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It can be tricky to keep things running smoothly at home while you're tending to a busy household, juggling a full schedule, and keeping up with your non-stop life. However, when the house you're trying to keep organized is constantly full of people, it can make things even harder. You might feel as if as soon as you put something away, 10 things have popped up in its place.
Lately, with stay-at-home orders becoming the new norm, you've probably discovered a drastic increase in the amount of clutter and chaos in your house. It's not surprising since more people are at home for longer periods of time is likely going to create more mess.
Don't worry! There's hope for achieving the organized home that you dream of, even amidst the craziness. Gather up the troops and put these three simple tips into practice:
Everyone Gets a Job -- Divide and conquer your chore to-do list so it doesn’t become overwhelming for any one person. Even a toddler can help put away her own toys, and older children can tackle jobs like folding laundry, washing dishes, and taking out the trash. Gather everyone in the household together and have a discussion about how the whole family needs to take responsibility for the home and help each other. Young children especially love to help, so implementing this early on can help set up good habits that last a lifetime.
Create a Base of Operations -- Whether you live alone or have a family of ten or more, having a designated area to keep things like keys, schedules, lists, and similar items is a huge stress saver. Find a central location that everyone in the home has access to and set up your base of operations. You can include things like hooks for each person’s keys, the dog’s leash, a bulletin or dry erase board to leave important notes, and baskets for incoming and outgoing mail.
If you have multiple people in the house, include a bin or container for each individual to keep his items. For example, your children’s bins might contain assignments, an art project that’s in the works, or papers that they need to be filled out for school. When important things are kept in one location, not only does it help contain the clutter that can accumulate around your house, but it also reduces stress. Plus, it keeps things from slipping through the cracks, and you won’t end up frazzled trying to find that permission slip that was due two days ago.
End Each Day with a "Ten-Minute-Tidy" -- Many times, homes end up with lots of clutter simply because things don’t get put away and items just tend to build up on top of each other. End every day by setting a timer for 10 minutes and have everyone go through the house and gather their personal belongings, return objects to their rightful places, put dirty clothes in the laundry room, empty trashcans, and so on until the timer beeps. This daily “ten-minute-tidy” does wonders for keeping clutter under control and helps you and your home become more calm and collected.
Once you start applying these three easy tips, you'll quickly begin to see results! The key is getting everyone in the household on board and staying consistent. Need some extra help with all of your organizing needs? Then contact us today and find out everything that Simply Stored can do for you! Here's to you and your happy home!