Staying home is a concept we are still trying our best to grasp. Because we live in a society that is constantly on the go, the thought of staying put and limited access to “outside” increases anxiety levels and just makes us go crazy…. at least it does for me. Don’t fear Judi is here to help you get out that rut and start organizing your house. In decrease overwhelm, the focus today will be on 5 small spaces in your home. This way we can get through the easier spaces so we can work our way up to the more difficult ones.
Now let’s start with my favorite of all… Drawers.
#1 D R A W E R S
To anyone who is having difficulties figuring out where to start organizing, I would definitely start with drawers. Because drawers are typically one of the smallest spaces in our homes, this is the perfect place to get organized. First things first, it’s important that you chose the drawer you will be focusing on and only work on that one. Make sure you dedicate at least 1 hour to this process so you can finish it completely.
After you’ve chosen the drawer you want to organize, you will next take everything out. You may want to have a few extra trash bags (or something similar) and a collecting bin around you because you may come across items that belong in another space or items you will be letting go. Once you’ve determined which items you’ll be keeping (items you love and need) then you can place those items back in your drawers in an organized fashion - file folded, color-coordinated, stacked, or placed inside of a drawer organizer.
#2 M E D I C I N E C A B I N E T
Probably one of the best storage systems in the home, the medicine cabinet is both small yet powerful. Whether your medicine cabinet has a mirror or is plain jane like mine, organizing this small space is the best place to organize especially if you’re finding it difficult to start organizing.
Just as before, after choosing the medicine cabinet you’ll be working in, take everything out. Once everything, is out this is the perfect time to wipe it down and clean it since it’s probably been a while since it’s been touched. After going through your items and only keeping the items you love and/or need, you can put them back in an orderly fashion. I added these wonderful organizers to both shelves so I can separate my face products from each other which will make selecting and applying them so much easier. Adding a label for easy identification is the cherry on top!
#3 K I T C H E N C A B I N E T S
Arguably amongst myself, this is my favorite place in my home and probably the quickest space to organize in my home. Though overlooked, kitchen cabinets are the focal points in our kitchen which means its important for them to be organized. I personally consider them to be small spaces compared to other spaces in our homes, which is why they’re on this list. Working with one at a time, choose the one that’s less daunting and as before, take everything out.
If you’re working in a cabinet that holds your dishware, I would suggest creating categories for each type of dishware (plates, bowls, saucers, etc)… This will make the decision making so much easier because you’re able to see the number of each dish you have in your possession. Let’s just say if you are a family of 1-2, the most dishware you should have is no more than 12 - I know! Trust me, the less you have, the easier it is to clean them and keep them organized. After going through your items and only keeping the items you love and/or need, you can put them back in an organized fashion (stack them, color coordinate, etc).
#4 C A R T R U N K
Being someone who loves a clean and organized car, the current state of my trunk has my anger meter very high - I have a lot of returns and no one is accepting returns at the moment… FUN!
Because our vehicles are an extension of our homes, there’s no way I would have not included it in this list. Bypassing the interior part of our vehicles, the trunk is a small space that needs love but tends to always neglected - not anymore. As mentioned before, the first step is to take everything out. Because you are working outside or in the garage, you may want to lay something down on the floor to protect your belongings. Once everything is out, decide which items will be kept in your trunk and place them back inside.
Rule of thumb : Only have items that you use or need in the car. You may not use your reusable grocery bags in the car but they are more easily accessible then storing them inside the home. Items I keep in my trunk is my emergency kit, car cleaning supplies, grocery bags, some organizing equipment and car accessories (jumper cables, car jack and etc..).
Adding bins or a trunk organizer will help you maintain the order and keep it organized. Check out my Amazon Storefront to see the trunk organizer I use in my car below.
Amazon Storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/juditheorganizer?listId=Optional%5B2HNRXJV4DRXJ2%5D&ref=idea_share_inf
#5 B A G S (P U R S E, W O R K B A G, L A P T O P B A G)
Another extension of our homes are our bags. Trust me, you can always tell the cleanliness of someone’s home when you look inside their bags and I don’t just mean purses. Just like our homes, it’s very important we keep our bags organized as well. When your bag is organized, you’re able to find things quickly which saves you time when looking for something. Plus, it’s a small space that again is always neglected.
With that said as before, take your bag and dump it out. If it’s been a while since you’ve cleaned it out this is the perfect time to do so. As you’re looking at all your items, let’s think about what you need to keep in your bag and not what you want in it. Of course it all depends on what you deem as important but keep in mind that everything does not need to be inside your bag. Once you’ve determined what you want to keep inside your bag (again these are items that need to be in your bag) you can now put those items in your bag. If your issue is not having enough compartments or pockets, I’d suggest either getting a new bag with those characteristics or adding a bag organizer or pouches to create division.
Feel free to check my Amazon Storefront to see bag organizers that may work for you.
The silver lining with today’s current circumstance is that we are now forced to slow down and focus on things we otherwise would be putting off for the right time. Now is the right time so if you are very overwhelmed and it’s difficult to find a organizing starting point, small spaces are the best places to begin your organizing journey. Take a stab at one of the spaces I mentioned and let me know how it goes!
