admin You read the title of this blog post and you have said to yourself “this woman doesn’t know what she is talking about”. Well, I have 2 kids – a 12yr old and a 6yr old and things can get pretty out of hand quickly. By no means am I saying that my house is 24/7 organised (especially their rooms), but putting things back in place does not take too long.
The key is to SIMPLIFY.
Simplifying does not mean going minimalist but rather being intentional with your belongings. When you keep it simple, it makes routines run smoother, pick up toys quicker if you have half the toys and laundry is done quicker if you own less clothes.
1. MINIMIZE
What do your children need? What is your lifestyle? The answers to these questions are the base to start minimising your kids belongings.
- Toys
DO NOT start throwing away their toys…involve them in the process even if it takes longer…but you should keep what they actually play with and what they love. If your child is a fan of legos and barely plays with puzzles, then don’t keep puzzles…they are taking space.
Each toy should have a place, likewise goes for board games and books. My kids toys (my son’s in particular) are all in his room – there are no baskets in other rooms. This does not mean that he cannot play in other rooms of the house, but once finished everything has to go back in it’s place.
Grouping like items/categories together will give you an indication of the right sized storage container or organisational system you need.
Even more importantly, show your child where everything goes. It’s useless organising their belongings if they don’t know where to put it back when done playing with it.
No matter their age, help them to identify where everything goes by using labels.
Moving forward, limit toys to birthdays and Christmas. I know it can be difficult, but that small toy accumulating with other small toys creates a huge mess.
- Clothes
Your lifestyle determines a lot the kind of clothes have. It is useless buying fancy clothes, if you like going on hikes. Again don’t go overboard with buying of the same category – remember that kids outgrow their clothes fast. Opt for neutral/classic pieces, so you can match and dress up or down accordingly.
- Books
I have always been an avid reader and love books. Again, keep books that are age appropriate. If they have outgrown books the best thing is to donate them.
Always keep age appropriate books within reach of your child to entice the love for books.
2. PROCRASTINATION
“Procrastination are just postponed decisions” . If something takes less than 1 minute to put away then just do it. Don’t leave a room empty handed. These are all tips to keep in mind. It will make clearing up faster at the end of the day.
3. STOCK UP
There is nothing more frustrating than running out of something, and you need to rush out to grab it. This creates chaos, because most likely you need to stop from what you are doing, grab the kids and go and buy what you need.
Stocking up on essentials saves so much time. Dedicate a cupboard somewhere in your home, where you can stock up on non-perishable items. Think about household supplies such as napkins, office supplies (paper, printer ink, pens), bathroom supplies (shampoo, toilet paper, detergent) and food (cereals, kids snacks etc)
4. FAMILY COMMAND CENTRE
Children come back home, with paperwork and things that you need to remember. Unless you tackle paperwork and possibly forms immediately, you are at risk of forgetting or even losing it. Having a centralised station where you keep incoming forms or any other item that is in transit is definitely the way forward to keep you organised.
5. SCHEDULE TIME TO DECLUTTER & REORGANIZE
As kids grow older and our lifestyle changes, we need to spend some time to declutter and reconsider how we organise things. Therefore, every couple of months or if something does not feel right schedule time to reorganise your space.
6. MEAL PLAN
Last but not least, meal planning is crucial to save time at dinner time. If you know it’s going to be a busy day don’t opt for complicated dishes. It gives you the ability to prepare in advance and avoids the dreaded question “what are we having for dinner?”
Love
Strugglingmum xxx
