If you feel overwhelmed by the mess of your home, here are some tips to start organizing a messy home.
We were all there. When the kids go to school, they lance around the tidy house and suddenly feel all the surfaces are cluttered. You clean up, put things back where they belong, maybe even make a deep clean…and somehow, just a few days later, it returned to confusion again.
So it’s life where I live with three boys and one dog! Lego, sky glasses, goldfish wrapper – coming out of the thin air. Life has become busy, routines are interrupted, and to be honest, many of us have not really taught us how to organize our homes in ways that we actually stick to.
The actual game changer (as you can imagine) is tidy. Most of the confusion we see every day is not dirt, it’s just too much (and perhaps a family who doesn’t know where things go). Combining it with a realistic cleaning routine and a practical organizational system, suddenly things start to feel more feasible. I swear that “everything has a place” is the secret of life.
It sounds overwhelming, but sometimes it’s the hardest part to get started. This blog post has plenty of practical tips to help you get started organizing your space in a manageable, grounded and truly sustainable way.
How to start organizing your messy home
Living in a messy home can cost you more to your mental state than you notice. And this is especially true for women. Surrounded by messy things make me feel anxious, distracted, a bit… on the edge. Making some small changes to how you organize your space can have a big impact on how you live, as well as how you feel every day.
How messy is the average house?
Most people say they only feel their home is “completely clean” for about 11 days a year. So, if you’re on the same boat, you’re definitely not alone.
There is no such thing as a universal standard for what is considered “messy.” It really depends on the number of people you live with, their habits, your lifestyle, and your own personal definition of clean. What’s bothering me might feel completely energized for you. The level of clutter at whichever level is different.
The real trick to breaking a messy cycle is to create an organizational system that actually works for you (and your family). It’s realistic, easy to stick, and helps to stop the confusion before it accumulates. Once you have the rhythm, keeping things organized becomes very easy, honest and satisfying.
How does a messy home have an impact on you?
Mental and emotional drainage
Research shows that women who describe their homes as messy tend to have higher levels of cortisol (aka stress hormone). And that makes perfect sense. When your space feels out of control, it’s difficult to relax in a place where you should feel calm and safe. Have you ever tried to relax in a nasty living room and watch a movie? If it’s messy in my eyes, I literally can’t sit on the couch.
And if you’re someone with ADHD, that confusion can be even more overwhelming. A confused space can make it difficult to focus, which only adds to the mental load. The surroundings are messy, exhausting and stressful!
Low quality of sleep
You’ve probably heard that all the normal sleep tips have kept the lights low, throwing the screen down before bed, and getting a comfortable sheet and a good mattress. A messy bedroom can seriously ruin your ability to relax. If your sleep space is messy, it can be difficult for your brain to completely relax. Even if you don’t actively think about the clothes and mountains of things on the nightstand, your brain is.
Waste time and money
Have you ever noticed you wandering around the house looking for your car keys, a phone charger, or a pair of jeans you just saw yesterday? The clutter doesn’t just take up the physical space you can eat in your time.
Beyond that, it can lead to serious cases of procrastination. When you feel your space is chaotic, it’s hard to concentrate, it’s hard to start things, and honestly, it’s hard to think about it. Your environment may be due to your struggle with the fog in your brain!
If you’re buying something you already have or you think you’re going to target for fun, you might be emphasizing your home and your wallet. I did a lot of this before I actually had kids.
How to organize a messy house
Tip 1: Start small
The best way to start organizing a messy home is to start small. Like it’s really small. I’m talking only one countertop, one corner or one drawer. That may not sound much, but trust me, those little wins will be faster.
Break the house in your room and then zoom in to one small section at a time. Set a 15-minute timer, wear a great playlist or podcast and use it. You’ll be surprised at how much success you can achieve in such a short time. As you roll over once, the momentum makes your next task feel like it’s not overwhelming.
If you’re looking for other tips on how to tackle spaces step by step, check out our blog post to help you organize one room at a time.
Tip 2: Use “4 Box Methods”
Pinch four boxes or bins, laundry baskets or grocery bags to trash, donate/sell, maintain and relocate. This simple tidying system makes it extremely easy, especially if you’re working on a room-by-room basis. It will help you make quick decisions without being caught up in Limbo.
Here’s how to use these:
Garbage – Broken, expired, or simply no longer available. Leave it alone! Donation/Sales – Still in good condition, but not something you use or love? Time to hand it over. Maintenance – These are the things you actually use and want to store in the room you organize. Relocation – Something belongs to somewhere in the house. Throw it here for now and move it later. There is no need to leave the room halfway through.
Tip 3: Clear the surface first
When you’re just starting to organize your room, it’s best to tackle the surface first. Think of tables, counters, floors. These are the spots your eyes go to first, and when they’re messy, the whole room can be a bit confusing.
Cleaning up these visual anchors instantly reduces space and makes it easier to manage. Even if the drawers and closet are still confused (we’ll get there!), cleaning the surface gives you that “aah” feeling, making it easier to maintain.
And don’t forget these four boxes. Keep them close while they’re organized so that there’s a place to go. Take your baby’s first step. One surface at a time!
Tip 4: Tidying before organizing
Before you organize it in all your cute bins and baskets (and I love a good basket), it really helps to start tidying up first. If you’re not trying to find a home for things you don’t actually need or use, you save yourself a lot of time and energy.
As you’ve probably heard of it before its 10th anniversary, Marie Condo’s life-changing magic of tidying up is a great read to help you learn how to let things go on purpose.
Tip 5: Select the function over
Every item in your home should have a home, but that space should make sense for real life, not just cute things on Pinterest.
Think about how you actually move around your space. If you always throw your keys in the seconds you walk, hang a key rack by the door to catch them, or hang a key rack, or pop a cute little bowl. Place your coffee pods and mugs near the coffee maker. Store your reliable skincare and makeup in a place where you can actually prepare in the morning. I kept my bed sheets downstairs in a linen wardrobe, but moved to the bedroom dresser in my room for easy access.
Features are all about! The easier it is to get something back to where it belongs, the more likely you are to actually do it and the space will be maintained (don’t try too hard).
Tip 6: Establish a routine
I do a little bit of 10 minutes of tidying up every night. It’s much easier (and not overwhelming) than cleaning the entire weekend deep into your home. Like a collection of toys, emails, and random water cups, it’s only a few minutes to bring things back to where they belong, and your space begins to feel very calm.
After that, you will be “reset” a little once a week. That’s when you can keep up with what you can’t reach the week. You can do it on a reset day, such as vacuuming, rubbing the floor, and fluffing the pillow!
It doesn’t have to be a big production. You simply need to establish a deliberate system to make your home feel clean and manageable without any stress.
Tip 7: Check the process
If you find that certain areas of your home are consistently consistent with your biggest trouble areas (entrances, kitchen islands, living room rugs) to rethink your system. Trying to understand why there is confusion will help prevent it from building up in the first place.
Starting something small means seeing the great benefits of organizing your home!
It’s time to take charge of the confusion, create a space that is calm, cozy and 100% functional. I know how overwhelming it can feel, but when you break it all down into smaller, more manageable steps, it feels more feasible.
Check out these other blog posts for more home organization tips.
