3 Simple, Sanity-Saving Solutions for Maintaining Your Organized Home

When I wrap up an organizing project with a client, the relief is palpable. There’s a sense of calm and order as well as clarity for the future. But just like a well landscaped garden, home organization systems need regular maintenance to remain effective and beautiful. The good news is once you have an organizing system in place, maintenance becomes quicker and easier as long as you stay on top of it! Here are 3 routines you can use to keep your home organized and ready to go.

Routine #1: Ten Minutes to Tidiness

My oldest son used to play Little League baseball and his coach would often remind the kids to get “baseball ready” between each play. I adapted that phrase and started saying we need to get “house ready” at the end of each day so we’d be ready for the next morning. If you make it part of your bedtime routine to walk around the house and pick things up, return them to their proper locations and set out anything needed for the next day, your morning stress will be drastically reduced. A 10 minute tidy at the end of the day makes all the difference in maintenance.

Routine #2: Fifteen Minutes of Fast Decluttering

If a specific area of your home has been neglected for a while, maybe a guestroom or a kids bedroom, a 15 minute declutter can make a huge difference. Create piles for keep, discard, donate, and store elsewhere. Work quickly through the area and decisively sort. The key to this is having a regular spot to keep donations so when it fills up, you automatically take it to your local donation center. Set a timer and just get as far as you can in 15 minutes. This prevents the overwhelm that happens when we do a full pull and spend several hours in the same area. While sometimes that is necessary, once you have your organization in place, a quick 15 minute declutter every quarter or so will make it so much easier to maintain.

Routine #3: Half Hour to Hosting Bliss

Most of our homes are lived in, and it’s not realistic to be constantly stashing things away. However, if you’re expecting visitors you want them to feel welcome — not trip over all those shoes in the entryway! Having a designated routine before guests arrive is a game changer. This allows your family members to jump in and do the roles assigned to them so everything can be ready to go in a quick 30 minute cleanup. Focus actual cleaning on the kitchen and restroom, or common areas where guests will be spending time. No need to deep clean your storage closets when friends are coming over for a game night! I like to actually go outside the house and walk in through the front door and see the home through my guests’ eyes. I’ll probably tidy up the outside and inside entryway, make sure games and homework are cleared off the coffee table, and make room for drinks and snack plates. I also clear the entryway hooks of our coats and bags, relocating those to our closet. That way guests can use the easily accessible hooks and are less likely to leave anything behind because it’s out and visible when they are leaving.

Despite our effort sometimes life gets in the way, and these routines just aren’t doable on a regular basis. I am happy to offer maintenance services for my clients whenever a reset is needed. This might be after a particularly busy season, welcoming a new family member, or preparing to host a major event. We all need a little extra help sometimes!

Feeling overwhelmed in your own home, despite your attempts to tidy up? Give me a call...I would love to help you declutter and destress!

Cheers,

Karina