The ABC’s of Organizing

Organize your way through the alphabet, and be on your way to a happier and more manageable home.

A …ALPHABETIZE. Do this with anything that makes sense. Are you tired of looking    

          through a cabinet full of spices only to find the one you want way at the back?

          Using a spice rack or basket and keeping the spices in alphabetical order makes

          it as easy as ABC!

B …BOUNDARIES. Give your containers/drawers/cabinets boundaries. When

           something is full, you remove something in order to add something. No more

           cramming things in.

C …CHUNK IT OUT.  One of my favorite sayings.  Instead of being overwhelmed with

           the whole picture (the entire kitchen that is out of control) take one small area at

           a time and feel the success without being overwhelmed. One organized drawer

           or cabinet is better than walking in an area, feeling too frustrated and walking

           away because the task seems insurmountable.

D …DISPLAY. If you love it, it should be on display and not hidden in a closet, box or

           in a storage unit.

E …EASY. Make sure things are easy and convenient to put away, otherwise it won’t

          get put away. Something you use all the time should not be on a shelf that

          requires you to get out a step stool every time.

F …FILE. Use a file system to organize and store your important papers. It is so much

          easier than pilfering through piles.

G …GIVE away things that you no longer use. These things are better off in the

           hands of someone who needs them than stored in a home where they are never

           used. Find the joy in the fact that someone else is making good use of it!

H …HOME. There should be a “home for everything, and everything in its

           home. If an item does not have a “home”, place it belongs, it will be left out as

           clutter.

 I …INSPIRATION. Follow blogs, Instagram, Facebook, and/or Pinterest to learn ways

           to get organized.

 J …JUNK mail. Toss out what you don’t want immediately.

 K …KEEP only what you need, use or love. Try and limit your “just in case” items.

 L …LABEL your containers, shelves, drawers. This helps alleviate confusion as to

          where things should be returned. This is especially helpful for kids. It makes it

          more like a game when it comes time for cleanup. Use words and pictures on

          your labels for young kids.

 M …MINIMIZE. Minimalistic is the buzz word these days. Keep things simple by not

          having too much of one thing. This tends to be especially true for clothes and

          kid’s toys. Too many toys can cause kids to make poor choices about what they

          play with, and how they take care of it.   

 N …NON ESSENTIALS. Limit these to avoid clutter.

 O …OUTBOX. Have a basket/container near your door for things that need to leave

          the house…morning commute, donations, school, etc. Make a point to empty

          the box when leaving the house.

 P …PRIME real-estate. The important, most used and convenient areas of your

         home. Make sure these areas have the stuff you use frequently and consistently.

 Q …QUANTIFY . Make a conscious decision about the number of items you have. Do

          you really need 3 pizza cutters?

 R …ROTATE clothes, toys, etc. Keep seasonal clothes in a spare closet and rotate

          them into your bedroom for the season. Too many toys? Store toys elsewhere

          and then rotate them into the toy room after a period of time. The kids will feel like

          they have new toys, and ones they have not played with for a while.

 S …SORT like with like. Make sure you sort and store like things together. In the

         pantry have a basket for grains, one for pasta, one for nuts, etc. That way you

         know where to go, and you won’t have to search the entire pantry.

T …TEAMWORK. Get everyone on board for easier maintenance. Make sure the

         family knows how to get organized, stay organized and work together as a team.

U …UNDERSTAND it may never be perfect, but it can be better. If you strive for

          perfection, you may never get started.

V …VERTICAL space. Don’t forget to use areas above eyesight for storage.

W…WORST. What is the worst thing that could happen if you get rid o something?

          Ask yourself this question if you are struggling with whether you should keep

          something you don’t use. If you can buy it again, toss it. If you have another, toss

          it. If it is irreplaceable, keep it if you have room. 

X …EXAMPLE. Parents need to set the example and role model the behavior for

         their kids. If your things are not put away then your children will not respect or
         understand that their things need to be put away. If you don’t follow a routine, use

         time management skills and are always running late, or don’t have enough time to

         get everything done, then your kids will more than likely follow suit.

Y …YEARLY. Maintain yearly schedules for home management. Batteries in the

         smoke in the smoke detector, update earthquake kit, garage clean out, etc. should

         be done on a regularly scheduled basis.

Z …ZERO. Inbox Zero. Clear out your email to zero on a daily basis. Doing this

         in the morning makes looking quickly for a particular email during the day much

         easier!