Take a look around your home. How is it designed? Where do you place your belongings? Is there a pattern of conventionality throughout the home? Meaning everything in each room only contains objects acceptable for that location (e.g. pots/pans/dishes only in the kitchen; all toiletries, hair and makeup only in the bathroom; coats only in the coat closet, etc.).
The exciting news is that you can fight against the decorating norms and choose to organize your home specifically for you and develop better home organization habits across the board. If you always do your hair in the kitchen while you’re making breakfast, designate a kitchen drawer for the brush, straightener, hair ties, etc. If you leave your shoes all over the house and you’re constantly searching for the missing half, buy a shoe organizer and place it by the door where you enter. If you hate separating laundry, buy a two sided hamper (or three or four), so you separate as you discard the dirty clothes (lights, darks, dry-clean, delicates, etc.). Then keep the hamper where you most often change clothes (even if it’s near the entryway!). If you keep paying bills late (and still receive a hard copy via mail), add a clip to the wall near your launch pad (discover how to create a launch pad here!), and organize the bills in order of due date (write the due date on the outside of the envelope in RED). This way, you’ll see the upcoming due date each time you drop off your keys or purse at the launch pad.
So, how do you organize for you? By following 3 quick and easy steps, you’ll soon discover a new fluidness in your daily routine and wonder how you ever survived prior to organizing for yourself.
Tips for Home Organization Habits
Step 1: Spend a day, a week, or even 20 minutes, studying your daily habits to discover what you do in each room and what you may need.
Step 2: Write down what items you leave a room to grab or what items require you to walk across the room.
Step 3: Re-design your spaces to fit your newly discovered habits. This could include clearing entire drawers, cabinets, or closets to make room for the items you actually use in that area. A few examples: (1) if you realize you need filtered water to brush your teeth, rather than walking back downstairs to pour a glass each time you brush your teeth, think about installing a mini fridge in your master bathroom or (2) if your spices are in the pantry, clear the cabinet or drawer that’s directly by the stove. Think efficiency.
Don’t be afraid to completely change around a space. I just finished helping a client revamp her entire apartment. The biggest change was her coat closet. It was filled with yoga mats, Christmas decorations, a heater, fan, and chi machine. Minus the yoga mats (which we moved to her spacious bedroom closet along with all her sports equipment), she needed access to the rest about once a year. So, we placed it in bins and moved it to outdoor storage. Then, we transformed her coat closet into an arts and crafts closet. Prior to my visit, the arts and crafts were sporadically placed throughout the apartment. Now, she knows exactly where to find her supplies and it’s a convenient location to her work desk.
What areas do you have in your home that break the home decorating norms? Share your successes with a comment below!
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