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What does being organized mean to you?

Is it aesthetics or function?  If you have an active lifestyle, do you need something that helps you get your day started quicker, like making lunches the night before, or do you love to cook and want an organized kitchen by reorganizing your cupboards with easy access in specific sections of what you use the most?

Is there a system your husband or partner can follow to keep the garage organized, such as pegboards to hang items on and putting 2 X 4’s on the rafters to put Christmas decorations? Do you want a system that keeps the whole family on the same page, where everyone knows and does certain tasks to achieve the organizational goal?

Successful organizing is based on the recognition that people get organized because they, too, have a vision.

~ Paul Wellstone

Start by making a daily or weekly checklist

It may seem overwhelming, so getting started can be the hardest part.  You can start by making a daily or weekly task checklist to put on your refrigerator, delegating the family responsibilities, and checking them off as they are done.  This can help you keep focused.

Some people are motivated by tackling the toughest task first.  If there are things that annoy you daily, you might want to start with those first.  This could be washing the dishes, making the beds, cleaning the bathroom, clothes in the dryer, or on a chair that needs to be folded and put away, picking up clutter and putting it in their correct spots… not on the kitchen table where stuff can collect.

Some want to start with the smaller, easier tasks first and work into the tougher projects.  Pick something meaningful and less time-consuming, such as cleaning out and rearranging your drawers.  Working to your favorite music or playlist can get you up dancing through those tasks!  Do tasks in small chunks, three hours tops.

Start one room at a time

Kitchen

• Start one cupboard at a time and remove everything from the cupboard and use a wet and dry cloth to clean inside and out, and put down paper if you like.  If you have dishes or glasses that have been there for a while and seem dusty, put them in the dishwasher or wash them by hand.
• When dry, put it back in the cupboard arranged the way you want.  Do the same with the pantry and throw out expired food, including spices.
• Clean out your refrigerator and throw out old and expired food. Use warm water and soap to wipe down the inside and take out racks and bins to clean and wipe down.
• Pull out the refrigerator and vacuum underneath and the back of the refrigerator to get rid of built up dirt and dust. Wipe down the top and outside.
• Make sure the temperature is at the right temperature so food does not freeze when items are full or pushed to the back.
• If you have a self-cleaning oven, be sure to use it once a year, to get baked on food removed and have a clean oven that won’t have that burnt-on smell. If it self-cleaning find a safe oven cleaner to use. Wipe down the microwave to clean the spills and splatters.

Living Room

• Now might be the time to rearrange furniture, so get a brush with a long handle to get rid of cobwebs as you are rearranging.  Vacuum the furniture or spot clean if needed. If you have carpeting steam clean. 
• Also, use a duster to clean baseboards, clean the blinds and window sills.  Be sure to clean the windows with a cleaner and rag  that will not leave streaks or lint.  Replace damaged or old blinds. 
• Clean the ceiling fan with a duster or another tip is to take a pillowcase and use that so the dirt and dust goes inside the pillowcase instead on the furniture or floor.  You can then use the duster to finish it up.
• If you have a fireplace you might want to hire a reputable chimney sweep company to clean the fireplace and for safety reasons. 
• If you have wood flooring, find the right cleaner and clean the floor to make it look new again. 
• The hall closet is usually for coats, boots, vacuum cleaner and other odds and ends.  Take out everything and send coats to the cleaners or donate or sell if you no longer want them. 
• Also, sort through whatever else you have left in there and donate or sell.  Clean, vacuum and wipe down the closet and put back what you decided to keep. 

Dining Room

• If you have a dining room with a table and chairs and a hutch, be sure to clean the table and chairs with a cleaner of your preference, and put a setting that looks nice year-round with a centerpiece.
• Clean the carpet or floor and clean the windows and sills and get rid of the cobwebs.  If things are dusty in the hutch take them out and wash them and pull everything else out so you can wipe down the inside. 
• If the hutch has windows, clean those too.  Decide if there is anything in there you might want to get rid of and replace, and then put all the items back.

Bedrooms

• Do the same to the bedrooms as you did in the living room.  Don’t forget the closet. 
• Take everything out and clean and vacuum inside and go through the clothing and donate or sell what you don’t want anymore.  If the hanging bar and shelving are old and showing wear and tear, replace those. 

