Interested in Your Own Personally Branded Magazine? Click Here!

Want to customize this content for your business?

Learn More

Categories

  • Home
  • Decor
  • Real Estate
  • Life & Culture
  • Food & Recipes
  • Holiday & Entertaining

  • Printables
  • Videos


General

  • About the Magazine
  • Advertise
  • Copyright
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Careers


Editorial

  • Editorial Calendar
  • Issue Archive
  • Contact Us
  • Pitch an Idea

American Lifestyle Magazine Logo
  • Home
  • Decor
  • Real Estate
  • Life & Culture
  • Food & Recipes
  • Holiday & Entertaining
  • Search
  • Follow
  • 0 Heart
  • |
  • Food & Recipes Categories
    • All Recipes (752)
    • Appetizers (136)
    • Breakfast (59)
    • Cooking Tips (42)
    • Desserts (214)
    • Dinner (228)
    • Drinks (59)
    • Gluten Free (9)
    • Healthy (64)
    • Quick & Easy (56)
    • Vegan (30)
    • Vegetarian (46)
All Recipes | Aug 10, 2022

One-Pot Mac n’ Cheese

  • Holiday & Entertaining Categories
    • Christmas (77)
    • Easter (14)
    • Entertaining (40)
    • Father’s Day (6)
    • Halloween (29)
    • Hanukkah (14)
    • July 4th (34)
    • Mother’s Day (8)
    • New Year’s (19)
    • St. Patrick's Day (11)
    • Thanksgiving (33)
    • Valentine’s Day (5)
Patriotic Party
Decorate | Jun 10, 2022

Patriotic Party Recipes

  • Decor Categories
    • Crafts & DIY Projects (272)
    • Curb Appeal (5)
    • Decorate (65)
    • Interior Design (80)
Home | Aug 11, 2022

Mix Interior Design Styles with Ease

Home | Jul 15, 2022

5 Great Online Stores to Help You Redecorate Your Home

Decor | Jun 13, 2022

It’s Easy Being Green

  • Real Estate Categories
    • Buying & Selling (196)
    • Home Trends (22)
    • Staging (20)
    • Your First House (33)
Buying & Selling | Aug 11, 2022

Understanding the Short-Term Investment Market

Real Estate | Aug 8, 2022

Inflation and the Housing Market

  • Life & Culture Categories
    • Editorial (284)
    • Family & Pets (197)
    • Finances (23)
    • Health (155)
    • Travel (237)
Editorial | Aug 15, 2022

Day Trips Along The Appalachian Trail

All Recipes | Aug 10, 2022

One-Pot Mac n’ Cheese

Editorial | Aug 8, 2022

Best Foot Forward

  • Home Categories
    • Cleaning (42)
    • Organizing (48)
    • Home Improvement (122)
    • Outdoors & Gardening (87)
Green Clean | Aug 15, 2022

7 Eco-Friendly Updates That Will Make Your Home More Marketable

Home | Aug 11, 2022

Mix Interior Design Styles with Ease

Home | Aug 8, 2022

Keep Your Kitchen Organized

Follow us on social media today!

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn

Preparing to Get Organized

Organizing | 3 Likes
SHARE
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn More

Let’s get real: Maintaining a home that looks like one featured in a magazine is not an easily attainable goal. But organizing in a way that makes sense for your family and setting goals and expectations that everyone can follow is.

Functional organization—organization that works for everyone in your home—doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time to identify the problem, set new goals, plan, and prepare before you execute.

So before you invest in solutions that look like they might work, follow these tried-and-true rules to guide any organization project:

Shot of a messy room needing cleaning

Always start by cutting the clutter 

Less stuff means less to organize, which means you’ll be able to see solutions and needs much more clearly once you eliminate some excess.

Take a good look around, place important things in their proper places, and then pare down.

Start with the easiest items to let go of—tossing expired products, out-of-date paperwork, and anything that’s broken. Next, move through each room, and ask yourself, “When was the last time I used it? Do I have two of these? Would it be of better use if I donated it?”  If you can’t remember when it was used or answered yes to the other two questions, then bag it up for charity.

Donation box with clothes, living essentials

Decide where you will donate

As a general rule, remember that it’s always better to donate than to accumulate. Identify local organizations that accept donations, and then make a list of the location, hours, and what items they’re most in need of.

