Organization Inspiration for High Traffic Areas

There are so many moving parts to life. It’s easy to become disorganized amidst the hustle. The following organization inspiration is meant to help you organize and maintain three typically messy high traffic areas of your home.

I’ve always had an unnatural knack for organizing. If I’m being honest, it’s one of my favorite things to do. When I was little, I’d rummage through my grandmother’s cabinets and drawers, organizing every little detail. 

Bless her heart, NaNa did not get the organization gene. She spent half her life searching for things she misplaced. She’d hide her jewelry all over the house thinking she was being clever. Later, when she couldn’t remember where she hid them, she’d spend days worrying and stressing that she’d accidentally thrown them out.

“Organization isn’t about perfection. It’s about efficiency, reducing stress and clutter, saving time and money, and improving your overall quality of life.”

—Christina Scalise

Knowing NaNa had a proclivity to ‘misplace’ things, I’d organize her home from top to bottom. She was a Libra (I’m an Aries), so she loved the finer things in life—and lots of them. You know that rule, “When you bring something new in, something old must go out?” Yeah, NaNa didn’t abide by that one. I’d pare down her cluttered tchotchkes and box half of them up, promising we’d switch them out the next time I visited. She’d often call me asking where this or that was. And I always knew where to direct her. As a side note, all the boxed tchotchkes would inevitably find their way back amongst the others long before my next visit.

I realize I’m in the minority and that most people do not find organizing a fulfilling passtime. So, if you don’t enjoy it, but crave the contentment of having an organized home, I think this article can help you.

“Home organizing is an overlooked form of self-care. When you take care of your home, you’re taking care of yourself. When you have a neat home, you have a neat mind.”

—Caroline Solomon

Before we begin organizing, we need to tackle some prepwork. Within these three areas we plan to organize, we need to touch and hold the pieces we’re considering whether or not to keep. It sounds all woo-woo, but it’s an important step. When we feel the energy of the piece we have an instinctive reaction. We have to act on this initial instinct and immediately decide whether to keep, sell or donate it.

By eliminating the things we don’t love or use, we have far less to organize, clean and maintain. It’s all about eliminating the material noise so the pieces we do love and use can shine. 

Organization Inspiration for Your Pantry, Closet and Office

Pantry Organization

Step 1.  Empty your kitchen pantry. Toss expired items and wipe down all the shelves.

Step 2.  Categorize everything. Place all the snacks on one shelf, paper products on another shelf, etc.

Step 3.  Utilize canisters and baskets. Clear canisters allow you to see when you need to replenish. Baskets are great for irregular-shaped items.

Step 4.  Designate one shelf for kids only. I found by doing this my kids don’t demolish the other shelves.

Step 5.  Train your dragons to place items back in their designated spots. They might not catch on quickly, but repetition and positive reinforcement produces the best results.

Closet Organization

Step 1.  Empty your closet. Yep, that means clothes, shoes and accessories. Dust and wipe down the shelves.

Step 2.  Categorize the garments by: keep, sell and donate.

Step 3.  Organize the keepers by garment type. Hang everything in the same direction with longer items on one side.

Step 4.  Utilize flocked hangers. They keep slippery suckers from falling on the floor and they’re pretty. No hanging work-out clothes or pajamas. They belong folded in drawers.

Step 5.  Place your handbags high and your shoes low. Grandpa always told me, “Keep your money high.” As for shoes, they’re germy. Keep them on shoe-only shelves or on the floor.

Office Organization

Step 1.  Go digital. Scan paper documents and receipts and shred them. If a natural disaster hits your home, you’ll need electronic copies.

Step 2.  Create a designated spot for mail in the office, not on the kitchen counter. Better yet, open the mail upon receipt. Toss the junk in your recycle bin and place the bills on your desk for payment.

Step 3.  Store office supplies in drawers, baskets, and bins.

Step 4.  Organize books by business and pleasure.

Step 5.  Label binders, baskets, and bins your family members use. Spell it out for them IN BIG LETTERS. Make it easy for them to succeed.

The very best way to stay organized is to tidy-up every day. This makes upkeep much easier. Pay attention to your natural habits and create organization systems around those habits. For example, if you take off your shoes by the front door, rather than leaving them in a pile, create an aesthetically pleasing organization system, like cubbies with baskets.

Avoid dumping things on countertops. When things get dumped, it’s because you haven’t yet created a designated and intuitive space for them to live. Think: hooks for jackets, purses and leashes. I’ve created a Pinterest board chock full of organization ideas that are yours for the taking.

A cluttered environment fosters a cluttered mind. Creating daily habits to keep organized might initially sound tedious, but the pay-off will be worth it. And remember, organizing isn’t about depriving yourself of the things you love; it’s about removing the things that distract you from the things you love.