it basically comes down to two factors. Do you like visual organization systems (where you can see you stuff), or hidden organization systems (behind closed cabinets). And do you like it to be fast and easy to put away (macro organization) or do you take the time to put things away in a detailed manor so you can find it quickly when you need it again (micro organization).
Home Organization Check Up
The first step to organizing your home is doing a home check up. Room by room, make a list of what is and isn’t working in your home. What spaces are staying organized and where are there perpetual messes? Then make a list of all the ways the room is used.
Example: Living room
What is and isn’t working:
– DVD storage is working well
– TV in a good spot
– bookshelves are over flowing
– coffee table looks like it’s in a used bookstore
– toys are everywhere!
– kids want to study here but they don’t clean up and they mix up their work
– knitting needles keep getting lost
Room Is Used For:
– TV and movie watching
– reading
– knitting
– toddler playroom
– studying
This list is going to help you make choices for the following steps. For example, if the room is used for knitting but the only home for yarn is in the office upstairs, you are going to want to add a home for yarn, or a project box, to the living room. Don’t feel like you have keep everything in the spot it was before sorting and decluttering your items! It is okay to use the bookshelf to hold hobby boxes and video games equipment, while books go in a basket beside the couch or in bins under the coffee table. Be creative with your stuff in order to find organizing solutions that work for your family!
After you’ve made a list it’s time to use the SPACE organization method. That is, Sort your stuff, Purge unnecessary items, Arrange a home for your things, Contain items in containers, and Examine how it is working.
Sorting and Purging
Start gathering your items together in large groups. The larger the category, the better. Otherwise you will be caught up making small piles. So instead of having separate piles for bills to be paid, receipts, children’s artwork, and business papers, make one large pile for papers. You can go through these piles in detail later! But you will only waste time by being detailed now.
In your kitchen you’ll want your mugs, cups, and glasses together in one group. Then decide how many drinking vessels you need. If you have 20 mugs but only ever have 4 people over drinking coffee, you can get rid of 10-14 mugs. Be brave!
If you are having a really hard time, sort your belongings into ONLY these 4 categories. Keep, Donate, Trash, and Move (to another room). Have boxes or bags for these piles, so it isn’t spread out over your floor or surfaces. Then you can remove the donate and trash categorized items from your home, take the “Move” pile to another room, or to where it belongs in the home, and you have already eliminated a large portion of stuff! After that, you can tackle the Keep pile again.
Decluttering is the single most important step in the organizing process. It is human nature to hang onto things we don’t need, don’t use, and perhaps don’t even like. We have all heard about the need for detachment in the spiritual life. So let’s consider how we can work on being detached in our physical spaces. (And see how good it feels to live a less cluttered and more organized life after letting things go)
Purging Problems: Organization Roadblocks
The purging process is often a difficult one when getting organized. Many people get tripped up on this one, so don’t feel bad if you are struggling. There are a couple major roadblocks to get over on your way to tidy home. Let’s get those out of the way now.
Purging Myth 1: I’m going to regret getting rid of this
If you haven’t used something in the last 6 months to a year, it is just taking up space in your life. Space that could be used for things that are more important to you or that you use most often. If you still think you’ll be using that bread maker one day, put it in a box and write an expiration date on it. (If not opened by Jan 2020, Donate). Then store this box in a storage room or the garage. You’ll know where it is if you actually decide to use it. And if *cough… when* you don’t, and you see the box next February you know you can take it straight to Value Village.
Purging Myth 2: It is too expensive to get rid of
The three hundred dollars you spent on that telescope you never use because it’s too frustrating is already gone. Now instead of having three hundred dollars in your house, you have something bulky and taking up space. If you can resell the telescope, treadmill, and exercise bike, you will be making money and freeing up space. Even if you get much less than what you originally paid, that money is already gone. By selling or even donating bulky “expensive” items, you are clearing the way for an organized home. A place you’ll be happy to be.
Keeping expensive stuff you never use is actually taking from you. It is taking away from your space – by taking up room that could go to the organization of something else. It is taking away from your time – you need to dust/clean/care for these things. And it is taking away from your energy – because when you see it you feel guilt for spending the money on it.
Get rid of these things now. Learn the lesson not to buy things like it again until you’re sure you will use it. And enjoy the freedom from having let it go!
Purging Myth 3: I’ll be dishonouring my grandmother by getting rid of this
While you may have been left with a collection of 150 porcelain cows, keeping them in a box in the basement isn’t honouring anyone. Maybe keep one favourite cow that you can display in your living room. Or, better yet, take a picture of all the cows and make a photo album/book to remember her by. Then donate the cows, where someone else who loves cows can love them just as your grandmother did.
