Juggling a household on a daily basis keeps any mum busy enough but what about when you have areas in the home you want to organise but just don’t have time to get to?
This is a problem I face as well. Making sure there’s food in the fridge, clothes are washed, bills are paid and lots of cuddles are given out on a daily basis keep me busy enough but I also know I really want to get in and organise my pantry. And if I don’t soon I’ll go nuts!
So how do you move an organising project forward before you blow a gasket? Here are some ideas to get you started!
Have your tools ready to go at any time! This includes:
- A rubbish bin
- A recycle bin
- A ‘donate’ bag
- A ‘return to it’s rightful home’ bag, and
- A ‘repair’ bag. You may not need all of these in each space but that’s OK!
Smaller containers to put things in while you’re organising. This could include small shoeboxes, ice cream containers or prettier containers and boxes you’ve bought from the shop. One HUGE word of advice don’t buy any containers until you know what you need to store! Now let’s get started.
1. Start small.
Just because you’ve decided you need to organise this space doesn’t mean you have to do the WHOLE thing today! Start with one section in the space (for example spices in the pantry, the top drawer of your bedside table, one shelf on the bookshelf). Set a timer for 10-15 minutes and see what you can get done. You will be surprised by the difference a small amount of time organising and decluttering any room makes. You may not finish and may need to come back tomorrow but that’s Okay!
2. Allocate time.
This is different to the 10-15 minute blitz. This means “On Thursday morning I am going to organise (this space)”. If you can’t make the appointment with yourself for whatever reason reschedule it to a better time.
3. Have your children help.
Most children from about three years of age can work side by side with an adult to organise their space. Get them to help sort like-with-like and then donate any unwanted items to charity. You’ll be teaching them great life skills!
The key to remember when organising is that you don’t need to start in the hardest place in your home.