Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt like your life was one big mess. Like, literally, one huge pile of mess and mayhem. If you’re reading this, you’re probably a parent. And if you’re a parent you know all too well the mess that comes with trying to raise, educate, entertain and feed those amazing children you love with all you’ve got.
Lately the mess in my house has left me feeling exhausted before my day has hardly started.
The routine of searching for library books, missing shoes, and getting knocked in the head with stray medicine bottles when I open the kitchen cabinet (to reach for a k-cup so I can properly caffeinate myself to get out the door) is getting old.
“I tell myself it shouldn’t be like this. I need to GET ORGANIZED!”
Before I had kids my home was fairly organized and usually clean. Since becoming a parent the clutter, clothes, dishes, laundry and toys appear to have taken over. I just can’t seem to find the time to get everything organized. Don’t even get me started on the clean factor. The amount of sand smuggled in on a daily basis (plus the fact that I live in a houseful of boys with questionable bathroom aim) has left me resigned to an endless cycle of cleaning up new messes. I know this too shall pass as my boys grow up.
I just yearn for things to run smoothly, for everything to have a place (and be in its place when I go to find it), and to feel soothed and relaxed when we come home.
Lately I’ve been feeling overwhelmed and literally stepping over piles when I walk in the door.
I’m telling you this not to brag and vent about how ridiculous my messy life is but rather to let you know if this all sounds too familiar that YOU ARE NOT ALONE. I see you, mom. I see you, dad. And, most importantly, it’s okay to ask for help!
I find myself encouraging my kids on a regular basis to ask for help when they need it. I also tell them adults aren’t perfect and we need help too.
Hopefully these tips can help all of us get a little more organized and feel a lot less stressed:
1. MAKE A GAME PLAN AND START WITH MANAGEABLE TASKS
Getting organized takes time to sort through everything, so don’t be afraid to break up tasks by room, closet, or cabinet. Finding the time to get organized can be the biggest hurdle and is key to getting started.Ask for childcare help for a few hours or try to conquer one cabinet during nap time. If you’re feeling brave include your kids in the sorting and organizing of an area they can help with.
2. IF IT DOESN’T BRING YOU JOY (OR GET USED), LET IT GO
3. THINK INSIDE THE BOX OR BINS
If you’ve found the right place for the things you use and want to keep, using small and large bins can make keeping everything accessible and organized easier. I’m a huge fan of built-in bins for shoes and backpacks in mud room areas and toy bins in the playroom. (Be forewarned that bins require regular sorting and cleaning or they might become storage for sand and missing parts).4. ASK FOR HELP
Consider hiring a professional organizer, cleaning service, or assign manageable organizing tasks to individual family members. If you have a friend in the same situation take turns helping one another get organized to make the job half the work and twice the fun. And when all else fails just embrace the disorganized mess!As much as we’d all probably like to be more Marie Kondo than Hot Mess, the hot mess is a blessing worth more than an organized world full of rolled sock drawers.
I’m off to try and use these tips to finish organizing the bathroom I promised myself I’d get done.
Please share your tips for getting organized. And check out our top 10 favorite cleaning products!