Purging Myth 4: If I get rid of this I am getting rid of part of myself
Sometimes it feels like our stuff is a part of our identity. Before having kids I used to paint all the time. I need to keep all my paints and brushes because some day I will use it again. Maybe it is true, you’ll paint again. But if this isn’t the season of your life for painting, put some of your favourite paining tools in your memory box and donate the rest. The paints will be dry before they ever get used. Getting rid of paints doesn’t get rid of that time of your life. In fact, keeping it will only make you feel guilty for not painting right now!
Now I just used painting here as an example. But there are other hobbies and aspects of your life where you may be holding onto things because you feel it’s part of your identity. Fancy kitchen gadgets? (You can be an excellent chef and home cook without all the little things you never have time/energy to use). University textbooks? (You aren’t a student anymore, make room in your life for the present!).
Other books? This is hard for me, because I love books and reading. I’ve been given the advice “donate books so others can enjoy them – you probably won’t reread most of your books.” Here’s the thing. I do reread books! But recently I was able to declutter some books by considering “Do I want to read this again? Did I really love this book?” And if the answer was “meh” I let it go. As I get older and learn more things, some books become outdated for me. I have new and better information. So overtime I can let those go too. Books is an area where I am going to constantly have to work on decluttering.
Purging Myth 5: Purging is for Minimalists Only
Reality is, we all have too much stuff. We keep old clothes that are too small, broken toys, and gifts that we’ll never use. Purging isn’t about minimalism, but about making your life manageable. If you are bringing new things into your home, but not taking things out, you end up with clutter.
We buy groceries after using up the food in our fridge and pantry. But do we have the same standard for other kinds of shopping? If we buy a new shirt or dress every month or so, without removing an old one, our closet just gets more and more stuffed. Do we let go of some old kids toys after our child opens their birthday gifts? If not, toys start to overrun the home. (And, nothing gets really enjoyed or played with anymore). As long as we are bringing new items into the home, we need to be mindful of the need to remove things too!
Organization: Arranging Stuff Within Your Space so Everything Has a Place
After you’ve gathered all the items of a large group together, and decluttered, you can decide where those items should go. To that, you should ask yourself the following questions based on what each room is used for.
*Warning – you might end up having to declutter more*
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Are the things you need for each activity either in the room or stored nearby?
Think about the tasks and activities you do in this room. If you do your reading in the living room but store your books upstairs in the bedroom, it is probably too far away. You may need a basket, or a small bookshelf to keep the living room organized. This is a storage solution that works for items that need to travel to get put away. Another example is mail piled on the dining room table when it supposed to go in the office. Have a basket nearby for the mail to go in until you have the chance to take it upstairs.
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Does everything you want in the room have a home?
Does your kitchen have a place for oven mitts, or do they end up on the counter or table or wherever you last used them? Things that don’t have a home immediately become clutter in a room.
Just because something has a home now, doesn’t mean that is the best space for it. Look back at the list of purposes you wrote for the room your in. See if you can store things used for each activity in related spots. So in the above example, store books by the comfy reading chair, DVDs by the TV, toys by the largest clear floor space, and study materials by the small desk. Sectioning off areas of the room for particular activities can help make the organization system clear to others using the space. Labels also help (see my article on organizing styles).
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What is in the room that doesn’t fit with what the room is used for
Do you have a bunch of board games in your bedroom when you play them in the living room? Do you store batteries in the kitchen when you usually need them in the office? Work on one room at a time, and if you run into something that belongs in a different room, set it aside in a box or basket to deal with after you’ve finished the room you’re in.
Arrange Your Room, Arrange Your Stuff
After considering these questions, you are ready to decide where things go. Assign a home for each category of item. Start with the biggest items or biggest category, and work your way from there. Mugs can probably go above the coffee maker, and dishes near the dishwasher. I keep a pair of scissors in almost every room. So each room needs a space for scissors so it is easy to find them when needed and easy to put away.
If the space where you are trying to arrange your stuff isn’t big enough, you have two choices. One, only keep what fits comfortably in the space you are trying to arrange the items in. You can’t keep more items than fit in your space. And if things aren’t fitting nicely, it becomes too difficult to put things away. And if it is too difficult to put things away – well – things won’t be put away and your organization effort will be for naught. Option two, find a different space where things will fit.
