Keeping your home organized starts with being very confident in what you bring into the space.
Obviously, we all need a certain level of “stuff” to keep our lives enjoyable, and everyone’s “stuff” level is different.
If your house is crammed and you love 😍 everything in it, you have a high tolerance.
If your house is crammed and you’re sick of it, your tolerance has changed.
Table of contents
What is the first step in the organizing process?
Decide what you’re going to keep. Start your decluttering process with four different containers.
First, move around the space you’re focused on with a large black trash bag 🧺.
Discard all garbage and anything that’s too worn for donating.
Secondly, work through the room with any eye toward items that you can donate to someone in need.
There are many folks struggling at this time, and you could turn the items causing you distress into something wonderful for someone else.
As a third step, work your way around the room looking for things you can sell.
If you have garments that still have tags on them but you probably won’t wear them, put them in the box 🧰.
You can sell items via several different platforms.
Poshmark is one, and ThredUp is a good option for clothing. If you need things out of your home quickly, consider having a garage sale on your own.
Finally, put what you intend to keep in a clothing basket 📦.
As each vessel is filled, act on it. Mail in clothing to sell to ThredUp, or move it to your “yard sale” corner.
Toss the trash bag and put the donate bag in your car or near your front door.
Don’t revisit any container once it’s full; seal it and be done.
How do you declutter when overwhelmed?
Take it one room at a time. Put on workout clothes, get yourself a bottle of water, turn up some energizing music, and get your muscles going.
Don’t spend too long on any one item. If you are sorting through paperwork start with big stacks.
For example, you can split out junk mail from kid’s homework and bills from sale ads. Recycle ads and junk mail immediately.
Then split out bills to pay vs. bills that have been paid, and split out children’s homework by child or by subject.
The goal is to create flat, empty spaces. When you get the couch cleared of blankets, jackets, and other belongings, vacuum it and hit it with fabric spray.
When you clear a table top, polish it. Home decor tips for decluttering recommend using covered storage bins, so treat yourself to a pretty box and put all the remotes in it for television and game controllers.
Make small gains that improve your satisfaction in your home.
How can I make organizing fun?
Make organizing a family habit. Before everyone can enjoy a movie together, everyone needs to help tidy the house.
After dinner, put one person in charge of loading the dishwasher and someone else in charge of sweeping the kitchen.
Little ones can be put in charge of carrying individual plastic glasses into the kitchen, or making sure that everyone who’s watching the movie has a favorite blanket on the sofa.
Reward your household organizing habit with a fun time to be had by all, such as popcorn on the couch while watching a show together or a video game playoff.
However, until the organizing is done, nobody gets to have fun. Don’t make this a solo battle that you alone are waging.
What are five tips for organizing your bedroom?
1) Keep bedding simple.
If you want more color, skip the extra pillows and get a pretty throw to toss over the foot of the bed. Use big shams on large pillows as a headboard rather than multiple little pillows.
Invest in a solid color down alternative comforter instead of a bedspread, and if you want something brighter, hang a mandala scarf as a headboard or canopy.
2) Set up a charging station
Set up a charging station for electronics that is not reachable from your sleeping space.
Electronics before bed will agitate your mind and make it hard for you to fall deeply asleep.
Use cable organizer to keep things tidy and set your phone, tablet and other tools far across the room.
If your working desk is in your bedroom, consider investing in a folding screen that you can use to keep your eyes and brain off your job when you’re trying to sleep.
Simple home decor tips for a desk in the bedroom also include large decorative tins for office supplies and pretty baskets for bills and paperwork.
3) Invest in suit hangers for clothing.
When you do laundry, hang outfits instead of just garments.
This will free up morning time as you dress and reduce the number of choices you have to make early in the morning.
Even if you never wear suits, a pair of jeans, a top and a sweater on a hanger will keep things wrinkle free and make deciding what to wear a simple process.
4) Keep a chest of drawers in the closet.
As you declutter and get rid of clothes, consider going through your closets so you can enjoy even more space, and slide a small chest of drawers in there for socks, underwear, and pajamas.
Aim to create open floor space in your bedroom where you can put a chair and a reading lamp, or a small bookcase for your personal favorites. This can turn your bedroom into a spot for relaxation as well as rest.
5) Invest in good nightstands.
Even if your alarm clock has to be far across the room to help you get out of bed in the morning, a nightstand is a wonderful place to keep your journal and your current favorite book.
Having a place to write things down when you’re struggling to rest is a great way to clear your head and focus on what makes you most thankful for the life you have.