Today we are going to address some common hindrances that keep you from getting your home organized. I’ve identified 11 common roadblocks that most of us are familiar with, on some level, but may have never given much thought to. We’ll address and name them, and then we’ll learn how to tackle and overcome them. Are you ready to get started?

If you are new to the blog, welcome! I blog about cleaning, decluttering, and organizing. You can find more free printables to help you get organized in the drop down menu under the Printables category. Now, let’s look at what is preventing you from getting organized.

Hindrance #1: No System in Place/No “Home” for anything

One particular hindrance to getting organized is not having any type of system in action in the first place. When you haven’t assigned a “home” to anything, it’s very difficult to know where to put it away in the first place. Here are some of the common complaints you might make if this is YOUR hindrance. You might say…

-I never put things back into the same location twice.

-I have some new purchases I’ve made, but I haven’t put them away yet because I don’t know where to store them.

-I have so many things I want to accomplish, but I don’t know how or when to start.

Someone who faces this common hindrance is likely to just drop things down on any surface once you enter your home. Then, your items accumulate and never get put away. You might misplace things often, but know they are in that pile “somewhere.”

Because you have no system in place, you forget important dates, delay getting things accomplished you wanted to, and may even miss special opportunities because you failed to plan or misplaced that invitation.

You may even have a room designated for certain tasks, such as a craft room, where you pile craft items. This is a small start to organizing because you’ve assigned your items a room, but because you haven’t assigned them a “home” in that room, it creates disorder in your space.

Now, let’s determine HOW you are going to address this hindrance. Simply stated, you are going to create one, single “home” for each item or category of items. This even applies to your calendar. You must no longer permit yourself to pile everything down daily.

Take five minutes to sort through your mail and mark your calendar daily for upcoming tasks and events. If you receive a bill in the mail, you put it away immediately in the designated bill space you have created for bills.

If your family has an upcoming appointment, you mark it on your calendar immediately. If you make a purchase for that craft you love, you put it in that craft space (not a pile in that room) immediately.

You get the idea? You no longer procrastinate. You no longer create piles. You will gain order and peace in your home by taking the time to simply put everything away daily. Plus, you’ll gain the personal satisfaction of actually getting things done that you want.

If I am trying to organize my home, how do I create a “home” for everything?

Creating a “home” for everything in your home is a great way to stay organized. Here are some steps you can follow:

1. Declutter: Before you start organizing, go through each room and declutter. Get rid of items you no longer need or use. This will make it easier to find suitable homes for the things you want to keep.
2. Categorize: Group similar items together. For example, all kitchen utensils should be in one category, all clothes in another, and so on. This will help you create specific homes for each category.
3. Evaluate Storage Spaces: Assess your storage spaces, such as closets, cabinets, and drawers. Consider how much space you have and what types of storage containers or organizers would fit best.
4. Use Containers and Labels: Invest in storage containers, baskets, and bins to help organize your belongings. Label these containers, so it’s easy to identify what’s inside. Clear containers can be especially useful for quickly seeing the contents. I am a big fan of using what you have or shopping for cheap options, so I use my dollar store for containers.
5. Assign Specific Spaces: Designate specific areas or shelves for each category. For example, assign a shelf for books, a drawer for office supplies, and a section of the closet for shoes. This ensures that each item has a dedicated space. Struggling to decide where something goes? Ask yourself this question: “If I were looking for this item right now, where would I look?” This will give you a good idea of where you should store it.
6. Daily Use Items Accessibility: Keep items you use daily in easily accessible locations. Store them in places where you can reach them without much effort. This will save you time and effort in your daily routines.
7. Create a System: Develop a system that works for you and is easy to maintain. For instance, place frequently used items at eye level and less frequently used items higher or lower.
8. Regular Maintenance: Set aside time regularly to reassess your organization system. As your needs change, you may need to adjust the homes of certain items. Regular maintenance prevents clutter from accumulating.
9. Involve the Whole Family: If you share your home with others, involve them in the organization process. Make sure everyone is on board with the system and understands where things belong.
10. Stay Consistent: Consistency is key. Make a habit of putting things back in their designated homes after use. This will help maintain the organization over time.

Remember that organizing is a dynamic process, and you might need to tweak your system as your needs and lifestyle evolve.

Happy Organizing!

In my next post we’ll tackle another common hindrance to getting organized, so stay tuned! Read part 2 in this series here.

Need some organizing inspiration? Check out this video below.

Need to deep clean? I have lists for you to guide you along.

My How to Deep Clean Your Kitchen list can be found here.

My How to Deep Clean Your Bathroom list can be found here.

My How to Deep Clean Your Kids’ Rooms list can be found here.

My How to Deep Clean Your Living Room list can be found here.

My How to Deep Clean Your Bedroom list can be found here.

