Back to School Home Organization Tips

Think Outside the Classroom

Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rubbermaid/5093615082/

September is here, and the new school year is officially in full swing. Kids are getting used to new teachers and classrooms. Morning routines are in place. Bedtimes are set. Now, you have a little bit of time to think about something else to make your schedule run even more smoothly: organizing your home.

During this busy time of year, stuff has a way of getting piled up. It starts with a pair of soccer cleats thrown over here, then a backpack slung over there. Before you know it, everything you own is scattered throughout the house. Nothing has a place of its own.

It may not seem like a big deal at first. Over time, however, this can lead to ongoing stress. Our environments are frequently blended into the background of our lives without so much as a thought. What we don’t realize is that they are of infinite importance to our well-being.

It starts with the structure of the home. Floor plans, lighting and finishes all make an impact on us. It then goes to the furnishings chosen for the home. Sofas, table and their layouts make a difference in how we live. The final layer? Organization of items within the home—our focus today.

5 Essential Home Organization Tips:

Give Everything a Home

Containers and baskets and shelves, oh my! Group your stuff into categories first. Put all those scrunchies into a pile. Arrange those books into neat stacks. Gather up all those loose toys. Once they’re all grouped, you’ll be able to tell how many storage containers you need. Stock up and get those items stashed away. When everything has a place to belong, picking up is way simpler.

Photo: https://www.needpix.com/photo/591447/shelf-container-rack-food-shelves-store-people-market-industry

Break Cleaning into Small, Daily Tasks

Instead of letting chores build until it seems like an insurmountable task to get the house clean, break everything up into small, daily tasks. For example, you could make your task of the day be vacuuming. Tomorrow, it could be cleaning the bathroom mirrors. What was once an overwhelming undertaking now seems manageable. It’s also a great way to get kids involved, who can get in the habit of doing one small chore a day.

Make it a Game

Speaking of getting the kids involved, a great way to do this is to make it a game. Make it a race to see who can get their toys picked up the fastest. See how many days in a row they can go without forgetting to take out the trash. Another idea is to create a reward system.

Plan Ahead

Oftentimes, a little planning is the key to keeping your home organized. Schedule cleaning times. Get in the routine of cleaning every day at a certain time. Routines are especially helpful in the morning. Lay out outfits and pack lunches the night before. This prevents the closets and kitchens from turning into madhouses in the morning rush. In the mornings, there often isn’t time to put things back, so the mess builds. A little planning will take care of the problem.

Deep Clean Every Six Months

While small, daily tasks work for most chores, there are some things that don’t need to be done as often. You can save these things for a deep clean about twice a year. This is also a great time to get rid of any clutter that has built up in the past months. Sift through what you haven’t touched in the past six months, and donate it.

Photo: https://www.pexels.com/photo/flat-lay-photography-of-calendar-1020323/

These incredibly simple tips can get your home in tip-top shape. Mornings will be a breeze, and evenings will be more enjoyable. What are you waiting for? Get organizing. It’s not as hard as you think.

Michaela Satterfield

James Décor Writer

Getting Organized in the New Year

10 Tips to Declutter Your Home

Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rubbermaid/7203340384

Ah, 2019. A new year. A fresh start. We rang it in, and now it’s time to start thinking about those resolutions.

It’s up to you to make this year even better than the last.

Maybe you’re thinking about hitting the gym more, eating healthier or procrastinating less. These are all great ways to improve yourself, but what about improving your home? You would be surprised to find out how much the space you spend your time in affects you.

That’s why you should add one more resolution to your list: decluttering your home.

Out with the old and in with the new—it’s time to toss all the extra stuff that built up over the past year.

10 tips for decluttering your home:

1. While it may be tempting to run out and buy a bunch of new containers, baskets and shelves before you start organizing, consider organizing before you buy. Then, you’ll know exactly what you need to fit your stuff and space. This will save both time and money.

2. Take baby steps. Organizing the entire house in one day sounds nice, but it isn’t realistic. Setting unreachable goals can lead to burnout and giving up altogether. The solution? Take it one step at a time. An example of a small goal is organizing one room a week.

Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/striatic/729822

3. Another way to do this? Set a time limit. For example, you could make it your goal to declutter for just five minutes a day. That’s the amount of time it takes to make a cup of tea or a bag of popcorn. It’s a piece of cake, and the little things add up.

4. You could also simply get rid of one item a day. Donate it, give it to a friend or throw it away if it no longer has any value. It may not seem like much, but by the end of the year, you’ll have 365 less items taking up your space.

5. One space I find the most difficult to declutter is my closet. Are you in the same boat? Oprah Winfrey once gave this great tip: hang everything in your closet backwards. Then, when you wear something, flip it around the right way. Do this for about six months. When you’re done, it will be easy to see what you still use and what needs to go.

6. Get some perspective. Try viewing the spaces in your home from the perspectives of different people. For example, what would you want to keep and get rid of if you had your boss over? Your grandma? A toddler? This strategy helps you notice things that need to be organized that you might not have otherwise noticed.

7. Ask yourself unique questions about your stuff to gain a new perspective. For example, how much would you pay for an item if you were buying it today? Or, would you consider this item to be one of your favorite things? Questions like these help you to gauge the value of your clutter.

8. Don’t be afraid to keep a junk drawer. Even though it may be cluttered, it’s a lot easier to get rid of the clutter if it’s all in one spot. It’s worth it to sacrifice one drawer in order to declutter the rest of your house. Pile it up, but don’t forget to go through it every once in a while too.

9. Once you’re done decluttering, keep in mind that the job is never really done. Don’t be discouraged when the clutter starts to creep up again in another month or so. It means you’re human. The work wasn’t all in vain— now, you have an efficient system in place to organize everything in the future.

10. Going into the future, set some standards for what you allow into your home. Make sure that the things you buy are high quality and serve a purpose. If not, you’ll risk the things you buy turning into clutter in a matter of months.

Photo: https://pxhere.com/en/photo/926185

Benjamin Franklin wisely once said, “For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned.” What better way to make this year the best one yet than to give yourself more time to enjoy it? This new year, make a resolution to start decluttering your home.

Michaela Satterfield

James Décor Writer

Sources:

https://www.becomingminimalist.com/creative-ways-to-declutter/

https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/pro-organizer-tips-what-not-to-do-when-decluttering-your-home-168836

https://www.thespruce.com/ultimate-clutter-hacks-for-your-home-2647997