5 Easy Organizing Projects That Have A Big Impact
If you’re looking for easy ways to get your home organized quickly, then these 5 projects are for you!
Mail, Bills, and Short Term Papers
Go digital as much as possible. So many of the papers being sent to our homes today can be eliminated just by choosing the paperless option.
Even after going paperless as much as possible, there will still be some level of paper content coming into your home that needs to be dealt with. The easiest way to do this is with a dedicated “paper zone” where you can organize all incoming items as soon as they enter the home. A table top file organizer like this makes it simple to separate important items by categories that make sense to you.
The next step is to schedule a day of the week when you will go through every folder and review each and every paper. This is when you’ll do things like file papers away for long term storage, take care of action items like paying bills, choose what coupons you’ll use for the week and most importantly toss anything that is no longer needed.
Check out our TikTok Video all about organizing paperwork for more inspiration!
2. Cable and Cord Clutter
It’s a digital world, and that means we all have a lot of cords in our homes!
The first step to cutting the cord clutter is to gather up all of the cords that are not plugged in or regularly being used. Storing all of your cords in one central location will keep them from piling up in random places, and help you find the right cords when you need them.
This photo storage box actually doubles as the perfect storage box for small cords where they can be separated by type or use for easy access. A plastic shoebox also works great for any larger cords and wires.
If there are any mystery cords hanging out in your home keep those in a separate box and if they are not used within 1 year then toss them! Inevitably we all end up with more cords than we really need so narrow down each type of cord to a reasonable number that works for you. If you have an area in your home where several cords are plugged in, like under the desk, this cord organizer box is the perfect tool to get them under control.
And while you’re down there, get some labels on each of the cords so you know which one belongs to which device. Here is how we put it to work!
3. Backpacks and Bags
Backpacks, drawstring bags, reusable shopping bags, where do they all come from?!
The first step to declutter bags is to go room by room and gather them all in one place so you can actually see how many you have. We think the number might surprise you! Then decide how many to keep. We recommend keeping 2-4 usable bags per person, depending on how often they are used in your home.
These bags can either be stored in one central location like an entryway closet, or kept in each person's bedrooms for their personal use. Reusable shopping bags are another item that gets out of hand quickly (thank you Fresh Direct!) We recommend only keeping the max number that you would need at the grocery store at one time.
Bonus Tip: If you have Fresh Direct bags piling up you can check here to find a drop off location near you where you can return any bags in good condition.
4. Dedicated “Donation Zone”
Get into the habit of decluttering by having a dedicated space in your home where you store items that are ready to be donated.
In my home we are donating items so regularly that our donation zone is right near the front steps where items can be moved to the car ASAP and are ready to be dropped off. For some people a donation bin in a closet or garage works well. For childrens clothing we recommend keeping a bin for outgrown clothes right in the closet that can be easily grabbed for donation.
5. Food Storage Containers
You know it's time to purge if you’re spending more than 1 minute searching for a matching lid for a food storage container, or tupperware is falling out every time you open the cabinet!
Pull out all of your food storage containers and find the coordinating lids. Any piece without a match should be tossed.
Next, decide how many food storage containers your family actually needs. We recommend only keeping as many to hold the amount of leftovers that your family can consume in one week.
Once you have your collection down to a reasonable number of matching pairs it’s time to choose the storage solution that works for you. Some people opt to store their containers stacked with the lid on. This option is best when you have a matching set of containers that stacks nicely and the cabinet space available to store them. Another option is to keep your lids and containers in separate bins in a drawer or cabinet. This way you can easily find what you need without taking up too much room. The lids are often are the culprit of the disorganization so either get a large bin to store them in or use an organizer like one of these.
Are you ready to put these simple organizing tips to work in your home?
If you can take the time to implement some (or all!) of these organizing strategies throughout your home, we assure you things will feel less cluttered and your home will run smoother!
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If you try out any of these strategies we talked about today we would love to hear about it! Comment below and let us know how it goes!
Happy Organizing Friends!