Are you feeling guilty about not finding the time to organize your home? Don’t be. There’s no doubt that your home office is an avalanche, and your kitchen cabinets need better storage solutions, but you’re still just a typical, busy person. Despite what DIY shows and TikTok hyper-lapse clips may suggest, trying to declutter a whole home or even a room all at once isn’t always an ideal approach for us mere mortals.
Image Credit: Shutterstock/Okrasiuk
Organizing a client’s home from top to bottom might take my team and me a couple of days, but it’s unrealistic for the average person. It can also be overwhelming and exhausting, leading to people giving up halfway through. Rachel Rosenthal, the owner of Rachel and Company, says the bite-size organization works best for most people.
Check out these doable organization ideas and sanity-saving hacks. You’ll be a vision of the organization in no time, color-coding your wardrobe with matching hangers and installing lazy Susans everywhere.
Organize This Area First To Build Motivation
To start decluttering, professional organizers recommend beginning with your junk drawer. It’s typically one of the most chaotic spots in your home due to neglect. Despite this, it doesn’t take much time to whip into shape; focusing on it while dinner simmers or kids do homework is a great way to motivate yourself. Once you’ve cleaned up a few small but impactful spots, tackle the bigger ones.
Image Credit: Pexels/Max Rahubovskiy
Plan Your Home Organization
Organizing your home takes 15 minutes, but once you’re waist-deep in sweaters or half-empty toiletries, it can be hard to stay on task. Marissa Hagmeyer, co-founder and COO of Neat Method, explains the importance of listing high-use areas within each room. Focus on one place at a time. Once you’ve cleaned up a few small but impactful spots, tackle the bigger ones.
Take A Small Step At A Time
When organizing your life, a little daily effort goes a long way when you think all or nothing. Plan your actions to relieve that overwhelming feeling of having too many responsibilities. Professional organizer Kate Pawlowski of Done & Done Home follows a strategy called the 10% rule. She says even a 10% reduction in items will make a difference in a space.