For our inaugural blog, it
only seemed fitting to focus on what has become our mantra: "Everything deserves a home…"
This is the concept that
started it all for us, the idea we kept going back to as busy moms trying to
stay afloat in a sea of toys and paperwork. After all, before kids we both had successful careers in other fields. We both managed people, our time, daunting
to-do lists and seemingly impossible deadlines.
So why was it there were toys in the kitchen and the daily mail was
trying to drown us?
It’s amazing how much
clutter can annoy you when you are home all day to see it.
So we did what any great
friends do – we called each other up and complained. A lot.
And we brainstormed. A lot. And it always came back to the idea of giving
everything we owned its own home.
No matter what we do or
where we go, at some point we come back HOME.
We go grocery shopping, or to work, or to our children’s games and then
we come HOME. We don’t sleep on the
corner, ring a stranger’s bell or just randomly stop driving the car. We come where? Say it with us, friends! HOME.
And most days, the
majority of us don’t get lost :)
So imagine how much easier
things would be if you just applied this principle to your STUFF.
When everything has a
home, and gets returned to that home,
there’s no guesswork. There’s no time
wasted looking for things. You can find what you need when you need it.
Running around the house
in a last minute panic looking for something you need to take with you? Not pretty.
Losing important documents
because there are piles of paper everywhere?
Not cool.
Spending time and money to
replace “lost” items or expired food? Well,
you just know what that is.
Who has all this extra
time and money? Not us, for sure.
So here is one simple but
important thing you can do that will help stop the madness:
Designate one specific home
for everything you own, and put “LIKE” things together. Then make sure everyone in your family knows
what goes where.
For example, all your
tools should be in one place. All your
utility items in another (batteries, lightbulbs etc). Anyone who picks up the mail should place it
in your designated spot until it can be addressed (preferably daily). There shouldn’t be five places where you have
piles of paper, or piles of anything for that matter. Your house and car keys? Seriously?
ONE spot.
Even within your cabinets
and drawers, give everything a specific home.
For example, your canned goods should be on one shelf. Why is this important? For inventory purposes! Do you need to buy a case of soup from Costco
when you already have soup?
Should it take you 10
minutes to find a stapler? No!
And guess what? You can and SHOULD apply this principle to
your children’s things, even if they’re too young to know what a principle is :) If they don’t
want to lose their favorite toy, then they should have a specific home for it and return
it when they are done using it. If it
gets lost, the onus should be on them.
Having specific homes for their things will teach them from a young age
how to respect and keep track of them.
It will assist them with time management. It will serve them well in school and in
life.
And you will avoid
meltdowns, and I don’t just mean theirs :)
If nothing has a home
right now, it won’t happen overnight.
Start small and set reasonable goals.
Sometimes the simplest concept is the most effective. Give it a try!
