US Service Life Sept Oct 2013 | Page 12

HOME & GARDEN 8 Tips On Organizing Your Home by Walter Jensen Here are 8 very useful tips on organizing your home. Taking that first step is the most important part of organizing your home. So now let’s get started on step one. This is critical because you can’t get to where you want to go unless you know what that “where” looks like. How do you want this room to function? How do you want to feel when you’re in it? What do you want to do in this room? What is the real purpose of this room? Tip #2 - Get into a Routine Sounds simple doesn’t it - well take it from me it’s one of the hardest tasks to do. As a teacher, I have always found this has helped me “organize” my day at school for lessons planning, staff meetings and have always found it effective - so, guesswhat? I now do it for organizing the home. For example, with the children if they have left any toys lying around after playing with them I encourage them to put them away in their “tidy box” or on the shelf. Tip #3 - Organize Storage All things in the home must have a “Home” that’s one of the things I say to my kids. Why? Because when something is not seen (in the closet) you can get the False Feeling of it’s all organized. On the shelves divide up sweaters, blouses, the clothes you wear now. As for racks - great for shoes. Tip #1 Get a pad of paper and pen and walk through each room of your home and write down what you see. It is important not to be overwhelmed. Try doing this systematically. For example, here is what you might see in your home entry way: shoes, unopened newspapers, mail and circulars that are left at your door, keys, pet toys, coats, sweaters and more. Now write down what can be done to eliminate this clutter. 8