For most of us, cleaning and organizing is not exactly our idea of a FUN day. In fact, we dread it. This is something we do because we have to, not necessarily that we want to. If this sounds familiar then this 8 step guide on how to organize and simplify your home couldn’t have come at a more PERFECT time.
As an Interior designer, I always have to consider how the spaces I design are going to be used and maintained.
Because there is absolutely no point in having a very beautiful house, BUT a burden to keep clean and organized.
I often advise my clients to keep it simple. Since your home is your haven; A sacred place where you get rejuvenated, inspired, and motivated.
You do not want to fill it with clutter.
Instead, invest in good quality materials that will age well and don’t need a lot of attention and care. So that you can have time to enjoy your home. I strongly believe that your home greatly impacts the quality of your life as well as your wellbeing. That is why it is important to keep it simple, clean, and tidy while still appreciating the process. So without further ado; here are 8 practical steps to organize and simplify your home.
1.PURGE AND DECLUTTER
One can not talk about a simplified life without mentioning the idea of living with less; often referred to as Minimalism. This is a concept that requires you to downsize your possessions to the bare essentials; Only living with those items that are important and useful to you. Arguably decluttering is the first step to simplifying your home. That said, there is loads of advice on how to declutter; But for me, it comes down to these 2 guiding principles;
- If i havent used it in a month then most likely I do not need it.
2. And when am confused about an item, I ask myself the question; Would I buy this again? if the answer is no, I let it go!
It is important to declutter and purge everything that doesn’t add value to your life
But also, try and do it responsibly with respect and care for the environment. There are great websites out there that can connect you to charities in your neighborhood; For example Donation Town. So you can donate or Reuse those items that do not serve you anymore.
Or if you prefer to sell them off; You can try Facebook Market Place or ebay. That way you can get rid of some of your stuff without causing much damage to our habitat.
A home with less clutter makes for easy cleaning and organizing; Because there is less stuff to keep clean and tidy
2.PERSONALIZE YOUR HOME
Since your home is meant to serve you, it only makes sense that it is custom-designed to your taste and needs.
That is to say that it is an extension of your personality and values.
By prioritizing what is important to you, you will always be surrounded by what you truly love, use, and value.
Which will give you the motivation you need to take care of it.
Even more, design your home in such a way that it provides opportunities for you to create memorable experiences with your family.
As opposed to it being a place to store junk. And it will be a joy to clean and maintain.
3.KEEP IT CLEAN AND ORGANISED
You have probably heard of the saying: “For every minute spent organizing an hour is earned.” Benjamin Franklin
I find this to be true because an organized home makes it easy to find items when you need them. Plus it is such a delight to come to.
Have a place for everything and keep everything in its place.
A hint is the first place you go to look for an item is the place you should probably keep it. This will help you find things quickly and subconsciously. Saving you valuable time.
4.CREATE BASIC RHYTHMS AND ROUTINES FOR YOUR WEEK
Creating daily routines that set you up for success is another way you can simplify your home; And make life easier for yourself.
For example, an evening routine that sets you up for a stress-free morning the next day makes for a calmer smoother day.
To say the least, routines make maintaining your home that much easier. Especially if you struggle with consistency when it comes to cleaning and tidying up. This is because repetition makes for habit. And you will find yourself subconsciously doing tasks around your house without even having to think about it.
5.ESTABLISH SYSTEMS
A system is a set of principles or procedures according to which something is done.
Similar to having routines, systems will help you take the guesswork out of your mundane tasks;
To get an idea of how systems work; We can take the example of a storage system set up with different baskets for giveaways or recyclable materials;
Such that if you or any member of the family has something they would like to give away, they know exactly where to put it.
Or you can have a cleaning system with specific tasks to be performed in particular time blocks like daily /weekly/monthly/quarterly etc.
The choice is yours; feel free to experiment with different systems until you land on one that fits your schedule and family.
Try and make this process fun as you go along. Personalized calendars like these ones from Erin Condren are a great idea; Because they can help you plan and keep track of your tasks so as to be more deliberate.
A test to prove you have put in place great systems is when your physical presence is not needed to run your home.
6.DO LESS MORE OFTEN
This might not seem significant. But trust me, it goes a long way to keeping your home organized.
Do less more often: instead of letting mess accumulate in your home by doing one big clean once a week. Try to break it up into smaller tasks you can tackle every day.
You can do these tasks maybe 10 minutes every day before you go to work; Or before you go to bed.
And the best thing about this is that everyone can help out.
It will surprise you how much you can get done in 10 minutes.
Also, this saves you a lot of valuable time; Since you do not have to give away a full day to cleaning.
Which you could use to spend with your friends and family.
7.KEEP IT SIMPLE
Similar to organizing; Keep it super simple. Whether it’s a storage system or routine; Make it trouble-free to put things away and to tidy up.
A great tip is easy access storage baskets or containers. They are an inexpensive way to store things safely and quickly. This will keep you motivated to organize and simplify your home; Since it’s much easier to do.
8.DO IT TILL ITS DONE
Lastly, finish every task to the end. For instance, laundry is not done until all the clothes are ironed and folded away. That way you do not have to be sucked into an endless cycle of unfinished duties.
There you have it! My 8 practical steps to organize and simplify your home without thinking too much or breaking a sweat.
cheers!
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