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Did you ever hear someone say, “Ask your question because someone else probably wants to know the same thing”? Well, it’s true! There are 5 big things you and everyone else want to know about organizing your home.
These are the questions that come up over and over again in community surveys …and today, I’m answering the top 5.
I’m answering the 5 biggest things you want to know about organizing your home —from finding time, where to start, and more!
01. How do I find time for organizing my home?
The biggest challenge in accomplishing anything is finding time to work on it. But the key isn’t to find time —it’s to make time.
If getting organized is important to you, then prioitize it. As Stephen Covey recommends, make organizing the first thing you do. Those things that add the most value to your life should be prioritized in your schedule and done first if possible.
To schedule your week follow this method:
- Write down every task you could possibly do.
- Choose the most important tasks on the list (your priorities).
- Outline your week, beginning with things that can’t be moved (appointments, mealtimes, naps, etc), then add the most important tasks.
Rather than making your life more rigid, a schedule will give you more time. You’ll be shocked at how much time you actually have!
These posts will help if you feel strapped for time:
3 Steps To Find Time To Organize Your Home
02. Where do I start?
After finding time, the next thing is knowing where to start. I have 3 different ways to help you get started:
First, begin with the room that gets the most use or the one that bothers you the most (sometimes it’s the same room). Starting in that room will immediately improve your life. You’ll no longer feel constantly stressed and worried because that one room is decluttered.
Second, take that room and break it into smaller areas, or bite-sized pieces. Focusing on one small area makes the goal more attainable.
Lastly, start with what’s easiest. If you know which room bothers you the most but you’re intimidated by it, start with a room that’s easier.
This post, “3 Tricks To Help You Choose Where To Start Organizing,” answers this in full detail. Or start working on these steps by downloading the free Where To Start Decluttering Guide.
03. How can I organize with too much stuff?
When there’s too much stuff, follow the procedure for where to start: a high-impact room, broken into small pieces, starting with the easiest thing.
What’s the easiest thing to do? Identify & throw away the trash. It’s surprising how much stuff this will eliminate.
After that, choose the items you want to keep. I ALWAYS recommend asking the question, “What will I keep?” rather than “What should I get rid of?” This phrasing eliminates the pressure of having to get rid of things. Instead, you’ll focus on what you really need.
And, no, you don’t have to ask if an item “sparks joy.” But you should think through things logically when you get stuck by asking the following questions:
- Is it something I love or need?
- If I went shopping today and saw it in the store, would I actually buy it?
- Is it something I need and use often?
- Have I used it in the last year?
- Could I borrow it instead?
- Can it be easily replaced?
- Is it a duplicate or similar to something I already have?
- Would someone else be better able to use it than me?
(Get the full list of questions in the post “These 12 Simple Questions Make Decluttering Incredibly Easy.” )
Part of this question stems from feeling overwhelmed by the amount of work there is to do when there is so much stuff. Simplify the process by:
- Creating a calm atmosphere.
- Deciding where you’ll take donations before you declutter.
- Taking a “before” picture.
- Having a positive attitude.
- Using straightforward decluttering guidelines.
As you declutter, remember that it’s a process that takes time. It creates more work, and the house looks a lot worse before it gets better. (Here’s more on what to expect when you’re decluttering.) But it’s worth it in the end when you keep the end in mind!
04. How do I organize when I have no storage space?
Having limited or no storage space in a home is frustrating. The first step is to pare down to keep only what you absolutely want or need following the procedure for organizing too much stuff.
Next, get creative with storage solutions. For example, utilize vertical storage by adding hooks to walls or investing in vertical shelves. Use furniture that serves multiple functions, such as storage ottomans or beds with drawers underneath. This post has specific ideas for maximizing storage in a small kitchen.
Most importantly, build a habit of putting items away and finding places for new items immediately. For this, the “1 in 1 out rule,” purging an item for every new item brought in, can prevent clutter from piling up.
If you’re wondering how to find a place for everything, that’s the final top 5 questions about organizing.
05. How do I find a place for everything?
Before choosing a place for an item make sure you actually need it! There’s nothing more wasteful than organizing something that you don’t want or need.
After determining that, think about where it makes the most sense to keep it. For this, break up spaces into zones. In this post, I describe how to organize a kitchen into zones but this can be done for any space.
The point of organizing is to be able to find what you need when you need it. Place items where it makes the most sense.
Sometimes, however, this doesn’t work because our homes lack storage space. In this case, find the next best place for those items. For example, I’d love to have my mop and vacuum stored in the laundry room with other cleaning supplies. But my laundry room is tiny! The next best place is the coat closet.
Finally, if some things continually end up in the same spots despite giving them another home, rework the area. Instead of trying to train yourself to put those items somewhere else, rework the area to better suit your needs.
For example, if you naturally set down your keys on an entry table instead of on a hook, use a tray to “collect” the keys. It’s easier to work with habits that aren’t bad than to try to do something entirely new.
Read the post (& watch the video) of “3 Tips for Finding a Place for Everything” and also read “How To Give Everything A Home: The #1 Rule of Organization.”
Your top 5 questions about organizing your home are answered!
These are the top 5 questions that come up again and again in this community (& across the web, for that matter). This post breaks down everything you need to know so you can start organizing with confidence!
Did you know I created an entire Organizing Guide to answer these questions & more? The Start Organizing Your Home Guide teaches a repeatable framework for decluttering & to start organizing your home.
Inside the Guide, you’ll get
- 7 podcast-style lessons,
- a personalized plan for where to start,
- Sorting Plan & Key Questions to Declutter Anything,
- Clutter Removal Plan,
- Pre-Decluttering Plan so you get the most out of every organizing session,
- 2 step-by-step frameworks, the Simple Sorting Framework & the Decluttering Framework,
- a complete guide to finding and choosing organizing products,
- & more!
Best of all? Buy the guide once and use it again and again to organize your entire home!
Get the Start Organizing Your Home Guide here>>
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