The Key to Staying Organized

It is rather simple (though maybe time consuming) to clean and organize a home, the greater challenge is to keep it that way.

Keeping a house organized requires the discipline of regular upkeep. It means returning items to their place and encouraging my family to do the same. I have found, the key to an organized home is what I call "margin."

Organizing a closet,  bookshelf, or drawer is fun. Fitting the items in a neat organized manner is like working a puzzle. But if I wedge every item together closely, stacked tightly with no margin, the organization will not last.

We are all familiar with the margins on a page. It is the white space which makes a book easier to read. Another definition in the dictionary of margin is "an amount beyond what is needed." When organizing a home, if I allow empty space, space beyond what is presently needed, the space stays organized far longer.

I can't expect my children to replace a book when the books on the shelf are wedged so tightly that not even a magazine can squeeze in. The art drawer will be in shambles if every time they get out the scissors, they need to pick up three other items on top. No child, or even adult, will be encouraged to hang up their coat if the closet is stuffed to the gills.

The problem is that most of us own too much stuff for the amount of space in our home. I'm trying to learn to be ruthless. If the books don't all fit easily on the shelf, some need another home. If the kitchen drawer is overflowing, something is added to the giveaway pile. Planning for margin in my home has been wonderfully freeing.

I found that margin  is the key to time management as well.

What do you consider key in staying organized?

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