Home organisation demands effort and time. However, once you implement some simple tricks, keeping your home in order can be a piece of cake, really, avows Natasha Menezes.
Do you consider yourself as one of the most disorganised people in the world or do you dread the word organisation itself? Do you have frazzled mornings, lost bills or don’t know how to deal with piles of clutter?
If yes, then you are a victim of disorganisation.
A study by the National Association of Professional Organizers reveals that we only use 20 percent of the things we own and we don’t wear 80 percent of our clothes. Whereas 25 percent of adults say they don’t pay their bills on time because they’ve lost them. The summation of most Pinterest boards and home decor shows simple organising tips and tricks for our daily convenience. Every house suffers from cramped spaces and less-than-efficient stowing ideas – be it stacks of paper, multiple wires hanging around or cluttered bathrooms.
Basics first
Start with some basic rules. “A place for everything, and everything in its place” spells the knight in shining armour for true home organisation. Your possessions are pretty much like you, they also need a home. Place them in their homes, make it a point to demarcate their turf with name tags, dividers and placeholders, and you’ve won half the battle.
Use your creativity to maximise space efficiently. Clearly define every item’s purpose and select the most convenient location for storing them. For example, organise hand towels near the living room bathrooms and bath towels close to the bathroom. Similarly, don’t hide food coupons and gift vouchers in a drawer. Find a folder for them and place it near the phone, where it will be within your sight.
Ease the organisation process by creating a focal point. For example, on flat surfaces, you can mount a vase filled with dried leaves to divert the attention from anything else that sticks out like a sore thumb.
Look up to a real-life personality for some inspiration. Pre-school teachers are perfect models for organisation skills as they use meticulous and less-arduous methods that focus around ‘centres’.
Centres are dedicated areas for one activity at a time like blocks, dress-up, food and the like, with storage capacity for all the items in use. On the domestic front also, you can design centres in the same fashion to support different chores. First, define centres in your home and then allocate one activity to each centre. Ensure that all the items you need for a particular activity are stored in that area only.
Now that you’ve defined a clear set of rules to jump-start your organisation map, here’s a hack into some tips and tricks that will guide you through the clutter.
Shoes and scarves
Shoes need to be placed either on a mat or a movable rack in the foyer so that the floor can be cleaned regularly. In case you don’t have a foyer, then invest in a shoe rack - made of either wood or metal - that looks attractive. Else, use a wicker basket as an accent to your doorway and that will also double up as a neat shoe organiser.
Hang hooks or hall trees at the entry for stowing away coats and jackets. Scarves can be either hung on pegs at the entry or can be neatly folded in baskets in the closet or shelves in the cubbies.
Umbrellas must be kept standing up so that they get ample air circulation. You don’t need to buy a special umbrella stand, just recycle and reuse wicker or wire-mesh trash cans for this purpose.
Keep all your keys in one place easily accessible at the main door. You can either buy fancy hangers or just pin-up hooks to hold them.
Cabinets and cords
Traditional desks with drawers provide ample storage room for things you’d like to keep hidden. But there is a flip side to that, you tend to stash away things in your drawer and before you know it, your storage drawer has turned into a clutter basket. The trick is to commit each drawer to only one type of storage and insert partitions wherever needed.
Your study table should be of a size, that allows you to work comfortably on your computer as well as read and write. You can either design cabinet space above your computer to store files or you can build in drawers and shelves within your table.
Chords(electrical wires) can be organised neatly amidst a chord organiser. There are essentially two types of chord organisers – flexible tubes and rigid chord channels. The first keep the wires concealed, while the latter can be attached to surfaces like the bottom of your desk or wall baseboards. Both these organisers are available in plenty of colours and textures.
Phone space
An ideal phone docking pad is one that can be wall-mounted and has accessible counter space. The phone docking pad must contain an emergency caller list, a notepad, pens, takeout menus and a visiting card folder. Keep all your stationery bundled together in a tray near the phone.
Bath talk
Everyday bath essentials should be stacked up in plastic or metal containers. Buy one stand that will hold all your essentials like loofah, soaps and shampoos. It’s best to select stands that can be tile-mounted. Store your bath towels in a cabinet away from the wet areas of the bathroom. Design a medicine cabinet behind your mirror for easy accessibility and storage.
A major trick of organisation is to bring your entire family on board and integrate the organisation process keeping each member in mind. This will distribute the load and ensure that everyone is part of the process.
The prime goal of home organisation is not just to achieve a spotless space, but also to make your life more functional, clutter-free and productive. Once you get inspired by the idea, you will see how you miraculously have more time on your hands!