Is your house disappearing under a sea of stuff? Are you sick of starring at the same unfinished tasks and messy spaces but don’t know what to do first? Do you feel overwhelmed at the thought of getting everything where it needs to be? Don’t worry! I’m going to share my tips on how to get started when it comes to organising your home.
Whether it’s burnout, kids, a lack of free time or something else that’s led to your space feeling cluttered and chaotic, if you’re wanting help to find a way though the mess, I’m here to help.
I’m lucky enough to have had two young children (currently 3 and 5 yers old) but, when they were born, I spent a huge chunk of both maternity leaves sat on the sofa feeding them, winding them or letting them sleep on me. During that time, I would stare at the half finished DIY jobs, the clutter and the dirt and it all just felt so much. I’d plan out in my head what I would do the second I could put the baby down. I even started planning the most basic tasks in priority order just in case the 2-hour nap turned out to be more like 30 minutes. As my kids got older, I then faced the new juggle of combining parenthood with working part-time. It was tiring. I didn’t want to start cleaning after the kids were in bed or doing DIY at the weekend. It felt like it was having a huge impact on the time I had for me.
I’ve been there, in the messy house with no idea where to start. So here’s everything I did to help me get my home organised once and for all.
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1. Write an *everything* jobs list
I know, this sounds obvious but so many people write “clear out the spare room” which could take days depending on what state it’s in. When I say write an everything list, I mean break it down into each specific task. Be clear what you want to achieve and try to avoid tasks that have multiple elements to them. For example “build and fill the new wardrobe” means you have to do two tasks in one. Break it right down so every task gets ticked off the list as soon as it’s done. That will mean your jobs list might end up as a list of 20 smaller tasks instead of 1 broad and very vague task. Yes, the list will feel longer, but your success rate will be so much higher which will give you the motivation you need to carry on.
2. Get what you need before you start
This applies to cleaning, decluttering and DIY tasks. Make sure you have everything ready to go before you commit yourself to the task otherwise you’ll feel demotivated before you’ve even started. As you write your everything jobs list, it’s helpful to write a shopping list of things to buy or pull together for each task. If your list covers more than one room you might even find you need duplicates of certain supplies which saves you time and effort (and maybe a little money too). Think about what you’ll use when decluttering and clearing a space. Bin bags, sticky labels, plastic containers and even hiring a skip may all help you clear a messy space easily. Having those to hand before you start will mean no delays and no frustration. Also, having essential cleaning materials to hand even when your focus is on decluttering will allow you to give the space a quick freshen up as you go along.
3. Identify the priorities
Highlight the tasks on your list that need to happen first so you can do other things. For example, you might need to take all the unwanted items to the charity shop or the recycling centre just to give you some much-needed breathing room before you put everything else away. Or you may want to highlight the tasks that will have the biggest impact on you and your space. If it’s going to have a huge impact on you wellbeing, it may be worth making the task a priority just for the benefits you’ll get from its completion. Whatever you choose as your priorities, remember to be selective; not everything can be a priority!
4. Be realistic with time
If you have a job, kids, a busy social life or other things that limit your time on this project, then you need to factor them into your plan. Think about how long each task will take and then think about what time you have to dedicate it. If everything you do needs to happen while your baby has a nap then you have a hard deadline. There’s no point in over-estimating what you can get done, you are not a miracle worker! Also, dont forget to be kind to yourself throughout this process. Take breaks, eat, sleep etc. If you substitute your basic needs to organise your home you’ll soon run out of energy to carry on and then you’ll resent the process altogether. If your plan is to overhaul your entire house, unless you have an army of helpers, it’s going to take you more than one day. Mentally prepare yourself for that and it’ll not become frustrating when the day is over and there are still things to do.
5. Create a process and repeat
Find what works for you when it comes to the order you do things in or the way you organise your stuff. Then, once you’ve found what works, do it again and again in each room you tackle. The more times you repeat the same steps, the more efficient you’ll become and any issues along the way will become preventable or expected. If decluttering is your main focus, you may find having plastic tubs like these extra large containers for different types of items is useful (kids toys to put away, charity shop item, things to take to other rooms etc) This means you don’t have to keep going to other rooms to put things away (which may lead you to getting distracted) It also helps to do this if you might have to stop before the task is fully complete (if that precious nap time comes to an abrupt end!) At least if everything is in a container you can put it to one side to sort later.
6. Find a starting point
It honestly doesn’t matter where you start, just start. When things feel overwhelming it can put you off completely. But by selecting just one task on your everything jobs list you can focus your energy on something achievable and forget about the rest of the list. Once you start ticking jobs off, you’ll soon feel a sense of achievement which will motivate you to do another task and another and another.
7. Prepare yourself for the curveballs
Whatever you plan to achieve, you have to be open to the fact that things might not go as you expected them to. You might find extra tasks that you weren’t expecting, you might have to change your priorities, you might run out of time or you might get sick. These things will happen at some point and if you aren’t open to adjusting your plans, you’ll feel nothing but frustration.
If you put all 7 of these steps in place, you will be ready to start organising your space and turning your house into a home.
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