You’re not disorganised, you’re not failing and you’re not lazy. You’ve just not found what works for you.
It’s no wonder so many of us feel as if we are failing.
We bombard ourselves everyday with images of the lives of others, comparing ourselves to people and lifestyles thousands of miles away. We know that most of what we see is unobtainable. Our 3 bed terrace is never going to house a 1200 sq foot pantry adorned with matching pastel coloured baskets. Nor do many of us have the luxury of walk in wardrobes and playrooms for the children. But this doesn’t stop us from dreaming of spaces in our homes that could feel that organised.
But in reality you just cannot picture yourself, or anyone else in the family, sticking to a Pinterest perfect, super detailed organising system.
So we give up. Give in to the chaos and tell ourselves..as one client told me once..
‘I’ve failed miserably at trying to run a home, I just can’t maintain any kind of order’
What if there were more options to choose from than a chaotic disorganised home and clutter free super organised one?
What if you could be chaotically organised?
Clutter free but not minimalist?
My clients often have a good idea of how they want their spaces to be. It’s my job to find out which organising style is going to stand the test of time in their home.
Medicine cabinets lined with baskets, each one for a different type of medicine may look pretty but is it really practical? Is everyone going to put the painkillers back in their correct box or throw them in the first one they see?
Are your children really going to neatly pack away their toys into lidded boxes?
Are you honestly going to file each piece of paperwork into a binder..in the right section..inside a plastic wallet..or will it all just end up in piles scattered around the kitchen because there just isn’t the time to file it all away.
You’re not disorganised, you’re not messy and your certainly not lazy. But you tell yourself all these things because you try to organise your home to mirror those of your friends, what you've seen on social media or what that magazine article told you was the ‘right’ way to sort your stuff.
It’s not one size fits all. It’s finding what works for us. It’s finding our organising style. One that fits our family, one that we can maintain because it makes sense, because it’s easy.
Take a look around your home. What can you see taking up space?
Kids shoes that never make it into the shoe cupboard? Buy a basket to sit next to the door that shoes can be dropped in.
Does everyone always empty their pockets into the same table or kitchen side? Keep it all contained and easy to move by introducing a ‘dump’ box.
Say goodbye to lids! Open boxes and baskets make it easier and less time consuming to tidy away everyday clutter.
Drowning in paperwork? Ditch the binders and look at replacing with plastic or metal drawer units. A drawer for utilities, medical, insurances etc. With little effort your most recent paperwork will always be on the top and when hunting for that important document there’s just one drawer to look through.
Look at your families most frequent activities.
Perhaps you’re quite sporty. If so dedicate an area of your home to sports kits and muddy boots to make it easier to find what you need and prevent these items migrating to other areas in the home!
Creative kids that always have projects on the go? Stop stressing about tidying it away everyday and create a space for their imaginations to run wild. One that doesn’t encroach on areas you need to use everyday.
Kids always asking you to get things for them? Move items to their level to encourage self sufficiency and give you a break!
Creating an organised home isn’t all about labels and pretty organising supplies. It’s about making our homes work for us, easy to use systems that suit our everyday living and save us time.
Find the organising style that suits you and say goodbye to chaotic living and hello to the organised you that you never thought you could be.