7 ways to simplify your life to become more organised

We’ve become so focused on getting more organised that in the process, we’ve over complicated things. Everyone out there is showing us how to organise our pantries, our linen closets, plastics cupboard etc that we’ve lost sight of the fact that we’ve actually brought more ‘stuff’ into our homes instead of dealt with what’s already there. It’s time to get back to basics, focus on what you’ve already got and go from there. Here are 7 ways to simplify your life to become more organised in your home life.

FOOD, CLOTHING, SHELTER

If you’re overwhelmed with trying to be more organised, it’s time to bring it back and focus on, what I believe, are the three most important things in the home; food, clothing, shelter.

Food

Without it, we can’t survive. Add water to this as well. Keeping your meal times simple with simple ingredients will help you become more organised in more ways than one.

You’ll not only have less ingredients to worry about storing but you’ll become more creative in the process. Some of the best cuisines in the world use very few ingredients and product the most delicious, tasting food.

Your grocery shopping won’t be such a tedious task either. You’ll have less to buy, less to pack away and you’ll spend less money. If you buy less and use it up, you’ll also have less food waste. Only buying what you need, storing it correctly and keeping stock of what you’ve got, will also save you time, money and simplify your grocery buying.

Stock the one ingredient that will do the job of many. For example, rolled oats. Besides being a nutritious breakfast option in the form of hot oatmeal, you can also make overnight oats, homemade granola or make a version of a breakfast cookie for ‘breakfast on the go’.

Oats are also handy to have to thicken meatballs, meat loaf, hamburger patties, sausage rolls etc. It makes a delicious topping for crumbles plus it’s the perfect ingredient for baking cookies, cakes and bars/slices.

Think of how many other ingredients you could buy that could be used in other ways.

Clothing

I actually saw a TV program last year that spoke about the younger generation wearing clothes only once. I nearly did a back flip and didn’t think it could be possible. The more clothes you have, the more space you have to find for them, there’s more washing and you probably still can’t find a thing to wear.

Capsule wardrobes are all the rage where you have a limited number of clothing items and you learn how to mix and match them with accessories. Imagine having a wardrobe that isn’t busting at the seams?

The same goes for shoes. I must admit, I do love shoes and have many but at the end of the day, having a couple pairs of good quality, comfortable shoes in basic colours will also reduce the amount of footwear you have to deal with. This applies to all members of the family.

Clothing doesn’t have to be expensive either. I would rather spend $5 on a secondhand, good quality, brand name piece of clothing than $5 on a cheaply made, imported piece of clothing that probably won’t last the season. You’ll be saving the environment by reducing the amount of clothing that goes to landfill, saving yourself a lot of money and have a wardrobe full of individual pieces that not everyone is wearing.

If an item of clothing loses a button or the hem comes undone, mend it. It seems to be a long lost art that people don’t know how to do this basic skill.

Keep the bare minimum of clothes you need and donate or sell what you don’t wear. Look after it by washing it and storing it properly and you’ll have it a lifetime. I’ve still got the same Levis denim jacket I bought with one of my first pay packets nearly 40 years ago. Those sorts of things never go out of style.

Shelter

And one of the most important aspects of simplifying your home life, your home. Ask any homeless person what’s the one thing they miss most and they’ll tell you it’s a roof over their head. I’m always trying to stress to the children to be grateful for that. It’s a privilege we take for granted.

Learn to love the home you’re in. Deal with what’s already in it and look after that before you bring anything else into the home.

Keep on top of the housework with the basics, that is clean as you go and you’ll soon find you’ll have plenty of time to be doing the things you really want to do. If you’re struggling with trying to be organised, bringing in a whole cupboard full of glass/plastic containers to makeover your pantry is both a waste of money and time, at this stage. That time will come when you’ll be able to have it looking exactly the way you want.

Store similar items together, remove anything that is no longer useful or used, keep the basics clean and you’ll soon find you’ve got the start of a well organised home.

YOUR HOME IS YOUR BUSINESS

Think of your home life as a business. You are the CEO, any income is like money paid from customers and any bills are money owed to suppliers. You’ll want to operate your home like a profitable business.

To simplify this process, keep a simple budget. Record your weekly, fortnightly or monthly income. Record what and when regular bills are due and allow extra funds for a contingency plan or what I like to refer to as the buffer zone. This is what I like to spend on things that mean a lot to me like going away for short breaks to the beach, any emergencies like appliances breaking down or taking the children to the movies.

