Organize Your __________.
I am fully guilty of being one of those people who take items out of the box they come in just to put them in another box.
To me, it’s a beneficial hobby. I like being able to easily keep track of my inventory. By putting things in clear containers, I can see what I need to buy more of before we run out without digging through piles.
Plus, everything has a designated “home,” so I know exactly where something is and where it goes – a VERY HELPFUL skill to have when there are 6 different people at your house every single week taking care of you and your toddler.
Instead of them having to search through every bathroom drawer to find a bandaid, I can just tell them to look on the second shelf in the closet, where they’re nicely displayed in an open container.
Oh, and my ADHD husband has a real “out of sight out of mind” mentality – if he can’t immediately see it, that must mean we don’t own it.
Snacks in cardboard boxes in the pantry will not get eaten. Neglected cereal will go to waste. Kind of like those veggies currently rotting in your refrigerator drawer…
So, basically, the goal here is not to impress guests with a picture-perfect house (though it does look nice). The point of this post is to offer some organizing tips that help MY house function better for ME that might also help you.
(For the record, none of the pictures in this post – with the exception of one – are of my house. I wish. But they’re either free stock or credited… probably @TheHomeEdit or @DomesticBlisters.)
Speaking of your fridge, that’s a good place to start!
Now, I know there are set spaces specifically designed for a reason – like that infamous “crisper” drawer for fruits and veggies. But since in my house that’s where fresh produce goes to die, it kind of defeats the point of them ever being “crisp,” right?
So, instead, that’s where my condiments now go! I don’t need to see them every day, and they won’t go bad if I don’t use them instantly. My fruits and veggies are in clear containers that you have to stare at every time you open the fridge. Flavored seltzer waters go in the can dispensers lining the top shelf. And the doors have set spaces with even more clear containers for yogurt, cheese, coffee creamer, protein drinks, etc.
I KNOW that’s going to piss some people off. “The doors are actually the warmest part of the refrigerator, with fluctuating temperatures since they constantly open and close. That’s why condiments are supposed to go there, NOT dairy products. Ugh, it’s not that hard to do things the right way…”
But we go through those items faster than anything else; it makes sense to have them in an easily-accessible/replaceable spot.
Plus, I’m learning that my life needs to meet my needs, even if that means something being different from yours. You do you.
Along those lines, I also have everything labeled – from fridge shelves to toy bins to bedroom dresser drawers. My house works for me, not the people here every week. So while I know where items live, they don’t… and, let’s be honest, neither does my husband.
Plus, I’m not always around with the energy to explain.
Labels help ME stay organized and reduce my mental load, no matter who is here helping me do so. Plus, I have it in my head that it can benefit my toddler a little, too.
Which brings me to laundry! Labels and crates have been a serious game-changer for me here.
Do you also have an ever-rotating pile of clean clothes that you pick through to find outfits because you just haven’t had the time or energy to fold and put them away? Or random socks discarded throughout your home?
Sounds to me like YOUR system isn’t really working out for you…
So, for me, I have a ton of crates organized nicely in my laundry room, labeled by Family Member Name & Type of Clothing. Every time I pull out a sweatshirt from the dryer, I simply throw it in the bin labeled “Meg’s Sweatshirts.” I don’t even think about folding it or bringing it to my room and THAT’S OK because everyone can easily locate any clean clothing item they are looking for.
It’s a system I can easily maintain and don’t dread doing. And then, whenever I have the motivation, I can bring one crate to one place and devote my attention to that one thing.
For the record, I also have a hamper-basket-thing in every single room of my house to help contain those randomly-discarded dirty clothing items. Or towels, or blankets, or even toys. Then I can just grab that instead of going on a distracting scavenger hunt.
And I keep laundry soap, dryer sheets, etc. in clear containers so I can quickly see when we’re running low.
And – I know this is random but it might help someone – I put all the bedsheets from a set in a pillowcase from that set. So one shelf in my laundry room just looks like a row of big, lumpy but pretty bags. When it’s time to change the sheets in my bedroom, I can just grab one pillowcase and everything I need is in it.
“But don’t all your clothes get wrinkled? We have closets and hangers for a reason. Laundry is part of being a good wife/mom/adult.” I meannnnn clothes are more wrinkle-resistant than you think, I hang what I need to, I rarely leave the house anyway, my toddler doesn’t seem to care, I prioritize always having CLEAN clothes for my family to wear…
Plus Ataxia keeps piling on the handicaps (woe is me). I can’t really do anything the normal way, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t do it at all. Again, this organizing system works for my house. You do you.
Finally, here are some tips, so you can skip the whole “learn from your mistakes” part:
1. Start small. Like, really small. Like, I began just by cleaning out under my bathroom sink. Once I liked it, I moved onto my husband’s sink. And then the one in the kitchen.
You are not going to organize your entire house in one day. Realistically, this is a never-ending project. It helps me to set small, attainable goals so that I feel accomplished and motivated to keep doing it.
2. Plan, measure, THEN buy. Believe me, I understand all too well the temptation of seeing a good set of organizing bins, thinking “I can definitely use those in my pantry!” and then buying them with every intention that they will help and inspire you.
But once you open that cupboard door, you might realize they’re a little too big, or you actually need four bins instead of three, or a container with a lid would be better. Maintaining this order can save you both time and money.
3. Organize by general category and need. For example, a bin simply designated for “paper binding” can house paperclips, pins, staples, tape, a hole punch… And then maybe don’t store that in your bathroom? Put it wherever you actually use it.
If you’re stuck, color is always a good categorizer. Someone (especially a kid) is more likely to put away a red book with the other red books, rather than a nonfiction one with the others in that genre.
4. Spend time finding the most appropriate organizational tools.
Like, I LOVE Lazy Susan Turntables – they’re a great way to utilize space in hard-to-reach places. But sometimes a drawer is a better fit. Or a shelf to use that vertical space. Or a bin you can move around and throw stuff into.
5. Use the Internet! There are so many examples out there, like The Home Edit. Dedicate part of your planning process to Pinterest. You might not look or feel productive, but I swear you’re actually doing important work.
And then please share your findings in the comments below!