Everything Needs a Home

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Three steps you can take right now to prevent clutter.

“A place for everything, and everything in its place.” I love that saying. It just makes sense to me. But not everyone is a fan. One of my friends hates it. Apparently, it was overused in her house growing up and she resented it. I don’t remember hearing this particular aphorism until adulthood.It is one of my all-time favorite mantras. And while it is true year-round, it has a special meaning this time of year.

As early fall turns to late autumn, critters and people are spending more and more time in their home. Some are doing some pre-winter maintenance.Others are working on in-home organization after a busy summer spent outdoors.Just as critters and people need a place to call home, so do their belongings.

Ever since I’ve been professionally organizing more, I’m seeing that having a place for everything that is important and having everything that is important in its proper place is key to an organized home. What causes issues sometimes is not realizing you need a place for something. When there is clutter, it’s important to figure out what is important to you so you can have a home for it. I find items commonly without homes are related to paper, tech gadgets and their accessories, and hobbies.

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Step 1: Make a home for paper

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Paper, even one sheet, seems to multiply. What was just one piece of junk mail becomes two pieces, and then three. Before you know it, there is a whole pile of papers, catalogs, and magazines where it doesn’t belong. In fact, there are probably multiple piles throughout the home. Whether it’s a SundayBasket from Organize 365, a home command center, binders, or a filing cabinet, having a household inbox along with a place to store papers you need long term keeps the paper clutter to a bare minimum.

Bonus tip: Filter through your incoming mail and throw the junk mail directly into the recycling or trash so you don’t have to sort through it later.

Step 2: Make a home for your tech cables and accessories

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As the world continues to become increasingly connected through technology, people have more and more tech gadgets. We carry some of our gadgets with us. However, many of those gadgets’ accessories seem to be scattered across the home. Most people have a closet or dresser for their clothes, kitchen cabinets and drawers for their plates and flatware, and shelving for books and mementos—that’s been commonplace for centuries. Over the last decade or so, many people now have a place to charge their phone, a desk for their PC, or a place where their laptop lives. Designating a home for extra plugs, cables, memory cards, ear bud replacements, cases, and the like, can help corral and keep it all those tiny items together.

Bonus tip: When you buy a new phone or gadget, in addition to trading in/selling/donating your now-old item, make sure to also purge the now-obsolete related accessories, such as cables, screen-protectors, and cases.

Step 3: Make a home for your hobby—both for the supplies and the hobby itself

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Many hobbies involve a lot of supplies. Enthusiastic hobbyists frequently accumulate an enormous stash of tools and supplies related to their hobby. For example,

• photographers frequently own multiple cameras, lenses, and filters
• cooks own the typical kitchen essentials along with additional specialty tools and ingredients
• gardeners own a variety of tools and, depending on the time of year, might have all sorts of seeds, seedlings, and plants
• crafters own any combination of arts and crafts supplies, including yarn and needles or hooks, paints and brushes and canvases, papers, stickers, scissors, and a variety of other tools

The key to reigning in the stash of supplies is to be honest with yourself. What are you enjoying right now? What projects you will commit to in the coming months? Based on those answers, you can pare down and get rid of what you won’t use and don’t absolutely love. Once you have a good idea of what remains, you can pair like with like and store your hobby-related items in away that will encourage and support you enjoying your hobby.

Besides having a home for the hobby-related items you need and love, it’s important to have a home for the hobby itself. For some hobbies, this is obvious—the kitchen for cooks and the garden and a potting station for gardeners. For many hobbyists, much is done at a desk or table—editing digital photographs at a computer, paper crafting at a desk, mixed media at a table.For others, the hobby is done in a comfortable chair—knitting, crocheting, embroidery, or other fiber arts, for example. Having a dedicated place for all your hobby-related items as well as a place to actively use those items is key to staying organized throughout your home.

Bonus tip: Looking to give a new life to old crafting supplies? Besides Goodwill or Salvation Army donation centers, schools, and kids’ clubs, consider creative reuse centers. The one near me accepts donations of arts and crafts supplies and then sells them at affordable prices to jumpstart people’s creativity.

While these three steps won’t rid your home of all clutter, they are relatively easy steps to take you in the right direction. After all, clutter is, by definition, items out of place. A good, thought-out home for items will surely help you to have a place for everything, and have everything in its place.