Contain Your Stuff (Also Label)
Now that you have arranged your items with a proper home assigned to each thing, it is time to contain to the clutter. Putting things away loosely makes it easy to become a mess again. And it also doesn’t look very pretty. (Maybe pretty isn’t important to you, but if it is important, it is only during this step that you should consider it).
So this is why we get containers. I, personally, am a visual organizer. I like to see my stuff, and if I can’t see it, than when I need it, it doesn’t exist. (Out of sight = out of mind). So I use clear containers wherever possible, or wire bins and baskets. Another great containing tool is a tray. I keep projects I am working on in trays, the kids toys in trays, And I even pile towels on a tray in the bathroom! Other visual organizing systems include peg boards, magazine holders, and other vertical storage solutions. Take doors off closets and cabnets, and add 3m hooks to walls.
If you are more of a hidden organizer, you will want to get solid coloured bins and baskets. I recommend trying to get them in all one colour to maximize visual simplicity. Horizontal storage solutions and having cabinet doors provide hidden organizing solutions.
Our household has a fairly low income, so most of our organizing containers are from the dollar tree or are made from other household items. (Board game boxes make great trays – I keep the board games in semi-clear bags instead). Check out our article on free organizing ideas for some other low-no cost organizing tricks.
Other Considerations
The other thing to consider is whether you are a macro organizer, or if you prefer micro organization systems. If you prefer macro systems, don’t put lids on your containers. (Actually, some lids make good trays, in which case you have two organizing containers for the price of one). Read my article on how to Become Organized By Knowing Yourself Better. for a more detailed guide to assigning homes and getting containers that will work for you.
Make sure you label your new organized spaces. Labels increase the likelihood of the whole family being able to follow the organization system.
Examine the Organization
As you continue to bring new items into your home, and move into different stages of life, you will need to evaluate your organizing systems. Toddler clothes can be given away as big kids clothes fill children’s closets. After a shopping trip, consider purging some more items you don’t use anymore.
Although the last step was about containing, I don’t recommend buying anything new until this stage of the organization process. Maybe you thought you liked micro organization, but it turns out you only have the energy for macro systems right now. Examine the organization system as it survives family life. Tweak things that aren’t working. Once you have a system in place that is working well, you can buy new containers that are pretty and suit your organizing personality.
Online Organizing Consultations
Still not sure where to start? Or are you having difficulty with a certain room in your house? Then you can hire me for organizing services! Right now we have two packages available.
$50 – Basic Online Consultation
This package includes the following services:
- Preliminary testing of organizing style
- Viewing pictures of space to be organized
- 1 half hour Organization Consultation via Zoom
- *Recording of Zoom conversation through Zoom program
- Consultation discussion overview and homework sheet
$150 – Standard Organization Consultation
This package includes the following services:
- Preliminary testing of organizing style
- Viewing pictures of space to be organized
- 3 half hour Organization Consultations via Zoom
- *Recording of Zoom conversations through Zoom program
- Consultation discussion overviews, and homework sheets
- Help designing organization system after 1st homework completed
- Follow up after system implementation and tweaking help
- Bonus: free custom labels sent via email, and responses to questions emailed between the 1st and third sessions (homework help)
How it Works
During the first consultation we talk about what your biggest organizing challenges are with the space. Then I give some practical solutions, and provide some visuals/design inspiration for how you can make the space workable. I give you some homework, which may involve sorting, purging, or buying organizational tools/systems that will work for you.
If you get the standard package, we will follow up on the homework together. The homework will be divided into tasks you can do in 15 minutes at a time. If there are purchases to me made, a price compare chart will be provided, with Amazon options already provided for ease of use. The second session we will go over your design, and if you are struggling, I can help you make the design with what you’ve got/purchased. The homework for this week will be putting the designed organizing system in place. Our third consultation will be to check up on how this system is working, and to make tweaks as necessary.
The Byzantine Life
If you enjoyed this week’s article, you might also be interested in reading about How I Organize My Day with a Block Schedule or my other article on Home Organization.
I want you to, for a moment, consider purging myth 4. The feeling “if I get rid of this, I am getting rid of part of myself.” What objects in your home give you that feeling? As a bonus challenge, find a way to turn that negative thought “I am getting rid of part of myself” to a positive thought “I can really help someone out by donating this.” Donate dresses to a place that supplies prom dresses to those who can’t afford it. Check out if your local employment centre accepts suits to help people entering the work force. Animal shelters will often take blankets and towels, so their animals don’t have to sleep on the cold metal floor. (And shelters go through these quickly because of getting stains, etc).
If something is really hard to let go of, finding a way to make it a really positive experience can help you get through the block.
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