Simplicity News Thanksgiving 2006

I bet you're here looking for December's newsletter article aren't you? Oops! Sorry about that! I coded my link wrong and it brought you here. Try this one instead! (and Happy Holidays!) ~Monica

Dan Banta of Grand Haven, Michigan wants ideas for keeping family life organized and simple. Oh, Dan, don't we all? 

Most of keeping family life organized involves the choices you make and the boundaries you establish as a spouse and parent. Staying organized at home is a multi-faceted challenge; it requires control of the physical space and contents, control of time, and clear behavior expectations and boundaries. And yes, the truth is that it's not always easy. But it is always worth it.

When organizing your space, your first step is to...

frequently evaluate what you own and be sure everything you allow to live in your home gives you value. If not, get rid o f it. The second part of organizing your space involves finding a home for everything and for items to be in their homes when not in use. I know, I know, that sounds like a pipe dream, but it's possible if you begin training your kids at a very young age to put things away when they're finished. One habit that contributes to chaos is when kids (and adults!) put things down when they're done with them, rather than putting them away. There's a big difference!

Also, as parents, it's your responsibility to establish the "family policies and routines" and communicate them clearly. Simple routines, rules and clear expectations g o a long way to creating an organized, peaceful house. For example, make kids responsible for as much as possible, as early as possible. Children as young as two can help clean up their toys (hey, I know the Clean Up Song, so I know it's possible!). Kids of five and six can help set the table, clear the table and do dishes. The more responsibility children can take on at home, the quicker they learn the concept of accountability, and build their self-esteem. It also teaches them that living in a society requires give and take, and because the family is the child's first society, it's the best and safest place to learn these important life skills and lessons.

And finally... be aware of how you and your family members are allocating your time. If you're over-scheduled and you're over-scheduling your kids, you set yourself up to be stressed out and home maintenance falls to the bottom of the priority list. Creating an organized home requires time. However, getting and staying organized actually gives you time back over the long term. It's nearly impossible to maintain an organized household if you don't have consistent routines and you're constantly running and falling into bed exhausted every night. Evaluate your time commitments and those of your kids. And if you have to remove some of them from your life in order to simplify, stay focused and keep your life manageable, it's worth it. You can't run yourself ragged and neglect your home and expect that it will just somehow take care of itself.

Declutter first, then create permanent homes for your possessions and simple, sustainable habits and routines. These are the building blocks of keeping your home and family organized.

Comments

[Tracey Crockett]

Monica & Dan,

Don't forget that another factor involved in maintaining an organized family and home life is living according to what you value in terms of balance.

Once you've designed your life around your values you can begin implementing the 'physical' organization changes so that they work in concert with your values.

I can tell you from personal experience that once you've got these two working together you'll see a huge change in how your life flows.

[Monica Ricci]

Tracey, you are SO right. Our values should always shape our activities and what we give our time to. So many people spend a lot of time and energy on things that aren't even that important to them, while neglecting the important things. And each person gets to decide what's important for their own lives.
~Monica