If you need a hammer and nails but have to wade through old toys, paint cans, and things that have gathered dust in your garage to find them, it’s time to de-clutter.
Have you given up having family dinners because you’ve lost the dining room table under the accumulated mess?
Do you shudder when you open your refrigerator because it’s a constant reminder that you’ve neglected it? Are you afraid when you need something the kids borrowed and you are forced to search through the endless clutter in their rooms to find your belongings?
Do you have to clean out your seat into an already overloaded trunk just to give a co-worker a ride home or have to live with the pitiful look that co-worker gives when they are dusting off french fries and cheerios from the car seat in order to not smash it under their bums?
Then they finally get a day off work only to once more ignore de-cluttering in favor of going shopping, running errands, or taking the kids somewhere to have fun. So, the clutter continues to build. They may feel they sacrifice enough of their time already and work too hard to spend their precious off-time decluttering.
Yet this may be the one area that could simplify their busy lives. Gaining control over clutter can relieve stress. Sometimes a person will attempt to de-clutter their homes by cleaning and clearing only what can be readily seen by any visitors.
This is similar to the child who shoves everything under the bed or into the closet in an attempt to fool mom and dad, or at least to get them off their backs temporarily.
People become frustrated every day because they have lost something because of lack of organization. They have shoved so much junk into lockers, closets, and into their drawers that they feel the situation is hopeless.
Busy families will literally stuff a dresser so full it finally breaks the runners on the drawers, handles are pulled off from tugging open an overstuffed drawer, and the bottom will give way.
Kids lose athletic clothing, tennis shoes, and socks for lack of organization. Parents lose their ties or are late to work because their suit was wadded into a pile and wrinkled. They forget to clean their uniforms. They misplace important papers.
Clutter can affect grades at school, relationships, self-esteem, and careers.
You can learn to de-clutter. You must reprogram your thinking process and reassess your priorities. It will help you regain your sense of overall well-being. It’s never too late to learn better habits.
I'm not preaching to the choir here. We recently moved into a home and after emptying the boxes and bags and loading the furniture into necessary places for our daily routine and lives into that home, I still have the garage packed with boxes full of old toys (that the kids don't even realize are missing), clothing that we have kept around due to our idea of losing weight and being able to once again fit into such said garments. There are rubbermaid bins of scuba gear, ski attire, kickboxing uniforms. There are bins full of cable and wire and any electronic plug you could possibly dream of, all tangled into a massive infinite abyss that knowingly if discarded, you will need right away. There is this and a bit of that and it's overwhelming and completely freaks me out.
My idea is this: (which is not innocent in any sense) "It's at least in the garage and not in the home taking up space." I think this is the mentality of many many people today. Notice they have a 3 car garage and yet all family vehicles are parked in the driveway or on the street in front of the house. This is due to the garage being filled to the brim with all the yard work tools, fishing reels and rods, tools upon tools, maintenance materials, blah blah blah. The list goes on and on. It's easy to just shut the door behind you, enter into the home, and not have to think about it until next time.
So?!...my next project to complete (aside from all the painting that needs to be done) is getting this garage unpacked and decluttered. It's an eye sore and it should not be that way regardless of how long we have lived here. It's a subconscious weight on my shoulders, additional stress added to my well-being, and nothing pretty to look at. It's time to get it taken care of completely.
There are myths behind getting your home decluttered. Let's set the record straight:
Myth #1: You have to be born organized to live organized, right?
Wrong! Some people mistakenly believe if you don't have organization in your blood, it's going to be nearly impossible to make the changes to how you live and enjoy the simplicity of being organized.
Once you get the main idea down, make a habit of doing the necessary things to get your home decluttered and continue placing things where they belong, you'll be able to realize the effects it has on your personal well-being. You may feel lighter, be able to breathe easier, and have the comfortable feeling knowing that if anyone is looking for anything, you know where it might be.
Myth #2: You have to spend a lot of money to have the right kind of storage.
That's definitely not the case.
First off, there are so many discount stores fighting for your business some of the latest organizing systems are being practically given away and certainly will get the job done.
Secondly, storage doesn't have to be fancy. In fact I use more items from discount craft stores and yard sales for storage than I do from the big name stores.
Myth #3: It takes a lot of energy and motivation to get your home organized.
This is absolutely false.
It's really only a matter of changing the way you do things and thinking differently about the excess of material things people today own.
And you certainly don't have to take it all on at once. There are some simple rules you can start to live by that will make disorganization a thing of the past.
Even if you are not the cause of the clutter and it's a spouse or kids living with you, you can all learn what it takes and just make a few simple changes to live a better life...being organized.
Home Organization Tips and Tricks:
A cluttered and disorganized home is a very big source of stress whether you know it or not. When everything around you is in order, your brain can more easily focus on things. Sometimes it can be very difficult to find the motivation to get organized and very overwhelming to find a starting point. Here you will find some quick tips on everyday things that you can do to aid in the proccess of becoming organized and living in a healthy environment.
Tips: 5 Fast Home Organization and Declutter Tools
Easy Home Organiation Tools
1. Put things Back Where You Found Them-
Have a "home" for every item, and make sure it is put back if it is removed. Always put things back in their place when you are done with them and especially before you move onto something else. This will not allow things to pile up and look overwhelming to sort through later on.