Bathrooms

• If caulking is old and has mildew, remove and replace it in the shower, tub, or around the toilet, when needed.  Clean the shower doors and tracks with cleaners that remove soap scum and mildew. 
• Find a cleaner that can make your tub or shower sparkling white again.
• If the fixtures are old, and the toilet seat is broken or old, you can replace those too. 
• Clean and wipe down the exhaust fan, and wipe down the walls and ceiling for stains that accumulate from being exposed to constant steam and build-up of dirt. 

Laundry room

• If the laundry room is in the garage, just make sure the washer and dryer are cleaned and wiped down often, and if the washer has a self-clean button use that often to prevent a musty smell buildup. 
• Clean out the lint collector and use an instrument that can go in deeper to remove the lint.  Be sure and put a drip pan under the washer in case of a water overflow whether it is inside or in the garage.
• If you have cupboards in the laundry room, take everything out and wipe and clean inside and go through and get rid of old paint and paint brushes, and cleaning and laundry supplies you no longer use.  Put back in an organized way.  

Garage

• Take everything out, including lawn equipment and wash down and clean all that you can including the tools. Make sure you have an area just for the lawn equipment. 
• Put up a pegboard to hang smaller tools and purchase a work table to put underneath it.
• Put everything else in bins or boxes that are labeled, donate, sell or pickup/dump.  Sweep the floor and sweep down the cobwebs.  Once you have done that see if you can consolidate some totes you are keeping, label them and start putting items back in them and arrange by category (such as Christmas, Other holidays, blankets, clothing, miscellaneous, etc.) stacked in an organized way. 
• If you have rafters you can keep your Christmas items up there to give you more room on the floor.  The clear totes work best for me, as you and see what is inside.  Make sure you have walking room to make it easy to get to  whatever you are looking for. 

Yard

• Weeds are a nuisance you have to deal with year-round. Pick several days to pick the weeds and put rocks or mulch in the flowerbed area. Once this is done, if you keep on top of it and pick weeds daily, it won’t be such a big chore. Also, put Scotts or another brand of weed control and fertilizer during the time that is suggested year-round.
• Hire a landscaper who is recommended and works within your budget.
• Fertilize your trees.
• Get rid of the old dead plants and replace with new.
• Check your spinkler system and replace any broken sprinker heads or pipes, and check your drip system to make sure it is working properly. Check the timer and make sure it is working and set properly.
• If you don’t already have a vegetable and herb garden, start one. You can find boxes at Lowes or Home Depot.
• You can also find a wide range of decorative pots to plant flowers or herbs in different areas of your yard.
• If your fence, is falling down and needs to be replaced, check with all your neighbors who share a side of the fence to see if they will split the cost with you.
• If the outside of your home needs paint, find a reputable painter and get an estimate. If it just needs to be touched up in a few spots, you could attempt it or hire a painter to do that. Make sure to check the gutters, remove leaves and debris, and check that they are in working order.
• Replace old garden tools and leaking hoses.

Stick to a deadline

First off, to make it easier to get organized write down what the project is you want to start with, what your steps are in getting this project accomplished, and write down a deadline to finish the project.

Deadlines keep us focused even it is a small project, and you know you are moving in the right direction as you see things being accomplished. It becomes easier to be motivated to tackle large projects.  Have the whole family be involved in larger tasks.

Decide what to donate, recycle, sell or pickup or dump

Find and label several bins where you can put in items to donate, put out for the neighborhood pickup or dump, recycle, sell on Offer Up, eBay, Facebook Marketplace, etc.  You will be doing a good deed and making some money on the side too!

Be sure and get items in the bins to one of the places above IMMEDIATELY!  If you are not good at selling online, see if you can delegate that to one of the family members.  It is easier than you think!

Don’t put things in your closets or another room thinking you will get to it later.  Get in the mind-frame of “Do it Now”!  Make getting rid of stuff a habit and often so you don’t get overwhelmed and lose your motivation! 

