Everything needs a home. I’ve discussed the importance of it before. When everything has a place to go, your family will know where to put things and where to find things without having to ask you, saving you time. When your family has all these good habits in place, you will find it’s easier to keep up than to catch up.

When you don’t have to think about where you should put the bills that need to be paid (small basket labeled “To Be Paid”) or the receipt for the dress you might return (envelope labeled “Just In Case”), it takes away a bit of that mental load that people tend to carry around. It becomes second nature to just put it where it belongs right away.

My closet has three hampers in it: darks, whites, and towels. When I first implemented the system, I put labels above each one so everyone in the house knew exactly what went where. (The cat eventually clawed them to pieces after about two months, but the habits were well established by that point). The labels prevented things from ending up in the wrong bin. And saved me a lot of aggravation.

The same applies to your kids and their toys: it makes it easier for them to pick up after themselves when they know exactly what goes where. You can use labels with pictures or words.

Let labels help you get things organized. If you need me (and my label maker) to come by to set up some good systems, contact me today.

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