Organization Tips

These are from an Enrichment in my ward this past week:

Organization Rules:

1. Everything that enters your house needs a home.

2. The floor, kitchen table or kitchen counter tops are NOT a home.

3. Put your house to bed every night.

Rule with all items in your home: If you haven't used it in a year, throw it out (exceptions: maternity clothes, children's clothes and toys)

Plan of Attack:

1. Organize one room at a time

2. Start with 3 boxes: one labeled for TRASH, DONATION, and OTHER ROOM

3. For things that belong in that room, organize them and put them away. For things that do not belong, put them in 1 of the 3 boxes.

KITCHEN:

~Run your dishwasher every night and then unload it first thing in the morning. All day, dirty dishes can be put straight in to the dishwasher, not into your sink or onto the counter.

~Store dishes next to the dishwasher.

~Put dishes into dishwasher as soon as you are done using them, including while cooking.

~Straighten your pantry every time you bring home groceries.

~You only need so many Tupperware containers.

~Go through cups and glasses (do you really need 500 sippy cups when your children only like 2 anyway?)

CLOSETS:

~Try to hang as much clothing as possible.

~ Put baskets on shelves to put things in...it looks nicer

~Install more hanging bars

~Put empty hangers all together so it is easy to hang your laundry up...you won't have to search for hangers.

~Consider cubbies for kids shoes in the garage so they can put them away right before they enter the house. Kids love cubbies.

GARAGE:

~hang a 2x4 with nails on it in the garage by the door for coats and backpacks.

~elevate anything you can by installing hooks...extremely inexpensive and will maximize space.

BATHROOM:

~Organize with boxes or baskets of different sizes (even in the closets with things like shampoo and hairspray so that things don't fall over all the time)

~Keep bathroom counters clean from any clutter. Everything should be stored in drawers, cupboards, or baskets.

TOYS:

~contain your toys in boxes or large containers. They don't have to be trendy, toys just need to be contained.

~Teach your children that their toys have a "home" and they need to be put in their home every night.

~Consider labeling so kids know exactly where different toys go.

LAUNDRY ROOM:

~Establish boundaries to a never-ending chore. Do only once a week if possible.

~Have a laundry bin in the laundry room as well as in all bedrooms.

~Her folding strategy: throw clothes from dryer into piles based on what room they go in. Then take the pile to the room and fold it. This eliminates folding once, stacking and then refolding/straightening when you get to the room later.

HOME OFFICE:

~Use a file box or drawer to organize important papers.

~Any paperwork that you keep belongs in one of the files.

~No piles! Everything goes straight into the file.

ORGANIZING YOUR LIFE:

1. Calendars

~Have a master calendar hanging where everyone can see

~Each Sunday have a family council to discuss events for the week. This is a good time to assign FHE assignments for the next night.

~For younger children have a clipboard each that hangs on the wall for school work/homework, assignments, papers to sign, etc.

2. Menus

~Plan for at least a week at a time

~Make a list before shopping.

~Keep a pad of paper on the fridge for a shopping list so you don't forget to write things down when you run out of something or think of something.

3. Cleaning

~Daily: put your house to bed. Make sure everything is done before you go to bed

~Weekly:Establish a day for doing specific chores. These shouldn't take all day. Bathrooms, laundry, floors, etc.

~Have someone to report to at the end of the day.

4. To-Do List

~Keep one on the fridge so you can write things down as you think of them. Writing things down frees your mind to think about other things instead of about what you've forgotten.

~Prioritize and check things off your list.

5. Children's Treasure Boxes

~Let your children decorate their own treasure box and then let them put anything that they deem important in it. Over the years they can go through it and toss unimportant things but they will love remembering as they look through it.

~Easy solution to where you put all those school projects and pictures they draw.

6. Scripture Study

~Keep a journal. She did it by pages in the scripture and left room for when she reads them again or wants to add more.

~Ask yourself how you can teach your children about what you just read.

7. Family History

~She makes a photobook every year for her family. She gives it to the Grandparents every year for Christmas as well so she has a deadline to get it done.

~She makes a video from their video camera every year for Mother's day for the Grandma's so she has a deadline for that too. She said to video tape just for less than a minute "snapshots" of what the family is doing as well as doing a bi-yearly or yearly interview with each kid.

~Set aside time for journaling every Sunday where the whole family gets out their journals. give younger kids a topic or just let them draw.

These ideas were given from a presentation by Mandi Rapp. I edited what I thought should go on the blog. I thought some of these were great and others were just a good reminder of how to keep an orderly home.