Clothes Hamper

Working amongst chaos is stressful. Living amongst chaos is even worse. That is why most people want to be organized and tend to make it a New Year’s resolution – year after year. But we tend to compare ourselves and our homes with the airbrushed rooms in magazines. But who lives there? Not me!

I like a room to be warm and welcoming, and I am sure you do too. Sometimes it’s hard to get focused, get started and get help.

So here are a few simple tips to help you get your family involved in the organization and upkeep of your home, and get you a little more comfortable in the chaos of life, without it being chaotic:

1. The 80/20 rule: don’t sweat the small stuff. Being perfect is not the goal; being livable is. Focus on the twenty percent that is most important to you; the rest will take care of itself – really! Remember, having Johnny’s medical records at the ready is more important than the dust bunnies under his bed.
2. When you are done with it, put it back. Elegant and easy, but it may take some practice and patience to see the real benefit of this one. The key is “when you are done with it,” NOT when you feel like it. Rule of thumb – if your little guy is big enough to take the toy out, he’s big enough to put it back!
3. Everything has a home. You can’t put something away without having someplace to put it. If you have no place for something, then perhaps you need to really evaluate your space and your belongings. Something will need to give – move or get rid of items!
4. Delegate – you don’t have to do it alone. Learn to ask for help, set the standards and let the person you’ve asked for help do the job. Then when it’s done (doesn’t have to be done your way), thank them! We all like to be appreciated. Think of the jobs the family can pitch in and help on – prepping for dinner, taking out the trash, running the dishwasher, wiping down the bathroom, or putting the towels in the laundry area.
5. Repetition creates routines; routines create habits; habits create organization. Establishing family routines will help you get and keep organized.  For example, if you establish a family routine that after dinner is meal clean up, it will become the norm and expectation of your family.  Think of the routines that can help you reduce the stress and chaos of your day: picking up the family room before bed; homework after dinner is cleaned up; room tidied up before story time; clothes put away the same day they magically appear in their room; dirty clothes in the clothes hamper; backpacks by the door when homework is done, etc.

These are simple things to get your family involved in getting the home organized and keeping it that way.  None of us lives in a magazine, but it sure would be nice to have a little free time to read one!

Check out the Buttoned Up website for more ideas to getting organized and our great products to help you get there (www.getbuttonedup.com). You can follow Buttoned Up on Twitter – http://twitter.com/getbuttonedup and friend us on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/getbuttonedup

Guest blogger: Anne Marie Furie