I want to stay organized.An uncluttered house looks cleaner than a clean house that’s cluttered.
—JUDY WARMINGTON
Congratulations! You have made it this far in simplifying your house room by room. Good for you! You are well on your way to surrounding yourself with a more simplified space.
It’s important to maintain what you’ve accomplished. Now is a good time to take your home to the next level by learning how to manage it simply. It’s really easier than you think with some planning on your monthly calendar. Doing a few small tasks each month saves you from having to do another big cleanup of your home.
Create a Plan
Staying organized comes down to recognizing where you are in the PUSH sequence, a concept I introduced in my book Simplify Your Life: Get Organized and Stay That Way! The PUSH sequence is a three-step process that involves you, your time, and your lifestyle. The good news is we have completed the first three of the four letters in the system.
The PUSH Sequence
Project = A one-time planned organizing and simplifying event
“YOU” = Ways for your organizing to fit your personality, so it will be easier for you to maintain
System = A dependable plan to maintain your simplifying systems
Habit = A personal routine you practice every day
Once you have established good habits, you will develop an eye for improving other systems. And oddly enough, the more simple systems you develop, the easier your life will be.
A daily system will keep most of the clutter at bay. For instance, if you wash the dishes after each meal, your kitchen will stay clean. If you put away laundry the same day, you will always have clean clothes. If you create appropriate files for your paper-work, you will have an organized desk.
Simply Maintain and Multiply Your Success
Motivation:
I want to stay organized.
I want to be realistic and keep up my belongings.
I want to see this take less and less time.
Supplies:
Index cards to make some reminder charts
Time Estimate:
15 minutes a day or 2 hours weekly
Reward:
An organized home space that is uncluttered and easy to maintain.
Let’s take a look at some broader systems that can help you maintain your organized space while letting you keep simplifying your space. It truly is possible to feel confident to handle a pile of clutter and to find the time to deal with it.
Approach It by Sections
Now that you are visually attuned to your home, it’s important that you don’t spend all your day cleaning up. While I believe straightening up your space should be a part of your day, it should definitely not take the entire day.
Get a routine going and include the things you might not do automatically. Once these small tasks become routine, you don’t need to mark them down.
Weekly Progress
Here’s a sample weekly chart for you to adapt to maintain the busiest room in your house: the kitchen. Now, your kitchen doesn’t need to be perfect all the time, but it won’t get completely out of control if you have a system to maintain it.
The easiest step is to clean up after each meal. Beyond that you might try a schedule something like this:
Kitchen Routine—1 Week
SPACE-SAVING TIP #50
Develop good organizational habits by doing things at the same time of the day and shortening the time it takes to do them.
Likewise at your desk at home or work, create a weekly system to make sure you get everything done at a reasonable pace. First, list the five things you need to do regularly (beyond mail and e-mail), and then slot them into days. Do these things Monday through Friday and take a break on the weekend.
Office Routine—1 Week
Weekend Progress
Some tasks and space upkeep are one-time projects (like organizing bookshelves or CDs) while others are once-a-month items (like yard work or washing the car). Include them on your monthly calendar by penciling in the next three weekends with things you’d like to do.
For instance, you could spend one weekend doing yard work and the next weekend washing the car. If you want to get away for the weekend, plan to do both yard work and car washing on the same weekend so you can get away the following weekend.
Time is on your side. Maintenance of your home, yard, and car always costs less in time than repairs—and usually in money too. Keep up on those weekend projects.
Weekend Projects—4 Weekends
| Saturday/Sunday | |
| 1st Weekend | Cut grass/shovel snow |
| 2nd Weekend | Change oil/fix car |
| 3rd Weekend | Wash and vacuum car(s) |
| 4th Weekend | Clean up one part of garage |
Monthly Progress
The same idea works for projects that can be done monthly. For example, everyone wants to know how to organize family photos, when the real question is, “When will I have the time?” You could make it a one-month project beginning with your current year’s photos. You don’t have to do your entire lifetime of photos at one time.
Start with the time and photos you currently have so you can feel a sense of accomplishment and get the systems in order. Setting up a system is a good use of your time now and for future storage.
Organize Your Photos—1 Month
| Saturday/Sunday | |
| 1st Weekend | Gather all your photos by year in boxes |
| 2nd Weekend | Label dates and put in photo books |
| 3rd Weekend | Scan best photos for a digital show |
| 4th Weekend | Scrapbook photos for birthday celebration |
Do the same for your CDs by listing that as your project for the month. That way, you can slip in the time in an evening or on a weekend to sort your CDs, DVDs, or VHS tapes. It’s so freeing to review what you have and get your media in order to use more.