Also, to keep up the general housework, you may need to create a daily housekeeping schedule that suits your specific needs. To do so, I have created a helpful series you can read here.

Need to Declutter Every room? I have declutter checklists for every room and every space in your home to guide you along below.

Also, you can get the complete digital printable copy of the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series Calendar and Checklists here. The printable digital download is delivered to your email. It includes 25 pages of printable calendar pages and checklists to help you declutter every room in your home. You can find that here.

Struggling with the daily housekeeping chores? Check out my ebook on this topic, entitled Make Over Your Homemaking. Use this link to get it at a discounted price.

HOW TO DECLUTTER:

Supplies Needed:

1. boxes -preferably ones you can donate (Avoid plastic storage bins because you may be tempted to just store the items and not part with them.)

2. sturdy trash bags

3. marker/pen to label boxes

Decluttering Tip: Avoid using storage bins to declutter. Storage bins tend to tell your brain to “store” the items for later. That is just delaying decisions. If you aren’t getting rid of items when you declutter, you are not truly decluttering. This is why I recommend a trash bag, also. A trash bag tells your brain to “trash” the item.

Obviously, recycle if you have that option. The boxes you use should be ones you are willing to part with, so I recommend sturdy cardboard boxes. As to donations, there are many charities that will come pick up your items for you at your home.

I use one in particular where you can book an appointment for pick-up online. This is so convenient, as it saves you the hassle of hauling stuff away yourself. Scheduling that pick-up also motivates you to declutter by a certain date.

How to Declutter:

1. Start by eliminating trash first- use a sturdy trash bag

2. Sort items by category if needed so you can see what you have

3.Get rid of duplicate items, broken items, outgrown clothes and shoes, anything you’ll never use again

4. Box up the donations and trash/recycle the rest

5.Select a charity to donate your items and schedule the pick-up if that is an option

How to Declutter the Guest Room or Your Kid’s Room checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Laundry Room and Patio checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Coat Closet/Hall Closet/Linen Closet checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Home Office checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Attic checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Garage checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Living Room checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Kitchen Checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Entry/Foyer/Mudroom checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Clothing checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Bedroom checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Bathroom checklist can be found here.

Need some Inspiration to Declutter? Join us for the Year Long Through Declutter Series by subscribing by email below.

Happy Decluttering!

To Subscribe to my Year Long Thorough Declutter Series, drop me a comment below. Your email will be sent to me but will not be posted publicly. You’ll receive a daily declutter task via email for the daily task we are working on. You can unsubscribe at any time.

We declutter 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. The Year Long Thorough Declutter Series is designed to help you declutter every room and every closet in your home. When you subscribe you’ll receive a daily task in the room or area we are currently working on decluttering. To Subscribe, leave a comment below.

New to deemiddleton.com and don’t know where to start? I recommend going in this order:

Step 1: Check out this post on the 1st step you should take to get organized. If you don’t have a calendar, you can grab my free weekly printable calendar page here. It is in my shopify store, but it is totally free, so you won’t be prompted to put in any payment information. It is a free download and will be delivered straight to your email.

Also, you can get the complete digital printable copy of the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series Calendar and Checklists here. The printable digital download is delivered to your email. It includes 25 pages of printable calendar pages and checklists to help you declutter every room in your home. You can sign up here.

Step 2: Create a daily Housekeeping Schedule. You can use this series to start to set up your own schedule. You can also use this simplified weekly schedule.If you often ask: What is the fastest way to clean a dirty house? Or, if you struggle to get organized and have tried and failed time and again, you can likely find out which of these 11 reasons cause you to fail to get organized.

Step 3:   How do you remove clutter?.…Sign up for the Declutter Series and get your entire home decluttered in just 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.”Declutter Your Home” checklists are provided in each email.

Step 4: What is the fastest way to clean a dirty house? Use a timer and use the Deep Cleaning Checklists above. They will help you get your home sparkling after you’ve decluttered. 

Interested in becoming a full-time blogger like me? Check out my blogging series. At the top of every page on my blog, you’ll find a drop down menu. Just select the BLOGGING category.

Check out the most popular posts on deemiddleton.com: 

14 Things That Make Your Home Look Cluttered

How to Do A 1 Day Declutter

How to Create a Daily Housekeeping Schedule

How to Clean House When You Are Completely Overwhelmed By Clutter

What is Preventing You From Getting Organized?

Also, check out a great post on decluttering over here from becomingminimalist.com. Joshua Becker has some great tips on decluttering and minimalism.

For further reading, check out the fly lady here. She has some great cleaning and decluttering ideas plus excellent organization tips to get you started.

I hope you have enjoyed this post on getting organized. Leave me a comment below and share your thoughts.