How To Stop Being Messy And Get Organized

A little while back, I was hanging out with a few friends. One of them just casually mentioned how she could never go to sleep if there were dishes in the sink. As she was talking I remember thinking “I so wish I was like that”.  It also had me asking “how does one just stop being messy and get organized?”

The truth be told, it doesn’t bother me in the least to go to bed with a few dishes in the sink.

At the same time, I think I was wishing I was more like my friend because I find it nearly impossible to fully relax in a messy house. You see when I was working full time and my kids were little the house was generally a mess except for the one Saturday I spent each week when I spent hours cleaning.

Because my house was generally a mess, I felt like I was a mess. And in the spirit of full disclosure, during this time my daily routine was on the chaotic side. So what changed?

Changes I made to stop being messy 

Honestly, it started with a mindset shift, I knew I was tired of spending every Saturday cleaning the house for hours on end. I wanted my Saturdays back and this meant I needed to stop being messy and get organized.

So I went straight to work on getting rid of the clutter. You see my friend who cannot sleep with dirty dishes in the sink also has a good handle on her clutter. 

The bottom line is there is no way you will keep your home neat and tidy if it is filled with clutter. I can give you all the tips in the world on how to stop being messy, but they will not help until you start clearing some of your clutter. 

In addition to decluttering, I also set up some realistic routines and established some workable systems to keep things organized.

I discovered that after decluttering, routines are vital to keeping the messes away.

The thing about routines is they allow you to work on auto piolet. They become a natural part of your day and you don’t have to think about them. You don’t have to remind yourself to do the dishes each night because they are part of your routine.

Once you have your systems in place it really doesn’t take much to maintain.

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10 Ways to Stop Being Messy and Get Organized

So if you’re ready to stop being messy and get organized here are my top 10 tips that helped change my home. As you work through these steps it’s important to know you don’t have to do them all at once. Little by little make them part of your regular routine. 

1. Make Decluttering a Priority

Alright, I really did hesitate to start this list with decluttering. I know decluttering is often a lot of work. But…. there’s no way I can help you if I’m not honest with you and well, the simple truth is you cannot organize clutter!

No matter how many mind-shifts you make, how many systems and routines you put into place if your house is full of clutter there is no way you will ever stop being messy! 

Decluttering your home is the number one thing you can do right now to curtail the mess. 

It’s important to realize that not only does clutter keep your home a hot mess, but it robs you of motivation to actually start organizing your home. Clutter leads to an increase in depression and an increase in stress and feelings of dissatisfaction.

I know decluttering is hard work. But if you really want to stop being messy and get organized, it’s totally worth it. Plus, the work you put in now to declutter your home will pay off big time.

No longer will you move things around from one place to another in a useless effort to keep the mess at bay. You’ll save a good amount of money since you won’t have to purchase organizing containers to store stuff you don’t need or want. And possibly the best part is, your home will be a breeze to clean, it will literally take you a fraction of the time.

If you need some help getting started I have several posts that will give you everything you need to declutter your home and maintain a clutter-free home.  

2. Limit Incoming Paper

Even to this day, Paper is the number one struggle I have with clutter and staying organized.  There was a point in time when I had a HUGE influx of paper coming into my home. Between all the kids’ school papers and the normal household mail, it was never-ending.

Despite feeling like I was making progress in other areas, the paper was continuing to pile up. I knew it was time to get ruthless!

If you want to stop being messy it’s vital to deal with paper instantly!

To begin, stop as much of the incoming paper as you can. Sign up for electronic billing, online banking, and unsubscribe from any print magazines or catalogs.

As to the paper that does come in, have a handy bin for recycling everything that you don’t need.  For any papers, you do need to hold onto, use a scanner (there are many scanning apps that have free downloads to your phone or use your printer), and make use of the cloud to store the documents.

As soon as you’ve reviewed a printed document, either file it away, toss it, or take action on it. By dealing with your incoming paper immediately you put a stop to those giant paper piles.

If time is really short I place things I’m going to shred on top of the shredder. I also keep a small basket for recyclables until there’s time to take them to our larger recycle bin. Things that will go on the calendar, I place on my desk until I have more time to write them down.

It’s not perfect but it does put an end to the mess. 

3. Take Care of Small Tasks Immediately

Another thing that keeps our homes a disorganized mess is procrastination. If a task only takes a few minutes to complete do it right away.

In fact, I have a list of super simple tasks that I try to do first thing in the morning as they only take two to three minutes tops. Each of these tasks is easily done before the coffee finishes brewing.

Think of things like washing a few dishes or unloading the dishwasher. You can quickly throw in a load of laundry or water your plants. Doing simple quick tasks, first thing in the morning has them done and out of the way.

Also, make it a habit to put things away right when you come home.  It honestly takes less than 60 seconds to hang up your coat when you walk in the door.

When you avoid procrastinating on the little things in no time you stop being messy and get organized.

4. Shift Your Mindset – Focus on The Value of a Neat and Organized Home

Any effort you make to stop being messy and get organized is going to be highly impacted by your mindset.

It’s so easy to see decluttering, cleaning, and organizing as drudgery.  How often do you say “I love doing housework”? I don’t imagine very often.

But do you enjoy caring for your home, making it a place of comfort and peace? Do you want to nurture strong relationships with the people you love?  Well, my guess is your answer was a resounding yes!

The only difference between the first and second questions was a mindset shift.

Most of us, when faced with a kitchen sink piled high with dirty dishes or a countertop overflowing with stuff have an immediate negative reaction.  We either turn away and decide to just watch TV instead of clean. If we do the work, it’s usually begrudgingly and only the bare minimum.

However, seeing the value of a clean and organized home removes any negative reaction. You know this is the way to have a home you love and strong family relationships.