Your other family members are like your staff. They need to be treated with respect but also have a job to do in the home. It’s all for their benefit too, just like operating a business. If the staff aren’t happy, you’re not going to be running a very profitable business or have a ‘workforce’ that want to do their job well.

Let your family members have a say in how the home is run. Everyone is allocated certain jobs to do and need to be reminded of how privileged they are to have a roof over their head, food on the table and clothes to wear. You be the boss of how you’re home is run, encouraging the rest of the household to have the same goals and outcomes as you want. It’s time for you to put your feet up, teach your children how to prepare meals from scratch and get waited on. Same goes for the household chores.

Keep your ‘mobile office’ well organised, that is your handbag. When we’re out and about, it’s always good to have something in your handbag that you can record ideas, things to put on your to do list, groceries needed etc. If you have a planner, make sure you take it with you. Also, make sure you have your phone, a pen/s, sanitary items, a drink bottle with cold water, paracetamol, charger or power bank, a calculator and anything else you need for you or your family.

ENJOY SIMPLE PLEASURES

To simplify your home life and become more organised, it’s time to take a look at the more simple pleasures in life. Forget about what everyone else is doing and just worry about what goes on within your four walls. Sure, she might have a fancy house, wear beautiful clothes, have the perfectly decorated home but what benefit really is it to you?

You don’t know what goes on behind closed doors. They could have a cleaner that comes in to keep their house tidy. They could also only be showing you the ‘after’ shots and not the real way they live. They could also be living in a lot of debt that you don’t know about.

Find beauty in the the things you already have and more importantly, the people in your home. With any free time you have, think about what it is you’ve always wanted to do. Learn a new language? Pick up a new craft or hobby? Learn a musical instrument? Grow orchids? Or volunteer at a charity? Whatever it is, find joy in those simple things in your life that are going to make you content.

I often find myself daydreaming about some quirky thing the kids have done or said over the years. Because I’ve simplified my home life, I’ve actually got time to reminisce about those early days of having new babies in the home. It brings such joy to me. At the time, they were crazy times but now I can reflect on those times and congratulate myself for getting through them.

I also like to find joy in preparing simple, flavoursome meals that I know my family will like. I don’t need to go and buy the latest, greatest cookbook, appliance or designer dinner plates to do that. It’s simple, seasonal, fresh food that tastes good. What does it matter how it’s prepared or what it’s served on? I actually find it nice to serve food on plates that belonged to my Nanna or mother for the pure joy of knowing that’s exactly what they did.

DON’T BUY ANYTHING ELSE

Until you’ve dealt with what’s already in your home, simplified the processes in your home life and organised what’s already there, don’t bring anything else into your home. Don’t think that buying $200 worth of Tupperware is going to help you get your pantry organised. Organise what’s there, throw out anything that has expired, clean the shelves and you’re done.

Once you’ve done that to your entire home and you have free time on your hands to do what you want, then think about decorating your pantry with nice containers and labeling them. If you really want to simplify your home life, I would prefer to keep your pantry as simple as possible. There really isn’t any need to decant everything you buy. Even though I used to do that, running a business from home and looking after two children and my husband is my main priority now. I know where everything is in my pantry. It tells me on the box what it is and the plastic bag inside is secured by a peg. I don’t have to worry about it when I buy a new one.

If your crockery and cutlery isn’t matching, just have enough for what you need for your family and any visitors. It doesn’t have to match. It has to serve a purpose. There are many cultures in the world who don’t use cutlery. How wonderful that would be to not even worry about having a drawer full of forks, knives and spoons that are all facing the right way in a brand new KMart bamboo drawer that cost only $13 but now you have to deal with the cutlery insert you already had that did the job perfectly. There will come a time when you can restyle your home with fashionable decor and organising items, if you want to, but in the meantime, let’s learn to simplify your home life, organise what you’ve already got and take it from there. There might come a time when things like that won’t worry you and you’ll be happy with the simplicity of your home and you won’t have to worry about what everyone else is doing or has in their homes.

LESS IS MORE

Less is definitely more when you’re trying to be organised in your home life. I’m not talking about going 100% minimalist, unless you want to, but I like to be surrounded with sentimental items from my past plus things the children have made when they were younger.

