Quick Tips for Decluttering a Family Home
For many of us, having a neat space can give us a sense of order during an otherwise chaotic time. But let's be honest, with all the time spent working from home, and particularly with our kids home from school, keeping the house neat can feel like an uphill battle. We've previously covered 3 essential practices for tackling kids clutter and how to get started, but if you just want some quick tricks to get through these unprecedented times, these 5 clutter-busting strategies are for you.
1. Diagnose the mess. When your space feels like it's caving in on you, it may be a sign that something about the set-up isn't working and needs to be adapted for your current lifestyle. Engage your household in scanning a main area to get to the root of a mess: assess what’s filling it up and reevaluate how your space is being used. Also take note of what things are actually getting used, what isn’t, and why. Armed with this info, identify one major change that will help. The transformative effect of making the one right change is a powerful way to kick-start more good habits.
2. Give everyone a place of their own. We all have different tolerance levels for the state of our space, so it's helpful to give each person ownership over an area that they can keep as organized (or disorganized) as they please. As long as their things are back in their space, try to let go of enforcing your standards on others. Not only does it help to let go of things you can’t control, but it also makes people more receptive to a little assistance. When people are protective over their things, but don’t have the organizing instincts, use these ideas to help them make a place for everything:
Group categories of things for efficient storage
Pack up off-season items
Curate sentimental keepsakes
Use containers to minimize visual clutter
3. Establish an area for things in rotation. Keep open bins or cabinets in shared areas to temporarily store things that keep migrating there and warrant a temporary place...be flexible about what can be stashed there between use, but do keep these areas edited.
4. Make time, when you can. Establish certain times when everyone pitches in to tidy up for however long (or little time) you can spare. Following up on the chore with a reward will build more positive associations and develop good habits, so time tidying up before dinner, a family walk, game, movie or other popular activity. If you struggle to make time during the week, give yourself a longer period of time to get caught up each weekend and enjoy having a fresh slate.
5. Support others to get it done...without trying to do it all. When you're desperate to clear some space on your own time, group others' items together neatly and leave it somewhere for them to deal with when they can get to it. When multiple people are sharing a space, it can get hard for some to see through the mess to spot their own things and it can also be more intimidating. A designated pile, on the other hand, sends a signal and can seem much more manageable for a reluctant family member.
When 'done is better than perfect,' pick your battles, focus your own efforts on areas you can more easily maintain, and keep others feeling empowered to step up their contribution too. No one can do it all, but when we all pitch in, we can all reap the rewards.
In partnership with the tutoring service, Teachers on Call, we also drill down on A Workspace That Works.
