By Cory Sekine-Pettite
This year, we’ve all had much too much time at home, as we’ve telecommuted and tried to limit our time in crowds or in busy, enclosed spaces. Thus, it has been harder to ignore all of those home improvement projects and organizational needs that once were all too easy to put off. Out of sight, out of mind, right?
Well, when you’re looking out across your living space from your seemingly permanent work-from-home station, your eyes eventually start to focus on the room you had been planning to redecorate, or the flooring you no longer admire, or — for me — the many sections and collections of “things” that I have wanted to organize or reorganize. You see, I’m a bit of an aspirational super-organizer. Not quite a Marie Kondo type, but close. Spending hours on end at The Container Store is my idea of heaven. But it seems that no matter how many organization projects I complete, there are others ready to take their place in the front of my mind. And now that I’ve been at home for the better part of a year, all of those to-do list projects are screaming for attention.
There’s an endless number of online resources to help you get your home organized. A recent one I ran across from UK-based retailer Wren Kitchens offers an entire library of organizational tips, including how to get started. So below I’ve summarized their “16 Amazing Tips for Organizing Your Home”:
- Tackle decluttering first — You can’t organize your home until you’ve had a good declutter first.
- Keep your surfaces clean — Make it a rule!
- Identify danger zones — These clutter danger zones are often in key areas such as near the front door.
- Organize your cupboards with baskets — Using the basket system makes it far easier to organize things into categories.
- Sub-divide your drawers — There are lots of things that you can repurpose into dividers, including shoe boxes.
- Use vertical sorting — Works well for pot lids and cutting boards.
- Turn your paperwork digital — Opt for paper-free billing; get a scanner.
- Store your instruction manuals together — You never know when you may need these.
- Consider when you’ll actually need items — For example, cupboards near the dishwasher can house your plates.
- Invest in stackable storage solutions — And stick to one system for easy stacking!
- Maximize and multiply your shelf space — There’s more room in your cupboards than you think.
- Regularly stock-take and rotate — Take note of what’s in your pantry before you shop.
- Keep one drawer empty — Use it instead of that pile of gently worn clothes you have now.
- Set up organization station — Keep track of shopping lists, meal plans, and upcoming events.
- Let your space define what you allow yourself to buy — It means that if you want to make a new purchase, you’ll likely have to declutter other items to make room.
- Use microwave minutes to stay organized — Microwave minutes refer to small pockets of time that can be squeezed into your day.n
