What Does Organized Mean?

Chances are that you do not live alone. And chances are that each person in the home has a different idea of what an organized space looks like. Setting guidelines that take into consideration all family members wants regarding organization makes for a win-win situation.

Shared spaces need to meet the expectations of everyone. For example: if children play in the living room, a rule may be that when done playing, the toys must be picked up and put away, OR at the end of the day, all toys must be put away.

Guidelines for the bedroom may be more flexible: bed must be made, dirty clothes go in the laundry basket, clean clothes must be put away, there must be a clear path to exits, and once a week everything must be picked up and the floor vacuumed. This allows each person to organize his/her space based on his/her wants.

Now, if the previous listed guidelines would cause stress for another family member, those guidelines are not appropriate for that home. Develop guidelines that all family members are comfortable with. Then make sure the rules are followed by having “organizing time” a part of your daily routine.

Keeping the Car Clutter Free

Like the rest of the home, the car, too, can be organized to make your travel time a bit more relaxing.

1. When putting gas in the car, empty out the trash. (Not while the gas is pumping – safety first!)


2. When arriving at home, remove all items from the car that do not belong in the car – coffee mugs, soda cans, water bottles, children’s games/toys (unless they are containerized and are used for travel time entertainment only), etc – and return them to their rightful home.


3. Convenient items to keep in the car: first aid kit, phone book, coupons, snacks, items needed for errands, such as, purchases to be returned/exchanged, library books to be returned, and of course, maps.


4. Have a wastebasket (Velcro on the bottom of a small wastebasket will hold it in place) or a bag (looped over the arm of a seat) available for garbage.

Organizing the Refrigerator

Try these tips for organizing your refrigerator:

1. Store like items together. Categories may include: dairy, meat, fruit, veggies, condiments, and leftovers. Condiments may be further divided by use, for example: ketchup, mustard, and pickles together.
2. Put more perishable items on lower shelves, which are cooler and never in the door, which has the most temperature variation.
3. Always put items in the spot assigned. When an area has extra space, resist the urge to put other groceries in that spot.
4. Use containers to keep small items, such as cheeses or snacks, together.
5. Develop the routine of looking through the fridge and tossing food that has lost its freshness. A good time to do this is on the day before garbage pickup.

Some benefits of an organized fridge include, less food will spoil, making a grocery list is easier, because you can see what items need to be restocked, and less time is spent with the fridge door opened, conserving energy.