Tag Archives: home

Making routines routine

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Making routines routine. You will not be shocked to hear this: I’m a big fan of routines. It can be especially tough to make some serious changes to your mornings and evenings, especially as family life is always busy and constantly changing. Organizing CU. Helping busy moms get organized.

You will not be shocked to hear this: I’m a big fan of routines. Our family has routines for school days, weekends, grocery shopping, bed time, cleaning the kitchen after dinner… just about anything and everything.

But, trying to keep a structured routine with a family can be, well, trying. Since it takes on average 66 days to form a new habit, it can be especially tough to make some serious changes to your mornings and evenings, especially as family life is always busy and constantly changing.

If you’re struggling to get ready on time and are always rushing, check your routine (or lack thereof).

Creating simple organizing habits that make your home run smoother can take some pressure off your day.

You may find that some small changes can make a huge impact on your daily life. Think about what your ideal morning and evening would be like. Would they look something like this?

Morning:

  • Make bed
  • Wash and put away dishes (or run dishwasher)
  • Wipe bathroom & kitchen counters
  • Quick 2 minute pickup
  • Check calendar

Evening:

  • Wash dishes and run dishwasher (or put away dishes)
  • Wipe kitchen counters and sink
  • Sweep kitchen
  • Take out trash
  • Clothes (do a load, put dirty in hamper, put clean away)
  • Go through mail
  • 15 minutes pick up blitz
  • Set up coffee
  • Pick out clothes
  • Make lunches and pack bags

Take a look at what you’re doing now and compare it to how you would like it to look. Maybe there are some things on your list that can be shifted from morning to the night before to help your AM run a little smoother. Give it a try for 66 days and see if it makes a difference.

These family-friendly organization routines can be real game-changers once they stick.

Building routines isn’t about perfection — it’s about creating tiny moments of calm that add up. Start with one habit today and let the momentum carry you forward.

Looking for more? I cover daily routines in episode 15 of the Organizing Confidence Unlimited podcast.

I’m Maggie, owner of Organizing CU and a busy working mom who understands the struggle of trying to juggle all of it. Using my Reduce, Arrange, Maintain philosophy, I can help you get and stay organized!

Permanent Clutter

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Temporary items become permanent clutter when you neglect regularly sorting an active space.

-Marcia Ramsland, Simplify Your Space

Permanent clutter. I recently tried to look around my house with fresh eyes and see if there was anything that I had grown blind to. Sure enough, it took three seconds to find something. Organizing CU. Helping busy moms get organized.

I read this quote recently and tried to look around my house with fresh eyes and see if there was anything that I had grown blind to. Sure enough, it took three seconds to find something: on the bookshelf, four feet from my spot on the couch, sat two old laptops. I had previously messaged one of my brothers about how to wipe them two months ago.

I’m not much of a procrastinator and my house is pretty well kept, so that is huge to me! When I first put them there, I thought it was a great place because it would serve as constant reminder to me that I need to do this right away. Clearly, that plan did not work because I began to ignore them very soon after that.

TWO MONTHS of clutter in the middle of our living room. A temporary item becoming permanent clutter.

I tried to look at the root of the problem as to why I didn’t just wipe them both clean that day and Google a spot to drop off old electronics*.

First, it was the instructions I was given: erase it, then overwrite it with the same thing over and over. I had already done the first part; I just wasn’t sure how to overwrite it. But I didn’t ask the very simple follow up question right then. Or anytime I thought of it. My brother works from home, is very available at any time, and we have messaged 100 times since then. (Full disclosure: it wasn’t until I got to this sentence in this post did I think “why not do it now?” It took him less than 5 minutes to respond to me and clarify in very simple terms what he meant.)

My goal is to get them wiped this week and have it in my donation pile for Goodwill by the weekend.

Everyone has areas or things in their house that they’ve just been neglecting or ignoring for a while. It might be two days, two months, two years, or twenty years. But it’s never too late to take a look around and see what permanent clutter you can cut out.

Even small decluttering tasks for busy moms can create a big shift in how a home feels.

Take a look around with a fresh set of eyes and see if you can find anything quick that you could donate or throw out today. You will be amazing at how much easier it is to relax in an emptier space. Why not do start now? These tiny wins add up quickly and can help you build simple organizing habits that last.

You’ve got this — one small declutter today brings you one step closer to the calm you deserve.

Looking for even more tips? I go in depth on permanent clutter during episode 22 of the Organizing Confidence Unlimited podcast.

*I’ve done that hard work for you if you’re in the Champaign-Urbana area: https://www.urbanaillinois.us/residents/recycling-program-u-cycle/where-do-i-take-it.

I’m Maggie, owner of Organizing CU and a busy working mom who understands the struggle of trying to juggle all of it. Using my Reduce, Arrange, Maintain philosophy, I can help you get and stay organized!

Change the Habitat

Change the habitat (not the habit). The thought is some habits are engrained within you so deep that they're really hard to change. So instead of trying to change those habits that keep your home disorganized, try changing the habitat of where you store those items within your house. Organizing CU. Helping busy moms get organized.

I read this great article back in August and I can’t stop thinking about it:

Stop Trying to Change Your Habits: Change Your Habitat Instead

My favorite thing is that this idea came from one person’s comment on another post. You never know where inspiration will come from! Listen, you know yourself. If you or your family always take your shoes off in the living room, then put a basket there to toss them into.

Creating a family-friendly organization system like this can save you time and frustration.

If worn, but not yet dirty, clothes are always left on the floor in one area of the bedroom, then put a laundry basket in that area of the room to keep everything corralled (this one comes from experience – there is a basket in my bedroom!). If mail always ends up on the kitchen counter, put an inbox at the end to keep it in one place.

How to organize your home with kids around can be challenging, but these simple solutions help keep things manageable.

Give it a try and see if you notice a difference! Small tweaks create big wins — start with one space today and enjoy the calm you’re building.

Make sure you check out episode 17 of the Organizing Confidence Unlimited podcast, where I spent an entire episode on just this topic.

I’m Maggie, owner of Organizing CU and a busy working mom who understands the struggle of trying to juggle all of it. Using my Reduce, Arrange, Maintain philosophy, I can help you get and stay organized!