How to Use an Organizing Calendar to Create a Home You Love
How to use an organizing calendar to streamline your home into one that is clutter and mess-free. A great way to keep a clutter free home, do a bit of work every day in just a few minutes a day.
A plan is a great way to get on the easy track for how to organize every area in your home!
It’s morning time, and you’re swinging your legs over the side of the bed stretching and yawning, and getting ready to go grab your first cup of coffee. Nothing changed while you were sleeping, everything is still the same.
The kitchen is just as you left it the night before, your clothes are still hanging over the treadmill in your bedroom, and the remote controls are scattered all over the coffee table in the family room. But for some reason, you’ve got this little urge dancing around in your belly. No hint that it was going to surface, it comes out of nowhere right when you least expect it.
You have that magical urge to declutter and organize your entire home.
And even though this is a great urge to have, if you’re not careful you may take an okay slightly cluttered home and turn it into a hot mess-of-a-hurricane-hit battle zone that you can’t even walk through without stepping on debris.
So what are you to do? Do you just ignore that decluttering urge and hope it comes back when you are ready? Absolutely not, you need to seize the moment. Carpe Diem as my brother likes to say, whenever the urge arises.
The trick is to be ready so when it comes you can jump into action and take all those organizing steps forward instead of two steps back into hot mess land.
Okay, if you’re still with me then you might just be excited. You’re probably looking for the end-all-be-all that will get your cluttered home to Martha Stewart organized with a snap of your fingers. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy, but I am going to get it as close to easy as I possibly can.
Now if this is your first time to Declutter in Minutes then let me tell you something about myself.
I love to plan. I have no idea where this gene came from but if you give me a project, I will be the first one hand raised chomping at the bit ready to schedule all the steps out for anyone that is asking. I
seriously think I should have been a party planner, but that ship has sailed so instead I plan things for my family, for my friends, and for the readers that come to my blog. Having this planning superpower really does come in handy especially when you’re faced with a project that you may not be too excited about tackling.
And that is my job for today, to give you a plan of attack that you can turn to whenever the decluttering or organizing urge hits so you can just get busy before that motivational ship sails.
When it comes to organizing, it is best to tackle an area, a room, or a theme every single month. By having a decluttering and organizing calendar schedule that takes you through the entire year, you can maintain your home one “lap around” at a time without ever having to be faced with a huge and monumental decluttering or organizing project.
Let’s pause here for just a minute, if you have not done an initial declutter of your home and where you stand now is at the head of a house that is more stuff than storage, let’s get you the help you need right now.
Jump on over and read my post on how to declutter your entire home step by step. Yes, this is a pretty long article to read, but you can jump and skip to the sections that need your attention right now. The goal isn’t to get it all completely done, the goal is to make a dent so that you can move on to smaller projects which, let’s face it, are a lot easier to tackle without freaking out.
READ: HOW TO DECLUTTER YOUR ENTIRE HOME STEP BY STEP
Okay back to today’s game plan.
I call this my home organizing calendar.
Each month I have a small section in my home that I like to focus on. It’s not an entire room, but instead, just an area in each room that tends to get messed up easily. As long as I am able to complete a decluttering and organizing session in these spaces it will make it easier for me to maintain the room throughout the year.
If you are looking for just a decluttering calendar, then jump on over to my article and check out all the tips I have for you there.
Organize your Home Month by Month with a Home Organizing Calendar
January – Calendars, Planners, Family Planning
For some reason, the New Year for me means a fresh start. Whether that be a brand new calendar, a fresh and clean planner, or a journal. There’s something about a blank page that gets me excited to dive into planning mode. And for that reason, I believe starting here is the best place at the beginning of the year.
A few ideas are:
- A wall calendar to hold daily activities using a colored pen for each family member.
- A desk calendar to coordinate office and family appointments.
- A pocket calendar to be sure you always have your schedule with you.
- A digital calendar as a more efficient way to keep your family and work schedule close by.
February – The Master Bedroom
Nothing makes me happier than ending my day in a neat and tidy room. One where the bed is always made and the nightstand is always neat and tidy. And this month that is your goal as well. To set up a space where your main purpose is to get a good night’s rest. Something that is impossible to do if you are sleeping in a mess and clutter and chaos.
Clutter is noisy and can keep us from sleeping if the last thing we see is our clothes piled up a mile high on a chair across the room. Take some time to put in a few baskets or bins to catch things you toss so you are not looking at the pile but instead a nice basket in the corner.
A few ideas are:
- A dresser top organizer to hold pocket clutter.
- A bedside organizer to hold things you need while you are sleeping.
- A large basket to toss in clothes as you take them off.
March – The Office
Since this is the month most of us gather up papers for tax time, this is also a great time to set up systems to use so next year gathering things up is a whole lot easier. Plastic file bins, current papers, a file drawer that is specific to you and your stage of life are all things you can implement this month.
A few ideas are:
- A portable office to hold current and past tax papers.
- A basket for each family member to hold papers specific to them.
- A filing cabinet for all past papers that need to be kept close.
