I’ve always struggled with being clean and organized. Always. I’ve actually made pretty good efforts at getting organized, but I’ve never been successful at it.
When I was in my twenties, I would always walk to the train on my way to work with my friend Christy. We would talk about our lives, and stop for a cup of coffee. One morning I was talking to Christy about how my apartment was such a disaster. I was planning on getting everything cleaned up and in its place the next weekend.
I was really surprised when Christy asked me, “Katherine, why do you always say that? You are always saying you need to get organized. Why do you care?”
I had no idea that I said “I need to get organized” all of the time. But, I believed it. I certainly though it all of the time.
But, really, why did I care?
It took me a long time to figure it out, but I think that being organized would signify to me that I finally had my act together. At the time, I felt like my “act” was definitely a “fake it ’til you make it” act, and I wanted to feel more settled and successful.
Well, guess what. I’m still not organized, and I still feel like I’m trying to fake it ’til I make it. When I’m able to just have a few things organized, I feel so much more calm. I feel like a better wife and mother. I feel like a better friend. I feel nicer and prettier.
And writing all of this out makes me feel like I need to be in therapy.
But despite the fact that my reasons for wanting to get organized may be delusional, I still know that the benefits of being organized are enormous. Being truly organized could help me to:
1. Find the things I’m looking for.
2. Not buy duplicates of things I already have.
3. Save time.
4. Be calmer because I’m not always looking at clutter and thinking of things I need to do to make my house look better.
I’m sure there are so many more benefits, but those are the ones that come to mind first when I think of getting my junk together.
So I will continue on my crazy quest to be more organized, but I will also try to cut myself some slack because:
1. I have two toddlers, one of which is refusing to sleep through the night.
2. I just went through a cross-country move and I don’t have a lot of support in our new town.
3. I have an enormous amount of clutter that I need to go through and get rid of.
I’ve been trying different tips, tricks and strategies from books, blogs, and websites. Some of the advice has been very helpful, especially the habits and strategies from A Slob Comes Clean and Fly Lady. While I appreciate the advice very much, I also have to remember that trying to be clean and organized is a whole different ballgame when you’re living with two creative, adventurous, imaginative, beautiful toddlers.
Does anyone out there have any tips for keeping things organized with toddlers?
I don’t have kids, but I do have a husband and 4 furballs in the house. Quite frankly, I do the best I can do and I don’t let it worry me too much because NO ONE can live up to MY expectations unless it’s a staged room for a video shoot. LOL. Ok, i am not that bad, but close 😉
That’s the best we can do, right? We staged our house for photos before we sold it and moved, and it was so glorious! The cleanliness lasted for about 20 minutes after the photographers left. But those 29 minutes were wonderful!
I am a Mum of 5 I constantly am inundated with my sister inlawS preschool children . Xmas Eve I had 8 kids til after 10 pm , the boxing day , after running around all day Xmas day for people I had 10 or more I lost count , the day before my mum arrived whom I hadnt seen for over a year .
There is always some one else worse off , I live in the clean washing mountain some weeks looking for school clothes in the morning , I try not to be too hard on myself knowing that loving my kids and giving them the best of me is enough most days .
I feel exactly to same way as you and am in a similar position – big move and young children. It’s comforting to know that I’m not the only one! Fantastic blog – I look forward to reading more, when I can find the time…!
Hi Tammy! I know what you mean. There’s never enough time. It would be nice if we could go get a cup of coffee and compare notes on moving with the littles. But, seriously, when would we do it? 😉 Thanks for visiting, and I hope you come back again. And, I hope things calm down for you too.
I know exactly how you feel! It seems like all the plans for getting organized were written by people who were born that way. They leave me feeling so guilty and overwhelmed. I just started writing a year-long series on my blog about my own efforts to figure out how to be organized when it doesn’t come naturally to me.
Shaunta, I want to read your series! A blog that’s really helped me is A Slob Comes Clean. She’s awesome, real, and she does a podcast too.
I can empathize. You are certainly not alone. I finally figured out that a routine helps tremendously. I use an app called Simplist to list my daily tasks, many from FlyLady and others that are very customized. Also, teaching the kids to eat at a table, pick up their toys, to respect others’ property, lay out their clothes the night before, keep school items in their backpack in the same place everyday, and such appropriate responsible behaviors will help you out a lot.
Less stuff! Kids don’t need many toys, clothes, sippy cups, etc. Kids are more creative when they have less stuff 🙂 The same is pretty true of adults, but it makes a huge difference with kids!
From a much older lady. When I was upset after the first born because I had clutter (nappies, baby clothes, toys etc. etc) my mum said to me “give your attention to your baby, and husband, and self. The work will always wait, few are the times that anyone will do it for you, so it will always be there for you, waiting. The babe’s wont, they will grow up before you know it, enjoy and care for the people in your life. They are far more important than the clutter!! Sweep the front, and as much as the lived in area as possible, try to keep visible tables, benches clear and clean. Many years later, I am still trying to work out the declutter. I do one area, and move on, turn around, and you would n’t know anything had been done. Life is more than living in a pristine environment. Good luck.
I run an in Home daycare, so my house is usually a disaster in at least one room. My trick to quick clean ups and keeping my mind at ease is to have my personal spaces very organized. Start with your dresser drawers or closet shelves. I bought a cheap labeler for 30.00. Best money I’ve ever spent. Seriously. I used cracker and cereal boxes a two first, cut to size for everything in my drawers. It makes me so happy to open my drawers and see everything just so. Plus it’s so easy to put my own things away. Once that was done, I moved onto other areas that the kids don’t really touch, so they would stay tidier longer (think the baking cupboard the fridge,and the nice dishes.) label everything. I feel like I’m way more in control. And because they don’t get messed up, it’s motivating to then work on the rest of the house. I then stopped folding my kids clothes. (Gasp) instead all of their shirts get hung and everything else gets thrown into bins (labeled of course) in their dressers and closets. They can put all of their own laundry away because it doesn’t have to be folded. Saves me a huge amount of time. Start there. then move onto individual bins for toys etc. If you’ve done all the other things first, your family will be used to following the rules in those spaces and will be more likely to keep their own things tidy.