I love an organised home. I love talking about decluttering and organising techniques, and I love a handy gadget that makes life easier.
But when you’re reading lots of organising blogs, watching #cleanwithme videos on YouTube, and bingeing those one-handed Tik Tok videos with someone decanting a jar of pickles into a fancier jar for pickles, taking snacks out of a cardboard box to put them into a clear plastic box, and emptying washing powder into a huge glass lolly jar, it can feel like a little too much.
In my book, the goal of getting organised should be to make your life easier, not add more stress to your life! So keep the ideas you love, ditch the ones that make you feel pressured.
Here are 3 myths I advise my clients to ignore for a calmer, smoother home life:
Myth #1: Matching containers are necessary for an organised home.
Absolutely not necessary!
Ok here’s the thing - I do LOVE how this looks.
BUT…
Replacing all of your exisiting containers with matching ones can be expensive, and it’s a big job to makeover your pantry / fridge / linen cupboard / other storage areas with them. It can take hours, or even days to set this up.
Think of these are nice to have, but not need to have. If you have the budget, time and motivation to bring them into your home, go for it! But don’t feel pressured to do it.
Or find a way to make it easier. One of my besties loves the idea of a beautifully organised kitchen with gorgeous matching containers and labels, but doesn’t feel motivated to do it herself, so she’s outsourcing the project. You can too!
Myth #2: Once your home is organised, it will stay that way.
Don’t beat yourself up about it if you take the time to organise a space and it’s messy again a couple of months later.
Life happens! Your kids will mess the space up again, or you might find the way you have organised it doesn’t really let you use the space and keep it tidy easily.
Organising is an ongoing process and your approach to maintaining and running your home will change with every stage of your life.
It’s ok to go back and try another organising method, declutter for the third time, or ignore a space until you are ready to tidy it up again.
Sometimes my laundry and washing process is running smoothly but my bathroom seems to be getting messier than usual. So I adjust my weekly routine to suit.
When my kids were toddlers, my car was messier, so I used more organising products in it (back of seat organiser, bins on the floor, boot organiser etc). Now that they are older, they take their own stuff and rubbish inside at the end of each car trip, so I don’t have to put so much effort into organising and cleaning my car anymore.
You need to balance your life in a way that suits you. The easiest way? When you have time for a mini organising or declutter session (15 minutes works well), work on the part of your home that either frustrates you the most at the moment or the part of your home that you want to enjoy right now.
Myth #3: You need a coffee station, command centre, and walk-in wardrobe in order to have an organised home.
Trends are fun, but you don’t have to do them all (or any for that matter).
I love a good Pinterest session and I can go down the rabbit hole quickly when it comes to home organisation pins! Over the last few years, I’ve seen so many command centres in entryways, coffee stations on countertops, and walk-in robes made from spare bedrooms. They look amazing! But you don’t need to include them in your home unless you really want to.
The best organising ideas are the ones that work for you and your family, not the ones with the most likes or repins on social media.
I hope you found these tips helpful! If you're ready for next steps, join my free Neat & Tidy challenge, where we focus on one small space each month to help you organise your home the easy way.
x Marissa
