Hi girls! I’ve received so many requests from you all on organization and being productive. I love talking about this! So I thought instead of doing one huge post on everything, I will break it up into categories instead and start an organization series. How does this sound? I will provide tips for you all on how to organize your home (today!), your office, budget, to do lists, etc. I hope you find this series helpful!

So, starting today with HOME. I know many of you wonder how to keep your home tidy and organized most of the time, not just when you do a “spring cleaning”. I know for me, keeping my house clean and free of clutter helps me feel so much more relaxed and happy.

Home should be a place that you feel comfortable and are able to decompress. Having clutter around actually makes me feel more stressed and overwhelmed. Have you ladies heard of the book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo? This book has gained popularity, and is filled with useful information as to how to always have a tidy home.

Marie’s key point, and one that I completely agree with, is that staying tidy is more important than simply deep cleaning, because it keeps your mind more organized, and you will not get that feeling of being overwhelmed when you do decide to complete your deep-cleaning.

With that being said, I am going to share some of my tips that Marco and I follow that allow us to keep a clean and organized house at all times. We do these everyday so we do not feel overwhelmed and end up doing a huge overall cleaning when visitors come (haha!).

If you need some other ideas, or more specific examples, I highly recommend checking out Marie Kondo’s book. Just a warning: she is straight to the point and tells it like it is.

1. Discard what you do not need. If you feel like you are re-organizing all the time, you probably have too much stuff. Marie also talks about this in detail. She explains that if something does not bring you absolute joy, then discard it. Marco and I like to have the most minimal and simple amount of things. It makes a huge difference in diminishing clutter!
2. Another point that Marie makes is to be able to see everything you own. You do not want things to be stacked or cluttered, so making sure you can see everything helps with this.
3. Every night or morning, spend just ten minutes alone, or with your partner/roommate, and tidy up around the house. Cleaning up each day prevents clutter from accumulating and being left for later. I think it’s more fun to do this with someone, because you can talk about your day or have a conversation while cleaning, and it makes the ten minutes fly by!
4. Split tasks with your partner/roommate so you don’t feel like you’re doing everything. Of course, if you enjoy cleaning, then by all means, go for it! But Marco and I like to divide tasks evenly, that way we can spend more time doing things that we enjoy later. For example, Marco always makes the bed and does the laundry (sometimes I will help with the laundry). We clean the dishes every night after we eat, so one person will wash and the other will dry. Side note: have you ever seen the TV show, The Middle? The family divides the dishes, of course in a hilarious way, but nevertheless, it gets done much quicker and they get to enjoy each other’s company while doing it!
5. Similar to the above tip, always ask for help (unless you really don’t mind not having help). Not doing so can allow feelings of resentment towards your partner or roommate to surface. In addition, you have to compromise and be willing to let the other person do the task you’re sharing in his or her own way. Yes, they may place an object in the “wrong spot” or not make the bed how you normally would, but remember that they are helping, and instead of picking a fight, express how thankful you are that they are helping.
6. As most of you know, I work from home. So, my office is in my house. It is sometimes tempting to work outside of normal “work hours,” and it could be very easy for my office to become disorganized. To prevent this, and help separate my work and personal life, I “close up shop” every night. This involves shutting everything off, placing my files back in their spot, making my to-do lists for the next day, and even shutting my office door to physically signify that my work is done for the day. This ensures that each morning I am starting in a fresh, new environment; the work from yesterday does not carry over.
7. Finally, Marco and I do a major cleaning (vacuuming, dusting, etc.) maybe once a week. Truly, if you clean up a bit each day, deep cleaning becomes less important, and does not take nearly as long than if you were to save everything for one day each week.

So, these are my tips for keeping your home organized. What works for me may not work for you, and that’s totally okay! Experiment with different methods if you wish, and find what makes you feel most relaxed. That is key-making your home a stress-free and relaxing environment that you look forward to coming back to each day.

Do you have any organization tips that you implement for your home? If so, feel free to share in the comments below! I love hearing new ideas ☺

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Love,