How I try to create a SEMI organized Life
We’ve all been there, we walk in the house after a long day at work and it looks like you’ve been robbed! Oh NO!!! But seconds later you realize “nope!, I wasn’t robbed, no one came in while I was away and threw all your shit all over the dining room table and floor.” The culprits? Your kids and/or you in the rush of the day. You look back as you close the door with plans to pick it up “later” but later never happens. Later and tomorrow mysteriously move like a sneaky little bandit on your life’s timeline. There aren’t enough hours in the day, and dammnit the last thing we want to do is clean. And my friends know I actually like to clean, (I’m the one that makes the bed at the hotel, because I hate an undone bed), But even I need help organizing my chaos! Yes, chaos! because when that stack of mail goes untouched for days and that kitchen counter fills up with cereal boxes, toys, and just randomness, that’s exactly what it looks like! Chaos!
If you’re living alone, you are the ONLY one to blame, but in most households, there’s a lot of people contributing to the mess.. husbands who leave clothes right outside the hamper. “Like right next to it! Really? You’re so disrespectful, lol” (me to my husband) or the kids that leave half empty juice boxes in the most random places or the teenager that leaves his socks between the couch cushions while watching tv! I feel like I’m always cleaning something, tidying up or organizing.. It’s never ending!!
How about the Tornado after a play date, or the weekend at home because you’re snowed in, and you start playing with toys and things that haven’t been touched in forever.. Legos, spin art, play doh everything and that’s all within an hour.. where are you warm weather so I can send the kiddies outside, please? 🙂
The journey to a more organized life.
As much as I enjoy organizing and making the bed, I definitely don’t have it all figured out. I have areas in my house I can’t even imagine touching. They scare me lol! I always make grand plans on doing it on the weekend or on a night when the boys go to bed early. Which Happens.. never! But I have read a lot of articles and have pinned many links on Pinterest. 362 to be exact. I have found a lot of the tips and suggestions super helpful, and I want to share them with you!
Declutter, declutter, declutter
You’ve heard this word. AKA purge, simply, it means to get rid of your extra shit! Lol yes, YOU have too much extra stuff. Stuff you DO NOT need, it adds no value to you your life, your home or your family.. pa fuera! Get rid of it.. I know it’s not easy, and it takes time and focus, but it will be the most liberating feeling once it’s done. I promise! To get started, begin one room at a time. Place all like items together. So if you start in the living room, put all your books together, remotes, and your Chachkies together (you know those things you get at baby showers and weddings that serve no purpose) lol. Then look at those items, take out whatever has no place in your heart/home anymore, is broken, or needs repair. If you already read it, donate it. If it’s one of those random wedding souvenirs that make no sense but you feel bad throwing it out.. throw it out! If you have 30 pens.. throw 25 out. If you feel it’s wasteful, give them away but they need to leave your home. You get the point. It’s about minimizing what you have in your home because it will be less overwhelming to organize later.
Now again, this will not be done in a day.. it will take many days or nights, but do one room a week or even half a room. The point is to start the process. Once you finish that area and really get rid of everything you DONT need, it will be like eating chips. Unstoppable. (Damn, I want chips now) ok moving on.
Everything has a “home”
Once you’ve identified the things you will keep ( should be much less than before) because you know you absolutely can’t live without it or seeing it gives you that amazing warm feeling.. find a place for it. It’s home. Everything in your home should have a place or home. The place where you will always find it, and the place where you’ll always take it back to at the end of its use. It sounds a little nutty, I know, but think of your things as having a life. Everyone has a home, a place they return to.. your things should have the same thing. I.e. Coats have a home in your coat closet, not the chair, not the sofa. Your towels have a home.. the linen closet or bathroom cabinet. Put it there. Once you have identified that items home, make sure it always ends up there. It’s not easy, I get it… I get tempted to always drape my coat on my dining room chair, but I force myself to walk to the closet and hang it. It takes practice, and dedication, but only at first, after a while it’s habit.
One Touch Rule
This has to be one of the most helpful tips I have ever learned. Sounds a little creepy when you say it but The concept is that you should want to touch your things just once or as close to once as possible.
Let’s use my jacket example: I take off my jacket and place it on the chair. That’s one touch. Then I remember to put it away, so I pick it up to hang it but then my son asks for peanut butter and crackers and I put it on the counter. Then after I give him his crackers I pick up the jacket again and leave it on the bench because the little one has to potty and I have to clean his butt.. then finally I hang it. That’s 4 touches. 3 touches too many. If I would have just hung it from the beginning I wouldn’t have had to touch it again. And since my jacket has a home, I should put her there as soon as I take it off.. make sense?
Get the Family involved (especially the kids)
It’s important to teach little ones to pick up after themselves. As parents, we get so used to picking up after them because it’s easier, quicker and we just like the way we do it better. But we’re doing them a disservice. They should learn the concept of organization for your sanity and for them. Like when they’re in school, they come back to a place that’s organized and start the day fresh, same should work for your home. My boys are 2 and 3. The cleanup song is huge in our house. You want to watch TV, all the toys go back in the toy box. I used to force them to do it within my timeline. Now I use my iPhone timer and give them a time limit. Sometimes it’s 10- 15 minutes other times it’s 5.. but they know that once the sound goes off, their toys have to be away. Lucas is actually terrified of it going off, so it lights a fire under him.. lol They are never two young. If they are old enough to pull the toy out, they are old enough to put it back.
Make it easy for them to identify where things go.
When we moved to our home a few months ago, I wanted to create a cool playroom. I believe we accomplished it, but with as much storage as we had I still felt their toys were all mixed together with no rhyme or reason. Their superhero figures were with their cars and balls. Just didn’t make sense. So I wanted to label things but I also wanted it to look nice at the same time. I kept searching for fun labels and found these on Pinterest. I printed and laminated them and then put them on the drawers and toys bins that matched the toys. Now it’s easy for them and easier for me! 😉
Here are my go-to tips for keeping a SEMI Organized Home for as they say in Latin homes (“ para lo que ve la suegra”) Translation: Clean enough so that the Mother- in-law won’t judge you 😉
1) Make your bed every morning. It’s the anchor of your room, a made bed always makes a room look more organized
2) Wipe down the bathroom sink.. hard toothpaste and sitting water on the counter isn’t cute (keep Clorox wipes nearby)
3) TRY not to go to bed with dirty dishes in the sink, or just put them in the dishwasher and turn it on at night
4) At the very least put your jackets and shoes away
5) Use modern chic closed storage units (they don’t have to be pink or blue for toys) in the living room, and in a crunch just throw it all in there.
6) Declutter at least one thing a day in your house ( ie: attack that pile of mail and magazines)
7) Throw the garbage out EVERYDAY
8) Try and go through the mail every other day and make a shred pile or toss every Friday
9) Try and do little things in little minutes.. if you’re walking to the bathroom and see something on the floor that’s home is on the way.. just pick it up and put it away.
10) If you can, hire a cleaning lady to come every few weeks for a deep clean.. I promise they’re worth every penny
Now again with all these tips, I still struggle with keeping certain spaces organized or finding systems for things like ( living in a 2 story home and things ending up at the bottom of the stairs that need to go up) and “people” literally walk right past them, rather than take them up! (sheesh).. Or my Makeup station. It’s a bit embarrassing, to be honest! but I’m working on it!
Overall keeping your home and things organized may seem unimportant to some, but I believe it resonates into our lives and having you home in order helps keep your life in order 🙂 Now let me get back to that makeup station!
Happy Organizing,
Lioness
Two Cubs and a Lioness 