How to get to tidy even if you’re disorganized

As tidy as my home is, there are more than a few areas that need to be organized. Which might seem odd.  One might think the house being tidy would mean it is organized.

Not necessarily.

The areas where I have these pockets of disorder are easy for me to forget about because the house tends to be so tidy. In other words, I don’t feel weighed down daily by the accumulation of clutter because it isn’t a visual eye sore and it doesn’t stop me from moving around my space or functioning efficiently, which is key. Unlike disorganization and clutter that spills into your living and working spaces, this hidden clutter is almost …well…invisible.

Except it’s not.

It weighs on my psyche which is why I have to do something about it.

And I know the longer I wait to do it, the more the clutter will grow, which will lead to a much bigger problem.

Tidying up helps me keep everything else in focus and in control, which is important because clutter anywhere, even that kind that can be easily hidden behind a door or, in my case, in storage in the basement, can really rattle your day-to-day balance. Tidying up, to me, is a daily practice that is ultra important if one hopes to have a well-kept, mostly-in-balance kind of home.

Being able to rely on tidiness as a way to combat the chaos of the day-to-day is possible in a home that has disorganization. It’s just more a more difficult task to consistently maintain.

You end up working too hard on something that shouldn’t be so hard to keep up with.

Being tidy or the act of tidying up is the ability to easily put things back where they belong leaving your space neat, and quiet. It isn’t about never having your space get to a disheveled or chaotic place, but rather about the ability to return it to normalcy, where it can function as the welcoming, calming entity it is meant to, without too much angst.

And that should be the goal – to use your space and your things, be active and present in the “doing” of life, and in the end be able to restore things in order to continue to appreciate your space and your place in it.

Getting organized takes time. It takes effort.  But staying organized doesn’t have to.  Staying organized is all about how well you achieve tidy every day. You can, and should, start practicing this important art now.

6 tips to achieve tidy every day.

1. Clean the sink.

This is code for keeping the kitchen clean.  If you use a plate or cup or pot to make or eat a meal, wash it when you are done and put it away. Throughout the day, but at the least when the day is done the kitchen sink should be empty.

2. Make your bed.

Tidy breeds tidy. You are more likely to keep not only the bedroom tidy when the bed is made but other areas of the house as well. As well, tidying up promotes a sense of accomplishment and cleanliness that can affect your day positively. Making the bed is a great way to set a tidy tone for the rest of your day.

3. Handle the mail.

Meaning, if you are going to get the mail, you must immediately take all the necessary steps to manage it – daily! Otherwise, it piles up. Do.not let mail pile up.  It is nothing more than visual clutter that will cause unnecessary overwhelm. Use your command center to help you handle mail, and all incoming papers – daily.

4. Do the laundry.

And when I say “do” I mean all 3 steps of doing the laundry.  If you ignore a step, you put yourself behind the eight ball which will make achieving tidy nearly impossible.

5. Find a home.

In the presence of too much disorder the home for things can be hard to decipher. So keep this one tenant in mind: nothing is housed on flat surfaces. They should be clear.  So contrary to your dirty laundry’s belief, or the unopened mail, or last week’s work clothes – your counter tops, desk top, beds and floor should be clear. When they are, the areas have no other option than to be tidy and neat.

6. Do the quick tasks.

These are the small tasks that pop up often throughout the day that take you no more than 15 seconds to do, like hanging up your coat, or putting away clothes or shoes. Or putting things on your calendar or making that quick call so you can toss the corresponding papers.  Seize the moment!

Never put off for tomorrow what you can do in the present.

Especially if it keeps you tidy.