5 Ways to Maintain Home Organization

As we go about our days, we’re often faced with choices that we give little or no thought to. They’re those small, mundane chore-like things that are often put off in the moment. You know… hanging up your jacket when you get home, putting the all-purpose cleaner back once your kitchen is sparkling, sorting through that pile of mail. Those little things. While it might seem like no big deal to push them to the wayside in the moment, instilling small, daily habits can make all the difference in maintaining your newly organized home.

I don’t want to make it seem like it’s not a normal response to want to push something off to do later. Procrastination is a friend of mine too, I promise! Instead of thinking about it as making life harder right now, think about how you’ve felt in the past when all of those things you’ll “do later” add up into one long to-do list. When you recognize that taking a minute to maintain now can eliminate the need for an hour-long clean-up on Sunday, it makes the idea a little more appealing. Doesn’t it? Instead of losing time, energy, and space, in the long run, you’ll be creating time, energy, and space for your future self. 

The secret to an organized life is hidden in your daily routine. It’s simple actions that keep your home in order long term. To help you keep your home organized and free of shuffling clutter, we’ve put together a list of a few small, daily habits that can add up to create big wins.

Make Your Bed

Each day, one thing you can do to show up for yourself is make your bed. This simple task takes no more than 3 minutes, and can help you in more ways than you might think. When you make your bed each morning, it creates a sort of domino effect, setting the tone for your day. If that’s not convincing enough, studies have actually shown that people who make their bed each day are happier, healthier, and more productive.

Hang Things Back Up

Whether it’s your jacket, keys, bags, or clothes you tried on in the morning, avoid keeping things on the floor or draped over furniture. Instead, try hanging things up right off the bat! When you hang things up as you go, you prevent ever having to deal with the dreaded chair of laundry (I know you know what I’m talking about!), or piles of clutter from overwhelming you. You’d be amazed by the difference it makes mentally to hang things up straight away. Having these things out of the way will instantly make your space feel cleaner and lighter, giving you room to breathe. See our closet organization blog here!

Avoid Setting the Mail Down After Bringing it Inside

Instead of setting the mail down on the kitchen table as soon as you bring it in, take a second to sift through it. Toss/recycle anything that you know you don’t need right then and there. If there’s something important that you’re not able to devote attention to at that moment, we recommend setting up a designated mail center in your drop zone with labeled categories for action items, reminders, bills, etc. Add a note for yourself if needed as you tuck it in your mail center, then make a time each evening to sort through.

Clean Up the Kitchen After Dinner Each Night

There’s nothing quite like coming downstairs to a fresh, clean, organized kitchen each morning. Trust me—it really is the little things in life! To make this a reality for yourself, take 10 minutes after dinner to reset the space: do the dishes, wipe down counters, put appliances away, get any food back where it belongs. This way, when you wake up in the morning (especially if mornings aren’t your jam), you’ll feel refreshed and ready to tackle the day when you grab your morning coffee. Find our kitchen organization blog here.

Dedicate Time to Quick Resets

Cleaning and decluttering your home can easily be put off as life seems to get in the way. Your schedule is busy, and you don’t feel like decluttering is a priority in the midst of it all. In these moments, remember that doing small things as you go will prevent the mass cleanup at the end of the week! One way to do this is by setting a timer for five minutes during the day. Devote this 5 minutes to putting things back in their designated homes. If you’re someone who works well with incentives, feel free to create a reward at the end!

When you implement these kinds of resets into your day, I can almost guarantee you’ll feel like you can maintain the systems of organization in your home! You’ve dedicated so much of your time and effort into organizing it in the first place, so why not honor that work by keeping it up? If there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that you deserve a home that brings you comfort and happiness each and every day. So with that, I urge you to remember: taking care in the little moments of your day will allow you to succeed over time.

For tips, tricks, product picks, and inspiration for home organization, make sure you grab your copy of Life in Jeneral if you haven’t yet and sign up for the LIJ Book Club! There’s a 70 page workbook with exercises to help you work through your emotional barriers and goals in relation to organizing, and of course, step-by-step guidance to do the work. For even more support and encouragement, follow along with the book club on our Instagram, too!