Maintaining an organized and clutter-free home can feel like an impossible task, especially for busy moms juggling multiple responsibilities. However, with some simple home organization hacks, you can have an efficiently organized living space and significantly streamline your daily routines.
Here are organization tips and tricks tailored specifically for busy moms to help you create a stress-free home environment.
Establish a Command Center
This concept isn’t new but it’s often overlooked or underused. A command center serves as the nerve center of your home organization strategy.
Designate a central area near the kitchen or entryway and equip it with a bulletin board, calendar, and storage bins. This setup from Sunny Circle Studio proves that a command center can be useful AND aesthetically pleasing.
Use the bulletin board to display schedules, meal plans, and important reminders. This acrylic calendar is magnetic so it does two jobs for the price of one.
A family calendar can help everyone stay on track with appointments, activities, and deadlines. Make sure to sync this calendar with a digital version so you always have access to the whole family’s activities.
Utilize storage bins or baskets to corral keys, mail, and other frequently used items, keeping them easily accessible yet neatly organized. Go through the bins every few days to avoid missing important papers or bills.
The key to an effective command center is regular use. Separate mail as soon as it comes in the house, keeping important items and recycling or throwing out the rest. Teach your kids to put important papers like permission slips in the right place. Put your keys away when you walk in the door.
Embrace Regular Decluttering
Clutter is the enemy of organization, so make decluttering a regular part of your routine. Set aside time weekly to tackle clutter-prone areas such as closets, drawers, and countertops.
Adopt a ruthless mindset and ask yourself if each item serves a purpose. Donate or discard items that no longer serve a practical or sentimental function. You can find tips on getting rid of items in this post on clearing out clutter.
If you tend to have a hard time getting rid of things, try a “last chance box.” Designate a bin or box for items that you don’t use but can’t seem to part with. Check the box monthly and reevaluate the items you saved.
A room instantly feels cleaner and more organized when clutter is removed even if you do nothing else. It’s the fastest way to make your home appear clean, especially if you’re short on time.
Controlling clutter will streamline your home and free up valuable time and mental energy. Sometimes we don’t realize how mentally distracting clutter can be until we remove it.
Implement a Nightly Reset
One of the reasons that my house tends to get messy is because I let things build up when I’m busy. Implementing a nightly reset in the main living area is one of the best home organization hacks I’ve picked up.
Each night before bed, we load and start the dishwasher, clear and wipe the counters, and put away any random stuff in the living room. When I come downstairs in the morning to a clean space I feel like a badass ready to conquer the day.
Of course, I’m not perfect so there are times I leave the dishes or save a pile of laundry for the next day. That’s how I know this routine is so effective because of how differently I feel when it’s not done.
Utilize Unexpected Space
The best way to stay organized and keep your home clutter-free is to make sure that every item has a home. This can get tricky in small homes or houses without enough storage. When space is at a premium, get creative!
Vertical Space
Maximize vertical storage opportunities to make the most of every inch of available space. Install shelves above doorways or in unused corners to store books, decorative items, or kitchen essentials.
Hang hooks or pegboards in the garage or mudroom to keep tools, sports equipment, and outdoor gear neatly organized and easily accessible. By utilizing vertical space, you can free up valuable floor space and create a more open and airy environment.
Over-the-Door Storage
The back of a door offers a lot of bonus storage space that’s often unused. You can store things like toiletries, cleaning supplies, shoes, toys, and more in easy-to-install wire shelving, fabric hanging bags, or using simple adhesive hooks.
Maximize Your Closets
The typical builder-basic closet has one shelf with a rod attached for hanging clothes. Your closets can hold much more when you upgrade your closet system. There are professional services that will do it for you or you can use a DIY option.
My daughter’s bedroom closet is huge but had the usual shelf and rod setup when we moved into our house. We used EasyClosets to massively increase her closet storage. They have a very user-friendly online design tool and then you receive all of the pre-measured pieces and do the installation yourself.
I know a DIY project like this can be intimidating, but honestly, if we can do it, almost anyone can 😂
If professional or DIY options aren’t in your budget, there are much simpler and cheaper ways to increase your closet storage. Stackable bins and baskets work wonders. Space-saving hangers like these help you fit more.
Under-the-Bed Storage
The space under the bed is another overlooked storage space. Don’t forget to measure the space to ensure that your storage containers will slide underneath.
These under-bed storage containers have wheels to easily slide in and out and protective covers so your stuff doesn’t end up covered in dust bunnies. An option without wheels works if your bed sits lower to the ground.
Write It All Down
The reality for busy moms is that we have a thousand things swirling around our brains at any given moment and families who distract us constantly.
We don’t mean to forget, but it’s hard to remember to buy lightbulbs when the minute after you think, “We need lightbulbs,” a child is telling you they have an extra rehearsal on the 22nd, and also did you buy glue sticks for their history project.
You can keep pretending you’ll remember all the things and then feel frustrated when you don’t OR you can start writing everything down. You can carry a good old-fashioned paper notebook everywhere you go or use your pocket-sized computer; whichever method you’ll stick with is the one to choose.
I use a spiral notebook as my weekly planner but I keep all important dates and appointments in my phone so I can access that info any time. Each week I start with five lists: things to do, calls to make, home tasks, stuff to buy, and planning.
I also keep a list of books I’ve read and a master to-do list of home tasks. We recently started keeping track of service professionals we liked so we know who to call the next time we have an electrical or HVAC issue.
Maintaining an organized and clutter-free home can significantly simplify your life as a busy mom. By implementing these home organization hacks, you can boost your productivity and drop your stress level a notch or two.
Remember, organization is not a one-time task but an ongoing process, so stay consistent and focus on habits and systems that make life easier.