Get Organized at Home Tips (part 2)

Hopefully, you’ve read our Get Organized at Home articles which gave you some tips and ideas on home storage solutions.  Now it’s time to get down to business and keep your home clutter free and tidy.

Here are a few tips to help you do just that and more importantly help you get organized at home for the long term.

Recycle old newspapers and magazines -   Don’t let them pile up all around your house, more than likely you won’t get back to that newspaper article or magazine column again so once you finish with it, recycle it.  

Have a message station – Keep your telephone, pens, note pads, mail, and calendar in one central location.  Jot down all important dates and appointments as soon as you schedule them.

Have a filing system – Don’t let piles of papers clutter your house.  Deal with bills and mail as soon as you get it.  Set up a filing system for pending and need to be filed items, and don’t forget to file them.  Also, take a little time and actually clean out your old papers and files.  If you haven’t used something in a while but don’t want to get rid of it put it in a box labeled old files and store it away in your attic or garage.

Put it Away – First you need to make sure you have a place for everything in your house, then get into the habit of putting things away as soon as you finish with them.  Teach your kids to do the same.  If you take a few seconds to put things away you’ll never have an overwhelming problem on your hands.  Make sure the kids know there is an appropriate place for everything.

Multi task – Don’t let precious minutes slip away.  If you’re on hold on the telephone, why not use that time to clean out your purse.  If a friend calls for a chat, clean the house or fold the laundry while you’re talking.  You’ll get your chores done without even noticing. 

The Basket Technique – Works especially well if your house is set over two or more floors.  Go from room to room with one large basket and place items that don’t belong in the room inside your basket.  Then simply put the items back where they belong.  This will save you time and help keep things organized.

The Evening Tidy – Each evening take a few minutes to put things back in their place.  Try to do a quick tidy and leave your things ready for the next day.  You could set out placemats for breakfast and pack the kids lunches. 

This will help you avoid rushing in the morning but you’ll also feel good to wake up to a neat and tidy house.