You’ve just decluttered and organized a space. Now what?
You get to walk away from the space and leave it to Rosie the Robot to keep up, right {who else loves the Jetson’s?}?
That would be wonderful and make life so much easier, but no, it’s up to you to maintain that space.
Here are five steps to take in order to ensure your space stays organized!
1. Label Everything!
Especially label boxes and bins.
Make sure that labels face out so that they will be readily seen.
To make sure this happens more easily, I label one end and one side of every container.
What kind of labels are best?
Big white ones with dark bold lettering.
It can be as easy as a using white copy paper, a black sharpie and clear packing tape to create the perfect label.
Remember to make the labels big and bold, so they’ll stand out!
Prefer to buy a pre-done set of labels instead?
2. Don’t Add to Storage
Your new habit can’t be to just toss things into a storage space to deal with later.
You’ll have to spend lots of time later reorganizing when the space becomes unmanageable.
And your clutter will literally be costing you money.
That’s not smart.
Take the time to put items back where they go or get rid of it now.
3. Reevaluate Storage Spaces
If you find your home really amuck with clutter, ask yourself if you still need everything?
If not, let some things go so that your storage areas aren’t getting out of control.
And by need, I don’t mean some day.
I mean do you realistically see yourself using the item in the next few years?
Those picture frames you trash picked years ago- are you really going to do something with them or is it time to let them go?
Be honest with yourself about what you will use and you’ll find your home stays uncluttered.
Another category of items that causes clutter in storage space is holiday decorations.
Make sure to consolidate the items and organize them well in sturdy storage containers.
And labels to all boxes in your storage spaces, especially decorations!
4. Follow the One In-One Out Rule
The One In-One Out Rule works like this: for every new things that comes into your home, one item needs to leave.
So if you buy a new toy for your child, see if there is one that is no longer played with that can be given away or sold.
Similarly for you, if you buy a new pair of shoes, pick another pair to leave your home.
If you follow this rule, you will never have a clutter issue once you pare down what you have.
This rule is especially easy to follow with clothing, so give it a try!
5. Before Buying, Ask…
Before bringing something else into your home, ask the following questions:
Do I need this?
Do I love this?
Do I already own something similar?
Do I have room for this?
How often will it be used?
I just make a little intervention card for people to take with them as they go to Target. That store is the absolute worst for picking up all that you need and lots more. Everything in that store is so pretty, shiny and new. And of course you need all of the cute stuff in the Dollar Spot, right? Not if you want to maintain an organized space, my dear!
See more details about these questions in this graphic:
After answering all of those questions, decide if you really still want to buy the item.
If so, great!
If you’ve decided against the purchase, even better.
You’ve just saved yourself some time from maintaining more clutter in your home.
And you have saved some money by not making the purchase too!
Over to you!
Now you have some actionable tips to maintain your organized space!
Which tip is your favorite? Let’s chat in the comments!
