Home organizing ideas get a little overwhelming for some folks. You think you need to do it all at once or make everything look like a carbon copy of The Home Edit. (I mean, rainbow order may look amazing, but it’s not always practical.) But in reality, home organization tips don’t need to be gimmicky or trendy. They just need to work for you.
Don’t get me wrong, I think Insta-organized spaces look incredible, and they certainly are more put together than when they started. But I would love to see a playroom organized by color after a group of toddlers get their hands on it.
That’s why I wanted to whip up this list of practical, simple home organization tips that anyone can use. These are easy ways to organize your home, at your own pace, in a way that makes sense for you.
Home Organization Tips That Really Make a Difference
Making your space look great is one thing. Making it function well is another. To me, for an organized space to be successful it needs to be efficient and functional, looking good is a preferable bonus.
The pretty bins and matching containers come in time. But at the moment, you need ways to organize your home that you can implement immediately. (And without spending half your paycheck on storage solutions.) Here are three home organization tips to get you started today.
1. Choose One Space to Organize
Stop trying to organize everything under your roof at the same time. Choose one small area to focus on to warm up your organizing muscles. Some examples are a junk drawer, your dresser, the pantry, or a coat closet. Unless you’re a seasoned organizer, don’t start with massive projects like the garage or basement. Build up to these.
2. Declutter First
Stop trying to organize every single thing you have and wonder why your house still looks cluttered. My friend does this and just ends up with stacks of bins and no actual organization. It leads to more clutter because then she thinks she’ll just stuff it in another bin and it’s organized. No. Declutter first, organize what’s left. The reverse is a waste of time, money, and energy.
3. Don’t Buy Bins…Yet
A lot of people rush out to buy cute matching bins when they’re inspired to organize their homes. However, this is going about the process backward. My friend who loves to stuff things into bins hired me to organize her house. She ordered a bunch of containers before the project. But they weren’t really what we needed.
I’m not saying never buy things to organize your house, you’ll inevitably need to at some point. Personally, I love shopping for storage solutions. (This flip-down hook rail has been one of the biggest game changers in our house.)
But it’s important to declutter and assess what you have first, decide how you want to organize it, and then get the necessary storage solutions. I often find usable containers during the decluttering process that work great. It saves money until you’re more financially prepared to buy something new — leading to our final tip.
4. Form Follows Function
One of my favorite home organization tips is that form follows function, meaning it’s more important to focus on how your space works than looks. To stay organized, a space needs to work for you.
It doesn’t matter how beautiful it is, if it doesn’t make sense with your habits and lifestyle, it becomes disorganized chaos again. Make it function, then you can focus on the form over time.
Use these home organizing ideas to get the jump on your first small project. We can’t wait to hear how it turns out! Don’t forget to follow MaKayla @makay.la27 for even more inspiration and ideas to make your home the peaceful, happy place you deserve.
