5 ORGANIZING TIPS TO MAKE YOUR HOUSE A HOME
Author: Jancee Wright
Early in this dispensation, God instructed his people to, “Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory a house of order, a house of God,” (D&C 88:119, emphasis added).
“Mine is a house of order saith the Lord God, and not a house of confusion” (D&C 132:8, emphasis added).
As latter-day women, we are the gatekeepers of our homes. How do we keep confusion and clutter from entering those gates?
Think about your house right now. Is it organized? Can you find things? Do you know what you have? When is the last time you really looked through every space in your home?
Here are 5 strategies I teach when deciding to organize a space in your home:
Make a Decision ahead of time
Ask yourself – What space am I going to organize? And how am I going to go about organizing this space? Decide a date & time you are going to start and trust yourself to follow through with your decision.
The best decisions come when you Just Start.
Distinguish Your Favorites
One of the biggest mistakes when deciding to organize a space is organizing before de-cluttering. When editing the space ask yourself, “Do I Use it? Do I Love it? Does it serve me? If the answer is no to any of these questions, then trash it, donate it, or sell it.
The best way to enjoy your favorite things is to only own your favorite things.
Give Yourself Permission
One of the most powerful gifts you can give yourself is permission to let go of the clutter without guilt or indecision.
Ask yourself these questions when struggling to make a decision.
- Have I used this item in the past year?
- Do I LOVE this item?
- Would I pay full price for this if I were to buy it today?
- How easy would it be to replace it?
It’s not useful if you don’t use it.
Quality over Quantity
Just because an item is free does not mean it’s worth keeping. Ask yourself, “What will we use over and over again?” and “What will just sit in a pile to add up to an even bigger pile?”
Less is the answer.
Stop Postponing Action
Be strong, require yourself to answer, and make a decision. Remember that there are no wrong decisions. Decisiveness is a wonderful skill. Practice it here.
You can start organizing every space in your home right now. Here are some steps to get you started.
Simplify.
Take everything out and edit like crazy into three piles:
- Donate
- Trash
- Keep
Systemize.
Give every item you decide to keep a “Home Address” or a container to store in.
Style.
Label, label, label! Everyone in your family should know where everything goes. Place containers in desired location.
The easiest way to organize your stuff is to get rid of most of it.
Taking care of your home is a form of self care and will bring so much peace into your life. Organization is a verb. It requires action to achieve the results you desire. How do you think you will feel once you’ve accomplished your goal? That feeling that you just thought of – it’s available to you right now. It’s the one you need to drive action. Hold onto it and get to work.
Jancee Wright is a Professional Organizer & Certified Life Coach
Owner of Finding Your Fancee
You can also find her on Instagram