One of the things that can make our lives stressful is living in a cluttered home or working on a cluttered office desk that will later send you scrambling for some things that you just can’t find. To help you start living in a refreshing abode as opposed to a messy nightmare, start with the following ten tips to home organization and free yourself from stress.
- Use behind-the-door shoe holders for storage of tiny or awkward stuff. The cloth kind have 20 or so pockets that are ideal for craft supplies, cleaning products, tools, and office materials.
- Take care of dishes immediately after meals.
- Designate a “launchpad”. This is an area in your house, preferably near the door, where coats, jackets, shoes, backpacks, purses, keys, and everything else you need to find easily next time you leave the house stays.
- Label it! Labeling is not just for file folders – get a label-maker (or several) and keep it handy all around the house. Kitchen shelves, storage containers, bookshelves, coat racks — there are millions of places where a smart label can forestall endless amounts of clutter.
- Use clear plastic shoeboxes to store knick-knacks and other odds and ends.
- Use bed risers to increase the space under your bed.
- Use drawers, not counters, for storing bathroom stuff. Or keep all your toiletries in one box or basket on the counter — easy to move for cleaning the counter.
- Use a corkboard and pushpins to hang jewelry. Keeps everything visible but out of the way.
- Use a travel jewelry organizer that goes over a hangar. Also keeps jewelry visible and out of the way — and thieves aren’t likely to look for your jewelry among your hung clothes.
- Auto-pay everything.
Before you get overwhelmed with what to do and where to start, start in small steps towards organizing your home. Start by organizing shoes first, or your set of bags, or clearing the counter top in the kitchen, or organizing the bathroom after a bath. However small it may be, it can contribute a lot to being organized day by day.