Some common take-anything organizations include The Salvation Army and Goodwill, but don’t forget about animal shelters for donating spare blankets and towels, or schools for donating old books and supplies. Give your old technology a new life by donating to local nonprofits and charities in need of old electronics.

Upcycled drawer used as under bed storage full of folded clothes
Upcycled drawers repurposed as wall shelves with decor

Rethink, reuse, and repurpose

Identify pieces of furniture that are great for storage, but maybe not being put to good use. There are no rules saying an armoire can’t be updated to handle your office supply storage needs, or that a versatile bookcase can’t be of better service in your entryway. Think small too, considering how a vase might be able to hold something more than flowers.

Before going out to purchase new storage solutions, always make sure to assess and get creative with what you already have.

stack of business folders

Choose your needs and tools carefully 

Even after you’ve decluttered, you might be inspired to enact new solutions in other areas of your home. Prioritize these needs carefully by identifying your biggest problem areas and considering the amount of wear and tear or use the solution will endure.

If you find that your biggest headache is your home office, invest in a good quality shredder, hole punch, or binders for help in organizing paperwork. This may seem like a lot of work up front, but it will save you a lot of time and effort in the long run.

Close-up Of A Businessperson's Hand Writing Schedule In Diary With Pen On Wooden Desk

Create an action plan and schedule that works for you

The easiest way to create order is to acknowledge that you don’t have to do it all at once.

Figure out what time schedules work best for you. Are you more likely to stick to a project if you schedule out a full day to get started? Or does your schedule only allow for specific blocks of time when they present themselves? If you can’t decide, breakdown each larger goal into smaller blocks of time—like all-day projects, tasks that only take a few hours, and some even smaller 20-minute to-dos that you can fit in anywhere.

Remember, don’t get overwhelmed. Simplifying your home can be a big project, in which you will reap big rewards. It’s important to enact solutions that you can stick to.

2976 Views

This article is tagged in:

CleanHome TipsMaintenanceOrganizationOrganizedOrganizing

Related Posts

Home | Aug 8, 2022

Keep Your Kitchen Organized

Life & Culture | Aug 8, 2022

Best Foot Forward

Home Selling Tips for Pet Owners
Real Estate | Aug 2, 2022

Home Selling Tips for Pet Owners

Life & Culture | Aug 1, 2022

Food For Change

Successful Yard Sale
Home | Jul 13, 2022

5 Tips to Host a Successful Yard Sale

Popular Posts

can-planters-card
Staying Home | Mar 25, 2020

Make Your Own Can Planters

Plan Your Home Projects | Jul 8, 2021

Tips for Redesigning Your Patio Space

12-Direct | Feb 17, 2020

Trash vs. Recycle: Do You Know When to Trash it?

Real Estate | Dec 14, 2017

House Selling Checklist

home office with white furniture
Life & Culture | Mar 30, 2020

Everyone Is Working From Home—Here’s How to Do It Effectively


You may also like:

can-planters-card
Crafts & DIY Projects | Mar 25, 2020

Make Your Own Can Planters

Outdoors & Gardening | Jul 8, 2021

Tips for Redesigning Your Patio Space

Health | Feb 17, 2020

Trash vs. Recycle: Do You Know When to Trash it?

Buying & Selling | Dec 14, 2017

House Selling Checklist

home office with white furniture
Health | Mar 30, 2020

Everyone Is Working From Home—Here’s How to Do It Effectively

spring-cleaning-countdown
Cleaning | Mar 23, 2021

Spring Cleaning Countdown

decorating-basics
Interior Design | Jun 9, 2020

These Tips Are Your North Star For Home Decorating

Share on Social Media

Our mission is to deliver entertainment that inspires and motivates our readers, encouraging them to follow their passions as they explore new horizons.

© 2022 American Lifestyle Magazine

General
  • About the Magazine
  • Advertise
  • Copyright
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Careers
Editorial
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Issue Archive
  • Contact Us
  • Pitch an Idea
Categories
  • Home
  • Decor
  • Real Estate
  • Life & Culture
  • Food & Recipes
  • Holiday & Entertaining
Follow Us
Facebook Pinterest Instagram Youtube

Customize this content for your business!

Learn More

,