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Untidiness is one of the major factors that contribute to cluttered home, which is what we’ll be discussing today. Oftentimes, untidiness is a result of neglecting to complete the final steps of a task or activity.

This is where home organisers and home organiser services come in. These professionals can help you to get organised and create systems that can help you to keep your home neat and tidy.

Here are some indicators of untidiness in your living space:

Tripping over items in the hallway.
Discovering unopened bags of new things with receipts still attached.
Having insufficient space to undertake new tasks/activities, such as lacking counter space to prepare a meal due to a sink overflowing with dirty dishes.

Let’s investigate how we can address untidiness by ensuring that the final steps are accomplished:

New Items

Purchasing a new item is not enough to mark the task as complete. You must decide on its storage location and store it in that location. Start by removing the packaging and disposing of it responsibly. Then, handle the bag in accordance with the household’s procedures before transporting it to the next location.

This location could either be the final storage spot or an intermediate location (e.g. the laundry if the item requires washing). It’s important to inform others of the location of the item to guarantee its future existence.

Returning Home from Activities

Returning home from a gym, library, or music lesson necessitates the final step of putting away the items from that activity. Unpack your bag, launder your clothes, put the equipment where it belongs, move containers to the kitchen for washing, and store the bag. Simply dropping the bag at the door will not suffice, and the process will remain unfinished, resulting in untidiness as multiple bags and items accumulate.

Tasks/Activities Within the Home

Clearing items away after a task or activity can help alleviate the cluttered items. Cooking, meal preparation, crafts, games, and paperwork all generate some mess. Part of the task is to tidy up at the end. The mindset you should strive for is “leave no trace.” Keep in mind that the task isn’t completed until everything is stored away.

Family Responsibility

Encourage the individuals responsible for the items to handle them. Children require instruction to recognize their duties and learn to deal with them autonomously. Young children may begin with one aspect of the tidying process and gradually add additional steps until they have a solid and repeatable routine.

Encouraging children through imagination and play can be beneficial – they can pretend it’s a crime scene and their job is to remove all evidence, or they can adopt a superhero persona to complete the task, such as “Show me how Ironman would unpack his schoolbag!” Making it enjoyable will go a long way in fostering positive attitudes toward tidying up.

Concerned about the quality of the job? Aim for “good enough” rather than perfection. Ask them “If I look at what you did, will I think you’ve done a good job?” If they’ve overlooked a step, say “Hey, I noticed you missed something; I think you need to try again” or “Are you really finished that job? Check again.” Encourage children to take responsibility but keep it lighthearted.

Other Tips:

Store like items together. Items require a home, and it’s difficult to put them away if you don’t know where they belong. Choose a zone in your home for keeping like items together. Make sure other household members know where things belong so that everyone can pitch in, rather than it falling solely to one person.
Create a family culture in which everyone keeps an eye out for what needs to be done, not just their own responsibilities.
Take the time to ensure that everyone has the skills, knowledge, and assistance (if necessary) to complete the day-to-day activities that keep the house tidy and functioning smoothly. Consider hiring home organisers or home organiser services to help you create systems and habits that will last.

Reassess Your Time

If you don’t have enough time to finish the final steps within minutes (or even hours), it may be necessary to reevaluate your commitments. It might be time to regain some margin in your life. It’s important to have smooth transitions in buffer zones between activities to prevent a cluttered trail from following you.

If you’d like to chat with one of our Professional Organisers to have a home organiser services, please contact us. We’d love to help you in setting up family processes to deal with the cluttered culprits. Still unsure? Use these tips for organising your kids’ toys to make your home a more organised and declutter your home.