I have functional pieces throughout the home like tissue box covers, candles and other decorator items that were gifts or provide function like the candles scented with essential oils to add a calming scent in the home. I have faux flowers that add a pop of colour and can be rinsed off under the shower for a quick clean.

All of my furniture surfaces are covered with doillies or cloth placements which only need to be thrown in the wash once every two months which reduces the amount of dusting I need to do. Doillies may be old fashioned and not to everyone’s tastes but to me, they’re a look into my family’s past. Most of them were made either by my Nanna, Mum or Aunty and I think back to when it was being made. A couple I have were made by my Mum when she was a teenager so it brings a lot of sentiment. To me, they had a nice touch with a homely feel I’m trying to achieve in our home.

Stockpiling might be great for some people but it doesn’t work for me. I don’t have the room to store extra groceries so less is definitely more for me in my kitchen. I only buy what we need and keep it topped up. I live 5 minutes to 5 grocery stores and other than Christmas day and Good Friday, the shops are pretty much open all year round so you’ll never go without.

Remember, the less you have in your home, the less you have to organise and keep clean.

SIMPLIFY PROCESSES

If you think about every little thing you do in your home the cooking, the laundry, cleaning, making the bed etc, this will also reduce the time you take to be organised and therefore frees up more time to do the things you really want.

Find the easiest and quickest way to do it. Remember, it doesn’t have to be perfect. This is your home. You have your own standards. Don’t make your expectations so high or as high as other people you see on the internet. If you don’t clean the ceiling fans every second day, who cares? If you don’t wash the towels every third day, who cares? You’re only wiping off clean water anyway. Work out ways to reduce the time it takes to do chores, schedule those chores into your daily routine and take advantage of all that free time you’re going to have.

RESTRICT YOUR ONLINE TIME

I know, I know. This is also hard for me to grasp because I’m running an online business. But I’ve started to schedule time into my day to look at social media and I stick to that time. I could find myself jumping from Facebook to Pinterest to Instagram, all day, every day and then wonder why, at the end of the day, I didn’t achieve anything I’d set out to do. I’d blame everyone else but I only had myself to blame.

There’s no denying it’s part of our life now but if you really try hard to restrict the time we spend on the Internet, we’ll soon have all this free time on our hands. I know I’m always nagging the kids to put their devices down and here I am using mine. They understand that I need to be on it for my business but at the end of the day, spending time with them and making sure all my other priorities are completed will allow me more free time, I’ll be organised and if I want to use my free time looking at Pinterest, I can, guilt free.

And, finally, I have one rule that I apply in every aspect of my home life for perfect homemaking. It is:

IF IT DOESN’T GET DONE, IT DOESN’T MATTER

This is your home, your life and what goes on in your home is your business.

The KISS Method (Keep It Simple Sweetheart)

If you’ve never heard of the KISS Method (usually known as “Keep It Simple Stupid”), I’ve adapted this method to every aspect of my family and homemaking life except I’m not stupid. Some people might say I’m a ‘sweetheart’ but I’m here to tell you you’re not stupid and you might be struggling with keeping on top of it all by over complicating things. Let me explain.

We’re all too busy

I’m not sure our grandmothers were as busy as we are today but they were busy enough. Take away working out of the home, the internet, social media, in store and online shopping, extracurricular activities for the children, and the list goes on, we wouldn’t be anywhere near as busy as we are. I know that first hand.

Admittedly, the internet and social media is my business so I’m lucky in a way that I don’t go out of the house to work but what am I working for? If I didn’t do this for a job, would we be able to survive financially? Yes, we would.

I’m not really making any kind of major kind of money to warrant a trip to the Bahamas but it’s a dream of mine to relocate to the beach one day. I’ll probably still do that but I want to make it as affordable as I can and that’s why I’m pursuing an entrepreneur’s lifestyle.

If I stopped doing it would I be as busy as I am? No, I wouldn’t. I’d have more time to have the garden looking nice. I’d have more time for sewing or being creative but I’d still be running the children to and from school, to after school activities but I don’t need to worry about household chores or making sure I’m shopping all the time to have the latest of anything. This is where the KISS Method comes into play.

How to make your life more simple

I don’t know if it was something that was in built from a young age or just in my genetic make up but I really don’t follow trends or need to have the latest whatever. I call this JOMO, “The Joy of Missing Out”.

