Organizing tips to give you more time for fun stuff
Who wants to spend their creative hours organizing and decluttering?
Doesn't it sound better to have more time for fun stuff?
The tips in this post will help get you there.
How to find odd socks
To match up odd socks you need to be able to see all of them at a glance.
This is why keeping odd socks in a bag or basket doesn’t help you match them.
Here’s a less than $10 solution for matching odd socks.
Hang odd socks on hangers with clothes pins.
Put the hangers in a place that's easy to get to when you put away laundry.
Up your shoe storage game
The shoe rack in the picture looks solid.
The reality is, real people's shoe racks don't look like this.
They're dusty.
They fall apart quickly.
There's limited space to put shoes, so shoes pile up rather than line up single file.
Here's what's needed to make shoe storage work.
1. Easy to clean. No fussy wood strips or metal bars that are a pain to clean.
2. Solid. Won't fall apart when you move it or put more than a few shoes on it.
3. Enough room to store your shoes in single file, so you can easily find the pair you're looking for.
Shoe rack alternatives
Shoe box
Shoe boxes work well for shoes that you don’t care about scuffing.
Shoe boxes help organize.
Everyone in your house can have their own shoe box.
It's not a great solution for better quality shoes, which we'll look at next.
Shelves
Shelves are sturdy and much easier to clean than shoe racks.
They're also a way to line your shoes up single file for easy access.
Here are a few possibilities.
1. Repurpose a shelf for shoes.
2. Use a closet shelf for shoes.
3. Get enough shelf space for all your shoes..
Daily quick cleaning
Leaving piles of stuff to take care of later creates clutter.
Instead of doing things "later", commit to daily quick cleaning.
Do laundry when the laundry bag is full
This is what can happen from an overflowing laundry bag.
First laundry overflows onto the floor.
Then the laundry pile grows.
Then, other things are thrown onto the laundry pile.
Now you have to declutter.
The fix for this: do your laundry regularly.
Remember: a machine does your laundry.
Don't create complicated laundry management systems.
Steer clear of fancy laundry bags.
Heavy duty garbage bags are perfect to keep laundry together.
Clean & put away dishes as you cook
This has been a game changer for me.
As I'm cooking, when I'm done with a pot or pan, I wash it & put it away.
Make your bed every day
Idea: the bed leads the room.
It's easier to have a tidy room if the bed is made.
Also true: an unmade bed makes it easier to have a messy room.
Clean the shower as you get out of it
This cuts down on bathroom cleaning like nobodies business.
Your shower area is always clean.
The chrome is always shiny!
The shower glass is always clear!
No more rushing around before guest come over.
Doesn't it feel good just thinking about it?
Declutter what's in front of you
This becomes the habit of putting things away as needed.
It's so much easier than leaving things to the point where you need a big declutter.
Keep bins tidy
1. Never stack overflowing open bins. While we're here: don't let bins overflow.
2. Close bins. You paid for the lids, right?
3. Each bin should have similar things. Xmas stuff in one bin. School stuff in another bin.
Decluttering ideas
One small thing makes a difference
A woman I worked with made a firm decision to keep her keys in the same place.
That snowballed into a clear foyer and then a clear main floor.
Another client had a room in the basement that you couldn't walk into.
After much discussion, she got rid of one cardboard box.
That was enough to allow decluttering to begin.
It doesn't take much to get started.
Choose achievable decluttering goals
Let's say you want to become a minimalist.
Depending on your clutter situation, that might be too much for one step.
To have this big of a change in your environment you probably have to change a few habits.
Break down the goal by doing several decluttering rounds.