Why Your Home Is Always Messy, And How To Fix It
Do you feel like your home is always messy? If this is the case, you’re certainly not alone! On my YouTube channel, I posted a video sharing the top three reasons why people’s homes are always messy and offering solutions to overcome these common challenges. I wanted to share my tips with you here, too, so keep reading and get ready to make some impactful changes.
Reason #1: People own too much stuff.
The solution here is to focus on decluttering things you do not love, use, or need. Of course this can be tricky—to make this process less daunting, the key is to reframe your thinking around decluttering. Keep in mind that decluttering is not about getting rid of things that you do indeed love. Instead, prioritize parting with items that you held onto unintentionally. For example, do you really need those conference freebies, books you’ve read and won’t look through again, or that DVD player you haven’t used at all in the past five years? You will also want to part with anything that takes away space from things you do want in your home—such as furniture that is uncomfortable to sit on but could be replaced with a newer option or a slow coffee maker that clutters up your countertop and makes it difficult to house appliances you actually like.
Because the decluttering process can be overwhelming, I suggest setting a time limit to tackle a bit of decluttering every day rather than trying to tackle the entire house at once. Set a timer on your phone and get to work. Following a process like this one will help you achieve mini wins and build your decluttering skills over time. Plus, it’s no fun to have to set aside an entire weekend addressing your garage or basement when you could instead break this large area up into smaller chunks.
Need a little more guidance here? I have a free resource, The Power of 30 Guide, that is helpful in decluttering any space in your home. You really only need 30 minutes a day to declutter!
Reason #2: People’s homes lack the systems and structure needed to keep it organized for a long time.
If you don’t have sustainable organization practices in place, the solution is to focus on prioritizing three core principles of organization:
Accessibility: Are the items in the space you’re organizing easy to get to and put back?
Practicality: Are the systems you’re creating in agreement with your normal day-to day routine? Do they make your life easier? Do they go “with the flow” of what you’re already doing, and just makes it a smidge bit easier? If you can’t answer “yes” to all of the above, you need to make some changes!
Functionality: Are the systems you’re creating operational? Do they make sense?
Your home won’t stay organized if you’re making things too difficult for yourself. Bins and baskets will only help if they’re not a hassle to use or a burden to reach, for example.
Reason #3: People have counter-productive habits.
It’s important to adjust to productive habits and daily routines that will make it easier to stay organized. After all, habits and routines are what makes resetting your home back to baseline manageable and more realistic, even when life gets busy, stressful, and overwhelming.
For example, maybe you empty your dishwasher every morning before work, right after making your bed. Maybe you dedicate time on Sunday afternoons to managing and putting away laundry. Sticking to a routine and incorporating a bit of structure into your week will make staying organized feel more manageable, as you won’t be tackling 10 different household chores at once.
All in all, your home may be messy now, and these are likely the three culprits as to why. But these solutions can help you dig yourself out! The free resource I’m providing is a great tool to get you started.
If you’re looking for additional support to help you, whether it’s in-person support (yes, we travel!) or virtual support, we’d be happy to help. If interested in learning more about our services, don’t hesitate to take a peek at our site and book your Space Audit call (our version of a consultation).
