Category: Organising

Here’s How I Organise my Home for Maximum Laziness

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 OK to be lazy!

“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

  1. Hang clean washing on coat hangers to dry to reduce the need for ironing
  2. Schedule days for certain laundry tasks – strip beds Sunday night, change towels Monday morning
  3. We have dedicated days for wash loads so we don’t have to think about it. Towels Mondays, Light load Tuesdays, Uniform Fridays
  4. 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!
  5. 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
  6. 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
  7. Each family member has a location for their towels and their own colour face clothes, so they don’t get mixed up

Life Admin

  1. 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
  2. Only have rubbish and recycling bins in key rooms (e.g. kitchen, bathrooms, teens bedroom) so that we have less to empty
  3. We have recycling and contact lens bins in the bathroom so that it’s easy to separate recycling
  4. 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
  5. I use a password manager because I never remember passwords. I can also securely share them with my hubby as needed
  6. 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
  7. 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

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. We have clear square containers for pasta so that I don’t have to wrestle half-open bags
  4. 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
  5. 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 
  6. 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

  1. Use a delivery service to receive milk and other products on repeat
  2. Have other foods you use regularly delivered e.g. a veg box, recurring coffee pod order
  3. 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
  4. Set-up direct debits to pay regular bills and save admin time
  5. 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
  6. 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 lazy 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.

51 Tiny Tasks to Help you Feel More Organised

Does your home feel untidy, disorganised and a struggle to keep under control? Do you feel frustrated by your lack of progress? Or tell yourself you should be able to keep on top of it all!

I know if you feel disorganised or stressed out by your home, it can really affect how you feel about yourself. 

Be kind, it’s not easy to get to everything.

If you could dedicate a big chunk of time to organising and streamlining your home and habits that would be great, but not everyone has the time, energy or headspace. 

But you can regain control of your home over time by focusing on the tiny tasks.

Don’t Underestimate the Tiny Tasks

“Making a choice that is 1 percent better or 1 percent worse seems insignificant in the moment, but over the span of moments that make up a lifetime these choices determine the difference between who you are and who you could be. Success is the product of daily habits”

– James Clear, Atomic Habits.

I love this quote because it sums up the importance of the little actions we take. In the moment it’s easy to overlook or underestimate the impact they can have, but they all add up. And this applies to organising your home too.

Every tiny step you take to get organised and keep your home under control, or to anticipate and plan for your day, can have a huge cumulative impact on your life. The more you do, the more organised you’ll feel and the more you’ll want to do.

And as each task is so small you’ll be able to take action regardless of the restrictions on your time, energy and resources.

Over time, you’ll feel better organised, less overwhelmed and like you’re in control of your day.

When is the Best Time of Day for you to Take Action?

I feel more energised in the morning. So I know this is a good time to take quick action to make our home feel better organised. And it gives me a sense of achievement early in my day when I make the house feel calmer for when we return home later, or progress an organising project.

If you are interested in understanding the best time of day to take action you may like to find out about your chronotype by doing this quiz.

51 Tiny Tasks to Help you Feel More Organised

Below is a list of tasks that will help you move forward.

Make each action matter:

  • pick one task that you can fit into your day or fancy doing
  • remember to choose the optimum time of day that works for you and your energy levels 
  • try to do it mindfully – be present in the moment (feel the warm soapy water as you wash up), observe what you are doing and enjoy the process. 

Repeat if you can – if you can, choose another task to move on to. But if you don’t have time or energy, that’s ok, you’ve achieved one thing already!

Invest in these actions because the cumulative benefit will come. I promise it will make you feel great, give you a sense of achievement and help you feel that you are making the best use of the small amount of time you have available.

What will you pick from the list?

Kitchen

  1. Empty the dishwasher
  2. Wash up/load the dishwasher
  3. Tidy up and wipe around the sink
  4. Tidy jars, packets, containers into cupboards
  5. Clear and wipe counters
  6. Put a laundry load on
  7. Empty washing machine and hang up laundry
  8. Put away appliances you don’t use often
  9. Tidy a cupboard shelf, removing expired items
  10. Empty recycling and rubbish bins
  11. Put reusable shopping bags into the car/your handbag

Bedroom

  1. Make the bed
  2. Hang or fold clothes that you have worn and can get more wear out of
  3. Tidy creams and make-up so that they are easy to find again
  4. Put away items that you aren’t using today
  5. Put away any clean laundry
  6. Tidy away items that live elsewhere

Bathroom

  1. Fold/hang towels
  2. Display products used daily so they are easy to access
  3. Tidy away products you don’t use daily
  4. Restock toilet rolls
  5. Empty bins
  6. Quick clean round sinks and toilet

