January 2016 marks the national ‘Get Organised Month’ – a time for us all to enjoy a fresh start after the chaos of Christmas! Did you know that we waste around 15 minutes per day looking for things we’ve lost in the home, with mobile phones, car keys, and house keys being the main offenders? That’s around 230 days of our life! Being organised isn’t just about keeping a tidy home, it’s about saving us time – and money – too! So here’s 8 ways you can help to organise your home and declutter during January:

Start Small

If you’ve been a bit lax lately, getting organised can seem a little overwhelming. The secret to success? Not jumping into the deep end! Don’t bite off more than you can chew – start small, covering the easiest and most basic organisation tasks first. This could be working your way around your home throwing out any rubbish, or simply putting everything into the right room.

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Don’t Hoard

It can be difficult to throw out some items, but if it’s never been used, is old and falling apart, or you simply don’t like it, just get rid of it! There’s no point cluttering your home with items you’ll never make use of. If you can’t bear the thought of throwing stuff away, consider giving some items to your local charity shop so that other families can make use of them.

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Categorise

Now it’s time to start working with the items you’ve decided you’re going to keep. The best way to organise these items is to categorise them, making it easier to decide on a place for them to ‘live’. You can decide upon your own categories based on what you have, but most households should have categories for documents, paperwork, electronics, stationery and so on.

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Give Everything a Home

All of your items should have their own ‘home’ within your home, and nothing should be left strewn in random places – this only adds to the clutter and creates a very disorganised feel. Whether it’s placing items on shelves, in cupboards or wardrobes, in drawers, in boxes, under the bed, and so on, make sure everything has it’s own place that it can be put back in after use.

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Think Storage Solutions

There’s no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to storage solutions, and that’s something we often seem to forget! ‘Storage solution’ is an umbrella term, covering everything from large plastic boxes to small wicker baskets. Be flexible, and use the most convenient storage solutions for your needs. Remember – small, fiddly trinkets will be easier to find in smaller storage boxes!

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Be Kid Friendly

Becoming more organised in the home shouldn’t be a solo effort – everyone in the family should be involved, including the kids! Unfortunately, it can sometimes be difficult for kids to participate in organisation, so it’s important to make it easy for them to help out. Consider keeping their plates and clothes within easy reach, so they can help put their own things away.

Look Up

Running low on storage space? Then why not make use of some of the more under-utilised areas of the home. We tend to automatically store items outwards – on the floors or on large surfaces – but what about storing upwards? Wall space is often very under-utilised, as well as the backs of doors. A few wall shelves and over-the-door hangers can make a huge difference.

Make a Checklist

Getting organised is the easy part – staying organised is the hard part! Now that your home is looking a little less cluttered, it’s important to try and keep it looking great. You can help yourself out by creating a checklist that you can use when cleaning the house so that you never forget or overlook a certain task, or a specific item. It’s a ‘cheat’ to a tidy, great looking home!