Whether you’re sheltering at home alone or with a partner or an assortment of family members during the current coronavirus epidemic, one thing has probably become evident: it is hard to stay organized when everyone is home all the time! Suddenly your home is an office, a school, a very busy restaurant (with no dishwashers), and the place to relax. It’s no wonder things might be starting to look a little undone. Keep reading for some simple tips to help you get organized and stay organized during the coronavirus.
Looking around your home these days, you may have noticed an increase in… stuff. If it seems that your family is suddenly generating much more clutter, you’re not alone. To accomplish a more organized version of your current household, start by clearing out some clutter.
Since you’ve been spending so much time inside your house, certain corners of rooms or neglected places have possibly become glaringly obvious places where junk piles up. There’s nothing like being on a video call at your kitchen table to really put the overcrowded countertop behind you into sharp focus.
Take an honest look at all the rooms that have been collecting clutter. Secondhand shops and charity organizations are, for the most part, not currently accepting donations, but don’t let that stop you. Put the things you intend to donate later into boxes and bags and get them out of your living space.
Depending on space and how many bags you’ve generated, place donations in the trunk of a currently rarely used car or into a basement storage room or closet. Permit yourself to be pretty strict. You can’t actually donate things right now, so you will have a chance to realize you’ve made a terrible mistake if it comes to that
It can be overwhelming to pick a place to begin when the entire house, and all the people in it seem to need a bit of organization. The best way to start is simply to set aside time and pick a spot and just dive in.
Another category of potential clutter in the current spotlight is clothes. Adults are working from home and kids are distance learning. Everyone’s daily wardrobe has probably been refined to daytime lounge clothes and nighttime lounge clothes. Look through your closet. You may not be wearing your work clothes right now or finding a reason to wear a cocktail dress, but you can probably get a feeling for which clothes you truly miss wearing. If you know now more than ever that you will never again reach for those jeans that are never quite right, vow to put them into the donate or sell pile.
Don’t neglect your drawers. Most organizational methods tend to treat loungewear and athletic wear as something apart from your wardrobe. Right now, athleisure, workout clothes, and glorified pajamas are probably the staples of your everyday wardrobe. Empty the drawers out and only put back the t-shirts, leggings, loungewear that you’re reaching for day after day during these stay-at-home times.
Once you’ve refined what stays in your household closets and drawers a little bit, take advantage of any extra time you may have on your hands to create a closet that will carry you into the future. Measure your closet and sketch out your dream with laminate cabinetry and custom lighting or the effective and versatile wire shelving configuration that will make every day more organized.
Weekends that used to be filled with lacrosse tournaments or family gatherings are currently quiet. Take advantage of that time to keep yourself busy and get your storage spaces organized. Organizing your holiday and season storage is a gift from current you to future you. (You can thank yourself later).
If you’ve still got a tote full of memorabilia from your study abroad semester junior year fathering dust, now is actually the day you’ve been waiting for. Open it up, enjoy your trip down memory lane, and organize.
Just like in your household closets, now is a great time to plan for shelving to help create and maintain an organized storage room or space. If your current storage is boxes and totes stacked on top of one another against a wall, you will never regret the addition of a shelving system.
Everyone at home right now needs to be involved in maintaining an organized household during the coronavirus. Everyone can go through their closets, with help for kids. The family should come together to clear clutter in the living room. Vote on which puzzles you’ll do again and which can be dropped off on a neighbor’s porch, perhaps, for some other family to enjoy.
Harkraft has always been a resource for people looking to create organized closets, storage rooms, and more. We have years of experience with choosing the right solutions and we are always happy to share our expertise. Contact us today to talk about your plan or to find out more.