Hallway

  1. Tidy shoes / put away lesser used
  2. Hang coats and bags
  3. Tidy away seasonal accessories
  4. Remove items that live in other rooms
  5. Create a home for school books & PE kit bags for easy access
  6. Hang keys and dog leads

Lounge

  1. Tidy books onto bookshelves
  2. Gather magazines & recycle old copies
  3. Remove items that live in other rooms 
  4. Tidy remote controls and gaming tech back to their home
  5. Fold blankets
  6. Tidy up the sofa
  7. Stow childrens’ toys
  8. Tidy items from surfaces to their homes
  9. Vacuum round

Planning

  1. Create a meal plan for the week
  2. Look through cupboards and make a shopping list
  3. Plan out what you need for the next day
  4. Book appointments
  5. Complete forms
  6. Check your emails and schedule any follow-up tasks
  7. Recycle/shred/file any documents hanging around
  8. Plan any journeys
  9. Write any cards, address, stamp and put on the front door
  10. Book an online food shop
  11. Set-up a subscription for toilet rolls, cleaning products or other regular items
  12. Set up a direct debit for a regular bill
  13. Fill a bag with donations from around the home that you can take to a charity shop as you pass by this week

For questions to ask yourself when decluttering a room, get my free Declutter Guide download here.

Read next – Sunday Evening Organising

Banish Your Paper Clutter in 5 Easy Steps

It is possible to regain control of your paper clutter!

If you have paper clutter about your home, you’ll know how it makes you feel. Your home always feels messy, it’s stressful trying to find what you need and you risk missing important events or deadlines.

There is no denying we live in a digital world, but physical paperwork remains a fact of life. Letters, leaflets, tickets, manuals, kids artwork, official documents and other papers continue to come into our home every day. This paper clutter can soon build up, gathering on surfaces and getting in our way.

If this sounds familiar, you’ll know how it can make you feel!

If we don’t keep a handle on this paperwork deluge it can quickly have negative consequences for our home and our health. Messy unsightly piles can cause stress and embarrassment when visitors come around, and clutter can affect our ability to focus on tasks and our work. Plus, we risk impacting our family, finances and health if we end up missing appointments or payments when we can’t find the documents we need.

If your paper clutter is out of control, know that you’re not alone. 

And, with some work (it’s well worth doing, I promise) it’s possible to get it back under control using my simple system to manage your paperwork.

5 Easy Steps to Regain Control of Your Paper Clutter

1. Prepare 

Gather your paperwork together from all over the house and bring together on one clear surface where you have a bit of room. If you’ve built up a lot it may be easier to do this on the floor.

2. Quickly dispose 

Recycle (shred personal details) all envelopes, leaflets, old notes and documents you don’t need. Any documents you were holding temporarily but are now finished with can also go. This step will thin out the pile of paperwork, reduce any overwhelm and enable you to give thought to the remaining documents.

3. Sort into loose categories

Organise your remaining documents into piles using the following categories:

  • Action: These are the documents that you are currently using or will need soon (e.g. forms you need to complete, letters that you need to take to appointments, I also keep name tags for kids items in my Action section as I always need to label something )
  • Keep long-term This pile will contain these would be documents that you need to refer to again in future or, that you can’t easily be replaced (including Identity documents such as passports and, birth, adoption, or marriage certificates; education and employment documents; important information and contracts related to your car, house, finances and health.)  If you’re unsure of whether you should hold on to something, do so for now and get advice
  • Memories should be managed separately.  Whilst you may wish to keep some school reports, children’s artwork, personal letters etc, make sure that you store these separately so that they don’t hinder your search for important documents when you need them.

4. Create your action folder

The idea is to create a holding space for all of the paperwork you’ll need soon. The things you put in here should only be there temporarily, until you use them or no longer need them, and then they should be thrown out or stored in your long-term filing system.

Many people like to use a letter rack in the entrance hall, a noticeboard, in-tray in the home office or magazine file in the kitchen. Alternatively you may not need to keep the document but instead can save a screen shot to your phone or cloud drive, or note the details in your calendar, a digital notebook or a secure filing app. Whatever works for you!

Whatever you choose to use, keep it somewhere you can easily access when you acquire new paperwork to deal with, and where you won’t forget to deal with what you’ve put in there!

5. Long-term filing

Now it’s time to create homes for all of the paperwork that you need to keep. You may want to invest in a safe or off-site storage for some important documents.

Take a moment to consider which documents you need to keep but aren’t necessary as hard copies stored by you. For example, you may be able to download some paperwork for your utility bills, subscriptions, online purchases, bank statements from your accounts as and when you want them. Don’t forget to get copies before you close any accounts if you may need them later.

