Each time you de-clutter you promise yourself that you’ll never let the house or your work space get in the same condition… ever… again! Guess what, one month later the clutter is back and the chaos is everywhere.
Keeping a home or an office organized is one of the most challenging tasks because it’s simply easier to pile things on top of each other than to look for the proper place of each individual item.
Still, putting a bit of effort into it can help you get rid of the mess forever. A few simple and effective organizing hacks can turn your home or office into that interior design magazine spread you’ve always been dreaming of.
Do a Clutter Purge Every Now and Then
Did you know that a cluttered home or office could actually be making you stressed out and even depressed? Yes, the condition of your living space and the place where you do work will have an impact on your emotions.
To de-clutter effectively, do a thorough purge every now and then.
And by purge we mean exactly that. Don’t keep the set of plates that you’ll eventually give your niece in 10 years. Throw that away and if your niece ever runs in a plate emergency, you can simply buy her a new set.
Ask yourself one very important question – am I going to use this ever? If the answer is no or maybe, you don’t need the item. Some of the pieces can be donated – you don’t have to throw everything away. This way, you’ll feel good about doing the purge and helping someone in need.
The very same rule applies to getting rid of clutter in the office. Purge, purge, purge – you don’t need those promo calendars that you printed five years ago. It’s about to be 2016 not 2010!
Commit Each Drawer to One Type of Storage
Some people have a strange idea about controlling clutter and chaos – just throw everything in the nearest drawer. This way, instead of being on the surface, the clutter settles in every individual drawer of the house.
The simplest thing you can do to control the situation is dedicate each drawer to just one type of storage.
One drawer could be dedicated to writing supplies, one could hold jewelry and one will be great for the souvenirs that you don’t want to keep on the shelves. Using drawer partitions is also great to keep everything from simply being thrown in a messy pile.
Repurpose and Organize
Old boxes, ribbons and cardboard can actually be used to organize your home. Repurposing old items and containers is one of the most cost-efficient options for maintaining a mess-free home or office.
Here’s one very simple and effective hack – don’t throw away ribbons or the rope that packages are tied with. Instead, use it to tie sheet sets together. Your sheets will stay in sets and you’ll be free from having to dig through the closet, looking for those matching pillowcases.
Old shoe boxes can also be used to organize files in the office or documents at home. You can get a bit creative and have those decorated. Some people have gone a step further and turned old shoe boxes in some truly creative and practical things.
Does Your Home Feature Unused Storage Space?
Most people experience clutter problems due to the lack of enough storage space. Chances are that you consider yourself one of these people.
Your home or office features so many storage nooks and crannies that you aren’t aware of. The space underneath your bed, the place underneath the stairs, hanging things on the walls, built-in and pull-out cabinets, the space underneath the bathroom vanity and even the ceiling can be turned into a storage area (all that you have to do is install a couple of shelves).
Labels do Miracles
Very often, you can’t keep your living or working space organized because you can’t remember what went where. Being absent-minded during the cleaning process can often lead to such problems.
In order to make things easier, especially if you’ve just reorganized your space, opt for the good, old label. Label everything – shelves, the jars in the kitchen, the files, bins and boxes. If you know what’s inside before you even take the lid off, you’ll get to save a lot of time when trying to organize things.
Keep Flat Surfaces Clear…
Do you tend to throw things on your desk or the living room table? Most people are guilty of the very same sin.
Flat surfaces are the ones that tend to get most cluttered simply because they’re convenient. Adding a few open shelves on top of the desk will give you storage convenience without tempting you to clutter the flat surface.
Put a large box underneath the desk or in the corner. Use this box for the things that you’ll typically throw on the desk. Go through the box periodically to organize things and throw away everything you no longer need.
… and Keep Your Clothes in the Closet
This is another popular behavior leading to clutter. When you come home, you simply leave your clothes on the first chair that crosses your path. After all, going to the closet will require about 30 seconds more. The same applies to putting clothes in the laundry bin.
There isn’t an easy hack for this one – just try to establish a habit. Putting clothes where they need to be doesn’t require an awful lot of time but the impact of this new habit will be immediately visible.
Cords, Digital Technologies and Contemporary Messes
The final type of mess we’re going to address is the digital one.
Keeping cords and devices in a hi-tech household or office is often a difficult, difficult task. Still, you’ll come across a number of ingenious cable organizing ideas. You can buy some smart little hacks, use bread tags to label cables or try cable twisters – all of these ideas will make a lot of sense and keep you from tripping across the dozens of cords on the floor.
By Cliff Derksen, owner of First Impressions Janitorial a commercial cleaning service in winnipeg (www.firstimpressionsjanitorial.ca)