I have always thrived in chaos, until I no longer thrived in chaos.
When I was a younger mom, we always just did the next thing. I had energy. I stayed on top of school. And life was loads of fun, everyday. It was wonderful!
As time passed, life began to change. Life happened.
Health issues, several hurricanes and two major home floods, and the needs of our family continued, in the midst of ever increasing chaos.
Things had to change. How could we function in all of the chaos and clutter?
See the pictures above? How can students function in all of that clutter on the left. Even though it’s just a random picture, it’s a really good representation of what a lot of homes look like. The picture on the right, another random picture, is a really good representation of the benefits of decluttering. The picture on the right shows a modest home, that is peaceful and pleasant to be in.
So how did I do it? How did I get organized?
Simple Steps to Getting Organize
- Throw away or give away books we didn’t need. (I felt like a homeschool heretic, but it was the right thing to do!)
- Give away clothes, or throw them away, that the kids didn’t want. That I didn’t want.
- Throw away the paper! All the paper, and the projects from when the kids were 2nd and 3rd graders (now in college).
- Get rid of half of our kitchen stuff. Really, there are six of us, but were really didn’t need 2 blenders and all of those electric gadgets.
- Magnetic calendar for the fridge. For menus and keeping track of what’s in the fridge.
- Magnetic chore chart for the fridge (keeping track of which jobs need to be done when and by whom. Even works for adults!
I cannot tell you how much better I feel. My kids don’t ask everyday what’s for dinner or breakfast or lunch. It’s on the fridge!
Everyone knows what to do!
Everything has a place!
Organizational success for me started with getting rid of stuff!
Disclaimer: I was so overwhelmed when it came to decluttering that I had to get help. I didn’t do it alone.
If you can’t do it by yourself, get help!