We’re all a little disorganised from time to time – whether you slept through your morning alarm or forgot to bring along important paperwork to a meeting. However, when disorganisation takes control over our homes, it can impact our lives in more ways than one.
For example:
- Those who live in cluttered home environments find it harder to relieve stress and combat anxiety.
- Disorganisation stands in your way of getting the best sleep possible, which could lead to various health complications.
- Clutter allows dirt, dust, grime and other forms of bacteria to build up in your home. This can impact your family’s health, especially if they deal with allergies or respiratory conditions such as asthma.
- Clutter makes you less productive, which could ‘ triggering coping and avoidance strategies that make us more likely to snack on junk’.
Photo by Humairah L. on Unsplash
With that in mind, here are some top tips you can use to up your home organisation game – whether you’re planning on moving house or are remodelling your home office to maximise productivity.
Have a cleaning rota.
Putting together a cleaning rota or schedule is perhaps the easiest way to ensure that your home is clean and organised 24/7 (or at least most of the time). This is because when sticking to a schedule, home maintenance becomes much more straightforward. Furthemore, writing down a schedule makes us more likely to stick to it. It’s also a great way to divide household duties between each member of the family, teaching your children plenty of important lessons along the way. Remember, this doesn’t mean you need to spend hours each day cleaning: as little as ten minutes each morning or evening can make a huge difference.
Get serious about clutter.
As discussed above, clutter is likely the key culprit behind a disorganised home. As a result, decluttering your home should be a priority for those who are looking to become a little more organised in their daily life. Thankfully, there are various ways to achieve this goal. For example, you could invest in innovative (yet stylish) storage options for different rooms within your home, such as 150-200cm sideboards. This way, you’ll have plenty of places to store your belongings, as opposed to leaving them to build upon your countertops or create a maze of mess on your floors. They’re also a great way to add a touch of class and sophistication to your home, meaning they’re far more than a practical accessory no matter where you choose to feature them.
Try the ‘one in, one out’ method.
One of the biggest reasons that clutter accumulates within the home is due to the fact that we’re reluctant to throw things away – even if they no longer serve a purpose or even work. For example, it’s estimated that we only use about 20% of the things we own. As a result, decluttering comes down to your ability to let go and dispose of items you no longer need or use. One way in which you can start to do this is by trying the ‘one in, one out’ method. The concept is relatively simple: each time you buy a new item from your home, remove another. Remember, if you’re trying to be sustainable, there are plenty of eco-friendly disposal methods to consider, such as recycling or donating items to charity as opposed to sending them to a landfill site. This is far better than simply leaving the items to gather dust within your home.
Ensure there is a place for everything (and everything is in its place).Organisation often means ensuring that there is a place for every one of your belongings – and that they are always in their place when you’re done using them, as opposed to leaving them on the side out of laziness. Not only will this help you get a handle on clutter, but it will also make your daily life much easier. After all, you’ll know exactly where you left the item next time you leave it – which can save you a lot of stress and time. (Especially when you consider that ‘we’ll each spend 3,680 hours in our lifetime searching for misplaced items’). This is particularly important for those who may be working from home or running their own business, where wasted time and energy could also cost your business significantly or hamper your productivity. Finding a place for everything also gives you the chance to try out some fun DIY home renovations, such as installing shelving units or building extra cupboards.
