Everything I learned about organizing, I learned in kindergarten.
If you are participating in the 2014 Things Challenge, you know that we need to not only get rid of things, but organize the things we have in an easy way.
The most organized rooms most of us will ever experience are at either a school or a hospital. Since I frown on having to go through minor surgery in order to gain organizing tips, I choose instead to draw my inspiration from the classroom.
I have an inside track. My stepdaughter, Amanda Lipp, is an associate teacher at a childcare facility. While she and I were discussing how she wants her room to be set up for her students, I couldn’t help but see the similarities between a well-set-up classroom and a well-set-up home.Here are Amanda’s guidelines for a well-run classroom:
1. Everything has a place and everyone knows where that place is. Everyone in the house knows where things are because items have an established place.
2. Clearly label items with words and a picture. Label your drawers, bins, tubs, and baskets in a way that everyone in the house can understand.
3. Keep the room clutter free so children can easily roam and play. I stay on top of clutter so that we don’t have to clear off a table before we eat dinner or move piles of paper from a desk before I can work on it.
4. Clean up areas when “children finish playing” and before beginning another activity. After I’m done with a project, I put it away so that I don’t get overwhelmed by the mess.
5. Arrange the art on the wall neatly, using frames, canvas, backgrounds. A room with too much artwork will feel chaotic and agitating. I keep things in my home simple and uncluttered. I want the people in my home, not the stuff, to be the focus.
These are easy first steps to take to create an intentional life where you have the freedom to do things, not spend time trying to find things!
Do you have any “tips” to help a home run like a classroom, organized and efficiently?
Any teachers out there that can give us the secrets to organizing?
In regard to #1 and Pat W.’s comment, awhile ago, I reminded my husband which pot went where, again. He half-jokingly suggested that I make outlines of the pot on the shelf liner so he can see and match the size. I think I’m going to try it!
If it’s broken, it goes. So many times at home, we think we can fix it or make due with it broken. Books with missing pages, broken toys, falling apart rugs, etc. would not be in a classroom because of safety, cleanliness, and learning reasons. Thanks for this challenge.
I’m not a teacher but I got this idea from my son’s classroom, where the day’s agenda is written on the white board. I have a small white board and erasable pens that I use to outline the day for my family. For example, it might say “Happy Tuesday 1/28” and list who has baseball practice and when, orthodontist appointment, a playdate, MOPS night for me, and who’s turn it is to feed the dogs and empty the dishwasher. Occasionally, I use it as a reminder of what needs to be done in the morning before school, after too many days in a row of things being forgotten, and we get back on track. I don’t have space on a wall for this, so it sits on our island countertop and I prop it up as needed. The boys also like to use it for spelling practice or doodling, and sometimes they ask to write out the list. It has become an essential tool in our kitchen and helps everyone stay informed and connected. It isn’t cute or fancy – just plain white with colored pens- but it does the trick for us to be better organized!
Kathi, #1 made me chuckle. I have lived in my home for more than 25 years. My kitchen pots and pans have been in exactly the same cabinets for that entire time. My husband still doesn’t know which cabinet the pots go in and which one the pans go in. God, I love this man, but really? Anyway, this is one of those “small things” that I’ve decided not to sweat, but it does make cooking an adventure. 🙂