Having an organized home or office just means that you have a destination for everything. If you’ve already organized your home and have a place for everything, you can quickly do a cleanup instead of having a major “fire drill” before the doorbell rings. Want to avoid the “messy house” syndrome? Then let’s get organized with a few simple steps:
1. Pick a closet to start and evaluate everything in it, object by object. Do you need it anymore? Is it damaged or expired? If no longer needed, toss or donate it. Use your phone to make a list of items that need to be replaced because you may not remember afterwards. You can even use your phone to make a list of items that you DO have so that you don’t buy multiples. A good example of this is your spice cabinet. When you shop you’ll want to remember the spices that you DO have.
2. After you determine what remains in your space, then group items using the “like” with “like” method. Use the shelves in the middle of the cabinet or closet for heavily used items, and the other shelves for the less used items. Always store very heavy objects on the bottom shelf for safety. You can use empty containers or boxes you already have to contain small items and buy prettier containers later. Try to co-locate items in or near the area where they will be used the most.
3. Label your shelves or drawers as a reminder to yourself and others that your things have a permanent home. Try to put things in their “homes” after use, but if you get busy and things pile up, clean up should be a breeze because everything has a destination and all you have to do it get it to its home.
For a quick cleanup every night before bedtime, carry a relocation bag with you and go from room to room and walk everything to its proper destination. You can even do this while on the phone with a friend. If you get into the habit of doing this, you’ll never be caught with a messy house again. Stay tuned for more quick tips on how to organize your home.
