Home Organization Services & Homeschool Coaching
Neatness doesn’t come naturally. It’s a learned skill. That’s good news if you struggle to stay tidy! It means you’re just a few steps away from finding freedom. With the right methods and a little practice, you can gain confidence and enjoy the home you’re in.
This post outlines the basic steps you need to declutter and organize your home from start to finish. Let’s get started!
To create the home you want, you need to create a mindset that focuses on your individual goals and lifestyle. This will keep you firmly in reality and help guide you to success. Using this method, you won’t feel overwhelmed, trying to do organization like everyone else, or get stuck in the middle of decluttering piles you don’t know how to tackle.
Organizational struggles often result from us trying to undertake more than we can reasonably manage. Having a priority-driven mindset will help you determine which items in your home will help you on your journey rather than hinder you.
Start by taking a personal inventory of your goals, current lifestyle, priorities, and time constraints. At this point, you’re not thinking about organizing, you’re establishing a mindset about what you want to accomplish, while keeping in mind your limitations.
It’s best if you write your thoughts on paper, rather than digitally, since there is a special memory connection between the physical activity of writing and memory. If you already take personal inventories regularly, you can use the information you already have. If you’d like a pre-made prompt, you can search for online goal setting worksheets.
Here’s what understanding your goals and limitations will do for you: When you’re decluttering and organizing your home, you’ll prioritize what’s important for your life right now, not worrying about whether items “could be used” in the future. If you don’t know when you’ll be using an item next, you may not really need it in your home. Your home should serve you, not the other way ’round. Keeping your goals and inventory in mind will help you get unneeded clutter out of the way, preventing mental overwhelm.
Decluttering can feel like an intimidating task, but it doesn’t have to be difficult. If you follow this simple 3-step plan and the tips, you’ll gain confidence and momentum. I recommend starting with a small, easy space like a countertop, desktop, medicine cabinet, or small closet.
Next, pick up the obvious stuff. These are items that already have established “homes” elsewhere, but weren’t put back after being used. You might notice that some items don’t have an established home. For now, put those items where you would look for them (it doesn’t have to be where “most people” would put them, just where you would look for it if you needed it). You can organize those items later if need be.
Finally, do a pass through each area of your home and look for things you obviously don’t use, or haven’t used in a long time. Remember to prioritize the items which serve you and your family right now.
Remember that your home can fit only a finite number of items. As you declutter, you’ll start to get a feel for how many things fit comfortably into your home. If it’s difficult to put things away, you probably have too many things. Yes, it’s possible that a better system of organization could help, but if you have overflowing containers, it’s likely you’re trying to keep too many things. It takes thought and practice to identify how much space you have and what you can reasonably fit in it. So keep at it! You’ll get better as you go. As you consider what to keep, remember to prioritize the things that are currently serving you.
As you start letting things go, you might find some items that you are unsure about. Maybe they are things you hoped to use, or something that’s been really helpful in the past but isn’t currently useful. For those things, you can create a “Time Will Tell” box. Put a date sticker or sticky note on each item there. If you haven’t used it by that date, put it in the donate box. Sometimes it takes a trial period to tell you if you’ll need something.
You’ll find that as you declutter, things naturally start to feel more organized because space is freed up for your belongings. But sometimes new methods of organization can be helpful as well. Here are a few examples of how to know if you need additional organization.
After you’ve decluttered, start looking for the places in your home that naturally attract clutter. I call them “hot spots.” Some common hot spots are table tops, countertops, beds, closets, and side tables. When you discover these hot spots in your home, notice what kind of clutter accumulates there and ask yourself why that might be.
Once you understand why the clutter is accumulating, you’ll have an idea of what kind of organizational device could help. For instance, if you consistently have a bunch of papers on your kitchen table or countertop, you probably need a better filing system. The solution might be to put an attractive in/out box on your wall in that same area where you regularly deal with bills and papers. Then, once you’ve dealt with them individually, you can continue to file or toss them as normal. Or, for instance, if you’re finding that craft supplies are being left out, it might be a sign that they’re too difficult to put away. In that case, you might decide to buy individual stacking boxes or plastic drawers to make accessing and tidying them simpler.
When you’re arranging your items, visualize what you want that area of your home to look and feel like. Avoid the temptation to try and organize like celebrities on streaming services, or like the pictures you see in social media. Most of that kind of organizing is unsustainable for your everyday life.
Make the items you use most often the easiest to access. You’ll enjoy your home more when it’s easy to access and put away your favorite things.
There are often unseen roadblocks that pop up when you’re getting organized. And whether it’s a practical or emotional barrier, it can be incredibly frustrating. In these cases, it can be very helpful to get the help of a professional who can help guide you to success.
When is it a good time to ask for help from a professional organizer?
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If you’ve been organizing by yourself and haven’t found a good amount of success, or if there’s something you’ve been putting off for years.
If you’re having trouble letting go of things, or are dealing with overwhelm due to other issues like anxiety, depression, grief, or health.
If you’re transitioning or starting something new and need help getting things in order so your home or projects flow smoothly.
1. If you’ve been organizing by yourself and haven’t found a good amount of success, or if there’s something you’ve been putting off for years.
2. If you’re having trouble letting go of things, or are dealing with overwhelm due to other issues like anxiety, depression, grief, or health.
3. If you’re transitioning or starting something new and need help getting things in order so your home or projects flow smoothly.
Thanks for reading this post! I hope you found it helpful. I love helping families enjoy their homes and find success in their homeschooling. I’ve found that blending traditional organization services with personal coaching helps empower my clients to live organized long after we’ve completed their projects. Here’s to achieving our goals!
Thanks for reading this post! I hope you found it helpful. I love helping families enjoy their homes and find success in their homeschooling. I’ve found that blending traditional organization services with personal coaching helps empower my clients to live organized long after we’ve completed their projects. Here’s to achieving our goals!