Category: Blog

I’m always trying out new things to make my household feel better organised, it’s so satisfying. I know life feels better when we can quickly regain control of the house; find what we want, when we need it and feel prepared for our day. But it turns out, I’m also organising our home for maximum laziness!

It’s a smart strategy!

“Conventional wisdom holds that motivation is the key to habit change. Maybe if you really wanted it, you’d actually do it. But the truth is, our real motivation is to be lazy and to do what is convenient. And despite what the latest productivity best seller will tell you, this is a smart strategy, not a dumb one.” – James Clear, Atomic Habits Archives

It’s nice to hear that my efforts are actually part of a smart strategy! It does make sense that we choose the path of least resistance. Afterall, if you are better organised, it takes less effort and time to maintain, manage and move items to clean and find things. Things you need appear or arrive when you need them, and you can put less effort into doing regular tasks. It’s more efficient.

Over the years we’ve made improvements that have really made a difference to our lives. Some required new furniture or items, which we’ve bought when replacing things. But most are little tweaks or different ways of doing things.

I get a lot of satisfaction from making improvements or coming up with ways to save time, energy or money. But, I also like to have more time to do fun things and to relax together!

32 Things this Professional Organiser Does to Make Life Easier

Below you’ll find some of the things I’ve put in place as part of my strategy!

Meal prep

1. I peel and prepare school vegetables in bulk at the beginning of the week. I store it in containers in the fridge ready to drop into school packed lunches each day
2. Make up sandwiches, rolls, wraps and bagels in bulk for packed lunches. Freeze them and remove as many as needed each morning to make up lunch. They’ll defrost by lunch (this works great for most fillings apart from mayo)
3. Store ingredients and equipment that you often use together (e.g. baking ingredients and equipment) near to each other. It’ll be super easy to tidy as you go or at the end of the task
4. We use a white board velcro’d inside a kitchen cupboard and every Saturday create a meal plan and shopping list. We plan with ingredients from the cupboards and fridge, and may shop for a few additional fresh bits if needed. This way we don’t need to come up with a meal each night when we’re hungry!
5. When cooking meals, cook more than you need and freeze the excess for an easy meal another day. Or turn the cooked ingredients into another dish to speed up meal prep later that week
6. We jot a list on the white board or use our Smart Speaker to note foods as they run out. I then transfer them to my phone list when I go food shopping

Laundry

7. Hang clean washing on coat hangers to dry to reduce the need for ironing
8. Schedule days for certain laundry tasks – strip beds Sunday night, change towels Monday morning
9. We have dedicated days for wash loads so we don’t have to think about it. Towels Mondays, Light load Tuesdays, Uniform Fridays
10. Wash days are scheduled to allow sufficient drying time between loads. Also to ensure that items are clean when needed (e.g. PE kit or clean towels). These consequences help keep us on track!
11. We keep washing and dishwasher tablets in clear drawers so the household can easily see where to grab them from. I can also easily see when we are running low
12. Only have 2 sets of towels for each family member (plus a set for guests) and 2-3 sets of bed linen for each bed. This ensures we have one set out and one in the laundry cycle
13. Each family member has a location for their towels and their own colour face clothes, so they don’t get mixed up

Life Admin

14. Create a post management zone close to the letter box. We have a magazine rack for ‘Action Items’ and Filing. The recycling bin and shredder are stored close by so we can quickly tackle post when it arrives
15. Only have rubbish and recycling bins in key rooms (e.g. kitchen, bathrooms, teens bedroom) so that we have less to empty
16. We have recycling and contact lens bins in the bathroom so that it’s easy to separate recycling
17. When I’m pushed for time, I use Royal Mail door step collection for returns. You can set-up safe place instructions for when you’re out too
18. I use a password manager because I never remember passwords. I can also securely share them with my hubby as needed
19. I use an online calendar that I can access on my phone and laptop to keep track of everything and share my diary with family members
20. I schedule as much as possible in my diary as I think of it. I even add details, packing notes and travel instructions so that I don’t need to hold things in my head. (For more ideas on how to manage your paperwork read Banish Your Paper Clutter in 5 Easy Steps)

Storage

21. We store healthy snacks in an easy to reach drawer with small containers to make it easy to eat healthily. This was great when my daughter was young as she could help herself to a portion
22. I store things close to where we use them – e.g. my hair dryer is stored in the bottom drawer close to where I sit to dry it
23. We have clear square containers for pasta so that I don’t have to wrestle half-open bags
24. We only keep the appliances that we use daily on the counter – toaster, coffee machine, milk frother. This makes it easy to clean and tidy
25. I have simplified cupboards so that ingredients needed for common recipes are together. Tea and coffee are in a clear container in the cupboard above the kettle 
26. Bedding sets are all folded into a pillow case to enable anyone of the family to easily find a full set to make a bed

Automation

27. Use a delivery service to receive milk and other products on repeat
28. Have other foods you use regularly delivered e.g. a veg box, recurring coffee pod order
29. Use subscription services for cleaning products, toilet paper and other products you use regularly (such as SMOL, Who Gives a Crap, etc). We also create a recurring order so that we always have products when we need them
30. Set-up direct debits to pay regular bills and save admin time
31. Use a bank that enables you to create pots to help you budget for household costs. You can then see what is left for other purchases
32. Shop online for groceries and use the Favourites or previous order function to help you quickly shop for regulars. You’ll able to focus on what’s on your shopping list rather than being distracted by ‘bargain’ offers

What could you do?

How do you organise things to make it super easy for your household and maximise your laziness? What could you do to improve?

Need some help with your organising strategy?

I began helping others to get better organised in 2018 because I wanted to share the benefits I’d discovered during my own organising journey. I love to help my clients declutter and organise their possessions, digital world and To Do lists so that they feel better organised and can create calmer homes and lives. Find out more about my services here.