There is no better feeling than having an organized home. When you look around and see that everything is neat and orderly, it will make you feel like you’re on top of things and ready to conquer anything. For those with a lot of clutter in their home, it can be hard to get to that point. That’s because things tend to pile up and it can be tedious work deciding what to keep, what to toss, and what to tuck away into storage. With a few helpful organizational tips, you can have a neat and orderly home.
What to Keep, What to Toss
The first thing you need to do is decide what to keep and what to toss. In order to do this, make two big piles. You can toss things like old bills you’ll never need again, handwritten notes that don’t make any sense, and junk mail. It’s easier to do this each time you get mail, but not everyone has time to keep up with it. After you’re done making your piles, toss the things you don’t need and go through your keep pile. Chances are that you’ll see some important papers that you need right now and ones you won’t need for a while.
How to Decide What You Need Within Easy Access
It’s hard to decide what type of things you should keep within arm’s reach or inside of your home on display. Do you have a plethora of artwork from your children, memorabilia from sporting events or date nights, and other precious mementos you want to hang onto? Although you don’t need to display all of those, it’s nice to keep them on hand. You can organize them into file cabinets so they’ll always be within reach, shadow boxes with pictures, or folders.
You can also follow Binding 101 to learn how to bind things that mean a lot to you. That way, you can display them proudly in your home inside of neat and cohesive little laminated books.
Binding together little books of important papers will also help you stay organized. You can use tabs and stickers to remind you of what is due when. You can also create family gifts by combining artwork. The lamination on the pages also helps to ensure that nothing gets damaged and that the finished product lasts a long time.
Organizing Your Belongings in a Practical, Creative Way
When it comes to non-sentimental belongings, it’s a little easier to get organized. One way is to take a filing cabinet, label it by the contents inside or the month, and file everything away. You can leave this in your attic, basement, or garage so that you’ll know exactly where something is that you may need. It’s important to do this with paperwork or belongings that you think you’ll need but you’re not sure when. If you’re someone who keeps track of paid bills or receipts from stores for tax purposes, filing them away is a great way to stay organized. Otherwise, you run the risk of losing them in the long run.
Get Creative With Personal Items
Once you eliminate the clutter of paperwork, it’s time to focus on your sentimental belongings. These are things that make you feel better by having them around. The fridge is a great way to display artwork from small children. You can laminate other pictures and memorabilia to hang up on walls. All of these things help to get them off of shelves and tables where paperwork normally congregates. There are some creative ways for displaying art on your walls, like using clothespins on a string or displaying with poster tape. That will help remove clutter.
Opt for Online Copies to Avoid Clutter
Finally, there’s a simple way you can cut back on the amount of junk and paperwork you receive. You can opt for online copies whenever possible. If you’re bombarded with copies of bills or statements that you don’t need, you can opt-out. Instead, choose to view everything online. This can help you stay more organized. This also frees up room in your home so that you can focus on displaying paperwork and art that actually means something to you and to your family.