Leah and Joe: Home DIY Projects & Crafts

One of Joe’s New Year’s resolutions is to get organized, and I was pleased to hear that! I can definitely help with that one. (His other resolution is get his six pack back – I can probably help with that one too.) Sorry Joe, for outting your two resolutions. Consider it public accountability. You can thank me later. 🙂

We’ve already improved in this department – We started with our storage area and completely gutted it. Then systematically went through all our possessions before re-storing them. It wasn’t as awful as it sounds actually! Next up, the garage. We’re almost done finishing it off and can’t wait to share that process.

Pick your Method

I have heard several methods for organizing and sorting things:

• Room by room
• By category
• By surface (ie. Clear all floors, counter tops, walls, etc.)
• Increments of time (15 minute bursts?)
• Playing the Minimalist Game

And I’m sure there are many more tried and true ways to get your shit together. Melissa Michaels of The Inspired Room has some great ideas in her books and on her blog. And coincidentally she has the same New Years Resolution as Mr. Joe! We generally do a group house cleaning on Sundays (we try for every Sunday), and everyone cranks up the tunes and does the routine deep cleaning. But as far as getting organized, we haven’t really found one way to agree upon for the two of us. My approach is simple: I put things away right away. Dishes, laundry, paying bills, whatever it is. Everything has a place. I know that isn’t for everyone, but it’s the only way for me.

As far as home improvement projects, we pick something we’re excited about and go to town! Obviously we look at budget, need, timeframe and other factors before starting, but honestly it’s more about the momentum. If we both have a spark of an idea, we dive into brainstorming and doing research and want to start tinkering right away. I think people underestimate the power of capitalizing on your own excitement. If I wait too long, I’ll start to get doubts, overthink it, reconsider, think of too many options, or get overwhelmed by the work cut out. But if we just start, that’s where the magic happens.

Help Wanted

So we want to hear from you. What are some organizational methods that have worked for you and held up over the test of time? Joe needs something for a fast, on-the-go lifestyle. Not something with too much structure or rigid rules, but something he can stick to. I’m not sure of his specifics, but I think he’s looking for ways to organize:

• Paying bills
• Filing paperwork
• Tools
• Workspace
• Home office ideas
• Keeping track of phone, keys, wallet
• Time/task management
• Budget
• Planning
• Reducing clutter
• General ways to be more efficient

Leave a comment. We’d love to get some ideas!

Now that Christmas has come and gone, now’s a great time to add all your shiny new gifts into your routine, while thinking about eliminating the older things that no longer have a place in your life or serve your needs. There are plenty of options for all your old things.
Here’s a great infographic that has ideas for going room to room, and lists some methods for decluttering maintenance.

What’s your best tip for getting organized?