There are many reasons why homes get so out of hand and disorganized! But lets face it, it doesn't have to be that way and dwelling on who did what, or who to blame, is not going to help!

So lets just get to the point and start getting things back under control!

The sooner you get organized, the less stressful your life will be. A more organized home will help you cut your chore times in half, and create more time so you can do the things you really want!

Here's a small way to get your home and your life back to order!

If you don't know where to start, start with the BIG PICTURE.

Step 1. Get your tools ready.

• Pad of paper, pen, quadrille pad
• measuring tape
• cleaning supplies
• decorating magazines, shopping catalogs
• paint swatches

Step 2. Room Overview Sheets:

Create a sheet for each room and do a walk through. Think of all the things the room is currently used for and make a list.

Name of Room:

Current Purpose:

And do this for each room of your house, before you start working on any one particular room.

Step 3. Evaluate Your Review Room Sheets:

Create a Floor Plan of your rooms, make 2 copies. 

One is for Before and one for After!

Get all the room review sheets together, and see where your overlaps are. Are there 3 rooms used for same purpose, can they be combined into one instead?

For example: combine, using computer for games and a place to play board games, etc.

Is it quieter at one end of the house then the other, where's the best place to study, think, relax, without interruptions, create a study space there.

Move the TV area away from the bedrooms, so it does not disturb others' when they are working, studying or sleeping.

Try to centralize your activity areas from your rest and relaxation areas.

Step 4. Develop your After Floor Plan.

Now that you've given thought to each room, seen how it can be changed or best used, start making a new floor plan of your house. Assigning each room, with an activity, or task,etc, see how much space you are left with at the end. It can be used for extra storage, or a guest room, or home office.

Step 5. Start Working, Room by Room:

• Take out furniture items that will be thrown out or donated to Good Will, etc.
• have the pick up truck ready to load outside
• Take out furniture items you will reuse in a different room
• put in garage or porch to work on later
• This will create some space in the room for you to work in.

Step 6. Sorting

• Set up your sorting bins outside in the hallway, and do one room at a time:
• Throw Away (anything broken, dirty, torn)
• Donate (clothes that don't fit, toys you don't play with, yard sale items)
• Keep (only keep the things you love)
• Fix (things to fix, nostalgia, family heirlooms you want to keep)
• Clear as much of the room as possible.

Step 7. Clean the Room

• When a room is empty it is easier to clean.
• Wash the windows, clean the basebords and heat registers, ceiling light fixtures.
• Replace any light fixtures.
• Put any new electrical work needed: tv cables, internet connections, telephone rewiring, etc.
• Dust down the walls, get ready for a new coat of paint
• Take down old shelves
• fix any cracks and unsightly holes in the walls

Step 8. Design Your New Room

• Pick a color scheme for the room:
• Warm up the space with warm yellows, tans and reds
• Cool down a space with relaxing blues and greens and aquas
• Get your catalogs and magazines together to get ideas
• Better Homes & Gardens, Decorating Ideas, Renovation Magazine, JC Penney Catalog, Domestications, Spiegel, Pottery Barn, whatever your taste is!
• Make copies of the items that you would like to see in your room, price them, make sure you measure your space for fit before you go shopping!
• Draw out a new floor plan for your room.
• Figure out what should be done first in the room:
• paint ceilings, walls, doors, windows, trim
• add in electrical, rewire, etc
• replace flooring, remove old carpet, replace with area rug, etc.
• order new furniture, pc desk, chair, table lamp, assemble the pc table
• put up new curtain rod, and curtain
• add shelves to wals, anchor them, so they don't topple over
• Put things back in the room, all the items you sorted for later, can be put back in the room.
• Make sure you have room for future items, with empty bins, and some empty shelves.

Repeat with all the other rooms, until the whole house is organized again!

Allow a week to 2 weeks on each room, depending on how much work it needs, and how many helping hands you can borrow, you can get some of the rooms done on a weekend even!

Write me with your projects, and let me know how you are making your life better by getting your home more organized!

Written by Rezika Doyle, Interior Decorator