How to Start Organizing a Messy House
I’ve been a messy person all my life. I thought all my stuff was valuable or important. I could usually find stuff (I called it my “organized mess” because there was some sense of order in the piles), but it was embarrassing to have people see what my home liked like when I hadn’t spent hours cleaning up because company was coming.
But I learned to start small, and gradually I was able to begin getting my spaces organized. As I progressed, my life became easier. But it didn’t happen overnight, and it was hard to know where to start in order to make real progress. I had tried all my life to get organized, and I never made any real progress until I discovered where to start on things that really make a difference.
So then, how do you start organizing a messy house, especially when you have a lot of stuff to organize? How do you find the time when you have so much to do to keep up with life? It may seem impossible to start organizing if you’re a messy person, but I’m going to share the secrets I found that started me on my journey to finally getting organized.
Where to Start Organizing if You’re Messy
The first step is just to declutter.
Now please don’t yell at me and stop reading. I understand, I really do. I didn’t want to get rid of stuff either; I just wanted to get organized. When I thought of decluttering, I thought of having too many pictures on the wall or too many decorations on the bookshelves. And when “they” tell you that you’ll have less to clean, to maintain, to store, etc., I would think to myself, “Pictures and decorations don’t need maintenance. They do have to be dusted, but when I actually get around to dusting, it’s probably an extra five to ten minutes to dust them.”
When I had days off of work, I’d plan to organize my closet or some other space. I would work hard on it all day, going through stuff, putting things in order, maybe even getting some cute storage bins, boxes or baskets. I didn’t always get done (because there was a LOT to organize), but it looked better. Well, a little better. But it was still pretty stuffed. (It didn’t look Pinterest-worthy by any stretch.) And I had this feeling that, the same as always happened before, it wouldn’t last.
And it didn’t. Pretty soon I was jamming clothes in because it was really full. All that time I spent…for what? So when my next opportunity rolled around to have a day off and concentrate on organizing, I just wasn’t motivated. Just thinking about organizing a space seemed like a daunting task because there was so much to organize! So I began to slowly realize that I truly did have too much stuff and needed to declutter.
So where would I start? I just started small. Instead of waiting till I had a some days off (or even one full day), I started with just a few minutes each day. And I did it with a view to decluttering, not organizing. I told myself to be ruthless and actually get rid of stuff.
I wish I could say it was easy and I just got going and stuff started flying out the door. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Decluttering is hard! It feels wrong, it feels uncomfortable, it feels sad. But I did it anyway. And the more I did it, the better I got at it! I was learning something new, and when I really decluttered, it started to feel good. When I saw uncrowded spaces, it gave me a sense of peacefulness, and that motivated me to keep going.
If you don’t believe me, try this: set a timer and spend just seven minutes a day un-messifying a space. (I made that word up.) There’s probably some trash you can throw out; start with that. Yeah! That’s a win. Then put away things that obviously go somewhere else.
What’s left? If it doesn’t have a home, is it something you need and use? Today, in your current life, that is. Not in the past, not perhaps in the future. If you do use and need it, it needs to have a home, so put it away near where it’s used most or near where you usually drop it. If you don’t use it, put it in a donate box and don’t look back.
Okay, did your timer go off yet? Your seven minutes are up! You can quit for now. You have my permission to leave it until tomorrow’s 7-minute declutter. Now that wasn’t so bad, was it? Well, maybe it was, but it’s over now and you’ve actually made progress today. Celebrate progress!
Start in the kitchen.
It’s one of the most used and most visible spaces. When you start to get it under control, it will make meal preparation easier and mealtimes more enjoyable. It will also be easier to keep your dishes washed and put away. I know that when my kitchen is a mess, my motivation to cook goes straight out the window. I don’t even want to think about trying to find utensils, working around piles of dishes, papers, and whatever else is in the way, and cleaning up an even bigger mess afterward.
Start Small — Make an Impact
Do a before-bed pickup
Spend just five minutes before bed tidying up. At first it may not make a big different, but things will start coming together. And this way you won’t lose your momentum. You’ll feel better in the morning when you wake up to a more orderly home. Even if you don’t have time to put everything away, even making neater piles in 5 minutes makes it look less disastrous.
Again, set a timer for five minutes and pick up and see what happens.
Get in the habit of putting things away instead of putting them down
For example, putting away the scissors (instead of putting them on the counter) or hanging up your clothes (rather than throwing them on the chair or floor). I know, it’s so much easier to just set it down and promise yourself you’ll get back to put it away later. But it really does not take much time or effort to put it away right then.
You probably don’t believe me (I know, I didn’t believe this before either!). So try this to prove to yourself how little time it really takes: time yourself putting it away. Seriously, time it with your stopwatch. Did it take you 15 seconds? 10 seconds? Maybe even less? It’s worth it to get into this habit. Get used to putting things away now, because I guarantee that coming back and putting it away later will take much more than few seconds. Plus you have to remember to do it, and possibly walk clear across the house to do it (that’s more work, not less!) And besides, it looks messy in the meantime.
So try this: Start your 7-minute decluttering sessions with the kitchen. Get stuff off the counters and find it a home or get rid of it. Then start going through drawers and cupboards. Get rid of things you don’t use and need. Once you start to clear off and clear out, you’ll enjoy being in your kitchen more and may spend the time making meals instead of eating out so much.
Take before and after pictures
I always forget to do this! (No, I don’t go back and re-create the mess just for a good photo – lol; I just take an after pic and remember that it looked worse before.) I can look back at the pictures and be proud of what I’ve accomplished and get the motivation I need to keep going.
Try this: take a picture of a small space you’re going to declutter. Just one drawer, one shelf, etc. Work on decluttering it for 7 minutes. Then take an after picture. Celebrate your progress, yay for you! It may not be done yet, but you’ll feel better and have more confidence when you see even small progress. And once you have less stuff (from decluttering, see above), you’ll have less to organize and it will be easier to keep up with it.
In Summary…
Okay, so here’s a recap…If you’re wondering how to start organizing your house if you’re a messy person, start with these steps:
- Declutter
- Before-bed pickup
- Put things away as you use them
- Start in the kitchen
- Take before and after pictures
So go get started today! (Remember to take a before picture first.) Don’t worry about doing it wrong or doing everything at once. Start with decluttering for just seven minutes today. Then do seven minutes again tomorrow, and the next day and so on. (Set an alarm for the same time each day so you don’t forget.)
After a week, continue the decluttering but now also add a five minute before-bed pickup. Do both these for another week (set a timer for both if you need to)
Then add the habit of consciously putting things away as you use them. This one will take some practice, but don’t give up. If at the end of the day you realize you did it at least once, then that counts as progress! (If you didn’t manage to do it the whole day, I give you permission to do a fake put-away? Take out something, like a pen for example, use it for a few seconds to write a note, and then put it back in the drawer instead of leaving it on the counter. There! That counts – it was a good practice.) Go you! Celebrate putting it away instead of leaving it out.
You got this! Little by little you’ll make progress and your house will look better and better with just a few minutes a day.