Does it spark joy? This line from the world famous book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing” and now a popular Netflix series, “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo” is probably very familiar to us moms. Marie Kondo is a world-renowned Japanese organizing consultant who helps her clients declutter and keep only the things that give joy to the person. Her process goes somewhat like this: First, you put all your things in one space, ask yourself if an item sparks joy and if it doesn’t, thank it for its service to you and get rid of it. Second, put every joy-giving item in its appropriate storage. Sounds easy? Well, it really depends on you! While I am no Marie Kondo myself, here are some suggestions I can share with you on how to organize your own home.
1. Assign a specific place for everything.
Every single item should have a place of its own, whether these are scratch paper, batteries, or trinkets. If it doesn’t have a place, then you might as well get rid of it, right?
2. Stick to a cleaning routine.
Whether it’s weekly, monthly, or quarterly cleaning you want to do, by area or the entire house in one whole day, stick to your schedule and set a reminder if necessary.
3. Create an outbox.
Set up a space designated for outgoing items like packages, store returns, mail, etc. This will help prevent clutter on your tables and floors.
4. Reuse and repurpose.
Do you still have that old, sturdy shoe box? Use this to store not-so-used items like wedding/music CDs, letters, and cards. Have lots of ribbons from the gifts you received? Use them to tie sheets and pillow case sets so they stay together. How about an extra magazine holder? Use them to store your vanity tools like curlers and hair dryers. (Just make sure they’re cooled first!)
5. Shelf dividers are your friend.
Shelves are very important for storage. Maximize your shelf space with dividers. They keep similar items in place and prevent them from tresspassing into other territories.
6. Practice file folding.
Folding shirts or towels this way can make you see your things at a single glance. Group them by color for an extra dose of organization.
7. Use cord organizers.
Cords are definitely an eye sore. Use cord organizers to keep them in place for your gadgets and appliances.
8. Double up on hangers.
Need that extra hanging space? Remove the tab from your soda can and loop one hole through one hanger and let it hang. Then slip another hanger in the bottom hole. This is easy to do and resourceful too!
9. Utilize dead space.
You might be surprised to find that there is actually a lot of extra space for storage in areas you never even thought of. Behind the door, in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom, and more!
10. Use your luggage as storage spaces.
If you hardly use your suitcases, why not use them to keep items in as well? You can use them to store smaller, bulky travel bags, gifts that you do not need just yet, or toys that are seldom used.