Home Organization Services & Homeschool Coaching
Do you ever get envious of people who seem to have it all together? Their planners are organized and their houses seem to stay naturally tidy all the time. What is it they know that you don’t? Are they just better at life?
Of course, we only see what people present to us; the hard days and the messy times are concealed. We never have a completely accurate picture of a person’s life.
However, it is absolutely that people who stay consistently tidy possess an innate understanding of a few important concepts. The good news is, these concepts can be learned!
Do you ever feel that your home isn’t big enough for all your possessions? Or that clutter is building up due to a lack of storage space? The truth is that you can be organized in any amount of space.
I am borrowing terminology for the “container concept” from Dana K. White, author of “Decluttering at the Speed of Life.” Here’s a summary of her concept:
In order to be tidy, you must accept the limitations of your space and keep only what fits comfortably inside it. In other words, the number of things you should own is determined by the boundaries of your space.
There are a lot of possible reasons your possessions overwhelm the storage ability of your home. That’s a topic for another time. But you can start implementing this concept today!
Concept Practice:
Wash all your dirty dishes and put away everything that doesn’t belong on the counters. Is there space for every item in your cabinets, drawers, and pantry? If not, you have too many items. To start decluttering, ask yourself what items you use on a daily basis, then look for items you haven’t used in a long time. Keep decluttering until you can easily put everything away and pull it out again.
Once you start thinking in terms of keeping only the things that fit in your home, having a place for everything will become easier and seem more natural.
Clutter is usually the result of not having a specified home for each and every item.
If an item has nowhere to “live,” of course it will just sit out in the middle of everything, cluttering up the space. If you have more than one item like that, it becomes virtually impossible to keep things tidy.
But how do you know where to put each thing in your home? Many experts will tell you the best places for your silverware, and your home office items, and I think those can be valuable insights, but I suggest that the best place to start putting things is to think “where would I look for that?” If you would look for the remote control on top of the bookshelf, who cares if the experts tell you that it goes best on the tv stand?
Concept Practice:
Start decluttering one room. Just start putting away one item at a time. If you find an item with no home, put it in the place that makes the most sense to you. You can always give it a new home later if a better idea comes to mind.
If you’ve tackled the first two concepts, you’re well on your way to a consistently tidy lifestyle. Just one more important habit to learn.
To really live a tidy lifestyle, you must make a habit of putting things away after each use. Sometimes the only thing between you and having a tidy home is your consistency in this habit. It’s so easy to let just a few things here and there go, thinking that we’ll “take care of that later.” But just a few papers, shoes, lunchboxes, etc. can quickly turn into a mess that can easily take hours to clean up.
The good news is that once you have a home for each item, it’s not hard to make sure that your things go back to that space after each use. Once you master this habit and teach it to your family, you’ll be shocked at how easily your home stays tidy, how much clearer your headspace is, and how peaceful your space feels.
Concept Practice:
After walking into your house from any trip, immediately put away your shoes, bags, and any items you brought in with you. If you have new items, find a home for them immediately; do not wait, you can always find a better place later.
If you master all of these concepts, you will very quickly become the person you envy. The truth is that the people who seem to have it all together have just learned or intuited a few concepts that anyone can master. It might not be easy at first, but like anything, if you keep practicing good habits, they will become second nature.
God bless you!
If you need any help on your journey, I would be glad to talk with you.
Hannah is the founder and consultant of Tidy Home and School Room. She specializes in helping families organize their homes and educational materials in ways that create natural flow and reflect their goals. Her unique method blends traditional organization services with personal coaching so clients are empowered to live organized long after their projects are completed.
Hannah is the founder and consultant of Tidy Home and School Room. She specializes in helping families organize their homes and educational materials in ways that create natural flow and reflect their goals. Her unique method blends traditional organization services with personal coaching so clients are empowered to live organized long after their projects are completed.