Picture this: you have a beautiful, Pinterest-worthy kitchen that you spent days perfecting. Now that you’ve categorized your pantry into tidy bins, you were able to easily make a grocery list knowing exactly what you needed. Off to the store you go. When you come home you see glasses next to the sink, keys laying on the counter, and your pantry bins are already littered with the wrong category of food. Your perfect zen is in disarray, and you briefly consider putting a retinol scanning lock on the kitchen cabinets just so you have a place that you can keep organized that no one can touch.
One of the biggest hurdles in the race to organized zen is getting the other runners on your team. Spouses, partners, kids, pets… they all bring their own habits and “stuff” that can ruin your minimalist harmony. I’m here to tell you, it is possible to keep an organized home that allows others to live there. Just like we all had to learn to tie our shoes or put the toilet seat down, organization is a habit that others can learn through guidance and practice. (And some other tricks that I am going to teach you here.)
Number 1: Communicate. Sit down as a household and express why this is important to you. Then ask each family member how they might be struggling with staying organized, and what would help them to be less cluttered. By opening up the discussion, you’re setting the entire family up for success.
Number 2: Declutter. The less stuff you have, the less potential for mess.
Number 3: Make a place for everything, and show everyone where that thing goes. If kids (and parents) know exactly where the stuffed animals belong, then they often will require just a few prompts before it becomes a habit they automatically practice. If your husband is constantly asking you were the stamps are, make a space specifically for mailing supplies so he knows where to find it on his own.
Number 4: Label. Label. Label. Leave as much of the guesswork out as you can! If your little ones are too young to read, you can use pictures as labels to help them build their knowledge of where things belong.
Number 5: Be flexible. If you are still finding yourself struggling over the same items or zones causing problems, it’s time to recognize that system isn’t working and adjustments need to be made. Our house struggles with shoes being everywhere. I tried for a while to clear out plenty of space in our hall closet for everyone to drop their shoes, but I was still finding them everywhere. A large basket by the stairs was the solution. It provided a simple dumping ground and was a more convenient spot to sit down and take off or put on our shoes.
Getting your family onboard is possible! It does take a little more work up front, but you can build organizing habits and systems that work without causing you more stress!
