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One question that comes up constantly in this community is how to keep things organized …especially with kids and other family members. In my experience, it’s been easier to keep things organized as my daughter has gotten older. The house tends to be messier with little kids around, and that’s ok! It’s a season!
However, you can take steps now to implement many of the tips and strategies in this post. I can attest to the fact that doing these things, even if they’re done imperfectly for a while, will have tremendous payoffs in the end. My daughter has been tidying up and decluttering on her own for years now (and she’s only 8 years old as I write this!).
Here are 5 helpful tips & strategies to stay organized with your family like a pro.
01. Give every item a home
How often have you found something lying around because there wasn’t a designated spot for it? By assigning a specific place for everything, you’ll avoid the hassle of searching for lost items or finding things in random places.
For example, all of our incoming mail and papers don’t end up in piles around the house. There’s a specific tray in my office (called the Actionable Paper Hub) where all these papers live throughout the week. If we need a paper, we know we’ll find it there. (You can learn more about this system in this post.)
02. Make space for items
Next up, make space for items. It’s tough to keep things organized when there’s simply not enough room to put them away.
This happened recently in our home. We bought an extra humidifier and had no place to store it when it wasn’t in use. The solution was to declutter unneeded items from a cabinet to make room for what was useful.
Finite spaces force us to pare down to make room for what we actually need. Don’t be afraid to declutter and donate items you no longer need, or invest in some storage solutions to create more space.
03. Label
Labels are your friend when it comes to keeping things organized. If you want items to return to their designated homes, label everything clearly. That way, even the most forgetful family member will know exactly where to put things.
Around here, our favorite way to organize is using totes. Since they all look the same, however, we label them so that we can find what we need when we need it.
04. Implement routines
Implementing routines can also be helpful in keeping your home tidy. Try setting aside a specific time each day to do a quick clean-up or tidy-up. You could even make it a family activity to make it more fun!
One routine that works well is a 10-Minute Tidy. There’s an entire post explaining it (and a freebie here), but the jist of it is to take a 10-minute break before every meal break to pick up toys, wash dishes, or do some other tidying task. This is a team activity, meaning the whole family participates at the same time.
Here’s a post on how to make cleaning up fun for the whole family.
05. Make organizing easy
Last, but not least, make organizing easy for yourself and your family members. Store items where it makes the most sense or in convenient places. You could implement all the other strategies in this post but if none of it is easily accessible, it won’t get organized.
For example, keep your kids’ toys in a bin that’s easy for them to access and put away. Or if you want the dirty laundry to be dropped in a hamper instead of on the floor, put the hamper in a convenient place.
If things are easy to find and easy to put away, you’re more likely to keep things organized.
How to stay organized with your family
These 5 tips will help you stay organized with your family:
- Give every item a home
- Make space for items
- Label
- Implement routines
- Make organizing easy
Staying organized is a journey, not a destination. Don’t beat yourself up if things get a little messy sometimes, especially if your kids are young. Keep working at it and remember that a little bit of effort every day goes a long way.
Want to implement a simple routine to stay organized with your family? Download the FREE 10-Minute Tidy Routine here >>>
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