An organized home seems like a distant dream when you’re running to soccer practice and making sure you sent that email.  Oh and do we have milk?  It can feel like you’re running around with your head cut off and it doesn’t stop.  Life can get overwhelming, especially if you are a full-time working mom.  The madness never stops.  While it might seem impossible to get organized, these simple tips will get you an organized home quickly and ease the home burden.

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1. Create A Drop Zone

We come and go out of our homes everyday.  There needs to be a place where jackets, backpacks, purses, mail, keys, you name it can go immediately.   Those daily items need to have a home.

Establishing a good system near the door makes it effortless to put things away and grab them when needed.  Use labels to prevent any confusion and to keep things going back to the right places.

Drop zones work great for kids because it teaches them early the importance of being organized and creating good habits.

This built-in system has hooks and cutouts on the top and bottom.  Clear bins were used making it easy to see what items were in there.

Not every home needs a built-in system, the door can easily be used.  Using the Elfa Door Organizer from The Container Store allows you to customize it to best fit your needs.

Using the utility boards and hooks creates a drop zone immediately.  Those frequently used items such hats, handbags, and jackets have a home right when you walk in the door.  They rest and wait for you for when you are ready to leave.  No last minute fire drill throughout the house.

2. Clean Out The Junk Drawer

The junk drawer is often the most used because it’s in the kitchen.  Getting that messy drawer in order will instantly bring you joy.  The dread of opening up the drawer will be gone.

Drawers are a great place to start when getting organized.  They are a quick win.  When you have a quick win, you not only feel great about yourself, your confidence grows and you want to tackle another project.

Getting the junk drawer in order is easy.  It’s the real life version of Tetris.  Take it all out, clean the drawer and establish a system with bins based on the items in there.  Add labels to keep the junk drawer neat and tidy.

3. Add A Donation Bin To Every Closet & Playroom

Keeping the closet organized is easy when a good system is in place.  In that system needs to be a bin or dedicated space for outgrown clothes or clothes no longer needed.  The same goes for the playroom with donates.

Maintenance is one of the biggest issues when it comes to staying organized.  Using a dedicated bin for donations makes it easy to manage throughout the year.

Using a solid bin over a clear bin allows you to not see what’s in there, making it less likely for that item to walk back into the closet or playroom.

Getting organized is the first step, staying organized is the goal.  Donate bins help you achieve that goal.

4.  Keep Electronics Together In A Charging Station

Smartphones, tablets, computers, you name it.  Most homes have type of electronic and the number per person keeps growing.  Almost 85% of households have at least one smartphone.

Have a central hub where it is easy to manage and keep all the devices together.  Keeping them all in one spot also helps you manage screen time if you have kids because you’ll know where their devices are.

Cords stay put when there’s an organizer.  It also contains the madness of cords and makes them look less cluttered.  There’s nothing more unattractive than a tangled cord, wrap that thing up and hide it.

5. Get Your Pantry In Order

Eating is a part of our daily lives.  When you know what you have it makes it easier to meal plan, eat healthier and save money.  What’s for dinner becomes a thing of the past when the pantry is organized, eliminating that stress and frustration.

When you go grocery shopping, everything is neat and in order.  Imagine it not be?  It would be absolute chaos, people would be angry, arguments would break out in the aisles.  It would be a disaster.

The best thing to do is to create zones.  Keeping like items together minimizes confusion and gives you an idea of what you have.  Add clear containers for a more cohesive look and feel.  Another great thing about clear containers is knowing much is there. There’s nothing more annoying than opening up a box and it’s basically just crumbs.  All of these little nuances affect your mood.

Control what you can control.

6. Optimize Space Under-the-Sink

Prime real estate lives under-the-sink.  The challenge with under sink storage is the piping and garbage disposer, they are big and bulky. One of the best ways to optimize space is by using stackable bins.

Eliminate bulky packaging like dishwasher tablets and boxes for trash bags.  Both of these items can come out of their packaging.  Having a visual inventory of these types of items makes it easy to remember to buy more when needed.

Having cleaning supplies accessible makes for an organized home.  Cleaning becomes effortless and easy to do.

Get your measurements and maximize space by using bins that creates more of it.

Final Thoughts

Start with just one area on this list and you will be on your way.  It’s the small things day-to-day make a difference.

When we have an organized home, life just runs smoothly.  The constant running will become a walk.  It’ll give you the time to slow and enjoy the things that matter most.