The Lazy Person’s Guide to Get Organized
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Let’s face it! We’re all lazy! We want to do the least amount of “work” – expend the least amount of time and energy for maximum benefits. In our home we just want to have our things available and ready to use whenever we need them. Being overwhelmed, stressed out and uncomfortable in our own home is not what anyone desires these days. I won’t lie to you. The initial process to get organized does take some time and energy. How much depends on how much stuff you have. After you have gone through the steps though, you can be as lazy as you want and get on with living life. With the systems you set up to organize your home, you will be able to keep it maintained with minimal effort. Let’s get started with the three simple steps to get organized the lazy person way…
Lazy Person's Step #1...Don't have too much stuff...
Declutter everything you do not need, use or love. This is the hardest step for most lazy people because you do have to make the time to go through all that stuff. If you don’t have time to do a lot, then start with a little section – a drawer or a closet. Sell, donate or give away, trash or recycle responsibly.
Great! Now that you’ve done that, be intentional about everything you let come back into your home. Limit acquiring new things that you do not need. (This will save you money too.)
Lazy Step #2...Give everything a home that makes sense...
Here is where your lazy bones start getting a break… Put items where you will use them or store in the appropriate place. Tools in a garage, shed or basement. Extra sheets and towels in a linen closet. Save time looking for things that don’t have a home. Pots and pans should be in a cabinet beside the stove. Dishes, cups and cutlery could be in a cabinet near the dishwasher for ease in putting away. Save time and energy by storing things close to where they will be used. Items used frequently get priority placement. Items used once a year can be put in “deeper” storage. The lazy person way saves time from looking all over the place to find things.
Lazy Step #3...Create routines for mundane, repetitive chores and activities...
Now your home is organized! Congratulations! To keep it that way you need to implement simple routines that become habit. Life is messy and constantly changing. If you have good systems in place it will take minimal effort to put back to rights. (aka. The lazy person’s way.)
Some simple, lazy person routines to implement to save time...
- Mail is still important in our lives, whether paper or digital. Open all mail in one spot – preferably by a recycle bin. Automatically recycle flyers and papers you do not want. Shred any with personal information. Put any bills or actionable mail in their designated file or home that you gave them in step #2.
- Garbage is an unfortunate fact of life – we produce way too much of it these days. (That’s a topic I will leave for another day.) Having designated bins in the kitchen, garage or other convenient place for garbage, compost and recycling makes it easy to sort automatically (.aka. the lazy person’s way.) They then can be moved to curbside for weekly or bi-weekly pickup.
- Dirty dishes are inevitable unless you eat out all the time, which is very unhealthy. If you don’t have a lot to wash, you can give them a quick rinse and then put in the sink or dishwasher until you have a full load. At least, wash the dishes every night and clean out the sink. This habit will save you time the next day when you want to eat again.
More simple, lazy person routines to implement to save time...
- Laundry is another area we need routines to keep organized. Have a laundry bin in the bathroom, bedrooms and/or laundry room, if that fits with your situation. Designate at least one day a week per person to do one to two loads of laundry – clothes, towels, bedding, etc. Fortunately, in this day and age, we have washing machines that do all the work for us lazy (or busy) people. All we have to do is put it in and take it out of the washer and dryer, or hang on a clothesline. Then fold and put away or hang in a closet. Since you did such a great job with step #1 this will be easy.
- Grocery shopping can be done much more efficiently if planned for once a week or longer. You may want to do some meal planning, compare the sales flyers and double check what you have on hand so you don’t buy more than what you need. This routine can save time and money, not only in supplies but in the gas it takes to get there.
- When cooking, clean up as you go. Put spices and extra ingredients away as soon as you’re finished with them. Put dirty dishes in the sink, wipe counters, etc. This may save time, or not, but you won’t be overwhelmed when confronted with a big mess at the end. Doing small steps to avoid a big job is the lazy way.
Finally - simple, lazy person routines to keep on top of things...
- Declutter regularly. Consider everything that comes into your home and implement the “one in – one out” rule. As soon as you know you are ready to part with something put it in a donate box, if appropriate, or get rid of it ASAP.
- Do a 5-10 minute tidy every evening before going to bed. Go around your home and return items to their homes. You can also get your kids involved and make a game it. 30-60 minutes a week doing quick tidies will save time finding what you need because everything will be in it’s place. It will also make it easier and faster when doing actual cleaning. Making things easier is the lazy person’s way.
I can’t believe it’s already been five years since I decluttered my house using the Kon Mari method. Since then I had numerous reno projects, my kids moved and left me a ton of stuff and my mother died. Even some of my guests and tenants left me things. (Decluttering is ongoing.)
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