Organize Your Media—1 Month
| Saturday/Sunday | |
| 1st Weekend | Gather all your CDs by year in one place |
| 2nd Weekend | Categorize by types |
| 3rd Weekend | Divide the CDs into keep or go |
| 4th Weekend | Alphabetize by category and put away |
SPACE-SAVING TIP #51
If you live with a pack rat, agree that common spaces in your home must be clean: visible table space, counters, and furniture. Allow separate space for each person to relax and call his or her own.
Yearly Progress
The more often you go through rooms, the less time it takes. It’s like sorting miscellaneous glasses and silverware in the kitchen—your cabinets and drawers keep that “simple space” look by keeping all the odd pieces out.
Your rooms are the same way. The more often you sort through them, the more likely they are to stay organized and the less time it takes to maintain them. Here’s a sample yearly calendar for maintaining your space:
| January—Bedrooms and closets | July—Vacation |
| February—Kitchen and recipes | August—Children’s rooms |
| March—Files and taxes | September—Decorating |
| April—Yard and garden | October—Photo books |
| May—Garage and cars | November—Media and holiday preparations |
| June—Children’s papers | December—Enjoy the holidays |
SPACE-SAVING TIP #52
Decide how much you want to cut back when you sort out a space, say by one-half. This target will help you decide whether to keep something or let it go.
Lighten Up and Let Go
The key to keeping up your space is to schedule regular charity pickups and deliveries. I recommend every quarter if you want to keep the clutter at bay.
The benefits are new space and a tax deduction, more space and cash in hand, and personal enjoyment, plus compliments from other people. It’s a win-win all the way around.
Maintenance Checklist
____ 1. Are all the areas working well that I need?
____ 2. Is there a clear line of sight in any room I walk into?
____ 3. Are my personal spaces looking good and relaxing for me?
____ 4. Are the rooms with daily activity picked up by the end of the day?
____ 5. Are the more formal rooms uncluttered and welcoming?
____ 6. Are my storage areas minimized and labeled to meet our needs?
____ 7. Do I have a sorting project scheduled soon?
____ 8. Do I have a plan for how to stay organized?
____ 9. Do I have regular outlets to give away my excess things?
____ 10. Do I enjoy my home and possessions as they are now?
Tips from “The Decorating Coach,” Susan Wells
Will the decorating ever end? Not really. Contentedness is the key to enjoying what you have, but at the same time, stay on a learning curve. If you can’t create, then simply re-create your home with ideas from inspiring designers.
Visit homebuilders’ model homes to learn design principles. Clip pictures from magazines and visit Web sites for free tips. Collect ideas in a binder, then categorize by topics of interest, such as rooms, colors, and furniture.
Acquire top-quality accessories at discount prices by watching for good sales. Divide your decorating projects into reasonable time frames, and you’ll keep your enthusiasm up. Swap your skills with a friend, and together you’ll tackle projects you never would have on your own.
Manage It Simply
You can keep your simplified space if you become aware of the habits that help or hinder your accumulation tendencies.
If you are an “organized saver,” you will have to visit a charity drop-off several times a year to keep that habit under control.
If you love ideas and books, you will have to continually weed your file drawers and bookcases to stay within their confines.
If you’re always on the go, you will need quick but productive systems to keep up on your daily mail, laundry, and household pickups.
A simplified home creates a sense of serenity and order. Every clear countertop and organized piece of mail helps you feel good about yourself and your space. Every small victory counts in the overall goal of simplifying your space. These are habits you can learn and succeed at.
Review: The CALM Maintenance Approach
Create a Plan
Weekly routines will help you maintain what you’ve done.
Weekends will give you a boost on household projects.
Monthly calendar goals by room will make it easy.
Approach It by Sections
One drawer, shelf, or cabinet at a time
One room at a time
One section of your home and office will get you there
Lighten Up and Let Go
Donate items to your favorite charity.
Sell items in the classifieds or online to gain space and cash.
Family and friends often appreciate donations.
Manage It Simply
Regular maintenance is always easier than a big cleanup.
Multiply your success by improving your simplifying skills.
Keep asking yourself, “How can I do this more easily?”
Every step counts toward your overall goal of simplifying your space. Too much “stuff” can leave you bogged down and depressed. But when you change your space, you change your life. A new life of order and freedom is ready for the taking as you simplify your space!
The more stuff you have, the more stuff you have to take care of and the more space you need to store it. Make a conscious decision to let someone else take over the caretaking.
—DONNA SMALLIN