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My major goal with organizing and actually with most areas of my life. Is to figure out how to make it simple. The fact is that we like to do things that are easy and we don’t like to do things that are hard. So making the organization and decluttering process as easy and simple as possible makes it more likely that you and I will actually do it. I’ve been asked the question before of how to begin organizing when your home is an overwhelming mess. I think if we are honest with ourselves we have all felt overwhelmed by the mess in our home. When it gets that way though we have to figure out how to begin organizing
Which is the goal right?
To get it done? So let’s make it simple.
The best ways I have found to organizing when your home is an overwhelming mess. Is by trying to set a routine and doing a little at a time. For me personally, I’m not a huge fan of routines so I have to be creative about how I sneak a routine into my life.
Maybe you love routines and thrive in that kind of structure. I’m jealous of that because I think it makes things simpler. You just know what needs to get done, have a routine for it and then do it. I wish I was that way. The problem is I hear a routine and I want to break it. I just do.
So I don’t call it a routine and I’m not strict about it, that way it feels more like a choice and I’m more likely to do it. The process I do is that when I come downstairs at night to take the dogs out. If the dishes aren’t done then it just makes sense to spend 15 minutes doing them and wiping the counters.
I also like to wash and put away one load of laundry a day. Laundry is my enemy. I hate doing it and it tends to build up and then it’s a huge project to deal with. So one load a day keeps it from becoming overwhelming. Though I probably manage my one load a day goal 60% of the time. Which isn’t great.
Some weeks I’m good and the laundry is under control and some weeks I’m not but then I make the commitment to just do one load and then the next day one more and then it gets done.
That method for laundry is also part of my just doing a little bit at a time plan to getting things organized. When things are a big mess in your home it can become very overwhelming and you may be like me and just want to avoid it which only leads to your home becoming messier.
Instead just do a little bit. Not always but many times just doing a little can make you feel good so you will do a little more and then a little more. Before you know it your home looks so much better and you are surprised at how much you got done.
Just set a timer for 30 minutes and concentrate on one area. You will be surprised by how much you can get accomplished in a short amount of time. Go through and do a quick declutter. Pick up trash, take dishes to the sink. Pick up clothes and shoes that can be put away or taken to the laundry.
Do a load of laundry while you are picking up. Or do the dishes and run the dishwasher while you clean up the counters.
There is so much that you can do to begin organizing when your home is an overwhelming mess. If you just break down what needs to be done into little tasks. It’s when you look at it as a whole that it becomes too much.
Related Post: What to organize when you are short on time
I am working to make routine work for me better because I can definitely see the benefit of doing them. I’m currently in the process of taking Crystal Paine from Money Saving Mom’s course on Making over your Evenings. Then I hope to take her Makeover your Mornings course I started with the evening because I tend to be more productive in the evenings. So I thought I would be more likely to stick with a new nighttime plan than a moring one.
Jennifer Maune | Maune Legacy says
Yes – doing a little bit here and there can definitely make a difference! Setting a timer is a great idea!
Tabitha Blue says
I love what a quick timed pick up session can accomplish! It gets us motivated to really move and that way so much happens in such a short time! Great post!
Maya says
These are great tips. I don’t know anyone whose house isn’t a mess, haha. Love the post!
Hanna Smith says
We are moving and in the process of packing up our house and I have to say – going though, organizing and getting rid of everything we don’t need is SO REFRESHING!
Holly Lasha says
I am a sucker for some good organizing. It’s my favorite hobby:) Thanks for the awesome tips.
Erica D Ardali says
Get organized is a big goal of mine. I spend way too much time looking for things. These are great tips to get me started.
Debbie says
Great tips! I am really good at helping other people get organized but not so much myself! lol I also think it’s a little easier now that our son is older. When he was younger it was almost like a lost cause.
Marla | Because I Said So Baby says
Very helpful ideas! Thanks for sharing!
Carmela says
These are great tips! It’s so important just to “start somewhere!” no matter how big and overwhelming the job may seem!
Holly Lasha says
Love this. The key to getting organized is getting started!
Justine @ Little Dove says
I do one (or sometimes two) loads of laundry a day too, otherwise as a family of 7 it just builds up way too much. I’ve been working on organizing and cluttering lately, but it’s hard because our house is kind of small without a lot of storage. Every little bit helps!
Joanna Clute says
Trying to tackle too much at once is never easy. It can be overwhelming. So, piecing it out is the best way to go.
serena hale says
The timer thing is something that I have not thought about, but realized that I am good for doing a little here while I am doing something else that does not require me there for it to be done (like laundry).
Brittany says
Oh man I needed this! My house gets crazy because of my three little boys. I need all the help I can get!
Lyndsey says
I LOVE organization. We bought our house in Aug and I am slowly but surely organizing it the way I like.
Ashley says
I love doing timed cleaning sessions! It’s like a mini competition with myself 😉
Erin says
Yes! All of this! I have been on my simplifying journey now for the past year or so and I am still trying to figure out which methods work best for me. I try to throw in one load of laundry everyday so it doesn’t get overwhelmingly much at the end of the week!
Julie Hoag says
Can always use more tips like this! Thanks for sharing:)
Jennifer Corter says
Definitely doing a little at a time is the way to go for me. Otherwise my anxiety kicks in.
Loretta says
Overwhelming mess can frequently describe my house, my desk, my life 😮
Just start somewhere ~ that’s the biggest thing ever. If you try to analyze the mess you’ll get nowhere and feel like your brain is going to explode.