9 Simple Strategies for Home Organization

Home organization means being able to find your stuff when you need it, not after an hour or more of searching. But home organization doesn't necessarily mean you're neat or clean. It doesn't even mean you're not a pack rat. Home organization just means everything has a place and you know where that place is in your home.

Of course, when you practice "home organization" and "clearing clutter" together you do inevitably get a neater and more organized home. Why? Because you can find your stuff when you need it AND you're not tripping over your stuff. So instead of allowing yourself, or your family, to consistently put your shoes in the entryway (where you do know their location), you designate another spot such as a shoe rack in the foyer closet. That's blending home organization with clutter clearing techniques. Here are 9 strategies for home organization that also may help you clear clutter in your home:

1) CLUSTER LIKE ITEMS - When you organize an office storage closet at home or work, put the different types of paper beside each other on a shelf. And what goes with paper? Envelopes. Put the different types of envelopes adjacent to the paper. Adjacent to that you might put writing instruments used on paper like pencils and pens. And so forth. Organizing holiday ornaments? Keep bins of Christmas supplies together. Keep bins of Easter decorations together. Then put all of these holiday storage bins in one clustered area in your garage or attic. You can also use the cluster mindset for toys and sports equipment.

2) MAKE THINGS CONVENIENT - This simply means put most frequently used items toward the front of shelves or on shelves within arms reach or at eye level of the user (whether that's you, your spouse or your children). Put infrequently used items in those hard to reach cabinets in corners, cabinets above your refrigerator, in the attic, etc. Put shelving or other organizers in convenient places such as put shoe racks, umbrella stands and hanging baskets for gloves in a closet near the entryway you use most often.

3) LABEL IT - Invest in an inexpensive label maker. You'll have fun labeling items (e.g. home recorded DVD tapes) or labeling places where items should go so they always get returned to the same spot. For example, label specific garage shelf spaces for hand tools or power tools. That way nobody in your family will ever forget where they got an item they're using and they'll know where its exact "home" is.

4) DON'T KEEP AN ITEM IF... - ...you can find it elsewhere. So much research, forms and other paperwork is easily accessed these days through the Internet. Just keep a simple list of Websites and useful phone numbers and then you'll always know where to return to or who to call in order to access that information again.

5) HANDLE IT ONCE - And handle it now. That's how the organizing professionals suggest you handle paperwork, whether it's incoming mail or something on your home office or work desk. If you can't handle it now, then put it in a tickler file labeled with a specific intention (e.g. holiday cards to mail by month, bills to mail by week).

6) MAKE IT YOUR SYSTEM - I once knew a woman who placed labels inside her kitchen food cabinets. So cans of green beans and peas always went on their designated label or row and a can of tuna went on its labeled space. When you could see the label that just meant it was time to buy more tuna or green beans. Was this a bit over the top with detail? Not for her. The system suited her personality. It worked for her. Lesson learned: Own your home organizing system. You can use other people's home organizing tips but only if they suit you, they suit your thought process and they mesh with your daily routine. You're the ultimate user of the home organization system.

7) BE FLEXIBLE - If your entire home organizing system, or just part of it, is not working, change it. Try a different method. Put something in a different spot. Observe other peoples homes and work spaces for ideas. Look at photos in home decorating magazines for ideas. Don't be afraid to admit temporary home organization failure and start again as often as needed. It's okay!

8) BE PATIENT WITH OTHERS - You know the cliché...you can't change other people. Unfortunately, that cliché is usually true though so many of us choose to learn it the hard way. Don't expect everyone in your family to start immediately singing your home organization tune. They may never do so. But you can try for compromise and understanding. And you can make subtle polite requests like "honey, will you put your shoes in the closet for me so I can vacuum that area" or "will you put the car keys here when you get home so I can find them in the morning without waking you."

