January is almost over. This probably has some thinking of the Super Bowl or Valentine’s Day, but to me, I see the end of my crazy organization challenge month!
It’s been a really busy month thanks to my ambitious idea to create a new focus each month of 2014. It’s incredible how consuming it is to take on so much organization at once. Now that the majority of it is behind me, though, and I can tell you it has been TOTALLY worth it. Before I get into some more thoughts, let me show you a few more tasks I tackled, starting with the laundry room.
I never opened or used the cabinets in there because they were a nightmare. Piles of junk were gathered on top on the dryer, leaving me no room to fold or spray stains. I believed laundry couldn’t be any more of a daunting task, but somehow this cluttered area made it worse.
After tossing a lot and rehoming just as much, the after let me breathe a sigh of peace.
I love laundry now! No, that’s a lie, but I don’t cringe when I walk into the laundry room.
Another before…
And after…
Next up were our horrific garage shelves. David built these in a summer or two ago to help us stay more organized. Oops.
What a disaster.
But after…
Ahh, another big sigh of relief.
That’s what this challenge has been for me: one big sigh of peace and contentment after another.
I’ll be honest, I’m a bit behind. I have yet to tackle the playroom or go through Hailey’s old clothes, but I fully plan on doing these before February 1. My bed didn’t get made every day, but it did on most days and I liked it.
Still, I’m incredibly proud of what I’ve done. I feel the third trimester creeping up on me and to have all these checked off before I feel too big and before baby girl is here gives me a sense of relief and accomplishment.
To prevent these sort of piles, clutter and internal turmoil from happening again, I’ve learned a few lessons I plan to instill:
1. Find new items an immediate home. The hardest part of this challenge wasn’t physically pulling things from shelves, but the mental energy it took to look at each item and decide where it really belonged. Too often I wouldn’t know where something should go so I’d quickly toss it in a drawer or closet, which obviously came back to haunt me. Now everything that comes in the house goes on the kitchen table. I hate a cluttered kitchen table, but nothing is allowed to leave it until it finds a rightful home. Though it requires a bit more thought up front, I strongly believe this will help me from ending up where I started a month ago.
2. Have an ongoing donation and/or garage sale pile. We have some storage space that is now solely designated to these purposes. If we don’t need an item, it goes directly in the trash or one of these piles. When the box is full, it’s time to make a trip to Goodwill. Too often before I’d have 1 item to donate, but figured it wasn’t worth the trip to drop off one item. Now, problem solved!
3. Put things back where they belong. It sounds like a simple childhood rule right? But so often I’d toss something close enough to where it should go instead of putting it where it really belonged. I’d throw shoes in the closet, but they wouldn’t make it on the shelf. I’d shove a new pack of paper towels in the garage, but not take the extra 60 seconds to unload them and stack them properly. All these little ‘short cuts’ lead to an unorganized and cluttered home, which took a full month of focused tasks to undo.
So far, so good. Only time will tell if I can stick with it, but I have high hopes. Right now I’m relishing in putting the pots and pans back on their proper shelf, lining up my shoes and keeping Hailey’s toys contained. For a full list of before and afters of tasks I’ve checked off, you can click here.
What is your best tip for getting and staying organized?
Danica @ It's Progression says
We always have an ongoing donation pile at our house, too. And since I’m currently reading the book “7” by Jen Hatmaker (I’d highly recommend it!) that pile is being added to faster than in the past!
Brittany Dixon says
I had a friend that read & and really liked it too! Though she ended up eating only 7 foods for a while and it nearly drove her bonkers 😉
Susan Kennedu says
Best Tip: Every couple months tidy it up, it doesn’t take long because it’s already organized just a little messy but it makes a whirlwind of a difference instead of ignoring it for an entire year.
I have a list myself that I may try and tackle in Feb. I like the idea of making an end time for your to do list instead of it being an on going thing. Great job on organizing, everything looks great!!
Parita @ myinnershakti says
Your house looks so beautiful! I love all the storage y’all have. 🙂
So we have a bag full of donation items that’s been sitting in our closet for months (I wish I were kidding). It’s things like that (i.e. our inherent laziness) that drives me up the wall! With that being said, I think my tip (to myself) is to just do it!!
