My 5 step guide for establishing how to organise and spring clean your home + a FREE download to make doing this even easier!
Dishes in the sink, dirty clothes in the laundry, toys on the living room floor or shoes scattered all through the garage… does this sound familiar? We all take pride in our home, but at times it can get too much. Perhaps you’ve had a baby and routine has gone out the window, maybe you’re working full time and would rather spend your free time with the family instead of cleaning, perhaps you’re not feeling yourself, you’re a hoarder… or maybe you are just OVERWHELMED!
The clutter in our lives, homes and heads can have a negative impact on our happiness and our ability to focus, however a good plan and a little order can help you clear away this clutter. Check out my 5 step guide for reducing clutter and regaining a calmer, more coordinated life.
HOW TO START?
Trying to tackle a mountain of clutter can be overwhelming, so try to take just a few minutes to make a start, rest if you need, and start again in an hour or on another day. The best way to get something done is to begin. So let’s get started…
1. ASSESS – Assess each room of your house and add all the things you want to clean and organise to the ‘Spring Cleaning To-Do List’ (available for free via the link below). Write down everything from tidying the top dresser drawer, bathroom cupboard, or son’s toy chest. The more specific you can be, the better.
2. UNDERSTAND – Understand why you need to clean and organise each of these areas.
Use the ‘Understand & Establish New Routines’ section (via free download below) to help you determine how this clutter was created. Either it doesn’t have a home, it’s a dumping zone, family just continually throwing this on the pile, or perhaps you simply need a new set of drawers. Writing this down will help you determine your plan going forward, and what you need to implement to tidy the area and keep it that way.
3. DETERMINE – Determine why this happened, and then work out what products you need to complete each cleaning task and what storage solutions you need to keep it clean!
4. EVALUATE – Evaluate and review your list to get a good understanding of why things got out of control in the first place, and set a realistic date for when you would like each task completed by.
5. ESTABLISH – Establish a new routine which will help keep your home and head under control. My Organised 2023 Weekly Planner is a great tool for doing just this as it helps breaking down your cleaning tasks down into smaller more manageable areas. It features a daily cleaning routine, plus weekly and monthly cleaning checklists that are categorised into frequency and room, so that your cleaning tasks can be tackled quickly and without fuss. There’s also regular self care tasks, savings goal trackers, and countless more time-saving features to help you keep you whole life calm, coordinated, and stress-free.
Establish a new routine with The Organised 2023 Weekly Planner.
How to avoid this clutter in the future?
My 5 step process above will help you work out how and where to start clearing away the clutter that has built up over the last year – but how do we make sure we don’t end up here again?
I can’t advocate more passionately for products that break down your cleaning tasks, and help to free up your mind and time for more important things. I’ve already mentioned my pretty little planner that packs quite the punch, but my 2023 Everyday Calendar is also a great tool for not only brightening up your walls, but streamlining your chores too! With 3 quick and easy cleaning tasks plus 1 happiness or health task every month, you can easily keep on top of your house whilst ensuring that smile stays firmly on your dial.
Get organised with The Organised 2023 Everyday Calendar.
TO DOWNLOAD: Enter your details in the form below to unlock the buttons to download your FREE planners and lists. If you already subscribe to the newsletter, please enter your details again – I promise I won’t send you the email twice!
How this 5-step-guide helped me gain control
One of my biggest challenges when my twins were babies was I didn’t have a routine in place for after dinner. I would eat dinner, put twins to bed, realise I was exhausted and fall on the couch, only to wonder bleary eyed to bed and wake the next morning to a messy kitchen. I can’t stand waking to dirty dishes so this made me constantly cranky – not the best way to start the day. This is how I actioned this 5-step-guide to fix this problem:
- Assess – the kitchen bench always has dirty dishes.
- Understand – can’t find the time to clean them.
- Determine – too tired.
- Evaluate – spend 30-60 minutes cleaning every dirty dish in the kitchen while the babies are napping.
- Establish – start cooking dinner a little earlier so I’m not so tired after dinner. Wash dishes each evening after dinner while twins are happy sitting in their high chairs. Get hubby to put out the bin and wipe over bench. Put dishes away the following morning before breakfast.
Funnily enough, I have not changed from this routine all those years ago (the twins are now teenagers!), except that the kids are helping in the kitchen now too.
Where to start organising and cleaning?
When you’re feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of the task it’s hard to know where to start, here are some ideas to help you find that starting point:
- A high traffic area ie, kitchen, laundry or living room.
- If you are having trouble sleeping start with the bedroom.
- The first task on your to-do list.
- I like to start at the front door and work my way from the left around the house.
There really isn’t a right or wrong place to start, simply making an effort is a step in the right direction. You’ll be surprised at how satisfied you feel when you look at this space clutter free.
Remember when you do start, try and complete that room first before moving onto another.
Can’t or don’t want to spring clean?
Perhaps you don’t have the time or the desire to give your home a spring clean. That is completely okay, and perhaps you should consider hiring help. We all have different priorities in life and outsourcing this task is a great option for those who’d prefer to be spending time with loved ones, are working full time, feel overwhelmed, or maybe don’t like cleaning or physically can’t.
Need a little more help?
Life feels busy, crazy, and chaotic, and motherhood seems to be all that and even more! Break it all down into smaller more manageable parts with The Organised 2023 Weekly Planner, The Organised 2023 Everyday Calendar or for if your family is busy, you may prefer the 2023 Family Calendar.
Step 1: Determine what are your organising goals
Step 2: What is clutter
Step 3: 5 steps to clear your clutter
Step 4: How to part with sentimental items
Step 5: Create a to-do list
Turn over a new page with The Organised Planners and Calendars.
