Good news! This is easy to fix 💗
If you're decluttering all the time and your home still never feels tidy, decluttering isn't your problem. It's more of systems / flow issue - How things come in, where they live, and who puts them away.
Every home is a little different, but these are the five things I look at with my organising clients when their house just never feels tidy.
Slow down what's coming in.
Is more coming into your home than going out? If you declutter regularly, your answer is probably "No way, heaps is going out!" but stuff tends to sneak in and we don't notice it..
Impulse purchases are one of the the culprits. If you tend to buy things and then forget to use them, forget you have them, and end up decluttering them pretty quickly, try this simple rule: Wait three days before you buy the thing you want. Usually by day two or three you won't care about it anymore - but if you, go ahead and buy it then.
Fewer things coming in means less to tidy!
Action it before you put it down.
This is for stuff like mail, bills, school notes, the little gift bags from events. From now on, don't put it down until you've actioned it. Then it goes in the bin.
Bills - pay them as soon as they arrive, then throw them out. Saving up an emergency fund makes this much easier, because you're not waiting until the due date.
School notes - sign them straight away. Pop money in an envelope and then straight into your child's school bag.
Freebies and random bits - decide on the spot it will live in if it's going to stay, or let it go immediately.
That piece of paper you put down "for later" is how piles start! Handle it as it comes in and it won't get the chance to build up.
Give everything a home, where you actually use it.
Does everything you own have a proper home? Most of the time, a house feels messy simply because things aren't put away. And if something doesn't have a set spot, it will just end up sitting out.
The key is to store things where they're used, not where you think they should go. Take scissors. Most people would keep them in the study. Mine live in the kitchen drawer, because that's where I use them most, opening packets. My "study" is really just a little table for my laptop, so scissors there make no sense for me. You'll have your own version of this.
Kitchen bench tops are a big one too. If yours are always cluttered, it's often because putting things back feels like a hassle. Store each item in the cupboard closest to where you use it, and getting it out and putting it away becomes quick and easy.
Do a quick daily reset.
Set a daily reminder on your phone, an alarm or a calendar event, at the same time each day, and call it "Daily reset." When it pops up, put on two of your favourite songs and do a quick pick-up around the house. Put things back where they belong, straighten the cushions, toys in the toy box, dirty washing in the basket, towels hung up, rubbish out, homework in school bags, that sort of thing.
Yes, this is stuff we know we should be doing, but it's hard to find the energy at the end of the day. Two songs makes it short, fun and doable. If your kids are toddler age or older, invite tell them to help and let them pick the songs to make it more fun for them and less work for you. Which leads me to...
Make tidying a whole-family job.
You don't have to be the only one who puts things away. Bring your kids and your partner into it.
It's so easy for tidying to become "mum's job" by default. When the kids are little, we put things away for them because they can't yet. Then we keep doing it because we know where everything goes and we're faster. Over time, everyone just assumes that's how it works. But then instead of the matriarch of the family, you're the maid. Yuck.
Sharing the load keeps you all managing the household together, rather than you just carrying it on your own.
What works for me is asking in the moment, and being specific:
"Can you just pause for a second and hang your towel up?"
"Can you put your toys away?"
"Can you pop your laptop back in your school bag?"
"Can you take your plate to the kitchen?"
Asking right then, and saying exactly what's needed, means it gets done now rather than "later." And with a bit of consistency, it can become a habit. Every family is different, and we shouldn't have to remind people, but let's face it, a quick reminder beats doing it all yourself every time.
Hope you found these ideas helpful - if you try them, let me know how you go with it!
x Marissa
Marissa Roberts
Organising tips to make life easier for busy mothers
