Have you been bitten by the organizing bug?! It happens to me every January. like clockwork. Something about putting away the Christmas decor ignites a fire in me to do a little tidying. Truth be told while our home isn’t the picture of organization perfection it stays in fairly good clutter-free shape year round. After reading Kondo’s book a couple years ago I’d say the magic of tidying up was in fact pretty life changing as it pushed me to examine my daily routines as well as my buying habits. I just recently did my yearly closet clean-out and was pleasantly surprised to find the whole process of going through every shirt, skirt, pant, dress, shoe, etc. and deciding what to trash or donate only took about an hour! I think it was such a quick and easy task because of the simple organizing ideas I follow on a day-to-day basis.
Today I’m sharing a few of my tried and true life hacks that seem to keep our household running *mostly* smoothly. It’s progress not perfection people. 😉
Morning & Weekly Routines
1. Outfit Planning:
In our house what seems to make a world of difference in our early morning routine is outfit planning. My kids do it weekly. I do it nightly.
I think it’s helpful to have a designated spot to keep weekly outfits. My boy uses a hanging sweater organizer that I painted the days of the week on, and my girl uses hangers on the back of her closet door.
I use a chair that doubles as a step stool to lay out the next day’s outfit in my closet. It’s hard to skip the gym when your workout clothes smack you in the face first thing in the morning.
2. Meal Planning:
This has also been a game changer for our weekly routine as I’m able to get a better handle on grocery shopping and after school activities when I know what’s on the menu for the night. Since I work from home, I’ve been known to start making dinner around noon which frees up my time in the evening. My mom who worked outside the home always woke up an hour early in the morning to make dinner before she left for work. It was one less task for her to check off after a long day at work. That’s some serious commitment to feeding your people a healthy home-cooked meal! She wins!
3. Cookbook Tabs:
I use a lot of cookbooks and have found that adding page tabs makes the planning process so much quicker.
4. Family Recipe Book:
I’ve printed out my favorite recipes that I’ve sourced online and created a “family recipe book” (of which my son says he wants a copy when he moves away from home – little does he know I’ll never let him leave 😉 ). This book saves me time and time again! It’s a great little weekend project if you’re looking to get a bit more organized with meal planning and preparation this year.
Whipping Closets & Pantries into Shape
5. Thinking Outside the Closet:
Thankfully in our current home the hubs and I have separate closets (insert praise hands emoji), but we shared a smallish closet for many, many years. I was able to tame that closet by actually utilizing clothing storage ideas outside the closet.
(Small closet? Click here)
6. Hardware Store to the Rescue:
Shoes can be a main point of contention in terms of closet organization. One Pinterest idea that actually worked totally saved my sanity in our last home. Who knew a piece of molding from the hardware store could be so life-changing?! #dramaticmuch
(DIY Shoe Rack)
7. Drapery Rods for More Than Windows:
You know what else is pretty awesome for organizing a closet? A drapery rod! Crazy right? You can use them to hang blouses….maybe weekly outfits?……or necklaces and bracelets……or grab some S-hooks from the hardware store and hang handbags……so many options outside of window treatments for these bad boys.
8. Pegboards:
They’re not just for the garage! I fancied one up with spray paint to organize my jewelry, but you could easily add one to your pantry for hanging pans,pots,measuring cups,spoons,etc.
(Pegboard Craft Supplies Organizer)
9. Chalkboard Paint:
It’s still one of my favorite things of all time. You can turn virtually any surface into a spot that makes life simpler and easier. I mean I know you could just google how many tablespoons are in a 1/2 cup, but sometimes even that feels like a giant task. #youknowImright
It doesn’t get easier or cuter than a chalkboard calendar!
Check out the wall sized one I made years ago.
10. Clothing Collections:
Without a doubt the one thing that has made the most significant impact on the organization of my clothing closet is when I started creating clothing collections rather than just buying new pieces all willy-nilly. I’m so much more intentional about what and why I buy new things. I shop less but with much more purpose. I’m more selective and have added quality over quantity to my wardrobe. If you’re looking to streamline your closet and your personal style I can not recommend this simple idea enough! I’m not talking about one of those super restrictive, only 30 wardrobe pieces, closet capsules. The clothing collections I do are not about a specific number of items, but more about creating many different looks by curating a collection of items that all go together. Check this idea out in more detail here.
Strategizing: Keeping Clutter at Bay & Not Over-Buying
Ok, so here’s the thing about organizing. It only really works when you change your mindset. Organizing doesn’t have to be a daunting task every time. We don’t have to continue to run on the hamster wheel – accumulating – decluttering – purging – accumulating – decluttering – purging.
I mean obviously we’re going to buy things. Purchasing is just a part of life. But we can be more thoughtful in our purchasing.
What keeps my own buying and accumulating of “stuff” under control are these 3 questions:
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Would I buy it if it weren’t on sale?
Sale prices can be tempting, especially in this age of fast fashion. It’s hard to say no to a cute blouse under $20. When everywhere you turn all over social media from blogs, Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest the message is often – “Hey, buy this!” – it can be hard to exhibit buying self-control. I’ve found for myself that if I wouldn’t have paid full price for something it’s often an immediate realization that I just don’t need whatever it is.
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Is there space in X for this item?
So this is something that has really helped me! You know when you’re packing for a vacation, and you can only take with you what will fit into your suitcase? #thestruggleisreal I use that same mentality when it comes to “things” in my home. For instance, I have a medium sized storage closet where I keep all of our seasonal decor. ALL of it. Every bit of spring/Easter, fall and Christmas decor fits into this closet, including all of my gift wrapping supplies and the very few birthday party & 4th of July decorations I have. I have decided that this one closet will be designated and dedicated to this one function. Which basically means I can’t add anything to my stash of decor unless it will fit in that closet. By deciding ahead of time that all of a certain category of things must fit into a certain place I’ve been able to essentially keep myself from over-buying. So after Christmas decorations on sale? No thanks…..there’s no room in the inn. 😉
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Do I really LOVE this piece?
Last but not least is my “don’t buy” phrase that I created a few years ago. I’ve stuck to my guns with that phrase, and it has been beneficial to both the design of my home and its state of organization. Do you have a “don’t buy” phrase? It’s such a game changer, I’m telling you!
Here’s to a New Year! May the January organizing and tidying bug bite hard and last long! So that next January the task will be light and easy. If you’re looking for more organizing ideas and projects check out the organization tab on my site. Two of my most popular closet ideas are the Mudroom Closet and Vanity Closet I did in our last home.
I’m constantly adding new and inspiring ideas to my Organization Pinterest board too!
Love this post! Your questions to ask are really helpful. Thank you!