We are passionate about home organization! Also about creating life rhythms that serve our family! Our homes are meant to serve us, not the other way around, and organization helps that happen. You might be surprised to hear, then, that the task of “organizing” is not something that we do everyday, or even every week. Organizing our home is more of a seasonal rhythm, and tidying is more of a daily rhythm. Think of it as “set up” and “keep up!”
Home organization takes teamwork and family “buy in”
Establishing an effective organization system takes parenting teamwork in the setup and family “buy in” for it to last. Have you ever reorganized a space in your home, and not told anyone else in your family about the change? We have, and it always backfires! 🙃 For example, if you clear out the drawer that used to be “the junk drawer” and give it a new purpose, but don’t tell your family … guess what it will be by the end of the week? The junk drawer! 😜 To keep a home organization system functioning in a way that serves your family, everyone needs to know how it works, and everyone needs to be willing to use it. Managing a home is a team sport so it’s important to get united! In order to get united, it’s important to recognize we each have a unique organization starting point.
Our emotional response to “organization” is our starting point, not our finish line
We each have a different emotional response when we hear the topic of home organization come up. For some of us, it’s a topic that is exciting, inspiring, and motivating (yes, that’s us 🙋🏻♀️🙋🏻). For others, it stirs up feelings of frustration and annoyance, even resentment.
It’s important to recognize that everyone will experience both ends of this emotional spectrum at different points – It’s not always one or the other, though everyone will have their tendencies. It’s also important to acknowledge that wherever you land on this organization spectrum is simply your starting point, not your finish line. Everyone has something to gain from an organization system that is curated and designed to serve their family’s needs. Because that’s the whole point: organization helps serve our families’ needs!
Organization is the strategic “set up” of the home
Home organization is something we can “set up” and tackle as a one-time project. It is a process we go through to establish a system that is sustainable and maintainable. We can organize a space within an allotted, focused amount of time so that we do not need to do the same thing again later.
Home organization is the system we intentionally establish to manage the “stuff” of life – our things. If you strategically go through this process as a team, you won’t need to do it very often, and it will start to save you a lot of time in the day-to-day. Of course these systems will need to be revisited and adjusted over time as a family’s needs grow and change. But, when they are set up thoughtfully and strategically, they will not need to be regularly revised.
5 Principles for organizing your home
1. Set it up!
- Start with one space, like a single room, and give everything a specified place (a “home”).
- Do it as a team, or at least get “buy in” from your teammate and family right from the start. That’s the only way it will become sustainable. Make the process enjoyable by making a coffee and have at least a full hour of focus (one hour now could save you dozens later!) Who knows, you might even have fun! 🙂
- Decide on things now, so you don’t need to decide again later. This eliminates decisions and questions while tidying. You don’t have to think, the strategy has already been considered and implemented, all you need to do day-to-day is guide things back to where you’ve already determined they belong. The good news is that this gets WAY easier once it’s set up! For example:
- Have a specific drawer or space in your closet for each type of clothing item. When you’re doing laundry, you’ll know exactly where things go.
- Have one place where each child’s footwear lands when coming into the house.
- Have a single box where each toy-type goes (like lego, stuffies, train set, little critters, etc.)
2. Arrange items so you can SEE everything
- This helps avoid waste (forgetting about things at the back of fridge). It also helps reduce unused or unwanted storage – Sometimes we end up keeping things simply because we can’t see them and forget they are even there. It also makes things easier and quicker to access when you need them … less opening and closing cabinet doors and rummaging through drawers while on the search for what you need..
- E.g. In the kitchen, use containers or dividers in order to store things vertically when possible. We made this tweak to our drawer that holds our oven mitts, pot holders, and reusable bags and lids. Now can see and access everything much more easily.
3. Group items together that are used for a certain task or at a certain time of day
- This helps to streamline daily tasks. You can save time when you have everything you need for a certain task close at hand.
- E.g. Our kids’ bathroom is in the basement, quite a far way from our kitchen. Rather than shuffling all the kids downstairs (past the distraction of their toys) in order to brush teeth after breakfast, we now keep a second toothbrush for each of them in the kitchen. This way they can brush as soon as they are finished their breakfast, saving us a lot time and “travel.” 😆
4. Declutter with seasonal purges
- Having less really does help. This way you can spend less time managing your things and more time enjoying your people. At the beginning of each new season, we designate some time to go through closets (kids are always outgrowing their clothes so this happens pretty naturally as the weather begins to change). We also take a look through our storage bins and can often find things that we have not been using that we are ready to part with.
5. Designate and label storage bins (clear ones if you have the option)
- This helps you know exactly where things are and reduces the risk of random piles and storage accumulating. We appreciate that the bins in our storage are clear (clear zipper folders work similarly for our kids’ art, crafts, and creations). We still like to label our storage bins, but with the clear style, we can also see inside the bins and identify the contents that way.
Encouragement
A little thought up front saves a lot of time later! Which space do you want to start with and who do you need to get on board?
Much love from,
Brianna and Ben
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