Home Organizing Methods and Systems

To say that I love organizing our home is an understatement. Time spent finding the right way to organize the things we use at home, is time well spent. I know that once we have a system in place, it will last and stay that way for a long time. One of the reasons why our systems stay in place and work is the organizing method we use.

There is a difference between the home organization systems I implement and the organizing method I use to get there. This may sound confusing because most of the times the words method and system are used interchangeably. But, there is a difference, and this post will help you figure out your organizing method at home and which system works best for you.

Organizing methods

The Difference Between a Method and a System

Before getting into specifics about home organizing, I think its important to establish the main difference between a method and a system.

A method refers to the mental activity that happens to create orderliness. In other words, a method is related to regular habits. A method is based on procedure, a method dictates the how.

On the other hand, logical activity dictates systems. A system is considered a set of principles according to which something is done, a classification of things. A system is based on plans made after a procedure (method) is established.

In summary; procedures determine methods, and plans determine systems.

Home Organization Methods

Now that we know what a method is, we can dive into home organizing methods.

The method is the procedure that tells you how to organize something. Your mental activity dictates how you should do something.

For example, your habits like brushing your teeth or making a cup of coffee every morning dictate the procedure. So, depending on the order those habits happen and where in your home they take place, you are inclined to organize your home in a certain way.

There’s an obvious appreciation, and that is that even before the mind develops procedures or methods, logic tells you to store things where they belong: coffee in the kitchen, and toothpaste in the bathroom.

But your method could be completely different from the next person’s method.

  • A family of seven buys bulk and stores overstock in a storage room or a dedicated closet.
  • A newlywed couple only buys enough toiletries to last them two weeks, so they store all the personal care items in the cabinet under the sink in their bathroom.
  • A housewife who is a passionate baker stores all the baking supplies together in a separate cupboard in the kitchen instead of the pantry.
  • A mother of two little boys stores all the toys in a chest and cubbies in the family room and nothing in their bedrooms.

Their procedures (habits, lifestyle) dictate their methods. And after they have established a method, they develop a plan to implement different home organization systems.

Home Organization Systems

The system is the plan that tells you what you should use to organize something. Logical activity in a particular space dictates the plan you should follow and the tools you should use to bring it to fruition.

Think of systems as the drawers, bins, and baskets you’ll need to bring your organization systems to life. Is that simple.

knife block in drawer

The Organizing Method That Sticks

Throughout the years of publishing content on this blog, I have come to understand my organizing methods. And as a content creator, I have tried a plethora of organization systems.

After all these years organizing drawers, cabinets, closets, you name it, one method stands out to me. The only systems that work, stay in place, and are easy to maintain are those implemented based on my family’s habits and routines.

In our family, the only way we can find things faster, put them back in their rightful place, and keep them tidy is by organizing them after following patterns and behaviors.

The Neat for Life System

I have spent the last few months compiling all the information and steps people need to develop better organizing systems at home. In my upcoming course, The Neat for Life System, I break up my proven process into four phases.

  • In Phase 1, we dive deep into identifying, adjusting, and developing the organizing method.
  • In Phase 2, we evaluate the current systems that are in place and identify the use (and misuse) of space.
  • In Phase 3, we add or remove pieces with a frugal and sensible approach, to make them affordable.
  • In Phase 4, we learn to set limits, analyze the details, and take the newly implemented method and systems for a test run.
home Organizing methods

Each phase of the course contains 2 lessons for a total of 8 lessons that you can complete at your own pace. Inside each phase:

  • Short video/presentations.
  • Lessons and workbooks in PDF form
  • Trello templates
  • Supporting lists, printables, and templates.

I’ll support all the students via email and pop-up Zoom meetings. To unite the group, share ideas, and give mutual support, I will be using an unexpected social media platform that we all love!

Early birds will receive a bonus; lifetime access to my newest creation: The Neat Life Library.

The course will be ready to launch by the end of August-mid September, and I’d love for you to join! If The Neat for Life System sounds like something you could benefit from, click here to learn more and join the waiting list.

One more thing, before you go…

Thank with Google

I was selected by Google as a paid early tester for their Thank with Google pilot program. This is an experimental feature that allows you to purchase a virtual sticker and directly show your appreciation for the content on my site.

With Thank with Google, readers like you can purchase a virtual sticker to support my work and give me a boost of confidence to keep creating valuable content for you. I love personal messages from my readers, and when you send me a paid virtual sticker, you can include a message and give me feedback on my work.

Connecting with my audience is very important to me, and Thank with Google makes it easy for you to tell me what my work means to you. I would love for you to use this experimental feature so you can let me know what you think about this or any other post on my blog. This will help me build better content in the future!

You can choose from a variety of virtual stickers, which means direct revenue to support this blog and all the work that goes into building and maintaining it.

The Thank with Google feature can be found in multiple places on my blog. If you try it out, let me know what you think!

Thank you so much for your support. I would not be here without you!

2 Comments

  1. It is so true that organization systems Created for one doesn’t always work for the second. I really like your ideas to help people work out their own organization skills and their systems along with their methods. Curious to see what your presentations are like.

    1. Thank you, Brenda. One size does not fit all. I have been a victim of Instagram and Pinterest to come to find out it’s just an illusion. I am excited to bring my course to the world and change the mindset of many! Hope you can join us! Thanks for stopping by!

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