One of the most popular new year’s resolutions people make each year, is to get organized. If this is you, let’s set you up for success with these tips to help with organizing your entire home for the new year and keep it organized!
Tips For Organizing Your Entire Home and Keeping it That Way
Tips For Organizing Your Entire Home and Keeping it That Way1. Start by Decluttering
“You can’t reach for anything new if your hands are still full of yesterdays junk” ~ Louise Smith
I love that quote because there is so much truth to it. Holding on to clutter weighs you down and prevents you from moving forward.
If you are serious about organizing your home, the number one thing that must be done is to declutter the excess!
First and foremost, it is an absolute waste of time to organize things you no longer use, need or love.
If you need some help with the actual decluttering process I have a lot of articles on the how-to’s of clearing your clutter, make sure to check them out.
For now, there are some basic principles to apply when clearing clutter:
- If you don’t use it, need it, or love it, let it go
- Declutter any duplicates, you only need one
- Do you have room to store it? If not, declutter it!
The bottom line is that if you want to know how to organize your entire home, the first and most important step is decluttering. It’s simply a matter of deciding which items you need to keep and which items you no longer need and can get rid of.
Simply put, the less you have, the more successful you will be at organizing your entire home and keeping it that way all year long.
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2. Have a Dedicated Donation Basket
2. Have a Dedicated Donation BasketWhile eliminating the clutter in your home is the first step to organizing your home, your home will only stay organized if you keep the clutter out.
As time goes on, new things enter your home and you’ll find you’re no longer using other things. To stay on top of the clutter have a designated basket, box, or bin to place items in that need to be donated.
I like to use a nice decorative basket, but honestly, a simple box stored in a closet will do just as well.
As you come across items in your home that need to be decluttered, place them in your donation basket or box. When it’s full take all the contents to your favorite donation center.
If you establish the habit of purging items you don’t need or use right away you’ll stay on top of the clutter and keep your home organized!
3. Have A Place for Every Thing
A key principle to organizing your home is that EVERYTHING in your home needs to have a place to live.
As the saying goes, a place for everything and everything in its place. Living by this mantra will ensure your home stays organized throughout the year.
This is because when you have items in your home that do not have a specific place of their own, they stay out in the open and never get put away. Before you know it these items will attract more items and soon your counters and tabletops will be a cluttered mess once again.
One huge benefit of having a specific home for all your stuff to live is that things are much easier for the whole family to pick up and put away. Everyone knows exactly where things go. Plus, everyone will be able to find the things they need!
4. Keep Flat Surfaces Clear
4. Keep Flat Surfaces ClearNothing makes a house look and feel disorganized quicker than clutter. This is why home organizing experts all swear by the flat surface rule.
If you’ve never heard of the flat surface rule, it basically calls for keeping your home’s flat surfaces as clear as possible. The flat surface rule is based upon the principle that any flat surface within a home tends to accumulate clutter.
Whether it’s countertops, tabletops, dresser tops, or even the floor, these flat surfaces will naturally attract clutter. Not only do flat surfaces attract clutter, but when they do, it tends to eliminate the functionality of these surfaces. It also makes them harder to clean and harder to find the things you need.
The best way to stop the never-ending cycle of piling things up on your flat surfaces is to keep them as clear as possible.
When your flat surfaces are kept clear it is easy to spot something that is out of place and put the item away. On the other hand, when we have a lot of stuff on our flat surfaces miscellaneous items added to those surfaces just kind of blend in. Before you know it things are piled high and organizing these areas becomes an all-day project.
To keep your flat surfaces clear store kitchen appliances in cabinets instead of on the countertops. Limit decor items on these surfaces. Make a habit of putting things away, right away. If you’ve assigned a place for all your items to live, this should not be hard.
5. Use The Right Containers for Storage
One of the biggest mistakes people make when organizing is buying containers and organizing supplies before they even begin the organizing process. I see it over and over again.
To be honest, I do get it. I for one am always drawn to organizing containers, baskets, and gadgets at any store I go into. It’s so easy to want them all.
However, until you know the what, where and who, you very well may end up just creating more clutter. You’ll also end up wasting a whole lot of money.
Having the right containers is an important part of getting and staying organized. To do this you need to know what you need storage containers for, where you will be placing those containers, and who will be using the containers.
If you are going to store items in a closet or garage, clear containers that you can stack maybe your best option. If you have items to organize that will be kept out on a desk, dresser, or coffee table you may want something that will hide the contents but still look cute.
For toys or other items, your children will be using, you’ll want containers that are smaller and practical for your kids.
You want to measure your space and know what you will be organizing BEFORE shopping!
6. Sort Paper As Soon As It Comes In
6. Sort Paper As Soon As It Comes InTo this day paper clutter is something I ruthlessly keep a handle on. This is because if I don’t it quickly takes over.
A wrote about conquering your paper clutter a while back, and the number one thing that helps me stay organized is dealing with paper the minute it comes into my house.
Honestly, I go through and sort anything that comes in the mail before I ever put it down. I have designated spaces for all the various types of paper that come in. Those papers go directly to that spot as I’m sorting.
If you develop this habit for your home, I promise it will prevent the dreaded paper piles from taking over.
When paper enters your home deal with it immediately. Do not let it accumulate on surfaces, in backpacks, your purse, or any other place that is not designated for that specific type of paper. Immediately sort through your mail. As you do, put the things you need to keep in their assigned spot. For the rest, send it to the recycling bin.
7. Store Things Where You Use Them
Aside from the accumulation of clutter, one of the biggest obstacles to staying organized is failing to put things away when you are done using them. If your family is anything like mine, this may be a frequent occurrence.
However, by storing the items in your home in the room you use them, it becomes so much easier to put them away. Not only that, but it saves a ton of time.
For example, I keep all of our bathroom cleaning supplies in the bathroom. When the kids were younger and did homework in the dining room, we kept the homework caddy in that room. Baking items are all grouped together in the kitchen etc. I think you get the idea.
Keep things where you use them and you’ll find it’s easier for everyone to put them away. In turn, your entire home stays organized!
8. Set up Daily Rhythms and Routines
8. Set up Daily Rhythms and RoutinesRoutines and rhythms are essential to organizing your home and keeping it that way.
Start by setting up a simple cleaning routine. This will help you stay on top of household tasks and keep things organized. You can see my simple cleaning schedule here. Once you figure out a routine that works for you, make it a priority to stick to it!
I also believe that an evening routine goes a long way towards helping everything stay organized. Start your evening routine with a 15 minute tidy-up of the house. Have everyone pitch in and put things away where they belong. I have found that everyone is a lot more cooperative when they know they only have to work for 15 minutes.
Next, start preparing the things you will need for the next day. Set out clothing, pack lunches, and gather backpacks, keys, and other items so they are ready to go.
By doing these things as part of a regular evening routine you keep your home and yourself organized. You’ll no doubt be ready to take on your day!
A Final Word On Organizing Your Entire Home
Organizing your entire home for the new year is a wonderful goal. Just remember it takes some time to accomplish so go easy on yourself.
I want you to set yourself up for success by setting reasonable expectations. While these 8 tips are universal principles for organizing your home and keeping it that way, organizing your home still takes time.
Be patient, show yourself some grace and let me know how it’s going.
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