2. Snail Mail-
Deal with mail as soon as you walk in the door with it. Immediately toss or shred anything you don't need such as credit card offers and other junk mail! Take care of any bills you receive right away so you eliminate the risk of losing it or forgetting it and ending up with late charges. (FACT: 23% of adults say they pay bills late (& thus incur fees) because they lose them! National Association of Professional Organizers)
3. Don't Let Dishes Pile Up-
After dinner take the time to clean up the table and do the dishes, make sure everyone helps out so it will go a lot faster. This should be especially easy if you have a dishwasher, but don't forget to run it before you go to bed! You will be amazed at how much better your kitchen will look and feel without a pile of dirty dishes. (And a simple wiping down of the countertops will add the sparkle)
4. Dirty Clothes-
Have a place for everybody to put their dirty laundry (not on the floor!), and space permitting have them put it in designated pile (whites, colors, etc.) to save time later on. Also, do the laundry in smaller segments when one pile gets big enough for a load to avoid Laundry Overload later on!
On a side note, sort through your clothes and get rid of or donate anything you don't wear anymore to a local charity. This includes clothes that are no longer in fashion, no longer fit, or clothes you haven't worn in at least a year. (FACT: We wear 20% of the clothes we own 80% of the time. The rest hangs there, just in case. National Association of Professional Organizers)
5. Enjoy Your Clutter Free Home-
Light some candles and sit down to watch a movie or read a book. Enjoy your new functional and calming environment. Not only is your home now more immaculate, it is far more calming and even healthier. You can do this, and once you see how much more relaxing your home is you will never want to go back to how you were living before. Who knows, maybe you'll invite your friends and family over for a get together now and be proud not ashamed!
Have a "home" for every item, and make sure it is put back if it is removed. Always put things back in their place when you are done with them and especially before you move onto something else. This will not allow things to pile up and look overwhelming to sort through later on.
2. Snail Mail-
Deal with mail as soon as you walk in the door with it. Immediately toss or shred anything you don't need such as credit card offers and other junk mail! Take care of any bills you receive right away so you eliminate the risk of losing it or forgetting it and ending up with late charges. (FACT: 23% of adults say they pay bills late (& thus incur fees) because they lose them! National Association of Professional Organizers)
3. Don't Let Dishes Pile Up-
After dinner take the time to clean up the table and do the dishes, make sure everyone helps out so it will go a lot faster. This should be especially easy if you have a dishwasher, but don't forget to run it before you go to bed! You will be amazed at how much better your kitchen will look and feel without a pile of dirty dishes. (And a simple wiping down of the countertops will add the sparkle)
4. Dirty Clothes-
Have a place for everybody to put their dirty laundry (not on the floor!), and space permitting have them put it in designated pile (whites, colors, etc.) to save time later on. Also, do the laundry in smaller segments when one pile gets big enough for a load to avoid Laundry Overload later on!
On a side note, sort through your clothes and get rid of or donate anything you don't wear anymore to a local charity. This includes clothes that are no longer in fashion, no longer fit, or clothes you haven't worn in at least a year. (FACT: We wear 20% of the clothes we own 80% of the time. The rest hangs there, just in case. National Association of Professional Organizers)
5. Enjoy Your Clutter Free Home-
Light some candles and sit down to watch a movie or read a book. Enjoy your new functional and calming environment. Not only is your home now more immaculate, it is far more calming and even healthier. You can do this, and once you see how much more relaxing your home is you will never want to go back to how you were living before. Who knows, maybe you'll invite your friends and family over for a get together now and be proud not ashamed!
Common Home Organization Problems
...and easy solutions!
One cause of home organization problems is small spaces. When you have a small space, it is easy to become disorganized because you often have more stuff than places to put it.
However, this is actually an easier problem to fix, with a little planning. You can install shelving along the walls to maximize the use of the space. You can install drawers under beds and couches, or use small, thin containers and slide them underneath the furniture.
The biggest cause of organization problems in a child's room is a lack of places for toys to go. (GUILTY!!!)
One toy box for all toys is not reasonable. The child will most likely want the toy that is at the bottom of the box, and continue to empty it onto the floor and scatter it throughout the house until it is found.
This can be avoided by replacing the single large toy box with shelving, smaller boxes, and Ziplock bags for smaller toys.
Once you understand the causes of your disorganization and create solutions, keeping your home organized will soon become easy and smooth, rather than a life long chore.
However, this is actually an easier problem to fix, with a little planning. You can install shelving along the walls to maximize the use of the space. You can install drawers under beds and couches, or use small, thin containers and slide them underneath the furniture.
The biggest cause of organization problems in a child's room is a lack of places for toys to go. (GUILTY!!!)
One toy box for all toys is not reasonable. The child will most likely want the toy that is at the bottom of the box, and continue to empty it onto the floor and scatter it throughout the house until it is found.
This can be avoided by replacing the single large toy box with shelving, smaller boxes, and Ziplock bags for smaller toys.
Once you understand the causes of your disorganization and create solutions, keeping your home organized will soon become easy and smooth, rather than a life long chore.
"When in doubt: breathe, drink water, clear clutter."
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Adjustable Closet Kit Customize closet storage space in minutes (at a fraction of the cost of the professionals) and arrange entire wardrobe any way your heart desires. Kit includes 3 vertical poles, 2 horizontal poles, and 2 shelves that require no tools to assemble. Simply tension mount between existing closet rod and floor no marring or holes! Simply tension mount between existing closet rod and floor - no marring or holes! Poles adjust and expand to match the size of your closet.ROLL-OUT CADDY
Rolling Caddy holds cleaning supplies between or beside the washer and dryer, or in kitchen between fridge and cabinet. Easy to roll. Easy assembly. Powder coated white steel, 32 x 23 1/2 x 9".GARDEN AND GARAGE ORGANIZER
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