Whether you store documents in hard copy or electronic form, it’s important to review them periodically and dispose of anything that you no longer need to keep. You might do this when you add a document; 1 in, 1 out.

You may have heard that bank statements should be kept for six years, but Martin Lewis now recommends you keep them for longer than this. You can read his thoughts on the subject here Don’t throw bank statements away after six years

Reduce your physical paper storage by going digital

If you want to keep physical storage to a minimum, you could consider filing original documents you’ll need for evidence in a concertina folder, filing box, or safe and digitise the rest. One example of a digital filing cabinet solution is the FYIO app.

How to manage your paperwork day to day

Now you’ve regained control of your paper clutter, it’s important to keep on top of it or it will only build up again. The key is to manage it quickly and as soon as it comes into your home wherever possible. 

Here is my quick and easy process for how to do it. 

  1. Dispose! -Recycle/shred anything you know you don’t need. If you put it down and come back to it later, you’ll handle it more than once which wastes your time
  1. Do it quickly! -If it will take 2 minutes, take action immediately – book the appointment, complete the return slip, schedule the bill for payment
  1. Schedule -Diarise any task that will take more than a few mins and store any related paperwork for easy access
  1. Give it a home -Pop it into your action folder or into your long term filing system!

If you loved this article you may also be interested in: Discover how the Apps I love could make you better organised.

Paperwork can feel overwhelming because we usually have a lot of it. If you’d like help with an initial sort, setting up your filing system and reviewing your paperwork or advice on storage options, contact me for practical advice and support.

Contact Laura

Note: get advice if you are unsure about whether you need to keep a document and for how long.

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)

Reset for Autumn

As the seasons change your priorities change, so your home should too! Now that the holiday season is over, it’s time to reset for Autumn!

One minute you are digging out your summer wardrobe, having picnics in the park and looking forward to getting away from it all, the next thing, the children are back at school, everyone is back to work so days are full-on, mornings are pressured and you spend more time indoors trying to juggle everything (including hungry children, mounds of laundry and keeping up with tidying and cleaning!).

Before it all becomes too overwhelming, now is a great time to reset your home; to declutter the summer paraphernalia and organise key areas of your home so that daily life flows more easily.

In September, I shared tips with Sarah Julian at BBC Radio Nottingham and Kelly Hinch at BBC Radio Leicester. Read my reset tips below and grab my quick Checklist to reset for Autumn!

My Autumn Reset Tips

It’s time to get practical! Your home needs to work for you. Now is the time to remove the excess from your functional spaces and organise them so you can access what you need and keep things tidy with ease.

Go for impact!

Focus on the area(s) that will make a big difference to your day. You use these areas daily, your day will run smoothly if you can access everything you need easily, the state of this space can have a really positive impact on how your mood.

Complete one area before you move to another. It’s difficult to complete an area if you try to multitask (which isn’t a thing by the way – the brain can’t multitask, it just swaps between tasks which it’s not very good at doing). Work on one area, if you find things that need to live elsewhere put them to one side (or in a box) to take to other rooms once you’ve finished.

Reset your Hallway

The hallway is your launchpad. It’s the last place you spend time before you leave your home and the first space you see when you come home. When you create a welcoming and functional space that supports you it will have a big impact on the start and end of your day.

Ensure you have homes for the shoes, coats, bags, and items that you need daily. Hang as much as you can, allocate space for each item and use containers for small items such as keys, tissues, wallets, gloves, glasses etc.

Occasional wear, summer coats, and shoes you only wear every now and again should be packed away or live in wardrobes. This is not the place to leave things that aren’t helpful to your mission of leaving or entering the home smoothly each day.

Reset your Kitchen

The heart of the home, it’s also the place where paperwork, bits and bobs, toys, pet paraphernalia, bags, clothes and all manner of other clutter gravitates to.

You visit this room at least three times a day, and probably much more. You’ll likely want to prepare meals, make drinks, clean, do laundry and many other tasks as easily as possible. You spend a lot of time here. You may also eat family meals and spend time with guests, so you want it to feel inviting.

Your reset for this space will include returning items to their homes, recycling/shredding/filing paperwork, packing away picnic sets, decluttering things you no longer use,

Reset your Wardrobe

You wear clothes everyday. When you have a sea of clothes you no longer wear and seasonal items peppering your wardrobe it can make it so difficult to find what you need.

Imagine how much calmer your mornings would be if you could find what you need easily rather than having to spend time rummaging for items you know you have but can’t find.

