Let me explain what I mean. Normally when I am hired to help a family organize their home, they often ask when they should go to the store to get the storage containers, cute baskets and fun chalkboard labels. You see, what people want is the look of organization. They want their homes to mirror what they see in the magazines and on Pinterest, but the reality is, the “look” is not what works, it’s the system in place that changes everything.
Let’s take a playroom for example. There are a plethora of storage options that can be used when organizing your children toys, books, movies and art supplies, but what I have found is that more people are fixated on the look and the desire to fulfill the “cuteness factor” then the actual organization systems for the room. Creating a system for all your home’s things is the MOST important step in home organization, because if the system does not work, it won’t matter how many cute baskets with labels you have, they will not serve the purpose you want if they don’t fit the system you’re creating for your home.
This is why I teach the core of how to truly organize and keep your home organized for life, and then encourage the “cute” baskets, labels and storage containers later; once your system is put in place, you’ve given it time and worked out the kinks to make sure it works for you, your family and your home’s functionality.
Do you want to know what I use to organize my home? Leftover kitchen Tupperware containers, inexpensive clear bins, mis-matched baskets, mason jars and laundry baskets. Nothing fancy, cute or visually stimulating, but that’s okay, because all I am doing is creating a well-functioning, smooth working system that will be the foundation to keeping my home organized always and forever. Yep, I said it again….organized forever!
So, what’s the first step to creating a system that works? By the way, this system creation always precedes after completing our de-cluttering and clean slate steps (which I will gladly detail in another blog post for you). We first evaluate the space after being completed cleared out and begin the process of thinking how the space is used in your family and home. Is it’s main purpose a place for the kids to play with their toys? Is it a homework/artwork room? Is it more a family entertainment room for movies and video games? Or is it a combination of everything? This step is vital, because we often don’t step back to really evaluate the spaces in our homes and how we use them. Many times this step can really surprise us when we find that the items we store in a space are actually not even really used or appreciated there, especially if the room is being used for other purposes then you had originally intended. A room that once was used as a guest room, may now be re-evaluated as a craft room or what once was a child’s play room may now be graduating to a family movie room. Once you have clearly identified what the room’s purpose is really used for in the space, you can then begin to brainstorm how you think the room would function best.
For example, if I were evaluating a system for a kids’ playroom, I would consider what toys are most often pulled out and played with. I would make sure the toys most used and played with would be appropriately accessible to the child or children using them. If there are toys or games that are not appropriate for certain ages (ie a marble game or Legos) I would want those items stored in a place that would not be a danger to the little ones.
I would also begin paying closer attention to where my children like to play in the room and try to arrange the furniture, TV, tables, etc to not only create balance in the space, but to flow properly so that the children have an area that’s open where they can sprawl out and play, as well as a place for them to watch movies, put together a puzzle or do some art work.
Homes and rooms DO NOT need to be large to make this possible. We often think that if the room was bigger or if there was more storage space built into the home that our rooms would be more functional and easier to organize, but this is simply not true. Any home, closet and space can be organized beautifully and have a system that works.
Once you have played around with (and I say ‘played around with’ because it’s a trial and error kind of process) the space, you can then begin to practice and incorporate your new and improved system. This means, once you have settled on where you want the furniture and items to be in the space, you can then use what you have already in your home to ‘store’ your items. Be creative! This is the fun part, where you can use shoe boxes, old Tupperware, mason jars, and plastic bins to store what you want and practice, practice, practice. This part of the journey can be a bit difficult, not only because you are creating and building new habits, but because you so badly want to get the cute bins and storage containers for your space, but just trust me, getting your system in place and making it work before you get your cute baskets is key to making real change and keeping it that way forever.
Plus, until your system is in place and really working for you, your family and home, you want to make sure when you are ready to purchase the “cute” stuff to store your items, you are ONLY buying what you truly need and buying the RIGHT size, look and kind of storage for your items. This will save you time, money and frustration and I guarantee it will make buying that adorable storage basket that much sweeter!
So remember, create the right system for your room and make sure it’s a working, well-functioning system before you purchase the room’s “Cuteness factor.” Making real change may seem more challenging in the beginning and take more patience on your part, but the result of long-lasting, real organizational change will totally be worth it in the end![/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” admin_label=”Footer” _builder_version=”4.2.2″ background_image=”https://yoursimplyhome.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/tidy-tips-get-in-touch-banner-.jpg” background_position=”bottom_right” custom_margin=”||-2px|||” custom_padding=”0px|10vw|0vw|0px|false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”” custom_padding_phone=”|10vw||” global_module=”209″ locked=”off”][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_4,1_4″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”1″ make_equal=”on” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|desktop” padding_top_bottom_link_1=”true” padding_top_bottom_link_2=”true” padding_left_right_link_1=”false” _builder_version=”3.25″ width=”100%” max_width=”100%” module_alignment=”left” custom_margin_tablet=”0vw|||” custom_margin_last_edited=”off|desktop” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”|||0vw” custom_padding_phone=”” animation_style=”slide” animation_direction=”left” animation_intensity_slide=”5%” border_radii=”|||10vw|” use_custom_width=”on” width_unit=”off” custom_width_percent=”100%” locked=”off”][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ use_background_color_gradient=”on” background_color_gradient_start=”rgba(255,255,255,0.4)” background_color_gradient_end=”rgba(255,255,255,0.88)” background_color_gradient_direction=”90deg” background_color_gradient_start_position=”70%” custom_padding=”80px|40px|80px|10vw” custom_padding_tablet=”40px||20px||false” custom_padding_phone=”|||” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.27.4″ text_font=”Open Sans||||||||” text_line_height=”2em” header_font=”||||||||” header_2_font=”||||||||” header_2_font_size=”50px” header_2_line_height=”1.4em” header_3_font=”|300||on|||||” header_3_font_size=”14px” header_3_letter_spacing=”5px” header_3_line_height=”1.8em” max_width=”600px” animation_style=”zoom” animation_intensity_zoom=”5%” header_2_font_size_tablet=”40px” header_2_font_size_phone=”28px” header_2_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” header_3_font_size_tablet=”” header_3_font_size_phone=”10px” header_3_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” locked=”off” header_5_font_size__hover=”16px” header_5_font_size__hover_enabled=”16px” header_5_letter_spacing__hover=”0px” header_5_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”0px” header_5_line_height__hover=”1em” header_5_line_height__hover_enabled=”1em” header_5_text_shadow_style__hover=”none” header_5_text_shadow_style__hover_enabled=”none” header_5_text_shadow_color__hover=”rgba(0,0,0,0.4)” header_5_text_shadow_color__hover_enabled=”rgba(0,0,0,0.4)” header_font_size__hover=”30px” header_font_size__hover_enabled=”30px” header_letter_spacing__hover=”0px” header_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”0px” header_text_shadow_style__hover=”none” header_text_shadow_style__hover_enabled=”none” header_text_shadow_color__hover=”rgba(0,0,0,0.4)” header_text_shadow_color__hover_enabled=”rgba(0,0,0,0.4)” header_6_letter_spacing__hover=”0px” header_6_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”0px” header_6_line_height__hover=”1em” header_6_line_height__hover_enabled=”1em” header_6_font_size__hover=”14px” header_6_font_size__hover_enabled=”14px” header_6_text_shadow_style__hover=”none” header_6_text_shadow_style__hover_enabled=”none” header_6_text_shadow_color__hover=”rgba(0,0,0,0.4)” header_6_text_shadow_color__hover_enabled=”rgba(0,0,0,0.4)”]
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