They say a cluttered home is evidence of a cluttered mind. In fact, research has shown that clutter is associated with “stress, life satisfaction, physical health, and cognition” (Whitbourne, 2017). These helpful tips will assist you in organizing your home and help you reap the benefits of peace of mind.
Make your bed
Making your bed has been shown to “[correlate] with better productivity and stronger skills at sticking to a budget. It has also been suggested that making your bed boosts happiness” (Ashton, 2012). This simple act takes only a few minutes each morning and has amazing benefits that go beyond just making your room look instantly tidier.
Sort First, Store Later
Instead of clearing out Target’s home storage aisle in the hopes of finding the most adorable bins to fill with your stuff, begin by sorting out your belongings beforehand so you’re not left with a load of empty containers or containers that don’t fit into the space that you have. By knowing exactly what you need, you streamline the process and actually eliminate clutter instead of creating more (however fashionable it may be).
Keep Clutter Off of the Floor
A few items strewn out across the floor will make a room look more cluttered than it actually is. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, create spaces where you can easily and quickly store magazines, cushions or toys. Keeping your floors clear will make any room look instantly more organized.
Hidden Storage Is Your Friend
You don’t need giant bookshelves or special hampers to organize your things. Simply putting doors on your shelves or draping a decorative skirt around a coffee table will hide piles and make your home look and feel more organized.
Toss out What You Don’t Need
This seems like a given, but oftentimes we hold onto things for a long time because they’re not necessarily ‘junk’ or because they’re still occasionally used. I mean, do you really use the plethora of spices in your spice cabinet? Have you ever even seen the back of your spice cabinet? From old linens, extra mismatched plates and silverware, old electronics and charging cables, expired toiletries, cute stationery that’s never been used – chances are you’ve got a host of unnecessary items that you can (and should) get rid of.
Get Creative With Knick-Knacks
Instead of storing small objects (like jewelry and ornaments) in places they don’t fit well or get tangled in, try hanging them in spaces a little out of the ordinary. You can use a decorated cork board and pins to store your jewelry in a creative and fashionable way. This frees up shelf-space and doubles as decorative.
Go Vertical
To really make the most of available space, look beyond the typical. The inside of your cabinet door can be just as ideal as counter and drawer space if you utilize hanging baskets and thin wire shelves. There are a variety of products out there that help you use those empty spaces you don’t initially think of.
Break up Projects into Manageable Portions
If you feel that your home is always a mess, it’s easy to want to set aside a whole day to clean and organize. Experts say that this isn’t the best idea because you run out of stamina and set yourself up for failure. Instead, break up your projects into manageable portions. Take a couple of hours clearing out a small bedroom or a closet. These manageable goals are easier to complete and will boost your confidence, making it more likely that you will finish what you started and keep your home more organized overall.
Complete Each Task
Once you have identified your project, see it through to the end. If your goal was to clean out the closet, don’t leave the bags of donation items in the hall – take them to their destination as soon as you’re done. This prevents bulky bags from cluttering your space and the nagging feeling in the back of your mind that you have something else to do.
Create a System, Don’t “Finish” a Project
Understand that just because you’ve decluttered an area, it won’t stay uncluttered forever. Instead of focusing on organizing a space for a one-time occasion, create systems of decluttering. Have a place for things to go and take a few minutes each day to maintain the order of your house. You’ll find that in the long run a little goes a long way as long as you’re consistent.
Sources:
Ashton, J. (2012, June 26). Make Your Bed! For Productivity, Profit, and Peace. Retrieved from Apartment Therapy: https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/make-your-bed-it-just-might-make-you-productive-profitable-and-peaceful-173046
Ashton, J. (2018, February 09). 10 Simple Things to Make You Happier At Home. Retrieved from Apartment Therapy: https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/10-things-that-will-make-you-happier-at-home-174151
Doheny, K. (2005-2018). Clutter Control: Is too much “stuff” draining you? Retrieved from WebMD: https://www.webmd.com/balance/features/clutter-control#1
Fox, D. (2018, January 02). 10 ITEMS TO TOSS OR DONATE AT THE START OF THE NEW YEAR FOR A MORE ORGANIZED HOME. Retrieved February 2018, from elledecor.com: http://www.elledecor.com/life-culture/cleaning-organizing/g14511741/things-to-toss-to-declutter/
Good Housekeeping. (2014, October 6). Home Neat Home: 11 Steps to Organized Bliss. Retrieved from GoodHousekeeping.com: http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/organizing/tips/g887/tame-clutter/?
Morris, C. (2017, December 05). Pro Organizer Tips: What NOT To Do When Decluttering Your Home. Retrieved February 2018, from Apartment Therapy: https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/pro-organizer-tips-what-not-to-do-when-decluttering-your-home-168836
Roberson, K. (2018). 19 Creative Storage Ideas for Small Spaces. Retrieved February 2018, from Better Homes and Gardens: https://www.bhg.com/decorating/small-spaces/strategies/creative-storage-ideas-for-small-spaces/?slideId=fdd569fb-0b20-44e1-b6aa-18ecb859c1d7
Whitbourne, S. K. (2017, May 13). 5 Reasons to Clear the Clutter out of Your LIfe. Retrieved from Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201705/5-reasons-clear-the-clutter-out-your-life
