Seeing all that beautiful organisation in YouTube videos and on Pinterest makes us drool and we want the same. Yet, we cannot achieve it.
You really want to have an organised home because you know the benefits of being organised. I get that. Yet, you are not able to get to there, to that point you are reaching for. I get that too! I have struggled with getting things just the way I wanted them until I realised the mistakes I was making and I realised the key tips to successfully organising my home.
If you are ready to have some functional systems in your home, then here are my
5 key tips to successful systems.
The 5 key tips to successful systems just need a little forethought and you will be on your way to success.
Think it Through
Not everything you see or read will work for you. You need to vet through these ideas and see what works for you. Many a time, you will need to tweak an idea or completely remove that system from your home.
Think carefully about what will work for you in terms of accessibility, convenience and plan how the system will work from start to finish.
Let’s take laundry as an example. Yup! That takes a hellava lot of planning!
Where does dirty laundry start it’s trail?
Usually in the bathroom and hopefully in a basket.
Where does it go?
Well, it needs to find its way to the laundry room or the washing machine.
When do these clothes get washed?
One load a day should keep Mt Rushmore away.
What about those that do not get washed the same day?
Some people chose to select clothes from the pile for washing and leave the rest in the collection basket. Other’s take everything to the laundry space and have a sorting area there.
Dealing with the Afterwash
Washed? It now needs to find its way to the dryer or drying rack (almost) immediately.
When does it get a move on?
Once dried, the clothes need to be folded / ironed and then sorted once again.
Practically, this entire process needs to be done within a day, every day – you can take Sunday off!
Who puts the clean laundry away?
Someone has to do the job but it doesn’t always need to be you! Create a system that involves the other members of your household to do their own ironing or at least to put their laundry away.
There you go, you are now on your way to an organised laundry system only because you thought it through!
Consider Everyone’s Needs
Everyone is your household will have their own stuff and needs. For any organisation system to work, you will need to take all that into consideration. Everyone will have their own personal systems. These are unique to each of us but Single person systems do not work in multi person scenarios.
For the system to work as a family, it needs to
◦ be simple to follow
◦ make sense to everyone involved
◦ be flexible
Understand Everyone’s Style
Don’t turn into a homemaking shrew. Recognise that a large family home is never going to be perfect, and if you ever get it to that point, it will not last long. Don’t make everyone miserable trying to attain perfection. I have learnt!
As HomeMakers we often have the perfect system in mind and it seems very doable but do the other’s at home agree? Any system that involves anyone other than yourself, will need to suit the style of everyone involved.
In case you are wondering what style is?
It is
➰ how someone best knows what they have and/or need.
➰how fast someone want to be able to access whatever it is they want.
➰how much they are willing to store and at what distance
So yes! You might have realised that everyone in your family has their own style and your system has to accommodate all of that. You can try changing their style but until you succeed, you work with it.
Keep it Simple
Yes! I know I mentioned that but there’s more to be said. I just want to emphasise on this because that’s just how important it is!
Keeping the system simple will make it easier for everyone. Especially you.
Simple systems are more likely to be followed. If your system is not quite so simple (it’s your house, you know best) there is hope.
You can simplify them by doing things in steps instead of all at once, having a loop schedule for longer chores.
There is so much more to be said about keeping things simple but let’s leave that for the next post.
Be Consistent
No system is going to work without consistency. That includes not only carrying out your systems faithfully but constantly trying out new systems as required. The most important thing is not to give up. The worst thing that you can do when trying to figure out how to manage a large family is to give up. You’ll have good days and bad days, learn to roll with it.
There you have it! The 5 Tips to Creating a Successful System that works for you.
This is a lot longer than I started out expecting it to be but everything needed to put out there. Which tip would you say will be most useful to you?
