Five children. Three
Grandchildren. Lots of company. Occasionally people who move in for a season. Homeschooling
(endless piles of papers and stacks of books). Writing (edit copies, piles of
research). Worship Team (piles music, instruments).
Can you spell clutter?
More importantly, can you control clutter?
As much as I hate clutter, it invades my home on a regular
basis.
To keep clutter at bay requires organization and tidying up
on a regular basis. These two things are very different from cleaning. Yes,
cleaning is important, but it will not control clutter.
Let’s talk about clutter control.
Step #1: Organization
The first step to clutter control is organization.
Every item in your home should have a place. Pots and pans should go in a cabinet. Silverware in a drawer. Clothing in drawers and closets. We even have a place to slip off shoes because we like bare feet.
Organization should include a place to put shoes when folks slide them off, a docking stations for phones and laptops, and a dump zone for purses, briefcases, and backpacks.
Step #2: Analyze & Fix
Many times we have mess because there are things that we use or do in our homes that have no designated spot. Analyze your messy zones.
Why are they messy?
Provides “homes” for everything in your house.
Sometimes you need more (or
better) storage options.
Storage totes, especially clear ones, are awesome to use to
store papers, clothing waiting to be passed down, art supplies, and school
supplies.
Each of my children had their own plastic school drawer that held textbooks, reading books, papers, and assignment folders. They brought their school drawers to the dining room table each morning and returned the drawers to the plastic store cabinet when they finished school. It ended the school stuff lying around all week.
Step #3 Tidy Daily
The third step to clutter
control is tidying daily.
When the children were little, we would tidy every day before
Daddy came home. Even the toddlers would pick up their toys from the floor and
put them away. Cups would be cleared away to the kitchen.
When I walk into a messy room, I take a deep breath and
realize that it is most likely twenty minutes away from tidy.
If the whole family works together, it’s only five minutes away from tidy.
Step #4 Put Away What You Get Out Rule
Set a “tidy up” time once a day, but also teach children this important rule: If you get it out, put it away.
Obeying this rule alone will bring order to a formerly messy house. If Mom knows that after the messy project, everything will be tidied up and the table will be clean again, she can relax and allow creative mess.
Step #5 Clutter Crisis Intervention
Sometimes, things just happen and you find yourself with a clutter crisis.
If your home is out-of-control. Plan a family meeting and tell everyone: “We are going to work together to organize and tidy up this house. Everything needs a place, even our shoes when we slip them off. Let’s make a plan.”
After making the plan, execute it. Everyone helps.
When my children were little, we cleaned together on Saturday mornings. I would say, “It’s time for the Curtis Cleaning Machine to get to work!” I tried to make tidying up and cleaning fun, not stressful. I learned if I had a good attitude about organizing, tidying, and cleaning, my children would, too.
Homemaking Resources
At my company, Powerline Productions, we have resources to help you grow as a homemaker and teach your daughters to be homemakers: Jesus, Fill My Heart & Home Bible Study and God’s Girls 105: Homemaking.
Purchase Jesus, Fill My Heart & Home Bible study in print at Amazon or the E-book at PayHip or right here on this site.
Purchase God’s Girls 105: Homemaking, a one-credit high school course, in print at Amazon. The E-book is available at PayHip or right here on this site.
What a glorious privilege it is to be a homemaker! Remember
that as you organize and tidy.
Until next time, Happy Homeschooling!
Meredith Curtis
