BUT I do have my moments, and recently when I flew threw the house tidying up, I thought, "wow, this is going fast." And then it clicked WHY. I've done this for a while, but I've tweaked and perfected it to my home. And I'm sure I'll continue to tweak it, but here's my secret to help the tidy up process along...
May seem simple enough, because it is!
Everything must have a place. I'm talking EVERYTHING. I'll show some examples here in a second, but let me explain.
Sometimes we hate tidying up because we have no place to put things. So we procrastinate because we know we'll look at things and have no idea where to put it. Or we end up throwing things in piles off to the side somewhere.
But if we categorize things and everything has a place (whether it be a bin, or a designated spot in the house) then it's just a matter of putting the things where they go.
For example, Quinn has a lot of random little toys that can't really be put into a category. But she also has a TON of baby dolls and baby doll accessories. They get their own bins. She also has a good amount of barbies, my little ponies, and legos. They get their own bins. I also have a place in her room designated for purses/bags, jojo bows, books, blankets etc...
Even with the junk drawers, this idea can be used. But this does mean going through your junk drawer and throwing out what you don't need. From there categorize things. Common categories are pens, cables and chargers, scissors, notepads, keys, receipts...
In our "junk area" I have a place to put the ipads, a bowl for chargers and bigger knick knacks. On the counter I have a place for receipts, gift cards, loose change...
And in the actual junk drawer where no one really looks i got a cheap plastic organizer that houses spare keys, extra cables, pens and a whole bunch of randomness.
But I like using kids rooms and playrooms as an example because that's what people have most trouble with.
If Quinn's room is covered with random items from her bedroom, I know that I can rush through quickly and pick up because each thing has a designated spot. I can throw her shoes where they go, baby dolls in a bin, books where they belong, pens in her pen cup, purses in the designated hanging spot, stuffed animals in their bin etc...
Pictured below Is a bin just for her barbie dolls and accessories (top bin).
She went through a phase of LOL doll obsession, so the bottom one is all her LOL pieces and also other little toys around the same size.
I'm ashamed to say my kids have ALOT of toys, and i've even donated or sold many toys along the way. Only to make room for new toys. One category she has ton of are baby dolls and accessories. Clothes, bath tubs, brushes, shoes, feeding supplies etc...all for baby dolls. She has some of it in her room and some in the upstairs playroom. The ones pictured below are just her baby doll accessories. She has other bins for the baby dolls themselves.
The container below is something I got as a baby shower gift when I was pregnant with her. I've used it many different ways throughout the years. It started out as a place to hold diapers and wipes. Now it sits on her dresser and holds her sunglasses, JoJo bows, and headphones.
My kids have bookshelves in their rooms and a reading nook upstairs. But below, I found this cute item at Target (around $8). You can hang it on the wall, but right now I choose to place it on his dresser. It houses his library books so we can keep track of them, and his notebooks.
I LOVE organizing bathroom drawers, and below is the one in the kid's bathroom. I have a section for brushes, one for hair accessoies, one for brushing (flossies, toothpaste), and one for misc like the thermometer and covers, vaseline and nail clippers. I have Quinn's plastic hair ties in it's own bin too.
Below is an ikea shelf in the playroom. We have a reading nook, and this is where this shelving unit is. I recently just organized it because it was looking all sorts of messy!
On the left is where all the board games are. Then there are sections for puzzles, books, and electronic pieces.
Below is a picture of a bin in the upstairs playroom that houses Quinn's "random girly things" collection!
Their little kitchen area is pictured below.
I used a fruit/veggie basket I got from hobby lobby and it houses all the play food and accessories.
This won't happen in a day, or even maybe weeks. I did each room little by little. And I'm still working on rooms (like the laundry room). Bins and containers can be expensive so that's why it's ok to do it room by room and budget for it.
Cheaper alternatives are finding organizers at the dollar store. They have quite a big selection. I used organizers from there to organize my pantry.
Other stores I like to get bins are Target (of course), Marshalls, home goods, tj maxx.
So what room are you going to do first?! I'd love to know!
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