Get Organized! Home Organization Made EASY

In this article: Find  practical tips on how to organize a downsized home, so that your new small space feels like home!

Sometimes, life is full of surprises.

Moving from our old farmhouse by the sea into a 1250 square foot townhouse was one of them.

 

Downsizing our earthly belongings by more than a half wasn’t exactly in our plans…but that’s what happened!

Over the course of a year, we moved twice (living for 6 months in a beautiful rental home) , and are now settled into a lovely little townhouse.

Get organized! – Home organization one step at a time

Get started with home organization

Sometimes the biggest battle is just starting. Purging is always the first part of my home organizing tips.

I’ll admit, the purging process when we downsized took quite some time. Although I wouldn’t consider myself a hoarder, I did find it somewhat difficult to discern what to keep and what to get rid of. (Especially in the furniture department.)

Even if you aren’t downsizing, you may be ready for a major decluttering session in your home. If that’s you, you might want to check out these top tips for decluttering.

Store items you are unsure about

When downsizing or decluttering a home, the whole picture of the process can seem overwhelming. I found that it was best for me to work on one thing at a time, and then walk away when it got to be too much.

Our garage became our own personal storage unit the first winter as I figured out what to keep and what to get rid of. Over time I was able to discern what was worth keeping, and what was more valuable OUT of the house!

Organize items into workable situations for you

Once our “stuff” was a  managable amount for our  space, I wanted to get it organized into systems that work for us on a daily basis.

Everyday use of all the things in our home means that items are constantly being moved and shuffled, and over time, the drawers/closets/nooks/ and crannies just get messy.

Does that happen to you, too?

I decided to go through the whole house and try to get it organized.

Break up the organization into manageable pieces

I decided to break the process up into bite-sized pieces.

I began my own organization quest for our newly downsized home, and divided up the whole house into zones ~ tackling one zone a week. In 8 weeks the house felt SO MUCH more organized and had breathing room to sit, relax, and enjoy.

The new year always seems like a good time to work on a fresh start of organization in our home, so I tend to focus on one area of the house each week of the new year. My process looks like this:

• Week 1: Entryways
• Week 2: Office/ Paperwork
• Week 3: Dining & Living Room
• Week 4: Kitchen
• Week 5: Master bedroom
• Week 6: Bathrooms
• Week 7: Garage
• Week 8: Crafts & other

 

Starting with the Entryway, I systematically worked my way through the whole house ~ trying to think of practical ways to make our home work and function well for us. Some days I spent a chunk of time, and other days I only spent 10 minutes!

To see how each of the areas were organized in our townhouse, check out the related links below:

 

 

Week 1 : Entryways

How to Organize an Entryway Closet Like a Pro

My Favorite Tool When Organizing Any Space

How to Convert Bi-fold Closet Doors into Modern Farmhouse French Doors

Week 2: The Office & Paperwork

Office Supply Drawer Organization

How to Organize Office Supplies in Ikea’s Billy Bookcases

5 Ways to Conquer Paper Clutter

Week 3: Living & Dining Room

How to Make a Laptop Stand End Table

How to Organize a Dining Room Buffet

Take a Tour of Our Small Living Room ~ The Winter Edition

Week 4: Kitchen

How to Organize a Pantry in a Small Kitchen

How to Organize Cupboards in a Small Kitchen

3 Homemade Cleaners for the Kitchen

Week 5: Master Bedroom

Organize Your Master Bedroom to Become a Peaceful Retreat

10 Creative DIY Jewelry Organizers

Week 6: Bathroom

Organizing the Bathroom Vanity

Week 7: Garage

Creating Work Zones for Garage Organization

Want help getting started in decluttering your home?

I’ve put together a free Home Organization series just for you! Included in it are:

• Simple 15 minute organization tasks for each day
• Additional resources and ideas for more specific spaces – like organizing kitchen cupboards, pantry organization, and how to organize small closets.
• FREE printable checklists 

Click here or the button below to get started today.

This post was updated December, 2021