“There’s no place like home.” This conjures up images of love, safety, peace, and calm. But not everyone’s home is filled with these emotions. Some are filled with chaos, exhaustion, and frustration.
One reason is a lack of routines. We have so much going on at once that we’re giving up structure for the chaos of a possibility. We often think of routines as things we do, but our environment can either make those routines easier or harder to follow.
A well designed system shouldn’t be hard, but we often pile up hidden friction in our homes when everyday items don’t have a logical home. That means that what should be a simple task now requires extra decisions.
Why Home Organization Routines Matter
Careers, kids, aging parents, and health challenges can make an already busy life even more difficult. When it comes to creating routines where I see a lot of people fail is that they think a good routine has to be complicated to be effective.
That’s the opposite of true. I’m a professional organizer and I have a chronic illness. I’m also someone who searches for the easiest way to get things done.
I’ve found a complicated routine is too hard and has too many steps. I’m not going to do it, which makes it ineffective. A good routine to me can be done on auto pilot and can often still be accomplished on days when I’m not feeling very well.
That’s because I’ve learned good routines shouldn’t require a lot of thought or decision making after it’s been implemented. This is especially true for morning and evening routines. A few predictable habits can help create structure.
Take a Look at Your Current Routines
The routines you already have in place are already providing you with valuable information. Take a look at your morning routine. What is working and what isn’t?
Maybe you notice book bags are hard to locate when kids are ready to run out the door to go to school. Where are they currently being kept? Where do they naturally land?
For me, I like to drop my keys, purse, and shoes off as soon as I come inside. I don’t want to think about where I left them last. And I want to be able to see them and grab them. But I also want to be able to put them away with as little effort as possible when I return.
It makes the most sense to place frequently used things where you naturally reach for them rather than forcing yourself to maintain an unrealistic system.
Your Home Should Support Your Energy
Stop forcing yourself to be something you’re not. Just create a system so there’s not a huge mess, but rather a space for each of those items. The goal is to easily place them where they belong so you can also easily grab them on your way out the door in the morning.
I realized that I used my scissors in 3 separate rooms in my home. I often forgot to put them back because its home base was too far away. I bought 2 more pairs and placed them in the other rooms I used the most often. I made it easier for myself rather than harder.
The more you go against your natural tendencies, the more likely your organizing system is going to fail. The goal is to work with who you are and how you live, not to twist you into some perfect robot.
Small Home Organization Routines to Reduce Daily Stress
Your ultimate goal is to create a system within your home that supports you so you don’t feel exhausted by your own belongings and unfinished tasks. Focus on creating a space where you can actually sit, read, relax, and recharge without staring at clutter and unfinished tasks.
I need calm in my space, especially on days when I’m not feeling great. It helps me heal and rest so I focused on only keeping items that support me which greatly cut down on clutter spots.
When a system is working correctly, your rest will then feel more intentional rather than forced. Your space will too.
Designing Home Organization Routines That Fit Real Life
The more you “have to do” the harder it will feel to keep up with everything in your life. And your systems will fail you once again. Instead, focus on making resilience look like creating systems that make your life easier, not just when you’re feeling at your best, but on those days when you’re tired, busy, or just having a bad day.
That way, when those days happen, you won’t feel like you’re back at square one and you can easily catch up without it feeling overwhelming or impossible.
I often utilize the 5 minute task system on my hard days. Anything that is a high priority I will spend about 5 minutes doing and then I’ll go rest. Nothing has to be done perfectly or entirely, but spending a few minutes getting something done does make a big difference. Especially on your nervous system.
Stop asking yourself how you can make yourself keep up with everything. Instead, ask yourself how you can set up your environment so that it supports you on days when you have less capacity.
Design for Your Real Life
If you try to organize your home for that perfect version of yourself, you’re going to fail. No one is perfect so don’t aim for creating systems around the person you think you should be.
Instead, organize your home around the person you are and how you actually live. You might find once you’ve created realistic systems that you’re a lot more together than you thought you were.
Sometimes finding the right system takes a bit of tweaking. Try something for a month and see what’s working and what doesn’t. It’ll give you a ton of information so you can find a solution that works best for you.
Small Changes Can Reduce Daily Friction
It’s often the small changes that provide us with the biggest results. Creating a landing spot for keys can mean the difference between being late for work again feeling stressed and frustrated and being on time and focused.
Creating a laundry routine can mean the difference between always having clean underwear and going off to work only to find your favorite shirt has a stain on it you had no idea about.
Keeping frequently used items accessible means finding things quickly rather than opening up several drawers before you find what you need.
All of this translates to the elimination of dozens of tiny decisions. Decisions that can exhaust, frustrate, and overwhelm you.
Home Organization Routines is a Learned Skill
Not everyone learned how to get and stay organized. Thankfully, it’s a learned skill and a supportive tool. It’s not a measure of someone’s worth or productivity.
Your home doesn’t have to be perfect to support your well-being. It doesn’t need to look like a glossy magazine and you don’t have to follow someone else’s organizing rules.
It does need to work for you.
This isn’t about creating a perfect home. It is about creating an environment that supports the life you’re actually living. One that gives you more space for things that truly matter.
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