You want to live in a clean, organized home. You have one major roadblock stopping this from happening… your family! Trying to maintain an organized house is challenging for families because there are so many people that need to work together in order to maintain it. Most young kids don’t see the reason. Teens and adults may simply not want to or don’t care enough to make it a reality. Are you stuck living in an unorganized, chaotic home because no one else will help you stay organized? No way!
It can feel like an impossible feat to get your family onboard with keeping your home organized, but it’s not a distant dream. You can do it! In order to help, we’ve put together a few tips and tricks to help you with this task:
#1 Give everyone age-appropriate tasks. Your entire family can do something to help out, even young ones. Children as young as 2 can pick up their own toys and put them in a bin. From toddlers to adults, everyone is capable of doing some of the work. Industry experts tell you to use positive reinforcement, not bribery, to make this happen. You want to build positive life skills, so don’t do it for them and don’t bribe them.
#2 Incorporate organizing into daily or weekly chores. If you give your older kid or teenager an allowance, they should have to work for it. Have them declutter their personal space as well as other areas of the house, like the garage or kitchen pantry. This sets the expectation that money is not just given to them, it is earned through keeping their living space tidy.
#3 Discuss your expectations. Whether you’re talking to a child or your adult partner, assuming they know what you want done is setting everyone up for failure. Speak directly with them and create a common ground to achieve your goal. Your family’s specific goal could be that you want your home to look nice but not at the expense of your energy or sanity. Perhaps your goal could be that you want mornings before school to be easier, and so everyone is going to work together to keep the pantry organized and the front entryway from being too cluttered.
#4 Make it fun! Organizing and cleaning doesn’t have to be torture, for them or for you. Make it into a game. Play music and let everyone eat their favorite snacks. Propose a competition like whoever organizes the most spaces is the one who chooses that evening’s take-out order or dessert. Maybe whoever does the best job picks the movie to watch that night.
Remember, Closets Plus is here for you! We’ve been helping Greenville families get organized and stay organized for many years. Your home can be next! Please call us at (864) 297-9797 or send us an email using the form on our website to let us know you’d like an appointment with an organization expert.