Did you make a resolution to be more organized this year, but haven’t quite gotten started? There are many people (myself included) in the same boat.
Organizing your whole home can feel intimidating, especially when you know things look messier before they look tidier. Don’t let the fear of clutter keep you from organizing. Follow these tips to help make the process a little easier.
Pick a starting place
Work your way through your home by focusing on one room at a time. Concentrating on each room individually can make your project seem more manageable. Having one specific room to start in will lead to a quicker feeling of accomplishment.
Take it a step further and divide your room up into zones. Focusing on one zone a day can help you keep your organization momentum without getting too overwhelmed. When you’ve finished cleaning your first room, revel in your accomplishment and move on to the next. Try making a game of it to see which room you can clean the quickest.
Slow but steady
Create a timeline for your organization project. Whether you want to spend all day or a few hours on organizing, that is up to you. However, even just 15 minutes a day of organizing can get you to your goal. It’s better to work a little bit at a time than to swamp yourself with tasks that leave you feeling burnt out.
Keep, donate, toss
As you organize your way through your home, you are bound to come across items you haven’t seen or used in a while. If you know you haven’t used an item in the past two years, there’s a good chance you won’t miss it if it’s gone. If the items are in good condition you can donate them or add them to your “garage sale” pile.
When some things are a little worse for wear, try to repurpose them if you can. Torn or stained t-shirts make great cleaning rags. A picture frame with broken glass can be turned into an earring holder with a bit of wire and glue. However, some things may be beyond repurposing and should be recycled or disposed of appropriately.
Make the most of your space
Every home has space that is underutilized. Don’t let good space go to waste. Over the door hangers are a great way to maximized space, especially in small spaces like closets. Moving your shoes to an over the door system could free up the prime storage space on a shelf. Another great place for storage that gets overlooked is under the bed. This is a good space to keep items that you don’t use as often.
Running out of space? Go vertical. Optimize that unused space between the top of your kitchen cabinets and the ceiling. This is a great spot to store cookbooks or appliances that you don’t use very often. In a living room, take your shelves all the way up the wall. If you’re feeling bold, add some built-ins that will maximize the storage on any wall. Some lenders, like PrimeLending®, offer refinance options and renovation loans to help pay for small home improvement projects.
Find a system that works for you
Some things have less to with organizing and more to do with reordering. Even reordering things on a shelf can transform their appearance. A good example is your bookshelf. If you want to be able to find a book easily, spend part of your day putting them in alphabetical order by title. Maybe you have an expansive DVD collection. Putting them in order by genre can make it easier to find your next movie night selection.
However, if you are going for a more aesthetic look, bring our old pal Roy G. Biv into the game. Color-coding your life can make everyday items, like clothes or books, look more appealing to the eye. It also makes things easier to find and put away. Red shirt? Hang it in the red section of your closet. Don’t remember the name of the book you wanted to read, but know it was blue? Now you can narrow down your search.
Maintain your work
A key aspect to being organized is staying organized. Make sure your items are visible or clearly labeled. When it’s easy to see what goes where, it’s easier to put things back where they belong. This will also make your stored items easier to access. Don’t be afraid to store the things you don’t used quite as often on high shelves or in the back of a closet.
Feel like you need more space after organizing your home? A PrimeLending loan expert can walk you through all your options from purchase loans to renovation loans and more. Contact your local PrimeLending expert to get started.
