Sharing Organization

I have always been amazed when people marvel at how 'clean' I am able to keep my house as I do not spend much time cleaning. I vacuum and dust once a week. I clean up things when I spill them, my husband and children do the same. Rory cleans the bathrooms and toilets once a week ... he's a good man, isn't he ?! We take the trash out when it's full, I do the laundry as it needs doing. I do NOT iron, unless something is so crinkly it looks like I pulled it out of the hamper !

So ... what's my secret ?

Organization ! Everything in my house has a 'home'. If I can't find someplace for something to 'live', I get rid of it!

It's that simple.

One thing to keep in mind. Organization is a process. A continually changing process ! Some 'systems' may work forever. But I often find that what works today may not work in two weeks or a month. Be open to changing it ! Once it stops working, it's time to re-do it.

For example, this little pink basket that I had on my kitchen bench worked great when I was just throwing a couple of rubber bands and boxes of matches in it. But then we needed somewhere to keep the new knives Rory got me that I use EVERYDAY ( and don't fit in the drawer !! ). And the knife sharpener. And the flashlight. And the scissors. And on and on. And then I started taking a new kind of vitamins. All of a sudden I have six bottles of vitamins that I need to get into three times a day. There's the fish food. And the tea pot that I want to use every morning because I now have yummy Japanese tea that Grace gave me !

I'm all about using what I have when I can, and if there is not a suitable something to use, I go find a reasonable option. I found this for $30 ... two shelves and four baskets. Sounds like a lot if I think with my American brain, but in Australia, it's pretty good.

And I love it !! Everything has it's place. I can find it all easily. I can reach it all easily. And should the time come that I decide to change it again, those organizing things that I bought can be used somewhere else in my house !

There's too much life to live to spend even one minute more than we have to cleaning house just for the sake of it! Are there things in your house that do not have a 'home' ? I say, find them one ... either in your house, or in someone elses !!