With all the unpacking going on around here over the past couple of weeks I am DETERMINED to not only unpack stuff but ORGANIZE it too! While searchin' the ol' interweb I came across The Modern Sage. Here are ten of the basic home organizing concepts that should help people every day.
1. Be decisive!
Everything that is on your counter top or desk right now most likely represents decisions that have not been made. Clutter results from putting off these decisions for later. Your ability to get and stay organized is directly related to your ability to make decisions! - Keep or toss?
- Donate or sell?
- Action item, or reference item for filing?
- What is the next action to take with this item?
- Where is the best place to store this item?
2. Give everything a parking spot.
Quick—can you tell me where your underwear is? I bet you can. Most people have a special drawer for their underwear, and most people know exactly where their toothbrush is, because those things have a specific home. Virtually everything in your home can have its own parking spot so you can find things quickly and easily. Whenever possible, use a label maker to label the parking spot—just like reserved executive parking spaces!
(I {heart} my label maker--best $40 I ever spent!)
3. Plan ahead.
A few minutes of planning and preparation can save hours of time and loads of frustration. Think ahead, anticipate! What will you need? Can you combine trips to save time? What issues may come up? What do you already know now that you could proactively do something about before it becomes a problem?
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| I LOVE my planner--Thanks again KAT! |
4. Grade your stuff.
Our own “ABCD” concept is one of the first things we teach our clients. We refer to both things and places as A, B, C, or D. This vocabulary refers to both the frequency of use of the items and the accessibility of the space. The goal is to put A things in A places and D things in D places, and so on. This simple concept has provided many “light bulb moments” for people over the years!
Things | Priorities | Places |
Pens, stapler, toothbrush, dishes | A Used frequently, even daily. | Handiest drawer or on top of desk/counter |
3-hole punch, iron, blender | B Used often; weekly or monthly. | Above, below or behind “A” items, enclosed in cabinet |
Holiday decorations | C Used rarely or seasonally. | Higher shelves, less accessible places—even attic |
Archived documents, skis, spare furniture | D Never or seldom used. | Completely out of daily flow- in least accessible location or offsite storage |
5. Group like things together.
When you are sorting your things, ask yourself what is going to make it easiest for you to find and manage later. If you are organizing a bathroom, you may group things by type, such as dental care, hair care, and first aid. If you are organizing a kitchen, you might group things by function, such as serving utensils and food preparation tools.
- By color
- By alphabet
- By size
- By type
- By name
- By function
I find using trays an easy way to corral things:
6. Assume laziness is the norm.
It’s just human nature - we want to do things with the least amount of effort possible. Especially kids! Assume that people are going to be lazy when you create an organizing system, and work with habits that your family has instead of trying to change them.
- Make things easy to see and choose. It's all about having visibility to your items! You want your system to be Visible, Easy, and Obvious ("VEO" is Spanish for "I see.")
- Use labeling whenever possible to make it very easy to find things and put them back.
- Make it easy to put things away. Avoid lids, doors, extra steps, and anything else that makes it take longer or require more effort.
7. Create stations.
We teach people there are some common “stations” that virtually every home should have. Here are the seven that we feel are most important.
A. Destination Station - This station belongs where you come in and out of the house. It’s where you put all of your things down when you come in, such as purses, keys, and backpacks.
B. Gift and Shipping Station - You may not have a permanent station set up for this one, but at least gather all of these items together in a bin or drawer for easy retrieval when you need them. You should have gift wrap, scissors, tape, and all of the other items needed for wrapping and mailing.
C. Education Station – The homework and reference area, mostly for the kids. You’ll need a comfortable flat surface, preferably a desk, where the kids can do their work. There should be plenty of office supplies, paper, a dictionary, a thesaurus, and probably a computer in this area.
D. Communication Station – This station is for the family calendar, messages, mail, and other communications that help the house run smoothly.
E. Donation Station – Every home should have a designated place to collect items for donation, and when it’s full, take it to your favorite charity drop-off location.
F. Administration Station – Also known as the home office, this station is where the bills get paid, forms get filled out, medical claims are filed, and phone calls are made.
G. Creation Station – Homes with children and/or other artists need to have a place to paint, draw, sew, or pursue other creative outlets. Craft and art supplies can be stored here, nearby an available surface to work with plenty of light. Like the Gift & Shipping Station, you may not have this station set up permanently.
8. Put things right where you need them.
Professionals call this concept storing things at the “point of use." Put the laundry soap next to the washing machine, and put the pot holders right next to the stove or oven.
9. Have duplicates when it makes sense.
Since you are storing things at the point of use, sometimes you have several points-of-use and it makes sense to purchase duplicate tools. For example, you need some scissors at your Gift & Shipping Station, and you also need some in the kitchen.
10. Batch up your tasks.
Sometimes it's easier to do something multiple times while you are at it -- that is why the assembly line was invented for greater efficiency in production. Think ahead about anything that you can do in batches like this, such as phone calls, filing, or correspondence & you can even extend this concept to your kitchen in meal preparation. A little bit of planning goes a LONG way—especially in a busy household!
Using these ten concepts, you can approach your household with renewed motivation and enthusiasm for getting it in shape!
P.S. Photos to follow---just gotta find my camera ;)
