Do you find yourself constantly deciding where to put away belongings? Do things get left out because they have no permanent “home?” 

In 2017 I underwent a large decluttering process. The greatest reward of my decluttering experience was finding a permanent “home” for all of my belongings. This was a game changer. Period. Full stop. 

I realized that things were left out, and encouraged clutter because of the constant decision making about where to return items. When I pulled something out that had a rotating home, when I went to put it back I had another decision to make. Do I put it on the shelf? In the cupboard? Should I shove it back in with the others? Should I get rid of it? 

After decluttering my home, came the process of giving everything a home. This seems easy, but actually is quite deceiving. For instance I would often have one or two pens in my night table, then a couple in a drawer, a bag, a purse. All of a sudden there were pens everywhere, because it was custom for me to have them “at the ready.” I then made a rule: all pens stay in the pen jar. When they are done being used they return there. No longer do I have a build up of pens in one area and none to be found in another. It also meant when I came across a pen it didn’t have multiple options of where I could put it, all my pens had one home. 

This has made the biggest difference in keeping my space tidy. I come home and always empty my purse; wallet and keys have a place in my drawer. Pens return to the pen jar. Receipts go in my receipt pouch. Electronics go in the electronic drawer. Nothing has a “home” in my purse, not even my wallet and keys which I always take with me. This is so important, and I didn’t realize how important it was for not losing things. If you have the right number of hangers for your clothes, when you wear something you will know exactly what item goes on that hanger. No longer are you moving things around and trying to change things. 

I challenge you to give one of your items a home this week. Stop, think, even ask the item where it wants to belong (sounds silly, but it works) and then whenever you are finished with the item, put it there. Do not change where you put it for one whole week. Ready? Happy home hunting!