Simple Organizing Systems For Your Home
Think of a time when you’ve put something somewhere specifically so you wouldn’t forget it… but THEN when you needed it — you had no idea where to find it.
This is a sign of a failed organizing system. It seemed like a good idea in the moment to put it there but later on you were baffled because you didn’t know where.
While decluttering is about getting organized, maintaining an organized home is a process that evolves over time. And that’s where people often fail — they believe what they’re told on reality TV is true. That organizing is:
Once + done…
Set it + forget it…
But living in an organized home is about developing organizing systems that make life easier. They make living in your home feel frictionless + maintaining an organized home efficient.
And that’s what you want — a home with everything you need + nothing more. A home that feels like the ultimate guilty pleasure!
Amiright?!?!
Friend… if you’re nodding “yes!” then you’ve likely felt that clutter, the disorganization, the stuff in your home beginning to overwhelm you.
So — let’s talk about simple organizing systems in your home, shall we?
What Are Organizing Systems
Before we get too far down the road, let’s talk about what organizing systems actually are.
At Elegant Simplicity, we define organizing systems as simple + intuitive processes that are easy for anyone to use, anyone to follow + anyone to maintain over + over again.
If you’re a part of our organizing membership then you’ve undoubtedly heard the saying…
Simple Systems Save Sanity.
Why Organizing Systems Must Be Simple
Organizing systems must be simple because more than likely, you won’t be the only one in charge of maintaining the systems we set up together. For instance, you might have a spouse or kids who also play a role in maintaining an organized home. Not to mention, if we’re talking about a linen or storage closet — you’ll likely have cleaners or a maid who play an active role in the upkeep of your organizing systems. If we’re talking about your kitchen or pantry, you may have a personal chef who shops + cooks for you.
No matter what, the organizing systems that we set up together need to be simple or they won’t be sustainable by you or anyone else in your home.
Why Organizing Systems Must Be Intuitive
The shortest answer is… because this is your home. Really, that’s why.
Organizing systems are not merely a place for your belongings but rather a process that’s repeatable and intuitive, to you. At the same time, what seems logical to you might make no sense to someone else.
And that’s completely fine because organizing systems should be intuitive to the way you think + the way you live in your home. While we don’t want the organizing systems we set up together to be overly complex, we also don’t want organizing systems to be a one-size fits all approach.
If an organizing system is not intuitive to you then, it’s unmaintainable. Because you will use it once + never put it back together the way it was intended.
How To Ensure Organizing Systems Are Maintainable
Ensuring that organizing systems are maintainable is simply about you.
Ask yourself:
Are the organizing systems you’ve set up, working? Meaning, are things staying organized?
Are the organizing systems you’ve set up, simple? Meaning, are constant questions arising about how or where to put something?
Are the organizing systems you’ve set up, intuitive? Meaning, does the organizing system feel innate to the way in which you live?
If your answer to any of these questions is no. Then the organizing systems are failing.
If your answer to any of these questions is yes, but… then the organizing systems are failing.
Organizing systems that are maintainable feel easy + efficient. Frictionless, not frustrating.
Remember, simple systems save sanity.
But not in every case does a failing organizing system need to be completely overhauled — in fact, often organizational systems need tweaking. And that’s because home is continuous — it’s always evolving.
What we once had time for or did in a specific way, no longer is the case. Being able to adjust + tweak the organizing systems so that they’re back in alignment with how you + your family are currently living is incredibly important.
Function Always Precedes Aesthetic
Another one of our fundamental beliefs at Elegant Simplicity is that function always precedes aesthetic. If it’s not functional, no matter how beautiful it is — it won’t last.
Now, we rely on our keen eye + decade plus of experience as a luxury interior design + professional organizing firm to know what is both functional and aesthetically beautiful *wink* and yet organizational systems thrive when others can see where things go.
Clear storage containers are one functional way for others to learn the organizing systems that we’ve setup together + organizing labels are another way for the routine + process of knowing where things go to become innate.
Organizational Systems To Consider In Your Home
While this isn’t a comprehensive list of all, below are several go-to organizing systems that we most commonly set up with clients.
Command Center
Creating a family command center is one the easiest ways to corral the personal items that often make their way all over the house because they don’t have a designated place.
Maybe you’ve never set up a command center before + you’re wondering what in the heck it is. In the simplest form, a command center is a singular place that corrals your “stuff.”
We believe what’s in a family command center varies depending upon your family’s needs. After all, it’s your family command center (not ours) *wink* but in general, we categorize command centers by creating two clearly defined buckets: actionables + necessities.
Actionables are things like: todos, reminders, schedules, etc.
Necessities are things you often need: keys, wallets, purses, bags, sunglasses, etc.
Mail + Filing Systems
We’ve written A LOT about the effectiveness of an organized filing system. In short though, a mail system helps you cut through the clutter of physical mail, ensures that important documents + bills are visible until they are ready to be filed in your home filing system.
Remedy Station
If there’s one thing that you could use immediately, the moment you need it — it’s related to the medicines + medical care we all have in our home. Creating a place, we often nickname “the home pharmacy,” for all of these things to not only live + be accessible when you need them but to be maintained is incredibly important.
Where To Begin Setting Up Organizing Systems
Assess What You Need
In order to determine, what type of organizing system might make sense — ask yourself a few questions.
When it comes to clutter, what “stuff” is causing the most frustration?
Clarifying for yourself what type of stuff creates friction will help begin the process of considering what might make the most sense for you to begin on. It also gives you perspective on who else might be sharing this space with you (spouse, kids, personal chef, trainers, cleaners or other house staff.)
Why is having this particular stuff organized important?
We always want to know what is motivating this change. It is often the things that drive us or motivate us that can up lift us when we’re fatigued by balancing work, life, and family. It’s knowing the why behind what we’re doing that helps keep us going even when we’re not feeling like the best version of ourselves.
We could talk for hours on how to best assess what you need. And that’s because our homes, and our organizing systems are all little different + unique to each of us. But it’s here, in this assessment, that we’re laying the groundwork for the functionality of the organizing system.
Organizing systems as we’ve talked about here are specific to the closet and yet organizing systems exist everywhere in your home. They’re systems setup around your routines + habits to keep the clutter at bay.
But much like closet organizing systems, they don’t work unless you (or your house staff) does the work to manage + maintain them.
Well friend, there you have it...everything you need to know about organizing systems! And don’t forget, if you’re in the preliminary planning stages of your next project, let’s chat.
Psst… Check out our FREE Video Course: 4 Days To A More Beautiful + Functional Home