If you’re somewhat of a creative, you might be prone to disorganization and clutter, like me. But, you’re in luck. According to an article in Fast Company, this might make us more productive.When stuff is all put away the mind wanders and it can be hard to focus. When clutter is around it evokes a sense of familiarity and comfort. This makes so much sense and says a lot about my work and lifestyle. However, it also makes our space look like a disaster zone 90% of the time. If you have kids or pets I’d go so far to say 99% of the time.
As I began to read through The Happiness Project I listed out the ways more happiness could be inserted into my daily life and removing clutter/organization was high on the list. Clutter is one of those things that just seemed to take over my life, to the point of claustrophobia. Every few months I would find myself suddenly looking around and exclaiming, “Everything needs to go!” But then, I’d never do anything about it. The piles would continue to grow because lets face it, that’s easier than cleaning.
Looking back over my life organization is not a skill I’ve ever really had or been taught. My locker was always the messiest in my class and my car looked like I could live out of it for a week. As an adult, my handbag and now baby bag are the same. I have items for every possibly crazy kiddo scenario. (Complete with a handful of spilled Cheerios, of course.)
In order to make a clean, fresh start, the clutter has to go. Both in the home and in life. That’s why I’ve chosen Organization as my January theme. I plan to divide up my home and my life into smaller areas to cleanse. Cleaning up a little bit at a time will help to make progress throughout the whole year. Because lets be honest, there is no way to tackle an entire home in just one month.
To help track progress I’m using a combination of laminated printable checklists, a daily planner, a large family calendar and lots and lots of scented garbage bags.
Clearing Out The Clutter Zone By Zone
First, I took a walk around and noted all of the major zones in our home. Then I made a list in my notebook. Below each zone I put checkboxes and the specific de-cluttering tasks for each area. For example:
KITCHEN
- Move things OFF the counter into cabinets
- Organize and store hand towels
- Get containers for spices
- Clean out the pantry and label bins
- Find an eco friendly alternative to oven cleaner
- Buy new oven mitts
- Clear out the top of the fridge
- Stock up on 1 year supply of sponges
- Make a new menu board
- Declutter fridge mementos and file
This helps to see exactly what action needs to be taken, supplies that will need to be purchased and estimated time it will take to complete.
Next, I put together a cleaning schedule for our whole family. We have a daily schedule and a rotating weekend plan. I had no idea how often bath towels should be washed or when to scour the tub. Now I know! There are tons of free printable checklists on Pinterest to help get you started. Eventually I plan to read The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up that friends keep raving about too.
Each weekend this month we plan to stay home and start organizing EVERYTHING. The hallway, our master closet, the office, the car… just all of it really. Starting the year off by giving some visible structure to our home is definitely a step in the right direction for this project and I can’t wait to start.
