Are you in the middle of trying to spring clean your home? Not sure what to do? Try some of these tips for staying organized at all times!
Everything has a home!
This is your number one goal! Everything MUST have a home! If you don’t have a specific place for things, make one. This will be a life saver when it comes to finding things again and not having to frantically rush around.
For homework
Using an organizer near the area where your children do their homework will allow you to separate things and have everything in one place where it belongs rather than strewn about. You can pick up wall organizers at many craft stores that would work perfectly. You’ll want one slot for each person in your home so that everything can be kept separate. You can also use things like magazine holders if you have the counter or shelf space rather than a wall organizer. When your kids come home from school for the weekend, go through their folders and be sure to take homework out and place it in its “home”. This way it can be worked on throughout the weekend and you’ll remember that it needs to be done when you have it in a place that you can see if frequently.
By your door
No matter the time of the year, your main doorway will seem to be cluttered with jackets, shoes, boots, backpacks, and other random items. In order to stay organized you will want to come up with a system for this area. Using a bench that things can be placed inside of will eliminate a large portion of the mess. Hooks or coat racks should be used regularly for coats, sweatshirts and backpacks. Be sure to always place things where they go as soon as you get in the door, this will prevent the clutter from occurring.
Frequent items
You’ll also want to have a place for your keys, wallet, phone etc. so that nothing is lost and can be found easily before rushing out the door. Making a “landing zone” for each of these items so that they are near where they need to be. You can avoid franticly trying to find things by using this method.
Toys
Toys, aren’t they great? The best way to go about organizing toys is to first go through them. Often time’s kids have so many toys that they don’t play with most of them. (Helpful hint, go through them when the kids aren’t home, trust me, it will save your sanity!) After you have gone through and gotten rid of some of the toys that are causing clutter, then organize them with a box system. Put alike toys in storage containers of your choice, or put a variety in each box. When playing, before your child takes out a new box, they must put the other one away. This is a great way to keep toys cleaned up at all times!