Keep the floor-drobe at bay by making it super easy to put things away:

  • Pack up off-season clothes and remove anything no longer fits or doesn’t feel great.
  • Separate clothes into categories such as work, social and occasional items to make it easy to access those items you wear day to day.

Need help to work through your Autumn Reset?

Are you ready to do your Autumn Reset? Download my Quick Reset Checklist to tackle your kitchen, hallway or wardrobe today!

Download my Quick Reset Checklist here

Find out more about my Decluttering and Organising services 

Contact Laura to discuss your organising needs on +44 (0)7970 989955

Six Most Valuable Lessons from my Six Items Challenge

Restricting my wardrobe to only six items for six weeks taught me valuable lessons about my habits!

When preparing for APDOs Spring Clearing Week, I came across the Six Item Challenge. Though it seemed a daunting task to stick to only six core items of clothing for six weeks, I love a good challenge so signed myself up! Now it's all over (yes I do feel a little relieved), I learned a whole lot about my wardrobe habits so I'm here to share my six most valuable lessons from my Six Items Challenge.

1) It's good to have less choice!

It's widely understood that the more decisions you have to make, the harder it becomes and the poorer choices you may make.

This 'decision fatigue' is the reason supermarkets offer a smaller range of products than they used to. They've realised that offering consumers too many brands and types of pasta sauce, for example, makes it more difficult to choose. Consumers may even walk away without making a purchase.

I believe the same is true of our wardrobes. Agonising over outfit choices each morning makes it more difficult to manage all those other important decisions. Why start the day like this?

To reduce the number of decisions they had to make each day, Einstein and Steve Jobs famously reduced their wardrobes so that they only had to choose from a small range of suites and shirts.

I found that only having 6 items to choose from really took the hard work out of deciding what to wear each day. It was so much easier, quicker and less stressful to get ready.

2) I was forced to get creative

At first I was worried. Would people notice that I was wearing the same thing every day? Would I get fed up of wearing the same things over and over again?

if I was going to survive 6 weeks, I had to get creative! I started to wear lipstick most days and explored a range of colours. My jewellery collection became more important, as I rediscovered my jewellery and wore a wider variety of statement earrings and necklaces. I also tried out scarves, coloured tights and even tried a few different hair styles.

I also revisited my perfumes. I know this doesn't change how you look but it did make a difference to how I felt. Even if I was working at home on my own, I made the effort to wear lipstick and perfume and it made me feel great!

I've read that you should dress for yourself, even if you're not going to see anyone, because it has a significant impact on your mindset, well-being and confidence. Until now, I never fully understood the impact but this is definitely a habit I intend to continue!

3) Less is more

I really found the reduced options quite liberating and having a reduced selection made me appreciate what I had.

At the start, I gave a lot of thought to the 6 items because I needed them to compliment each other to give the maximum number of outfit options. It was a real eye opener because I learned that I didn't need too many items to create lots of different looks. The Wardrobe Fairy created a great video on this and you can watch her here.

One of my biggest learnings however is that my wardrobe is not 'designed' but rather thrown together! I haven't shopped with any intention but bought individual items when I saw something I liked- not the best strategy!

Going forward, I intend to choose fewer items that compliment each other better so that I can create a versatile capsule-style wardrobe.

4) Rediscover treasures

Before the challenge, I'd gotten into a jewellery rut, wearing the same things or no jewellery at all.

This was a great opportunity to take a good look at my accessories and happily I rediscovered lots of jewellery that I'd forgotten. I kept the pieces I love or wanted to try out again and donated a large selection of things that I won't be revisiting!

Being early Spring, it has been rather cold so I was also pleased to dig out scarves that had been long forgotten.

5) Intentional purchasing

As I've mentioned, this challenge made me take a good look at my wardrobe and I realise that I need to have a more intentional approach to purchases.

I have no idea where my clothes come from, what conditions the workers who make them work in or their impact on the environment.

This challenge has made me think about these aspects of my shopping behaviour and shift my mindset. I've proven that I can dress for a range of occasions and feel great with less. Which means I can buy pieces that are better made, produced sustainable, produced ethically even though they may cost a little more.

6) Really look at what you have

Having lived with less, I will definitely be revisiting my wardrobe to see what I can release. There is nothing worse that opening your wardrobe to find a sea of items that make you feel guilty because you spent good money but haven't worn them. If I pass on the things I no longer love or wear, I'll benefit someone else and give myself the gift of a happy wardrobe.

You don't have to do the Six Item Challenge to really see what you have (though it's not as scary as it sounds!). Instead, look through your wardrobe and ask yourself Do I love it? Do I wear it? Does it go with anything else I own?

If the answer is No, you know what to do...

Sell, donate or recycle!