Most people
think that they're organized people. Or at least they used to be.
Or they could
be.
But what
happened? How did the formally organized house get so out of control?
If you are
reading this, you are probably a parent.
And the reason you're not organized anymore is because you had children.
I’m sure of it.
I have this
theory - most of us are pretty organized people. Or at least we think we
are. (Again, until we had kids.) It's actually very easy to figure out what
happened. That ‘’pretty well organized’
home that you lived in before kids
was maintained by two competent adults who (likely) worked outside the home and
had plenty of time to take care of it (Remember when you used to think you were
SO BUSY?).
 |
| Can you find the wood glue? They keep it by the waffle iron. Where do they keep the waffle iron? Above the stove and near the graham crackers, of course! |
Then along came
baby and that was the end of that.
In a short span
of time, you probably had a baby shower, where friends and family gave you baby
gifts. You also purchased LOTS of gadgets,
clothes, baby furniture and toys – all for that tiny bundle of joy. Much of it went into the nursery. But wait!
Where did all the stuff go that was in the room that became the
nursery? It was probably spread
throughout the house – hastily put into the ‘second choice’ locations. All of your home office furnishings are
crammed into a smaller space somewhere else – the filing cabinets are stored
next to the Christmas decorations and your computer is now permanently stored
on the kitchen counter. Or, if you are
lucky, maybe you converted your ‘guestroom’ into a ‘guestroom/office’ – though
its rather tight.
You can’t keep all
of it in the nursery, though. Some of it
will go in the kitchen. It will start on
the counter: bottles, pump accessories, pacifiers. Eventually, sippy cups and little plastic
dinnerware. If you are lucky, some of it
will eventually end up in a cabinet. But
the cabinets were already full. So, you
just cram most of it onto the lowest and most convenient shelf. Things keep tumbling out, but hey – better
than on the counter!
Lets take a
minute to talk about the toys. Were you
one of those expectant parents that thought you would corral all of your
children’s toys in their room so the “adult spaces” would always look great? Ha! Rude surprise, right? Oh well.
Toys are now in every room. One
time, you tried to get some bins, but it didn’t work out very well.
But – lets say
– even with all that – you were doing pretty well. Until you found out you were expecting another
child…. Well, if it’s the same gender as
your first, you are good on toys and clothes.
Whenever the oldest grows out of clothes, you now need to keep
them. But where? There are SO MANY
clothes! You probably put them into bins
– or maybe you put them under the bed.
What if the second child is the opposite gender? Now
you have a conundrum. You will have
nearly twice as many toys eventually. (Yes,
they play with some of the same toys, but no matter how hard you fight it,
there will be “boy toys” and “girl
toys”.) And you have an entire
second child’s wardrobe. If you are
considering a third child, you’ll need to keep and store BOTH sets of clothes
because you don’t know which you will need.
Did I mention that every year your children will grow out of a
significant portion of their toys and well meaning family and friends will get
them more?? You know the drill.
And that is how
the “pretty well organized” home spins out of control. All of the above, or some version of that,
happens when you have the least amount of time you have ever had. Welcome to parenthood.
 |
| Look familiar? Probably. Not necessarily too many things, but too many things with no place to go. |
So now what?
You have admitted there are some “problem areas”. Or more accurately, some
places in your house that you cannot stand to look at, be in or deal with at
all. So they keep getting worse. And they suck your time, too. Remember, now you never have enough
time. How much time do you spend trying
to find things? Your keys? That permission slip? A particular cleaning product? Your favorite
jeans? What if you always knew right where everything was? How much time would you save? What if every member of the house could put
away the groceries – in the right spot – so you wouldn’t have to be the only
one who could do it? What the children
could pick up their toys or put away their own clothes because they knew
exactly where they went? What if you could always find the super glue?
Sound like a
dream? It’s totally possible. You just
have to have a plan.
Step one: Identify your problem areas and
prioritize them.
Step two: Plan to tackle one area a week, or if
that is too ambitious for your schedule, plan one area every two weeks. Schedule it onto your calendar – plan
for an hour or more depending on the project.
Schedule repeat appointments until the project is finished.
Step three: Utilize organizational tools.
Consider investing in a label maker.
If an area is labeled, then all the members of your home will know what
goes where without guessing. If you don’t want to do that – use printer labels
or even masking tape. Rubber bands, twist ties, permanent markers and baggies
are all standards that I have on hand.
Step four:
Invest in bins, boxes, shelves and whatever other accessories your space
needs to work at the best. The Container
Store is great, but it’s expensive.
Don’t overlook what you can get at Bed, Bath and Beyond or Target. Hardware super stores like Menards, Home
Depot and Lowes also have fantastic organizational items.
Step five:
Keep it neat. Insist that
everyone use the new system and take a little time every once and a while to
fix it up again.
Here is my top 10 list of the most
common unorganized areas
and their problems:
1.
Junk drawers.
Multiple drawers that have no function other than being a “catch-all”
spot.
2.
Kitchen cabinets.
Very little thought to layout, overstuffed. No one except mom knows where anything goes.
3.
Garage. Can’t park in it
anymore. There may be tools in there…
somewhere.
4.
Linen closets.
Another ‘catch-all’ for anything that is used in the bathroom or for
cleaning. May also hold sheets and many
miscellaneous items.
5.
Bedroom closets.
Crammed full – no order. You own
a many of the same thing… probably. You
can’t find matching pairs of shoes and several belts are missing.
6.
Around the computer and/or wherever you
set your mail. The continual deposit of mail and papers from
school has created a mountain. No one
wants to deal with it because it’s too hard.
7.
By your main door.
Piles of shoes and bags. Coats,
hats & gloves spilling out of the closet.
If you have a closet.
8.
Spaces for play and/or toy storage. Toys and games with no obvious home.
Many outgrown items.
9.
Laundry rooms.
No plan – just dump and run.
10. Your
car. You know its true.
This is one of the best times to organize. Excuses are evaporating. The kids are back in school. Summer travel is over. Thanksgiving is still more than a month
away. Get your home in it’s best shape
before the holiday craziness begins.
You wouldn’t
hesitate to fix a leaking pipe or a vehicle that wasn’t running. Why would you hesitate to fix this? When that pipe is fixed, you will have –
nothing. Everything will be working as
it was before the leak. Same with your car.
When you “fix” the disorganization that is plaguing your home you will
have more time, less stress and you’ll save money by not buying duplicates of
things you already own.
Feeling
overwhelmed with the amount of organizing to be done? Need some great ideas and solutions? Need to
be held accountable? Do you just want someone to lend you a hand? Call a
personal organizer. Myself, or someone
just like me can come over and help you dig out. And believe it or not – we really enjoy
it! Sometimes you just need an outside
opinion on how to re-do it. We are not just for hoarders (really!). We are for parents JUST LIKE YOU.
For a personalized quote
in the Twin Cities metro area, contact me, Tamara, at: tnugteren@earthlink.net
I would LOVE to come and
help you out.
Tamara Nugteren
It’s About Time…. TLC LLC
Personal & Home Organizer
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