How Can I Reduce Clutter: Tips on How To Have an Organized Home
If you are asking how can I reduce clutter and take back control of my home-take heart, it is easier than you might think. After my children arrived, I had all but given up on having an organized home. After I heard Julie Morgenstern talking about Organizing From the Inside Out, I was inspired to take on the challenge of de-cluttering my home.
Having an clutter-free home does not mean that you have the cleanest house in the neighborhood, it simply means you can find what you need when you need it. It’s a way to help you achieve your other goals and live the life God wants you to live.
Take a day or even a week to organize your stuff. Give everything a home at its point of use. By keeping it where you use it, you make it convenient to keep things picked up and put away. Asking your husband to keep his coat by the back door when he normally goes out through the front door is not convenient.
Get rid of stuff you no longer need. If there are things you don’t use but you don’t want to get rid of them, store them in clear storage containers up in the attic or under a bed.
Use attractive baskets and containers to put things in. For example if you like to sit on the sofa to study and pray in the mornings, keep your journal and devotional books in a nice-looking basket by the sofa.
If you have children, train them to put their things away when they are done. Sort their toys and games in colorful bins or clear containers and make it easy for them to know where stuff goes.
Go through your house several times a day and put stuff away. Don’t let it pile up. Keep your dishes washed and put away (or put them in the dishwasher) after every meal. Have a timely system for managing any paper that comes into your home. Have a place to put the bills, your children’s school papers and any mail that comes into the house.
The answer to how can I reduce clutter is to simply give everything a place of its own and make it easy to put stuff away. Yes it may look better to have everything tucked away up in a cupboard but if it is too much trouble to put away, you are fighting a losing battle. Putting practicality above appearances can spell the difference between success or failure in your quest for an organized home.
