Top 10 Best Organization Tips

The New Year has a lot of us wanting to organize a space or our whole home.  While each organization project is different they are all similar in the way we approach them.  These top 10 organization tips will apply to each space that you need to organize.

Wh​ether it is a closet, an office or the pantry that is driving you crazy or all of the above, these simple 10 tips organization tips  below will help you get organized and keep your spaces organized. 

If you are here for the first time welcome! We are delighted to have you.  Be sure and check out our blog and gallery to learn more about our farm and us!  Now let's get organizing!!

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1. Take it One at a Time

No matter how many areas you have that need to be organized don't try to do more than one area at a time.  It will just lead to frustration and not being able to complete any of them.  So choose which area you want to start in and lets get going!  You can make a list and prioritize them if it helps, or pick the easiest to be able to have something completed, or you could even pick the hardest.  Where you start doesn't matter but the fact that you are starting is key!

2.  Allow Time

Organizing takes time.  Don't try to start five minutes before carpool or at the end of the day when you are already exhausted.  It is a better task for when you are fresh and ready to take on the project.  You will have much more success if you wait one more day than try to fit it into a day that was already busy and crazy.  

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3. Have a Donation Box Ready

Be sure have a donation box ready so anything you do not want goes directly info that box.  Once you complete that room don't keep the box to fill with more items for another day of organizing take it directly to the car so when you are out next you can drop it off and it does not sit in the hall or your bedroom for a week driving you crazy.  Actually putting it in the car will help you signal completion of the task!

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4.  Take EVERYTHING Out

Now this does not include furniture if you are organizing a room but if you are cleaning a closet or a drawer you need to remove everything first.  That makes sure you really are going through everything and also allows for an opportunity to clean it quick and easily while everything is out.  

5. Sort it

 Now that you have everything out of the space it is time to start going through it.  During this stage you need to ask yourself a few questions 1.  Do I use this?  if the answer is no get rid of it.  If it holds sentimental value you are going to have to make the determination if it is worth keeping.  2.  Next does it belong here?  Would it be better suited in the bathroom than your kitchen.  If not take it to the room it belongs in.  Don't get distracted with finding the right place for it now just put it in that room and come back to it after you are finished.  Remember one task at a time.  If you are organizing your closet and you want to keep something you think you will wear put the hanger in backwards.  If it is still backwards in a year get rid of it.  We do this yearly with our clothes.  All of our hangers are turned around backwards at the beginning of the year.  Then once worn and hung back up they are put in the correct way.  That way at the end of the year we know if we have not worn something and it is time to get rid of it.  

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6. Clean the Space

The best time to give any space a good cleaning is when everything is out of it.  So be sure and make use of this time to give everything a good through cleaning.  Wipe down walls, baseboards, lights, everything!!  It will feel so much better when you are done.  If you are cleaning out drawers be sure to wash them not just wipe them out.  It is surprising how much you will clean out of a drawer with actual soap and water.  ​

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7. Maximize Space

Maximizing the space can mean adding a tier to a shelf or a lazy susan to a pantry.  It could also mean maximizing vertical space.  Above the door is a space that is often not utilized and could be perfect for the less used items.  Think creatively on how you can maximize your space.  Under the bed is another area that can often go unused and is perfect for off season clothes and shoes. The back of doors is another area so think out side the box to make the most of the space you have.  Hooks are another way to utilize a space that may go unused otherwise.  If you have a double rod in your closet add a shelf above the lower one and use short baskets to hold additional clothes as in the picture above.
​Hooks are perfect for so many things from hats to kids sweatshirts to robes the list goes on and on.  If you are worried about ruining paint or a wall you can always use the command hooks. There are many new options out there to help you maximize your space.  

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8. Visibility, Flexibility, Accessibility

When you organize something it needs to be visible, flexible, and accessible in order to be able to keep it organized.  If it is not visible you will waste time looking for it and eventually have to reorganize everything.  Clear containers would be a perfect example of keeping things visible.  If you don't have clear containers use labels so you can quickly and easily identify everything.  
Flexibility comes in many different ways but one of the most is if you are buying storage solutions beside that they can be configured in different ways so if your storage solutions change they will continue to work.  There is nothing worse then spending money on a storage solution that your family outgrows in a year or two so be sure it is flexible.  
Accessibility is also key.  The items you use most should be the most available so in the kitchen the items you use most should be the most handy.  In your closet if you work everyday your work clothes should be the most handy etc.  If you have the items you use most at the most convenient places it is more likely to stay organized.  

9. Organize

There are many ways to actually organize a space whether you choose to do it by occasion or color, pick a scheme that works for you.  It does not have to be the same in every space either.  Maybe you organize your clothes by style: formal, work, casual, and exercise and your books by color.  Either way pick what works for you and the space.  If the space works for you it will have a better chance of staying organized.  Also the ability to be able to see it is very important so if organizing a pantry use clear containers.  And in a pantry you choose what works for you for example in ours I have all my baking items together but the ones that I use the most are first and the others are further down the shelf.  My son loves popcorn and likes to make it himself so instead of keeping the oil and salt that he uses I put all of the popcorn things together that way he knows not only where they are but where they go when he is done and they are more likely to find their way back to the spot then if he had to put the oil in one place and the popcorn in another.   So there is not right or wrong method to how you organize an area it just needs to make sense for you and your family.  

10. Put it in its Place

Now that you have cleaned things out decided how you are going to organize them the last thing to do is to put them all back in their space!  And be sure that the next time you put something away it goes in the correct space.  After awhile it become a habit and your space will stay nice and organized and you will find yourself less stressed and with more time for fun things!  Also when putting things in drawers like towels or clothes if you don't fold them like a filing system so you can see everything you should.  It really helps.  I have been folding my husband's and son's t-shirts like that for years.  Now they have a name for it and call it the Marie Kondo method of folding.  When we did it years ago my mom just called it the file method.  It looks like a bunch of files so you can easily see what you have. No matter what you call it believe me it helps to keep the drawers neat and organized.  Another thing that really helps is containers.  If everything has its place then it is more likely to get put in that place.  So in drawers utilize extra small containers.  You don't have to spend a fortune on these Dollar tree has a lot of options or use old Tupperware that no longer has a lid.  Most house typically have a few of those around.  I know we sure do.  Use some extra bowls. Be creative in what you use.  and then LABEL LABEL LABEL.  For kids cut out pictures of items so they know where they go.  If you have a small container in their drawer in the bathroom and have a picture of a brush, toothpaste, and toothbrush for each container they will likely use it.  

We would love to hear from you below on what spaces you organized and how it went!  What method did you choose and are you sticking with it!  Let us know!!
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