Reduce Stress with These Home Organizing Tips

Between work, family, school, etc., you may be feeling stressed so reading an article on organizing your home may feel like adding additional burdens to your already busy life. Bear with me and I'll explain. Though it sounds counter-intuitive, studies show that decluttering your home can help eliminate stress, distractions, and chaos while making you more productive, successful, and happier.

Who doesn't want to be more successful and happier? It's worth a try, right? Following are some organizing tips to get you started:

• Making your bed every morning is motivating. According to a survey at Hunch.com, 71 percent of bed makers say they are happy, while 62 percent of non-bed makers consider themselves unhappy. Make your bed as soon as you get up.
• Wipe down your bathroom as you go – towel off the shower or squeegee glass walls; wipe off counters and put toiletries away.
• Keep kitchen counters clutter-free and clean so they’re ready to go for the next meal prep or use.
• Never let dishes sit overnight. Put them in the dishwasher, or if you hand wash, take the ten minutes to wash and dry after each meal.
• At the end of each day, pick up the main living spaces of your home – put away toys, clutter, etc.
• Organize items for the morning – school backpacks, pack lunches, coats, briefcase, etc.
• Spend five minutes each morning or evening walking your yard – if you stay on top of weeds, toys, dog poop, etc. you’ll thank yourself on weekends.
• Donate, garage sale, purge. If you haven’t used something in the last year, someone else can.
• Don’t let your mail hit a flat surface. Stand by your recycle bin to open your mail and discard anything you don’t need.
• Scan the paperwork you need and digitally file bills, paperwork, etc. Scanners with wifi capability can even sit next to your recycle bin!

If all else fails, hire a professional organizer to help you get started. In one instance, a group of co-workers chipped in to help their cubicle mate get organized!