If I’m not keeping up with celebrities or people of influence on social media, I don’t have to waste my time watching them or see what they’re promoting. I don’t have to spend all my time worrying about rushing to see a movie because someone suggested it or finding that ‘hard to get book’ because everyone’s raving about it. (Remember the frenzy that was created when “The 50 Shades…” books came out? I’ve never read one and I don’t believe I’m missing out on anything. All that happened there was the author became very rich. Simple. Oh, and maybe you spiced up your sex life a little, I’m not sure.)

There are more ways to make your life more simple, in particular your home life. This KISS Method can work if you’re young or old, male or female, working or stay at home, a parent or single with no kids. It doesn’t matter. We can all over complicate everyday tasks and it doesn’t have to be like that. Let me explain.

Food in the House

Let’s face it. You need food to survive. This isn’t a point about cooking from scratch or buying takeaways. You do what works for your family but my point is, you don’t want to spend an hour or so on a Sunday afternoon, going through your junk mail to find out what’s on special at the supermarket, then formulating recipes and writing it all down on a menu plan. If you do that and it works for you, GREAT! But I could think of a million other things I’d rather be doing than that.

I’ve been a mother for nearly 15 years now and if I don’t know by now what my children eat, there’s something wrong. I want meal times to be seamless, without argument and a pleasant experience, all while preparing tasty, nutritious food for the whole family.

I keep it simple. My pantry, fridge and freezer is full of the food we all eat and my fortnight grocery shopping list is made up of those items I’ve run out of. That’s it! No meal planning. No reading through junk mail that might tempt you into buying things you don’t need. No being influenced by celebrity chefs who claim they can feed a family on $10 per meal which my children wouldn’t even look at let alone eat.

The other point I want to make is I do want the whole evening meal process an effortless one that’s why I’ll spend a little time, here and there, preparing meals or parts of the meal to save on time and energy.

For example, I’ll cook double or triple rice when I’m making rice for a meal and bag up enough for another meal and pop it in the freezer to use another time. I’ll have some ready made ingredients in the freezer or pantry for those emergency nights when things haven’t gone to plan and you’re either sick or just exhausted.

I don’t believe meal planning strictly allows that flexibility. If I say Wednesday is “Chicken Night”, I don’t have to worry about roasting a chicken, thawing a chicken breast in a hurry because I forgot to get it out or I didn’t have time to pop on that slow cooker chicken dish because something came up in the morning. I grab those already crumbed chicken breast fillets out of the freezer, tortillas also from the freezer, chop up some salad and serve. Keep it simple.

This also brings me to the point of ready made or cooking from scratch. There are no hard or fast rules here. Who am I to tell you that cooking from scratch is the be all to end all or the only way to do it? That’s what I love to do so I do it but I don’t feel it’s necessary to do it every time.

If I see a marked down packet of biscuits or muffins at the supermarket, I’ll buy them and pop them in the freezer. If I want to have chips in the freezer for a ready made fish and chips meal, I will. We do what works for us. If you’re working full time and want ready made, nutritious meals delivered to your door and can afford it, do it.

You don’t have to give food a thought. If you want to bake your own bread, milk your own cows and whip up your own butter, go right ahead. I think that’s a lovely lifestyle and if it works for you, go for it.

You find what works for you and your family and stick to it. But if you want to keep it simple, don’t spend a couple hours on a Sunday meal planning only to overspend at the supermarket and then still go and buy takeaway midweek because you got sick or you couldn’t be bothered.

That’s a whole lot of unnecessary work for nothing. Keep your menus simple, the food you eat simple (Europeans have made a lifetime habit out of it), and don’t waste unnecessary time baking if you don’t have time or because someone of influence shared a recipe for a chocolate lover’s dream cake that has $20 worth of chocolate bars on it when you could buy a $5 already iced mudcake that everyone loves. Keep it simple.

Housework

If you hate housework, join the club. It’s not one of my favourite past times but I must admit, I do love a clean and tidy home. It’s a bit hard with kids in the house, no matter how hard you try to get them to pick up after themselves but it doesn’t have to be hard.

Having strict housework schedules in place is just fruitless, for me anyway. Why tie yourself down with Monday is dusting day, Tuesday is cleaning floors day etc etc? That commits you to doing that on those days but what if something comes up? How will you cope? I prefer the most easy method and that is CAYG “Clean As You Go”. You create a routine that you clean as you go.

