As a little girl, I used to organize everything in my room over and over again. I would spend an entire day cleaning out my closet and drawers to find the perfect system, only to find myself in a disorganized mess just a few weeks later. It was frustrating and overwhelming. I wanted the peaceful space that organization would bring, but couldn’t figure out how to get there.
Now that I’m a wife and mom of two little boys, I’m finally figuring out that staying organized isn’t about a one-day overhaul, but about a long-term system that requires upkeep and transition as our lives change.
Just like the next person, my house becomes disorganized at times. However, I’ve figured out the 5 reasons why this happens and have been able to fix a lot of my organizational struggles.
If you struggle with staying organized, here are 5 reasons you may be failing and what you can do to improve it.
1. You’re trying to organize clutter
There is a reason why I will always, always say to declutter before you organize. Trying to organize before decluttering is like trying to wash dishes without soap or water. It’s very hard and, in the end, a complete waste of time. However, if you first declutter, you create more space for the things you actually use rather than trying to cram too much in. This will just breed disorganization long term.
This cabinet used to hold way too much. It was my baking cabinet, but also held all of my spices. It was just too much. Things were lost in the back, I always felt like things were falling out when I opened it up, and it was hard to put things away. After I cleared out the clutter, removed what I wasn’t using, and found a home for other things, I created a space that is much more joyful to use. While it still holds a decent amount of baking supplies, I’m still able to get to everything easily making it a very functional space.
2. You aren’t keeping up with maintenance
Organization is not a one and done thing. It requires regular maintenance to stay that way. If we don’t keep up with our systems, they will inevitably fail.
This cabinet is where we store all of our craft supplies. It was very disorganized when I started because I hadn’t kept up with maintenance. It’s a cabinet that my 4 year old gets in frequently and if I don’t regularly straighten it up, this happens.
Things were shoved in places they didn’t belong and extra things were added. However, after about 5 minutes of cleaning out and straightening what did belong, I was left with this.
Awww! Much better! No, it’s not the most beautiful cabinet I’ve ever seen. But it’s functional and it’s easy for my 4 year old to get what he needs which is the purpose of this system. By spending just a few minutes on this cabinet, I was able to put the system back into place.
If you’re struggling to stay organized, maybe you just need to revisit your systems and do a quick tidy up of what’s already in place.
3. You’re overcomplicating your organizational systems
Organizational systems don’t have to be complicated. While sometimes it’s great to narrow your categories and micro-organize items, many times it’s just as good to create very simple systems if they work best for you.
When my first son was about 2 years old, we started collecting craft supplies. I’m a former teacher and he has always loved to do projects so we were just a match made in heaven. We began collecting craft supplies and they quickly accumulated. I originally thought I should separate each item (pipe cleaners, tissue paper, pom pom balls, etc.) into their own small bin so that it would be easy to find things. However, it made it hard for my son to help with clean up and it took up way too much valuable space in our small home. By placing all of these items into one larger tub and consolidating like items into bags within the tub, I was able to create a system that worked better for us both. It’s not ultra organized and doesn’t look super pretty, but it’s very functional and that’s what matters most to us.
By keeping your organizational systems simple, you will be more apt to keep up with them and stay organized.
4. Your systems aren’t working for you
You might be failing at organization if the systems you have in place don’t fit your personality. I’m the type of person who hates visual clutter. When I try to organize things without hiding them at the same time, I will inevitably fail. However, if I can hide it in a bin or basket then I’m more apt to keep it organized.
Most of our toys are hidden away in bins like these from Target. However, this wasn’t always the case. We used to store some toys on the shelves. This was stressful to both me and my son, Caleb. Since the system wasn’t working for us, we decided to change it up. The bins work great and they have really simplified clean up time. The simplicity of hidden toys helps to keep my type-A brain happy!
If an organizational system isn’t working for you, don’t be afraid to change it. Sometimes it’s not us that’s the problem, but the system. Keep trying until you find something that works for you!
5. You’re confusing daily living with disorganization
While I love a clean and organized home, my home is not always magazine worthy. In fact, it rarely is. We have two little boys, a big dog, and we do a lot of living in our home. It’s easy to look around at the end of a long and busy day and think about how disorganized I feel. However, with a quick 10 minute pick up, I can usually get everything back to normal. This is because I have organizational systems in place that make it easy to clean up the visual clutter in my home.
On a daily basis, my playroom usually looks something like this. It’s messy and looks very cluttered. I could easily confuse this mess with being disorganized. (And truth be told, I often do!) However, there is a place for everything to go at the end of the night. Every single item has a home. So while it looks unorganized in the picture above, you can see that at the end of the night, it’s put back together with everything put away.
Don’t confuse your daily living with being disorganized. If you have systems in place that make clean up easy, then you probably aren’t as bad off as you may think. However, if you do struggle with putting things away when messes arise, then you may need to find better organizational systems that work for you.
If you struggle with disorganization, then maybe you just need to switch things up a bit. Make sure you are keeping up with routine maintenance of the systems you do have in place and keep things simple. Always remember no one lives in a Pinterest-perfect house. We all make messes. However, if we can create systems that make it easy to pick up those messes, then we are on our way to staying organized for good!
Veronica says
Yes to that last one! I agree with all of them, but the last one is so true. I have toys and kids’ clothes all over my living room and it stresses me out because it makes me feel so unorganized. But it just takes a few minutes to get it all picked up in the evening. I need to get it through my head that we live here and it’s okay to have stuff out.
Kaitlin says
It is so easy to feel overwhelmed by the mess our kids/family creates each day! I think the important thing to remember is that a life well lived will most likely be a beautiful mess. 🙂 Thanks for your comment, Veronica!
Rachel - Volcano Mama says
Wow – thanks for sharing such honest pictures! This is great encouragement to all moms to keep trying and keep working at organization. I think we get so caught up in the perfection of the internet pictures we assume no one else has a playroom that actually (gasp) gets played in! This is especially true for all of us work at home moms with little ones like me. It’s a never ending task, organization, as you say in point 2…gotta keep at it! Thanks!
Kaitlin says
Thanks, Rachel! While I love seeing beautifully decorated and organized homes/play room, it’s just not realistic…at least for me and my family! 🙂 I’m glad you were encouraged!