Spring comes with the assurance of warmer weather, busier schedules, pretty flowers, and fun organizing projects! The season is the perfect time to refresh your home with new sunlight (and new organization systems too). That feeling of joy that washes over you as you can finally open the windows to let in the warm breeze, cannot be matched.
During this season of regeneration and refreshment, our thoughts often incline towards de-cluttering, liberating space, and getting our homes in tiptop shape for a radiant and airy year ahead.
Having an organized and neat household get your home feeling more secured, closer, and generally more inviting. Daily life becomes more leisurely and pleasant. When you are up and ready for spring cleaning, here are a few tips to help you get organized this year.
- Give Yourself Enough Time and Energy
Be very realistic with your expectations. Some of your rooms and corners may take hours or even days longer to organize than others. So that you do not get easily overwhelmed, stay patient and take breaks as needed to stay energized and upbeat while organizing.
- Map Out Your Day the Night Before
Take time out in the evening to plan the next day. By mapping out your day on the prior night, you are getting a head start for the next day. You can put your thoughts down as a To-do list for the next day, and keep outlining what you believe needs to be checked out.
Preparing ahead for the next day can aid you in being more organized for that day. Besides saving a lot of time, tasks will become promptly attended to.
- Initiate the Purge!
The first step in getting your home organized is to purge old belongings. Go through the area you are working on and decide on what is relevant and what is simply consuming valuable space. There should be thoughts on which items you want to keep, donate or give away, and which items you want to throw out.
If there are items you wish to hold on to, set limits on what to keep. An item that has not been engaged within 10 – 12 months has witnessed all four seasons. The discussion should be to toss it or donate it.
Once your space is clear of excess clutter it will be easier to organize. After which you evaluate what storage you have and what new storage you might need for each space, both long-term and short.
- When in Doubt, Throw it Out
If there are items you are not sure whether to keep or throw out, chances are you wouldn’t miss them if they were gone. If you have any doubts about keeping certain items then you shouldn’t keep them. It will be tough to make the final decision to get rid of stuff, but you have to trust that there are many advantages to removing clutter.
- Put Items Away Now, Not Later
Steer clear of the temptation to leave something out rather than putting it away while organizing. There are way too many distractions that will keep us from remembering to put items away promptly. Challenge yourself to get the item to its assigned space once you are finished with it.
- Focus on One Room/Area/Space at a Time
Don’t get tricked by your mind into thinking sorting out your entire home is an impossible feat because you’re having to think about all of the organizing that needs to get done. Wherever you choose to start from, stay dedicated to it until you’re finished with it, no spot-hopping allowed.
The trick to a 100% completion rate is to focus on one specific space, and not to stop until that area is finished. You are likely to find several items that do not belong in that space. To avoid getting side-tracked, simply isolate and put those items in a box, bin, bag, or laundry basket and deal with that pile of load in a future time.
If you leave the space to put those items away, there’s a great likelihood you’ll get distracted, which will lead to unfinished projects all over the house!
- Make the Most of The Available Space
Finding a place for everything can be a tough one, but regardless of the size of your space, especially if it is a small space, there is almost always a creative storage solution to help keep things organized and tidy. One of the quickest, simple ways to get extra storage space is by incorporating built-ins into the space inside walls, under stairs, and those awkwardly shaped corners.
Many people tend to neglect this often, but by adding this organization system, you can easily bring a new level of organization to your study, pantry, closet, or bedroom.
Within the kitchen, products such as lazy-susan style cabinets, pantry drawers, and pull-out spice racks can provide organization and easy access. Fusing in a built-in appliance garage can give unused counter space purpose, while cookware and trash can drawers can keep everything orderly and out-of-site.
Modular shelves are great for adding a customized storage solution to your space, all based on your individual needs and preferences. These shelving systems can also be easily rearranged to adapt to your lifestyle as it changes.
One thing that is key to note is, if you are working on organizing a large space, it’s important to remember to take things one step at a time.
- Find A System That Works for You
There is more than one right way. Unfortunately, no one can tell you exactly what system will work for you, but staying organized will be so much easier when you find the right system for you and your family. You can sort by colors, categories, item shapes, etc.
For example, for sorting by colors, not only will it make organizing colorful, but it will also give you an aesthetically pleasing space to enjoy. You can organize clothes by color in your closet and dresser; you can also sort projects and paperwork by color using a color-coded filing system.
Some preferences may be by commodities – trainers footwear in a section, followed by leather shoes, and so on.
- If Possible, Select Functional Décor (For Small Spaces)
By choosing décor that doubles as storage or an organizational solution, not only will you be able to decorate your space, but you will also add another level of organization to your home. For example, an item can add a bright pop of color to a space, and can also be functional. That is when the item can be used as a chair, and beneath its colorful lid is a high capacity of storage space.
- Tackle Your Junk Drawer
Pick one drawer a day to purge through and organize. Just by spending a little time each day going through the hidden clutter, you will be surprised by how much more organized you become by the end of the month.
In the kitchen, select the utility drawer of choice and purge unwanted, chipped, or stained spoons and spatulas. In the laundry room, pick a junk drawer or battery drawer. In the master bathroom, choose the cosmetic drawer and purge unwanted foundation, old mascara, and eye shadow colors you no longer use.
- Digital Declutter
Block out a half-day to spend going through all of your digital photos or apps. Organize them by kids with their age, vacations with their date, holidays by year, etc. Delete any pictures you do not want to keep or any app that had not been used for some time. Again, set limits on what to keep. An app not used for the past 6 months has gone through half of four seasons.
Once you have completed this task, be sure to back up your pictures to a disk and keep them in a secure place. Finding pictures to send to family and friends will now be a much easier task in the future
- Clean Out Your Wallet and Purse
It’s so nice to be able to find everything you need without digging and searching for several minutes. Your purse can be the perfect catch-all location for items. Take some time to declutter and organize your purse or wallet. Removing items that are not needed can release more space and make your purse even lighter to move about with.
- Use Organizing Containers You Already Have
You don’t have to incur expenses to successfully organize your home. You can become creative and think outside the box. There are usually a couple of unused organizing tools lying around your house that could be repurposed into organizing materials.
- Don’t Let Junk Mail Come into Your Home
Don’t keep junk mail sitting around. Throw it out. Junk mail is nothing more than clutter. Take the step to make your home clutter-free and get rid of any unnecessary mail
- Get Your Family Involved
Ask family members for help organizing your home. More hands involved can speed up the organization process and save time.
