Never Get Caught in a Disorganized Mess Again – Five Easy Tips

Yikes! Your mother-in-law just called to announce that she’s dropping by in an hour and your house is a disorganized mess! Time to clean up quick.

Does this sound familiar?  Don’t worry, it happens to the best of us.  But it’s totally possible to keep your house tidy and organized at all times. Keep reading to learn how you can stay ahead of the curve and never get caught in a disorganized mess again.

1.     Deal with what comes through the door right away

When you come home after a day of shopping, do you put your purchases away right away or leave them around the house? If it’s the former, keep it up! If not, start to make that a habit. Hang up new clothes right away, find a storage place for any new kitchen gadgets, and try out any new home accessories right away. If it doesn’t work the way you thought it would, return the item as soon as possible and don’t let shopping bags clutter up your space.

2.     Clean up the kitchen after every meal

The kitchen is the place in the house that can be the most overwhelming to tidy up, which makes it really tempting to put off. But just think.  If you take 10 minutes to put away dishes in the dishwasher and wash your pots and pans right after a meal, it is much more manageable than letting things pile up. The same applies to taking out the trash as well. Why not place it by the front door to grab in the morning – or, better yet, dispose of it that night so it’s over and done with?

3.     Get into the habit of tidying up your bedroom before bed

Before you settle into bed, take a few minutes to pick up any dirty clothing or other items you forgot to put away. I guarantee that you’ll feel much better going to sleep and waking up in a tidy and organized room.

4.     Get Some Help

While this tip may seem quite obvious, it’s surprising how many people try to tackle home organization on their own. Getting (and keeping) things organized is a lot easier if you work as a team. Why not assign every family member a section or room of the house that’s his or her responsibility to keep tidy? Or you can divide up responsibilities by chore (someone’s in charge of washing the dishes, someone’s in change of vacuuming, etc.) Determine what works best for you and your family (lots of times this will have to be through trial and error) and stick to it.

5.    Make it enjoyable

Of course cleaning and organizing isn’t the most exciting thing in the world for most people, but there are lots of ways that you can make it more enjoyable for yourself. Put on some good music, make it a workout, or chat with a friend on the phone while you do it. Or why not listen to a podcast or an audio book while you’re at it?

I hope these tips help you out and you never find yourself caught in a disorganized mess rushing to clean up for guests again. I’d love to hear for you – let me know in the comments below if you have any go-to time saving organization tips.