For example, when you wash the dishes at night (or load the dishwasher), cleaning the sink, the fridge handles, the stove and splashbacks is all part of the routine. You can also add sweeping the kitchen floor to that and in about 20 minutes, the whole lot is done. Same as brushing your teeth at night. Wipe down the bathroom vanity when you’re done. Clean or wipe down the shower while you’re in it. Not every time but at least once a week.

The extent of my housework efforts is left to once a fortnight for 2 hours on a Saturday morning. I get the kids involved. They clean their rooms and help with other chores. It’s helping them develop good habits and routines and it’s helping me.

I can overlook the dust on the coffee table during that time because I know it will get done on that Saturday morning or, if it doesn’t, guess what? It doesn’t and it’s no big deal. There are more important things, or should I say, people in the home that need your attention as a parent than worrying about dust on the coffee table. Keep it simple.

Finances

If you take the steps to have a very basic budget for your household finances, you’ll always be in control of your spending, your bills will be paid on time and you’ll have a roof over your head.

Three of the most important, and I believe the only important things to worry about in life a food, clothing and shelter. You need money for those and no matter how little or how much your income is, if you don’t have enough for those, you’re living beyond your means.

Forget about that shiny new object that everyone else has. Forget about that new food craze that everyone is on about it. If you can’t afford it, don’t worry about it. No one is going to think any more or any less of you. Do what is right for your family.

They won’t care that you only spent $10 on that piece of junk from KMart because it’s in the catalogue and someone else made it look pretty in their house. How do you know what that person’s house really looks like? It’s probably just staged.

Be realistic about your spending. Always save a little for yourself and save towards an experience that the whole family will enjoy. Create a simple budget with incomings and outgoings and stick to it. No fancy software required. No fancy spreadsheets or journals. On the back of an envelope will do. Keep it simple.

Style

Who doesn’t want to feel good about the clothes they wear, the makeup they have on or the shoes they buy? I know I do but I don’t let it consume me.

I wear what makes me feel comfortable. I might look at the latest styles online to see what this season’s colours are or what the latest fashion is but it doesn’t bother me if I don’t get the look. What might look good on someone else may not look good on me. I’ve had my own style for years and it doesn’t really conform to anything in particular. Gosh, I’ve still got my Levi’s denim jacket I bought when I was 17 and it’s never gone out of style.

Think of your style as one that will never go out of fashion. Know what colours suit you and stick to those. Keep a few good basic items in your wardrobe that you can accessorise to change the look.

Wear make up or don’t wear makeup. It’s entirely up to you. I don’t. Maybe a bit of lipstick when I go out but that’s it. When I was younger, of course, I wore a bit when I went out but it was never the latest must have because someone suggested it. I wore what tones suited my skin type and colouring and kept it simple. (I can always remember my Dad saying that we looked like hookers when we went out with “all that makeup”. That might’ve stuck more in my head than what the current girl’s magazine said I should’ve been wearing!)

Your feet are, hopefully, going to be carrying you around for a long time so wear footwear that is comfortable. Sure, I wore high heels when I was younger but I may be regretting it now. Corns and bunions and not so attractive feet are the result of keeping on top of the latest shoe styles. I would’ve been better wearing a pair of runners for the amount of dancing I used to do rather than wearing 4 inch heels! Keep it simple.

Home Decor & Furnishings

What’s the point of trying to achieve that certain style that someone has suggested? You’re only going to worry about how you’re going to achieve it on your budget. I love interior design and decorating and like to change the look in my home often but I don’t go and buying all new furniture and decor to change it.

I use other pieces from other areas of my home or keep an eye out at secondhand shops. If not successful there, I’ll DIY a project. Spray paint only costs a couple dollars a can. Sewing a cushion or a new curtain isn’t all that difficult (if you have a sewing machine). Make do, recycle or ‘shop’ from your existing home decor.

Remember, the more you fill your house with stuff the more you’ll have to clean it and then you’ll be worrying about what you’re going to do with all that stuff when the next style comes out or that new shiny thing that you just have to have. Find your own style, keep your knick knacks and home decor to a minimum, keep your home tidy and keep it simple.

I hope these couple points will help you to make some minor changes to your home life so you can ease any stress in your home. As homemakers, we don’t want to be tied down to strict schedules, inflexible menu plans, staying on top of trends or other people’s styles and not having the money to do all that. We all work hard for our money and we want to use it to the best of our abilities. Keep it simple sweetheart and you’ll see your life become a lot easier.