I do these 4 things daily as a Professional Organizer
A common question I get asked when I’m working with clients is whether my house is super organized. I always laugh because the reality is that I have young kids and we are on the go a lot as a family so my house is never super organized. I don’t have a plethora of bins and things sorted to the 9th degree. However, doing a few things consistently each day helps me bring order back to my home no matter how busy things get.
Here are some of the daily habits that I follow to keep my house and sanity in check:
Make the bed: This may seem like an unimportant task, but it really does set the tone for the day. A made bed instantly makes the room look more organized.
Clean as I go: I try to clean up the “mess” after whatever it is that just happened (dinner, after school snack) rather than letting the mess accumulate. This looks like putting items in the dishwasher after use versus letting things sit in the sink. It’s putting items back in the fridge/pantry or trash after we eat. This not only saves time in the long run, but it also helps me feel more in control of my environment.
Reset in the evening: There is also an end of the day cleanup routine that has to happen before kids go to bed. My kids know their toys need to be put away in both our living room and their bedrooms. We have a simple system for toy organization which makes cleanup quick and easy. I also put anything that needs to go back upstairs on our step landing so I can take things up to put away as we go up to bed.
Keep running lists: I use an app on my phone called Things and I’m always adding to do’s to the app before I forget. The app allows me to have multiple to-do lists organized by store or topic. I have lists such as Target, Costco, Christmas items, and even ones for people I want to catch up with. I also have a grocery notepad on my fridge where I add items to it as we are out of things- I still like having a paper list in the grocery store since it’s usually a longer list. Keeping lists helps my mom brain stay organized! I’ll then schedule out time on my calendar to make the trip or complete items on the list.
These are small daily habits but doing these consistently has made an impact on keeping my house and my sanity in check. It has also been critical for my spouse and kids to be onboard with our routines and in agreement with what an organized space looks like- and I’ve had to compromise on that piece a bit too! I hope this inspire you to incorporate 1 new habit into your daily routine to stay more organized at home.