Organizing it’s a love/hate relationship for most people. Many of us live such fast paced lives we just don’t have the time or energy to even begin tackling the mess in our homes. Believe it or not, American Freight did a survey of over 3000 people nationwide in July of 2023 and found that the average person spends over 17 hours of their day in their home. That’s almost 71% of our day.
That’s why it’s important to have a home you feel good in. After researching cleaning, organizing, decluttering, and minimalism, I came up with this list for a house with NO MORE MESS! We all wish we had someone to do it for us. We all wish for a life without it. So here are 10 important tips to help you reduce the mess and clutter in your house.
N.O. M.O.R.E. M.E.S.S.
N – Now is the time. Don’t put it off any longer!
O – Out with the old, and in with the new!
M – Make a label for it. Now everyone knows where everything goes!
O – Open your mail right away. Don’t add it to the pile!
R – Regular habits help reduce the clutter from building up!
E – Everything has a place. Find it and tell everyone!
M – More time now, means less frustration later!
E – Easiest room first. Don’t overwhelm yourself!
S – Small tasks lead to big finishes!
S – See it, Use it, or Lose it!
Try to remember the No More Mess acronym to help you get started without the overwhelming fear of organizing your home.
Now is the time to get started. Don’t put it off any longer. The more days that go by, the bigger the piles will get, and the more the clutter will bother you. You will essentially become more frustrated and resist and fight the need to tackle your disorganized house with every day that goes by. It is said that with many areas in your life, taking that first step is usually the hardest. So if you know you need to start this organizing, and cleaning process, take that first step now.
Out with old and in with the new, otherwise you could end up with two. How many times do you bring home a new item and then not know what to do with the item it should be replacing. Maybe it’s a new spatula, even though your old one works just fine. Or a new type of vacuum that will clean better than your previous one. Or a new dusting cloth, because you can always use more rags. Or a new sign for the front door that is perfect for the new holiday coming up. Or a new soft bathroom towel because your other ones are fading and don’t feel as good. It’s perfectly fine to purchase new things if your budget allows, but before you get to the checkout, ask yourself what item will it be replacing and what will you do with that old previous item.
Make a label for it. Those bins, those baskets, those trays, all of it. If you can’t see what is in it, it should probably have a label on it. This is typically not for you, believe it or not. Putting a label on it is for the others in your home. Those other family members who you wish would pick stuff up and put it away where it belongs. Well, if you have a label on it, there is no excuse, they can see where the items need to be put back. Of course they will still need a little reminding 🙂. And we all know how busy and hectic your life gets, so having a label also means less chance you grab the wrong bin and have to search for the correct one.
Open up your mail right away. I know this might sound like a silly task, but so many people have a pile of mail on their counters, tables or desks. And the piles keep growing. You don’t want to miss paying that bill, or using that coupon for 30% off those socks you have to pick up for your son. Or forgetting the birthday party of your niece because you forgot to open the card. So take a few moments, and open up all of your mail. Recycle what needs to be thrown out, and put away the mail that is important. You will thank yourself later.
Regular habits help reduce the clutter from building up. So opening up your mail is a perfect habit to begin. Maybe always putting your keys and purse in their spot will be a necessary new habit for you. Maybe it’s putting the clean folded clothes in your drawers instead of setting it on top of the clean folded clothes on your bedroom chair. Whatever it may be, decide to create some small regular habits that will begin to make your life easier in the long run.
Everything has a place. It might take a bit to find a place for each and every thing, but once you do, it will become so easy to clean up and put stuff away. This is also true for the rest of the members of your household. If everyone knows where things belong it will be easier for them as well. This is where the labels come in handy. When you are unsure where something belongs, you will end up putting it in different places at different times, showing others that it really doesn’t matter where it gets put away. It also can cause you to end up putting it away in one place and then end up moving it to a different place, making more work for yourself.
More time now, means less frustration later. This simply means that it might take an extra few seconds or an extra few minutes to clean something up or put something away right then and there. But, if you don’t put it where it belongs right away, other items will end up being left as well, until pretty much you have piles everywhere, or items sitting out all over and then the whole clean up process starts to feel overwhelming. Save yourself from that frustration and take a little bit of time now to put that 1 item away.
Easiest room first. Don’t overwhelm yourself. When you feel your whole house needs a redo. That there are messes in every room and it’s completely overwhelming. Remember I said starting can be the hardest step, so pick the easiest room first or the smallest job first. Maybe don’t jump right into going through the playroom and instead tackle the hall closet upstairs that you go into every day. Once you start to see your accomplishments you will have more confidence in getting those tougher jobs done.
Small tasks lead to big finishes. Every room, every closet, every section of your home can be broken down into smaller, more manageable tasks. But once you keep doing those smaller tasks, you will end up with a large organized and clean area. For example, take that hallway closet I just mentioned. There are probably at least 5 shelves filled with items that need to be gone through and organized. That itself can be daunting. So pick a shelf, the easiest shelf, and get started. 1 down, 4 more shelves to go. You got this!
See it, Use it, or Lose it! You’ve all heard the phrase, out of sight, out of mind. It’s backed by science y’all. So think about those words when you clean and organize. While you are cleaning, you will most likely say over and over again, “Ha, I forgot I had that.” Or, “I was wondering where that went.” It is simply because it gets put in a spot where you can’t see it. This goes for toys, bedding, over the counter meds, food in your pantry, food in your freezer. When you begin to organize and sort through things, make sure you can see your items you are keeping. Use clear storage containers, or stacking containers so you can use more of the space. Line things in front of each other that are exactly the same. When you buy more groceries, bring the older item forward on the shelf and stick the new one behind it.
These tips have helped me drastically. Do I still fall victim to a messy house sometimes? Yes, of course. We are human and we all struggle. But, following the No More Mess acronym will help remind you to stay on top of the mess and clutter that otherwise will continue to build up in your house. Just like everything in life, it won’t be a quick overnight fix. But once you get in these habits and help show your family members as well, you will begin to see a cleaner and more organized house. Doesn’t that sound wonderful?