April – The Kitchen
For us, the kitchen is the hub of the home. The place where our family gathers or friends sit to visit. For that reason, this room is important to have organized so it is neat rather than chaotic and basically, a hot mess. Take this month to sort things out by activity and bring in tools you can use to keep cluttered areas a bit neater.
A few ideas are:
- A bin or tray to hold medicines that always end up on your counter.
- A basket to toss incoming papers in to go over later.
- A trash area where you can toss trash, recyclables, even compost.
May – The Family Room
Since the weather is warming up, odds are you are now spending more time outside than in. This means the family room is empty and now at your disposal. In my opinion, family rooms are easy to organize because not a lot of times are kept in this room.
Movies, blankets, pillows, ready materials, games are probably all that is here so that means setting up organizers is going to be easier in this room as compared to others.
A few ideas are:
- A large basket to toss blankets in.
- A bin for kids to toss toys in before they leave the room. Remember to put these things away later!
- A tote to hold games that your family loves to play.
- A cabinet for movies.
June – The Garage, Carport, and/or Porch
June is usually a nice pleasant month no matter where you live so working outside is a great place to spend your organizing time this month. If you have more than a garage to get to break things down and spread it out over the month.
Most folks have a garage and most folks use that as storage rather than a place to park their car. Now worries, you can back up a bit if clutter is more an issue than getting things organized and work on that first.
A few ideas are:
- A large tote or totes to hold outside toys.
- A garden center for all your planting and growing supplies.
- A pet area to hold your pup’s toys and other items.
- A cabinet for any car care items for both repairs and maintenance.
READ: HOW TO DECLUTTER A MESSY GARAGE
July – Storage Areas
Storage areas are more than just attics, they are closet shelves, crawl spaces, basements, and underneath guest room beds. Anywhere that you store your extra things is what you are going to focus on for July. Again, divide and conquer is best with a project that is this spread out. Make a list of all the areas you use as storage in your home and divide them up by each week. Put them in order of importance so you are sure you are working on the most used first.
A few ideas are:
- A shelving system to hold numerous totes.
- A series of hooks to hold wreaths, pictures, and other hanging items.
- Colored totes to help you find what you need much easier.
August – Family Command Center
Even if you do not have a family at home, a Family Command Center is still a vital part that needs to be set up and streamlined this month. What is a Family Command Center? Basically, it’s a hub of your home where you keep day to day items that you need to keep things running smoothly.
A few ideas are:
- A family address book.
- A basket to hold incoming mail. Be sure to go through this basket each evening.
- A container for coupons or shopping lists for your next errand run.
- A binder that contains all the important things you need to run your home.
READ: HOW TO SET UP A FAMILY COMMAND CENTER
September – Bedrooms
Luckily you already did your own bedroom a few months ago so this month you have the rest of them to work on. The kid’s rooms and any guest bedrooms are on the list for September and if you have a large family this might be a pretty daunting task. That means you may want to call in help from the person whose room it actually is and get not only their input on what to work on but also their muscle strength to actually do the task.
A few ideas are:
- Totes for under the bed to store toys or seasonal clothes.
- Sturdy toy bins that will stand up to your kids.
- Closet organizers for a guest bedroom.
- Dresser top organizers to hold pocket clutter.
October – Bathrooms
This includes every bathroom in your home. The guest bath, your master bath, even your kid’s bath are all on the list this month. Lucky for us they are small rooms and are usually able to be completed in a weekend. Make a list of all your bathrooms and break them down so you can work on one each week. Remember, keep your goals small so you can tuck in working on them throughout the week without stressing out.
A few ideas are:
- A water friendly mesh bag to hold kid’s bath toys.
- Shelves for additional storage.
- A shower organizer for personal clutter.
- A sink organizer that doubles as visual art where you can hold creams and other personal items.
November – Holiday Decorations
It’s funny, not many people consider organizing their holiday decorations but nowhere is a system needed more. Tangle lights, broken ornaments, lost treasures will all be a thing of the past once you set up an organizing system for your decorations. And the very best time to do this is when you have them all out and are putting them all up around your home.
A few ideas are:
- A tote specifically meant for ornaments.
- A bag to store holiday wreaths.
- A bag to protect your Christmas trees.
- Colored totes to make finding all of your Christmas decorations easier.
December – Food Storage
Food storage is a great goal to have in December for a few reasons. First, we are usually pretty preoccupied with the holidays and the last thing we have time for is organizing a room. Next, if you are like me then your home is covered in trees and candy canes making organizing any room a struggle.
Finally, new years usually mean new diets and an organized storage area for your food is a perfect project for December. Flor
A few ideas are:
- Bins that are sturdy to hold canned food.
- Shelves to hold spices.
- Floor bins to hold larger items.
- Baskets to hold snacks for kids. (And dads)
When you break down your organizing project list to one goal each month you remove the overwhelm and get your head focused on just what needs to be done. Having an organizing calendar takes that idea and helps you to put it into action.
Create your own annual organizing calendar and use it every year to keep your home streamlined and organized going forward.