Clear the Clutter.Clear your Mind – Part III

For the final part of this mini-series about organization, I would like to talk about one of the biggest and most effective keys to getting and staying organized. Teamwork. Yup, not fancy boxes or brand-new shelving but teamwork – working together to get through your action plan and keeping it up together.

Getting unorganized in a family home is not done purely by one person; it is done by the family (even though we might have some very messy little culprits) it is done by everyone. It took a village to get unorganized so what makes you think it will take less than that to get back on track and to maintain it?

You now know what organization means to you and have a plan of action, now it’s time to sit down with your family to work out the details together. Get the kids involved, teach them the value of donating items and of creating a space that works better for them. “Look how easy your toys are to find and to put away!” Jump into the plan as a family and you can achieve leaps and bounds more than doing it yourself.

Once everything is set-up the way you like you can maintain it by starting chore charts and offer rewards for helping around the house. Here’s an extra bonus, the more you work together the more free time you can have to cuddle with your sweetie! That’s the bonus that I look forward to!

In order to achieve ultimate balance, you must be in it together – the parents as a team including the kids to be a part of the entire mission. Clearing the clutter as a family and clearing everyone’s mind; especially yours! You will have less stress, more order, and definitely more time to do things together. I recently read this article about working together as a team and what it can do for your marriage. My marriage has grown exponentially by being on the same page regarding what needs to be done and when. I have the love and support of my husband and we share a vision of what organization and function within our home is. It doesn’t, and shouldn’t have to fall on one person’s shoulders, especially if you have a team ready and willing to jump in!

My step-kids are older and take a lot of pride in learning how to maintain a home and to be part of the daily tasks that need to be done. They do their chores and love logging them as complete. They take part in grocery shopping and meal preparation – Man, oh man does this help us out and it has shown me that they are fully capable of more than I had ever thought! We have some great, hard-working, and talented kids in our home! We are more bonded as a family because we work together to maintain a healthy and functional home – together.

Here’s a great resource to pick age-appropriate tasks for your kids. For the adults, let each other’s strengths shine when contributing. For example, my husband is not as good at laundry as I am but I am absolutely horrible when it comes to washing and maintaining cars. He is great at vacuuming, I am better at dusting.

There are more benefits to working together as a team than just getting the organization steps done; it will improve the overall happiness of everyone in your newly organized and functional home!

So go on, have a family meeting and develop a plan that involves everyone in your household!

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