10 Simple Habits that will keep you

& your Home organized forever

I truly believe these 10 habits are the fundamentals to always stay organized, and of a neat home, it's just all about the application of them! They are all super simple and basic, but the key, like everything else in life, is consistency. Take care of these rules and I promise they will take care of you and your home! You might already have some of these habits, but perhaps someone in your house doesn't -- whether that's your kids or maybe your husband. It will take some time to build the habit, and I would strongly suggest printing them out and hanging them somewhere everyone can be reminded until they become second nature. There will be days you feel lazy, but honestly most of these rules hardly take a minute or two, and once you form the habit, you will be doing them unconsciously and automatically be on top of everything. Give them a read, imbibe them, and act upon them, you can do it! Here’s to an eternally clean and organized home!

If you open it, close it.

I know this one might feel a bit anti-climactic after the intro, but it is indeed something a lot of people don't do. It seems like something small, but its impact on a room is huge! This trait also tells something about your personality, that your someone who sees things to through to the end, you don't leave things halfway. You start a job and complete it, all the way to closing that cookie jar and putting it back in the cupboard where you found it. Don't forget, this is all about making it a HABIT. This is something we need to train our kids (and husbands!!!) to do in order to maintain a neat and tidy home!

If it doesn't fit - Donate.

By donating all of the things you don't wear or no longer fit, not only are you helping others in need, but it will help keep your clutter to a minimum and organization to a maximum! Who doesn't need that extra closet space?

If it's junk - throw it.

By leaving junk to clutter your space you are consequently cluttering your mind. It is impossible to stay organized when you have rubbish littering your space. Get rid of it!

If it's expired or gone bad, toss it.

So often we keep getting more and more food and edibles without realizing what's already in the fridge. Things get pushed to the back and end up expiring and going bad. Waste of money, food, and space! So, cleaning out your fridge every 1-2 weeks will give you a good idea of what's in there for your next grocery trip. You can finish it off before it does eventually go bad AND you have a clean fridge, win-win right?

If it's dirty - wash it...immediately.

It's easy to procrastinate on this one.. I think we can all relate. But coming to a clean and empty sink or laundry basket is always an amazing feeling, and if you stay on top of it, it won't pile up and get overwhelming.

If you take it out - put it away.

This seems super basic, something we would tell our preschoolers, right? Yet sometimes we lack this simple habit...or leave things open halfway because we are in a "hurry." Putting things away usually takes less than a minute! It's just a matter of forming the habit to do so. This is something you need to train every individual in the house to do (ourselves included). If everyone is taking care of their own mess, it makes keeping the house clean super easy!!

If it's a bill, pay it.

Let's face it, no one likes paying bills. Nowadays though, there are a lot of easy ways to automate payments. Or, another way is to set a fixed date on your calendar every 2 weeks and have a file of the current bills from that time. Don't let them pile up or you'll regret it!!!

If you plan or schedule it, write it down.

Never underestimate the power of writing things down. Life is so busy with work, home, and family commitments that it's easy to make plans and forget about them. Appointments can easily be missed if you don't note it down somewhere. If all else fails, our phones do pretty much everything now a days, put a reminder on there.

If you try it on, hang it back up.

A lot of people end up with a messy room while trying to find the right outfit... Now, there's nothing wrong with having to go through those 4 dresses, 3 shirts, and 6 jackets before you find the right one, we girls can relate. But, it is important that you HANG EACH ONE UP afterward. To hang a dozen at the same time is annoying and let's face it, we probably would end up leaving half (or all!) on the floor. Bottom line, do it right away!

If you don't use it, get rid of it.

This one goes for everything from DVD's to that old bike you haven't ridden in years. Sometimes things seem like they would or should be useful in theory, but the reality is if you're not using it - you don't need it, and if you don't need it, that's extra clutter piling up in your house that definitely can and should be removed. This is what we call the cleaning "purge".