9) GET HELP WHEN NEEDED - Not everyone is good at clearing clutter, especially quickly; nor is everyone good at thinking in an organized, almost analytical, way. And that's okay. But if that's you, consider calling in a paid professional home organizer (search online or in the phone book). Even if you just hire an organizer for a few hours or a day, he or she will at least be able to help you brainstorm about organizing your home in a manner that suits you. Then you can take that next step toward home organization on your own. And keep stepping until you get it done eventually. You will!

Karen Fritscher-Porter writes about home organization at http://www.EasyHomeOrganizing.com. Visit http://www.EasyHomeOrganizing.com to read more than 50 FREE articles containing dozens of home organization ideas and solutions. Plus subscribe to the FREE newsletter updating you about the latest home organizing products sold in stores.

---

Three Effortless Ways to Win the Paperwork Battle

Buried under mountains of paperwork from your company? Do the... Read More

Choose Spice Racks That Help You Organize Your Home

Today you have almost as many choices of spice racks... Read More

Improve Your Workplace to Make Your Life Better

What does "quality of life" mean to you? If you... Read More

Organizing for Today, Tomorrow and the Next Day

Getting organized is hard. If it weren't, we wouldn't put... Read More

Saying Goodbye to Stacks of Paper and Distractions

A daily journal will save you time, reduce stress and... Read More

Quick Organizing Tips From Assistance For You

Keeping on task and getting organized starts with a basic... Read More

50 Ideas to Organize Your Home

"Organize" is a familiar word heard on many of today's... Read More

Don?t Be A Clutter Victim

There are 3 kinds of clutter: Inner (between our ears);... Read More

Kids Clutter: Organizing at Every Age

Our children are probably the biggest clutter creators we have... Read More

Are You A Collector?

Collections are the outward manifestation of a deeply-felt principle or... Read More

Change the Way You Think and Change Your Life

Dennis is working as a factory worker during the day... Read More

The Most Frequently Asked Questions about Organizing Your Kids Rooms

1. In terms of organization, what is the first thing... Read More

Getting Things Done: A Guide To Next-Action Lists

Getting Things Done (GTD), is a productivity methodology designed by... Read More

10 Organizing Tips for Road Warrior Parents

Parenting is always a challenge, but particularly so if your... Read More

Common Clutter Culprits- How to Bust Through Clutter

Paper1. You may already be in the habit of filing... Read More

9 Simple Strategies for Home Organization

Home organization means being able to find your stuff when... Read More

Five Simple Tips to Get Organized Today!

Take time to declutter this summer...Writing can certainly consume the... Read More

Organization Tips - How To Get Things Done

What stops you from 'getting things done?'Have you ever started... Read More

Create A Working Mail Center

I talk about the mail a lot in my newsletter,... Read More

Can You Make a ?Torpedo? Out of Personal Junk? How to Optimize What You Have

"Junkyard Wars," a TV series showed two teams of experts... Read More

Time for a Clean Out

Time has flown. It's been six months since you came... Read More

Mental Clutter- Is It Taking Over Your Life?

Chances are, most of you have a lot you need... Read More

Digging out of Paper Clutter - part 2

We previously noted that papers must be sorted before they... Read More

Lightening The Load

When I tell people what a FREEING experience moving is,... Read More

Organisation - Getting Back To Basics

If you look at any major organisation, there is this... Read More

Spring Makeovers: Organizing Tips for the Home and a Virtual Makeover for You

Winter is starting to retreat, and hints of Spring are... Read More

Simple Ideas to Conquer Paper Clutter

Are stacks of papers, mail, newspapers, and growing "to do"... Read More

Get Organized: 10 Universal Laws

The Law of the 1st StepA good first step in... Read More

10 Easy Maintenance Tips vs Piling on the Chaos

Whether you are in your own business or an employee... Read More

Technology...The Culprit and the Tool

Technology has given us the tools to reduce routine tasking,... Read More

The Top 10 Habits of Organized People

Have you ever wondered how some people seem to have... Read More

10 Simple Steps to a More Organized Household

1. Divide big jobs into smaller jobs. Make a list... Read More

After the Clutter: 5 Steps to a New Daily Routine

I've noticed that in the two years since the major... Read More