A confession: Organization has always come to me naturally. And
I sometimes make the incorrect assumption that it comes naturally
to everyone.
But all of us, in varying degrees, need some guidance in this
important discipline.
A confession: Organization has always come to me naturally. And I sometimes make the incorrect assumption that it comes naturally to everyone.
But all of us, in varying degrees, need some guidance in this important discipline. And, yes, I know that volumes have been written about this subject and countless hours of seminars have been devoted to it. But as a student of how we live at home, I think I can make a few suggestions on how we might make ourselves better organized in our domestic lives:
n Keep children organized: I’ve found that kids like to help maintain order in the household if it can be made clear, easy and fun for them to do so.
One good way to help them on the path to an organized life is to give them baskets for their stuff. For instance, I just visited the home of a friend with two young girls. The playroom was a thing of beauty: toys, books and games were all neatly ordered, labeled and arranged on low shelves for the kids’ easy access.
Musical instruments were in one basket, with blocks, stuffed animals, small dolls, puzzles and chubby books in others. And this was the great part: each basket was labeled in English and Hungarian (the parents are bilingual), with a Polaroid picture showing the item contained in each basket.
In their coat closet, baskets with the individual child’s picture as well as a picture of hats and gloves helped ensure that outer wear is always kept ready and waiting, with each child able to select and re-store their personal items.
n Do the closet reshuffle: As summer goes into fall, go through all of your closets and remove seasonal gear in order to make way for the bulky stuff of colder weather. Store swimsuits, sarongs, flip-flops, shorts and sandals in clear plastic bins labeled with the contents. Sort your work suits, shoes and shirts by color to make getting dressed on dark mornings a breeze. Re-sort the linen closet, moving the beach towels and lightweight bedding items from front to back. Label shelves in the linen closet and sort bedding by size – queen, twin, full – and mark shelves with extra pillowcases, Euro shams or specialty sizes.
n Buy multitasking furniture: When buying new furniture, look for those pieces that can serve multiple uses.
A storage ottoman for magazines and toys, end tables with drawers for remotes, cocktail tables with basket storage for reading materials and games or filing cabinets that can be filled with craft items (scrapbooking equipment, pictures and photo albums) then covered with a circular piece of plywood and draped to be used as an occasional or bedside table.
n Check every cupboard: When you open a cupboard or closet door and you’re not happy with what you find, take everything out and put them back in, sorted, labeled and edited. Get rid of what you no longer need. Throw it out or donate it to a charitable organization.
n Organize food storage: Even the freezer is not exempt from organization. Clean it and toss out any items that are out of date. Separate vegetables from meat and desserts from frozen entrees, then label and date the food. Remember: square plastic containers are more space-efficient than round ones.
n Simplify bill-paying: Create one convenient spot for all of your monthly bills, separating them from your daily onslaught of other mail, preferably with all of your bill-paying equipment – checkbook, stamps, business envelopes, return labels, calculator and receipt file – nearby.
n Never lose keys: Always keep keys in the same spot in your home – on a rack in the pantry or in a box hung by the most-used door. Be systematic. Make it a habit and stick to it, and you’ll never misplace your keys. As a backup, make two copies of all your household and car keys (be sure to check that they work!) and store one set in a dresser drawer and give the other set to a trustworthy neighbor.
Best of luck in this never-ending quest.
