Home Organizing is a Team Sport When Working From Home
It’s going to be 73 degrees in NYC today and it’s almost the middle of November. This is just another example of how crazy life is this year. There is at least one constant in our lives… our homes still need to be kept organized. This is more of a challenge than ever with working from home and partial or all remote learning. Keeping your space clutter free reduces the distractions, improves productivity, and provides a sense of calm. Home organizing is a process and requires buy-in from all members of the household. Here are some suggestions
Gather the team. Everyone in your household should pitch in. After all, the piles of mail on the kitchen counter, the collection of shoes and outwear jackets by the front door and pile of opened boxes didn’t spring up magically. Tasks can be assigned by age and ability so that all family members have a stake in the game.
Schedule time. Setting a specific time to do an overall decluttering blitz will get the job done faster. Once order has been restored and all items have a home, maintaining your space will be key. Scheduling 5 minutes at the end of day to clear the clutter that has collected should also be a team task with each family member responsible for their own room or workspace. This is a win-win… you can savor the results of your home organizing efforts and by repeatedly doing these tasks new habits will form.
Collaborate. A lot of times clutter collects because either an item doesn’t have a specific home or your family members don’t know the home’s location. Ask your partner and children for suggestions especially when organizing their stuff. In their rooms or home office, the home needs to make sense to them so that they’ll be better able to keep the space organized.
Make it fun. While home organizing is a valuable skill to teach children, making the task fun will go a long way in the development of new habits. Making this into an activity that everyone wants to engage in not only gets your home organized but also is good for family bonding. Play music while everyone is working. Set a timer and see who finishes their task first. Schedule a family outing once the work is done.
Working together on home organizing tasks will get the job done faster. I hope these suggestions help get your space organized. Need a specific tip, please reach out to me.