How I Finally Got My House Organized
Recently, my house has been the least organized it’s ever been. Nearly every closet and drawer needs at least some work. We moved about 4 months ago, and there’s a few boxes that still aren’t unpacked. (I hardly even remember what’s in those boxes).
I’ve been feeling pretty frustrated that things are not as a tidy as I would prefer. From a lot of emails I get from you all, I know a lot of you feel the same way.
Since I enjoy organizing, I would love to tackle each closet one at a time and arrange it to perfection, complete with matching bins and pretty labels.
When people ask me if we’re feeling settled in our new house, I give a long, qualified answer about how the main areas look fairly decent but really we still have a lot to do. Things just look put away on the surface but all the closets still need attention and some boxes still need unpacked.
I often find myself thinking about all the things we’ll start doing once we’re “all settled in our new house.” Things like:
Once we’re settled, I’ll start exercising more regularly.
Once we’re settled, I’ll have more time to cook healthier meals.
Once we’re settled, we’ll start going to the library (which my 2 year old LOVES) most weeks.
Once we’re settled, we’ll have more time for fun outings like going to the zoo.
A couple weeks ago I shared this organizing projects printable and system, and that’s definitely helped to get it all out on paper. However, my realistic goal for completing the entire list is:
18 months!
That’s right. A year and a half.
When I look at the time I have, all my current responsibilities and activities, 1.5 years is a realistic timeframe to tackle every single thing on the list and get our house completely organized.
So that means, best case scenario, we’ll finally be “settled” after a year or two, and then we can do all the things that “settled” people do.
Sounds like a great plan, right?
WRONG!!! That’s a terrible plan.
So where does that leave me? What’s the problem here?
The problem isn’t that the house isn’t organized. The problem is that I don’t think it’s organized.
All the towels, sheets, and extra toiletries are in the linen closet. We know exactly where to find them. It functions just fine. It’s not all that pretty. There’s some mismatched bins in there. The towels aren’t folded all that neatly where you can’t see any of the folds. There are no pretty labels. Someday it probably will be organized to near Pinterest perfection (and it will get it’s own blog post on here). That won’t be any day soon, though, and for now it’s definitely organized enough.
All the dishes and food prep items are in the kitchen. Is each item in the exact optimal location? Probably not, but it’s organized enough.
My new plan is to get things organized enough. When people ask if we’re all settled in, I can confidently say “yes.” And all those things I’ll start doing once things are organized. I can do them now.
I’m organized enough to exercise regularly.
I’m organized enough to cook healthier meals.
I’m organized enough to take my toddler to the library most weeks.
I’m organized enough to go on fun outings to places like the zoo.
If this post resonated with you, I think this post called Why I Gave Up Keeping a Clean House will also encourage you.
So what about you? What are you organized enough to do?
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Sarah Says
Thank you for writing this post! As mothers we want to do it all. Spend time with our families, cook, keep a tidy house that looks Pinterest perfect. We put too much pressure on ourselves to have all the things in order all the time. The reality is that sometimes function is good enough. Good enough so we can be present with our families, good enough so we can do the work God has called us to do and good enough for us to function until we have the time or money to make it what we want it to be. Enjoy those babies and the zoo! : )
K. Ann Guinn Says
I soooooo agree! But for almost all moms, and especially for those with certain personalities, it’s so hard in real life. But trying to be “perfect” will leave us with the work never done, and never feeling satisfied. You are right that if we accept “good enough”, we will have more time for the things that are truly important, like time with family and loved ones and even time for self-care, so that we can enjoy life and have more to give to others.
Thanks for the reminder not to wait until life is perfect before we begin to live to the fullest.
Angie Says
This is great! It takes a LONG time (& usually money) to get everything organized to Pinterest perfection. I’ve found myself being more okay with “organized enough” and it has really helped ease some stress. I’ve found tackling one big project at a time to be much more manageable.