I have a little organizing business with my neighbor and gave a talk to a mom’s group the other day. Our motto is, “Because life is too short to stress over a mess.” The whole gist of my talk was to get moms to relax and tell them to relax about their houses. I want them to realize that there is no perfect house unless someone is OCD (and someone in the group was). Let me tell you – my house is far from perfect. We live here – it is a not a showcase and at any given time there are children parading through it. We have busy lives and I juggle so many things that it will never be perfect. I used to be a little OCD before kids and as time went on, less and less – thank goodness!
***Getting everyone on your household to all their activities on time, remembering birthdays and important events is what is the most important – you have to be organized in that arena. Everything else is lagniappe.
*** Every item in your home needs to have a home.
***Start with the area that bothers you the most.
***Purge and purge again (and yes- you can throw away stuff you were given).
***Keep all clothes in one closet (winter, next size etc…) for better management. Out of sight often means out of mind.
***Make sure to have low lying cabinets for kids in the kitchen to get cups and plates.
***The kitchen needs to make sense. Not all do – so you have to make it work for you. Coffee centers are great in a kitchen.
***Work with what you’ve got. Do not go out and buy more organizing stuff. Nothing worse than organizing organizing stuff!
***Limit your rubbermaid bucket purchases.
***Catalogs and magazines need not accumulate!!!
***Don’t assume people who have a perfect living area have perfect closets and drawers.
***Computer organization is very important too. I recc. iGoogle to get you in order.
***Clean out toys when children are not home!!! The exception to this is if you intend to let them sell their stuff in a yard sale and keep the money.
***Don’t over-organize. Some people spend way too much of their life trying to organize and never getting anything done!
Starting with the toughest areas is definitely best. After working on all the easier ones, it is usually harder to tackle the big projects. Great tips!
Greta, it is so wonderful to have an organized daughter, & yes you have been that way since you were very young. When you were a teen, it was amazing how busy you were yet completely organized in all facets of your life including your bedroom. What happened to your mother? Your organization in the home did not come from me, It must have come to you from your dad. The problem is when you organize me on your visits, then I can’t find things. They were always somewhere, but you put them away in an organized fashion. Good for you though, Greta. Am proud of your accomplishments.
Love, Mom