As seen in the Dayton Daily News on January 17, 2015.
Many of you made getting organized, one of your New Year’s resolutions. Some of you got started and then quickly became discouraged, because it was too overwhelming.
You may have stopped, because you live with other family members who are not sharing your passion for getting organized. Don’t let their lack of enthusiasm detour you from your goal.
You can live a more organized life, even if you live with others who are not organized.
The first step is to walk through your home and assign purposes for each room. When you do this, you will quickly see what belongs in each room and what items need to be relocated to other parts of your home.
When organizing rooms that are shared by all family members, it’s important to separate each person’s items from the others. Doing this accomplishes a few things:
1. You can now see the magnitude of your own items. You can then keep what is important to you and sell or donate those items you no longer need.
2. Sometimes others in your household are more apt to make decisions on their items, because you have made it easier for them by separating out their items from other family members’ stuff.
3. If they don’t jump on board and help, their items can be moved to their proper rooms for them to make decisions about at a later time.
For example, your teenager’s stuff can be moved to their room, your spouses tools can be moved to the garage and community items, such as dishes, can find their way to the kitchen.
Once you purge a room and relocate the things that don’t belong, you can now organize your own items.
Don’t worry about how messy the other rooms are getting at this point. Organize one room at a time. Your goal is to get items to their proper locations. Each room can then be organized as you work your way around your home.
Once all the things are in their proper rooms, how your home looks overall can vary depending on which family members embraced the idea of getting organized.
1. You may have a perfectly organized home, because everyone jumped on board. This is a rare occurrence, so count your blessings if this happens.
2. Some rooms may be organized, while others may not be. Since you’re in charge of the kitchen, that room is organized. Your spouse’s garage may not be yet, but you can still make sure your items in that space get organized.
3. Some rooms are partially organized. Your side of your bedroom may look great, while your spouse still has outdated clothing, unread reading materials and unfinished projects in their space.
Overall, your goal is to have your items separated from everyone else’s, so you can find your things without looking through theirs. If other family members organize their things, that’s great. If not, find peace in having your spaces organized.
Once you’re organized, don’t focus on the fact that your whole house isn’t organized. Start doing those things you enjoy. If you have time to read again, walk with a friend or enjoy your favorite hobby, you’ll be less bothered by other people’s messes.