Don’t pick the weekend to do the large tasks, when you work a 5 day week, as this could also be overwhelming.  Spending time with family and friends is still important for a healthy life.

Touch paperwork once and use plastic file containers to file it in

Do you have those paper piles that make it hard to ever find anything when you need it? For Paperwork and mail, it is “Touch it Once”! 

Get clear plastic file containers that come with hanging folders and labels at Staples for about $20.  Label the folders, go through the piles, and put the paperwork in accordingly, the junk mail or paperwork you no longer need put in a shredding box.

Label the containers alphabetically or color-code them in categories, and find an area in the garage to put them on shelving or up on the rafters.

Be aware of what you bring in new

Ask yourself before you buy something new is it really necessary, or will it sit around collecting dust, move to a closet, and then out to the garage. This will help prevent accumulating so much STUFF being an impulsive buyer!

An important part of being organized consistently for the long-term is to develop an awareness of what you acquire and bring in your home. Once you have a system down, try organizing once a month by scheduling it on your calendar.

Create a budget

First off, change your spending habits. If you keep track of what you get paid and what you spend during the month, you can see what is left and find ways to put that where it will help pay a debt or help your savings or emergency plans grow. Being organized financially also makes your life more balanced and can limit stress.

Pay yourself, first! Don’t spend frivolously and make sure you buy only what you need. Ask yourself if you really need that now.

Write down all your bills and payments and see what money you might have extra after you deposit in your savings plans, and pay extra on the lower bills first to see progress. If concerned about interest rates, apply more on the higher bills first.

You can use financial software and find what might be the best option for you at The Balance, to make it easy to keep track of your finances and have records you can give to your tax person.

We have a Santa Saver plan so you can save money to spend at Christmas without using your credit cards.

Make sure you also create an emergency savings plan that will be enough to cover your finances for 4 to 6 months or go above that with what you are comfortable with.

In those months where you have 3 pay periods, take that extra check and make an extra payment on your mortgage principal. You will be surprised by how quickly you can pay off the loan when you are consistent in doing this.

Pay extra on your car payment when you can.

Don’t use your credit cards. Take advantage of zero or low balance transfers.

If you receive a bonus put that towards your debt or add to savings.

Sell on eBay, OfferUp and Marketplace, or other sites you might like. Use that money to pay your debt or add to your savings.

Partner with a friend or neighbor

Partner with a friend or neighbor who also wants to become more organized to help keep you accountable. Each of you can write down a plan, and go over them to figure out what will work for your household or come up with ideas to add.

Connect on a regular basis to see how each other’s plan is working, and what is getting accomplished. You can also work together and help each other start and finish tasks. This can help keep you motivated!

Reward yourself for your accomplishments

Instead of rewarding yourself with things, do something nice like go to lunch, have coffee, or see a movie with your friend or neighbor who was there for you and you both kept each other accountable.  You both worked hard and can be proud of your accomplishments!

Take the family out to dinner as they deserve to be rewarded too! They like to be appreciated and rewards can motivate them to help you without asking!

Remember it takes motivation, consistency, seeing progress, and accountability to be organized long-term! A win-win for everyone!

Different organizers from Amazon you can find in getting organized

Once you get the clutter cleaned up, recycled, donated, sold, dumped, or picked up, you can look for containers and bins to organize in all the rooms in your home, including the garage. There are containers for your refrigerator, the pantry, drawers in dressers, on shelves, under the sinks, closets, laundry room, garage, and more. Amazon has a wide range of containers, boards, and bins in many different sizes for your needs.

Posts may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases and collect a small commission at no cost to you. This helps my blog to keep going. Thank you! For more info, read my disclosure policy.

Closing thoughts

Our lives can get pretty chaotic at times, but if you create an organized plan for your family to approach organizing and declutter, you can have more time to have family fun and not have to worry about how you are going to be able to get everything done. This is something you can control in today’s world. You will have a happier family!

If you clean up clutter once a year, involve your family, and do not go back to bad habits, you will see life differently and feel less stress.

If you enjoyed this post and found it to be useful information, please share it with family and friends, and social media.

Here is another post you might enjoy – How To Create Positive Habits That Will Stick With You

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See you soon, Denise