How to Keep Your Space Organized

How to keep your space organized? This is something most of us have asked and pondered, trying to figure out the right method. When we want to have an easy, non-time-consuming way to keep our home organized it takes a combination of having the right spot to store items and the right routines to put them away.

The first part of that requires understanding what you do in life and what tools you use to accomplish those projects. Then we find the right place to store those tools close to where you use them.

A good example of how this works is your kitchen. What if your oven was in the basement, your frig was on the seconded floor, and you had to use the bathroom sink. How much longer would it take you to prepare meals? That is why they came up with a specific room for a house to store and prepare food.

We can refine that organization even more by designating certain aeras of the kitchen for specific tasks. Like an aera for mixing ingredients together. So, having mixing bowls, measuring cups and spoons, whisks and mixing spoons, blenders and anything else you use in this process, right in that aera. The rule of thumb is that everything in the kitchen should be keep within 1-2 steps of where you use it.

We can try using the same rule of thumb for most of our belongings. Such as, items you bring with you out of the house on a regular baces, try keeping near the door. With hooks, baskets and bags we can organize space near the entrance for more than just coats and boots.

Routines For How to Keep Your Space Organized

Routines are something we have to learn. And no one becomes truly good at something overnight. We have to practice routines just as we practice throwing a ball to play professionally. Or practice the violin to be a musician. So, develop your routines or modify them, then practice, practice, practice.

When developing or modifying routines you need to look at every aspect of a situation to see where an improvement can help. Like if you want to shorten how long it takes to put grocery's away, using a cart that can be hauled up stairs can usually hold more grocery's than you can carry in your arms, so it takes less time to bring the items in. Then setting each bag near where the items belong, such as the cold storage items near the frig and the pantry items near the pantry, will make the putting away prosses quicker because you are not running back and forth through the kitchen with each induvial item.

Another routine around the house that could probably go a lot faster, is picking up the house. I love using baskets around the house especially having one at one end of the house and another at the other end that live in those places. When family members use something at one end of the house that belongs at the other end but don't have time to bring it back than they need to set it in the basket. Then we need to make it a routine that we look in the basket when we are going to go to the other end of the house, to see what we can put away as we go. Having everyone set the items in the baskets instead of wherever, both keeps the rooms looking neat and takes less time in picking up the space. A basket with a handle is also helpful in that if it is full when you look in there than you can easily carry the basket with you to put things away, room by room as you walk through the house. Just remember to bring the basket back to where it lives, when you go back that way.

Reaping Rewards

Being clean and orderly is not a trait we are born with. Some may have more naturally picked it up when we were little by watching someone, but it is in everyone's best interest to have a clean and orderly environment. So, just like you have to keep repeating words for your kids to learn to speak, so to with teaching them to use the routines you put in place for the family. If you keep at it, you will reap the rewards of a calmer, more orderly home.