When you decide to stop being messy and get organized you give yourself the gift of time. This is because the time you spend cleaning or even looking for things will be so much less.  You also decrease your stress levels and increase your finances.  Are you seeing how valuable cleaning and organizing your home is?

Another big mindset shift that has really helped me is changing my thoughts from “I have to” to “I get to”.  It might sound simple, but it’s extremely powerful!

Instead of I have to wash all of these dishes, it’s “I have a home with a refrigerator and cupboards filled with food”. Think about how blessed you are that you have so many clothes that even after giving half of them away, you still have an abundance? You get to declutter and give them away!

A simple change in mindset will have your home clean and organized in no time! It will make a world of a difference.

5. Focus on Cleaning and Organizing One Area at a Time

Most of the time we feel overwhelm with cleaning and organizing our homes because we look at it as one big project. But the truth is that cleaning and organizing are a series of small tasks.

Thinking that we have to have our entire house clean and organized is what trips us up. To make progress it’s important to understand you can’t do it all, no one can.

I don’t care how many Instagram posts you see, no one has a perfectly clean house all the time. In fact, if someone is making you feel like you’re house must always be clean, you should stop following them.

Of course, this doesn’t mean it’s okay to just stay messy. What it does mean is that instead of focusing on the entire house pick just one spot.  This should be the spot or area of your home that causes you the most stress. Think about which area of your home is your biggest struggle to gain control of and start there.

Now focus most of your energy on this one area.  Plan ahead, make a list of the tasks you’ll do to make this area your dream spot. This way when you have a few extra minutes you won’t be thinking “what should I do next?” Rather, you know exactly what you need to do. And when you have a few extra minutes it’ll be easy to work on a quick task.

As you keep this up, in no time, that biggest problem area will be nice and organized! The best part is that once you conquer your most challenging task, your motivation is so high it’s easy to take on the rest.

6. Simplify Your Wardrobe

If you have a tendency to be messy, clothing is usually a special challenge. There’s a tendency we all have to toss our clothing in a pile on the chair or in other spots.  Before long we have nice little piles of clothing strewn about.

Simplifying your wardrobe is the perfect solution when you want to stop being messy and get organized!

Start by going through your closet and taking everything out. Keep only what you truly love. Toss anything that doesn’t fit, is ripped, or stained. You want to feel wonderful and confident in everything you wear.

It’s best to stick to pieces that mix and match and are quality items. You can find more help on how to build a wardrobe you love here.

Also, know that there are additional benefits of a simplified closet. No more sorting through clothes that don’t fit, go with anything or make you feel less than fabulous. When you simplify your closet, everything fits and looks good.

7. Schedule 15 Minute Tidy Up’s Each Day

Aside from decluttering your house, I’m going to say this is the number one thing you can do to stop the messes! 15 Minutes is not a lot of time from your day. By devoting just 15 minutes at the end of each day tidying up, you will keep a handle on the messes! 

All it takes is setting a timer for 15 minutes and going through the house, or a particular room, and returning items to their rightful spot. Do a quick clean-up of any messes and that’s it!

Getting in the habit of spending just 15 minutes each evening will stop the overwhelming messes and leave you feeling on top of things.

And just think, you won’t be dealing with last night’s clutter every morning. Instead, you’ll start the day fresh and focused on what matters most!

8. Set Simple Routines for Your Home

The power of routines is that they allow you to put things on autopilot. This is huge when it comes to maintaining a clean home. Rather than worrying about all the cleaning you need to do, routines do it for you.

A good routine will also help you keep track of important things you need to do each day.

Start by designating a spot for those things you use every single day. These are things like keys, jackets, backpacks, and your purse. There should be a specific spot that these items go to each day when you arrive home and grab when you leave the house.

This routine prevents clutter from forming by having misplaced items all around the house. In addition, as you leave the house each morning, instead of walking around looking for everything you need in ten different places, it’s all in one spot.

Also, put together a cleaning routine. As part of your routine, designate specific days and/or times for each of your chores.  You can see my exact cleaning routine here or all newsletter subscribers receive a free printable copy of my cleaning schedule. Click below to sign up.

The point is that if you want to stop being messy and get organized, you want to set up some basic routines.

9. Find Organizing Systems You Love!

You can 100% implement every tip and strategy above but, if you have organizing systems in place that don’t work or you hate, it’s won’t do you any good. After all, it’s not really about getting organized as much as it is about staying organized.

To do so look for organizing systems you’re eager to use. Personally, I love organizing with pretty folders and baskets, it makes me want to use them. I keep a decluttering basket like this one in my living room so it matches my decor. I have pretty trays for keeping my papers organized. These storage jars are my favorite for keeping the pantry organized.

While a cardboard box works just fine, I do find there is something about pretty storage containers that makes me want to maintain my organizing systems.

Having systems and storage solutions that I enjoyed was a big part of learning to stop being messy and get organized! You don’t have to spend a fortune to do this. Target has so many cute office organizing supplies.  Honestly, my favorite place for organizing supplies has been Amazon or Ikea

10. Give Yourself Grace

Our homes didn’t become messy overnight and they’re not going to magically transform overnight either. It takes time to adjust to new systems. So show yourself grace as you work on these areas.

I don’t beat myself up if I miss a few days of my routines. That’s the thing about routines, I can just pick up where I left off. Give yourself time and know that as long as you’re moving forward you’re doing great!

How will you stop being messy?

Now that you know the tops tips to keep the messes away, where will you start?

Once again I recommend you start at the top with decluttering. After that work on each of these tips one step at a time. It won’t happen overnight, but if you keep at it, you will notice changes happening. 

Soon you will love your neat and clutter-free home!