Organizing shared spaces can be difficult. For one, you have to accommodate stuff that other people have and not just your own things. Two, different people have different ways of organizing. A system that works for you might be difficult for others to use. And three, the more people using a space, the more chances a space has to get messy or cluttered.
A few weeks ago I released a Byzantine Life Home Organization Tour. In this tour I mentioned that we are currently living in a shared family living space. So this week I thought I would go through some tips for dealing with shared spaces. (And, basically, these tips are useful for anyone who isn’t a single person living alone).
Organizing Popular Spaces
When I think of a space that everybody in the home uses, my first thought is the kitchen. This is a space used every day, multiple times a day. And every member of the family uses it, even if it is just to get a cup of water. Other spaces many family members use could include the living room, bathrooms, or even a home office. If only you use a particular space (whether it is entire room or just a spice cabinet) then you can organize that space in a way that works best for you. But when many people use an area, it is important to use an organizing system that is going to be effective for everyone.
Be Visual
If a space is used by more than two people, you definitely want to use macro organizing systems that are visual.
And this is true especially if you have children. Clear bins, trays, and vertical hanging racks are some examples of visual organizing systems. You’ll notice in my home tour video that we have a lot of those! In the pantry we use many trays to contain the food. These trays keep the food visual and easy to grab, but also help corral items and prevent chaos. Kid’s toys are also in trays. Clear bins are used in the fridge, and magazine holders keep items like paper upright and visual.
Add labels to these bins and trays wherever possible. Labels provide another visual reminder of where an item gets put away. In fact, there have been studies that show just adding a label makes it much more likely for someone to put a thing away properly.
In shared spaces, you might not be able to label things like fridge compartments, but you can still definitely label trays in a pantry. Especially if you use a clip rather than an adhesive label.
Be Macro
Macro organizing systems use broad categories. This means all medicine gets thrown together in one bin, rather than separating out pain, cold and flu, and allergy medications into separate compartments. Although you may like the detailed organization that separate compartments may allow for, this makes the system more difficult for other family members to maintain. Kids especially are more likely to put building blocks back in a bin labeled blocks, then they are to put the blocks away correctly with bins labeled “blue blocks” “red blocks” and “green blocks.”
Odds are someone in your family is a big picture thinker. It isn’t that he is lazy or unintelligent. It is just that he needs macro organizing systems if he has to help keep it up on a long term basis.
The thought of opening a closet, grabbing a hanger, and hanging up his coat just isn’t on his mind. Instead, the coat goes wherever it can be simply set down and his mind is on the next big thing. I have this problem. My jackets would be set down over stairwells, chairs, or on a table until we found out about macro organizing systems. Now we use hooks. 3m hooks work really well if you are renting. Our girls use an over the door hook system that hangs off a drawer, so even at two Little Badger can put her own sweater away.
When You Can’t Declutter
One of the problems that comes up in a shared space is sometimes you have to work with what is there. When other family members (or even your husband) is involved, you can’t just get rid of their things. Even if they aren’t used and don’t fit in the space.
So what are some ways to help other people get on board with getting a clean and organized space?
Start With Your Own Spaces
It is always helpful to lead by example. When you start by decluttering your own spaces, others can see the difference it makes! Often when I had a bin or two worth of donate items, it inspired others in the house to add to it so it could be taken it all at once.
Also, making a space more functional for everyone in the family creates a positive correlation with letting things go.
Do A Deep Clean
This one is a little bit of a cunning trick.
Tell everyone you want to do a deep clean of whichever area of the house you wish you could declutter. It doesn’t hurt that you actually will deep clean the area, but decluttering is the motivation! Explain that you will pack up all the items in the area so they are safe and out of the way for this clean. Then after the deep clean is done, don’t put everything back. Make some wise decisions based on observing what people actually use on a daily/weekly/monthly basis, and leave the items you would recommend be de-cluttered “packed.” You do not need to tell anyone you think these items should be decluttered.
Tell everyone that when you were putting things back you thought it would be nice if everyone could enjoy a clear space for a while since it is so clean. And that we still have all the items from before. And we can unpack them as the need arises and as we find the space.
One more tip with this pack up method. Try and leave some empty space for where the things that people can’t let go can still go.
The Byzantine Life
Working on organizing your home? Read my article: the Organization Crash Course. Or check out my article on Organizing For Your Personality. I also did an article recently on free organizing soultions, so read my article on Organizing on a Budget!
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