Brittany Dixon says
Oh my gosh, I understand your “inherent laziness” because I have it too. 😉 This is what I’ve been working on combating all month. I’m really hoping it sticks because it makes such a difference. I keep finding myself saying in my head “no, just go do it nowwww”
Christine says
Brittany, I’ve been on maternity leave since Nov and I have been tackling almost all the items on your list during my time home. I had done the kitchen, living room, closet, kids clothes before the baby came. But then the baby came and my house once again looks like a bomb went off. My 2 yr can’t fit in his 18th month clothes anymore and the newborn now needs 3 month clothes instead of newborn. Their room looks it’s like a clothing tornado in there. I had high hopes for myself in staying organized but between doing laundry, breastfeeding etc, it all seems to get out of hand quite easily. I go back to work on Monday and am desperate to get everything together before then. You should have seen me when I tried my work clothes on….yeah I’ll be wearing those maternity pants for a while.
My best tip is to go through the mail every day. As you know, it quickly piles up. We go through it as soon as it comes in the house. Most of it is junk mail and it makes me feel I did something good walking in the door.
I have on my list for this year to put things where they go the first time. I’m still working on that.
You’ve got quite a list and deserve a break at the end. This working is exhausting!
Brittany Dixon says
Wow, rock star, I can’t believe you were able to accomplish so much- high five!
I know a clutter bomb will go off in my house once baby girl arrives, so I’m crossing my fingers and toes that I can at least keep some of it the way it is now. As for clothes and such, I think that’s a never ending battle, but I’ll be bummed when I’m finally caught up with that because it will most likely mean my girls are off on their own 😉
PS- great tip about the mail! I’ve been working on getting better about that, too!
Ali says
I think just staying up on the organization is the key for me. Instead of quickly throwing stuff somewhere for the time being if I would just put it in it’s real home, it wouldn’t be as much of an issue.
Lauren B. says
Good job! Now, can you come over and organize my house? 😉
Brittany Dixon says
Please, no… I’m about to go insane! Haha! Talk to me in a few weeks when I can stomach the thought of organizing again, haha!
Sabrina says
You’ve done such a great job. I’m really impressed with the progress you’ve made.
What’s your plan for maintenance? I think I mentioned this before but my husband’s biggest tip would be to periodically do a quick 10 minute assessment and reorganization of each area. We do our living room closet at least once a month because despite having a home for everything, the closet starts to look messy after a few weeks. Also, I have 2 catchalls for miscellaneous items that I address “later”. I have one basket in our toy area for misc. toys that I can’t put away quickly and one shelf in our desk area of our kitchen for random things that don’t really have a home. About once a month I go through those and find them all homes. It keeps my home clutter free without junking up tons of different areas.
Maria says
My favorite tip is similar to yours; I keep a small bag in the back of my closet. When I put a piece of clothing on and I absolutely cannot stand it, it goes into the bag. When the bag fills up, I drop it off to Goodwill and start a new bag. It keeps my closet cleaned out without having to really try. The key is just being honest with myself “Do I hate this just for today or will I never really wear this again?”.
We also have a rule that we don’t buy stuff for the home until we get rid of things. It’s motivating when I want to buy, say a new lamp, and I know that I cannot get it until I clear out a closet or get rid of some old books.
sonia the mexigarian says
Want to come over and organize my closet and office space? You may be a bit horrified by it all. I want to clean and organized but am so overwhelmed by it all. I’ll try and apply the above tips and see how it goes.
Jen@PregnantDiabetic says
It seems like I hit the 3rd trimester and BAM. Need to nest! I think I’m going to start with our laundry room, it’s horrendous right now.
Thanks for the inspiration 🙂
Kathryn says
I’ve been following your challenge myself and it feels SO good to live in an organized home! I am a mostly stay at home mom so I spend most of my time at home and it really helps my mood to live in a home where everything has a place to go. Thanks for the inspiration! However, I will say to organize everything properly I have had to drop some money! It’s been worth it though to know where everything is 🙂
Ashley @ My Food N Fitness Diaries says
Making sure everything has a home is my main thing! If it doesn’t, I try to get rid of it or find a home for it. It’s tough sometimes because we have a smaller house, but it also motivates me to stay more on top of it!
Toni says
Hi, I absolutely love this challenge. You motivated me to do my own all month too and your daily blogs have motivated me so thank you! I have accomplished so much and it feels great! So one tip I read recently (do not remember where???) is if it takes less than a minute just do it. So if you notice something out of place or something that bugs you ask will this take less than a minute to put it away or do wherever it is.? If yes just do it and get it over with. I also think making a month long challenge is a great idea because you can do a little each day and really see progress while developing a great habit.
Courtney @ Don't Blink. Just Run. says
I think putting stuff back where it belongs is a perfect tip! It might not always be convenient or time-saving, but it would definitely help in the long run. Everything looks great!!