The Perfect Organizational System: Maintenance is Key Part 3

One thing that has discouraged my clients when they have tried to get organized in the past, is that they can’t maintain the organization. They say that their family doesn’t keep up with it (which I discussed in part 2). After we incorporate some rules that help prevent clutter (covered in part 1), we really need to reset periodically.

Reset periodically

There’s 3 main times to reset our systems to organize our homes and if we keep up with them, they aren’t overwhelming. We need to reset daily, weekly, and every 6 weeks.

Reset Daily

Daily we can be resetting by a quick tidy in each room. Have everyone do a quick walk through of the house and pick up in each space they have their own things scattered about.

Incorporate a reset each evening as a sort of closing activities. I like to have an empty sink at the end of the night, pillows/blankets straightened on the couches, and all toys/books/games put away. I do this as my kids have begun to read in their beds before I tuck them in. I also look at the calendar for the next day to get out food to defrost or things to prep for morning (like put things in the car I need for an errand).

Reset Weekly

Weekly we reset our homes by cleaning the most used spaces. Sweeping, vacuuming, cleaning bathrooms, grocery shopping, and putting away groceries while taking out any food that is going bad.

I also like to plan the meals for the week depending on our activities and schedule. Not too detailed, but just the entree/meat on the calendar. During this time I also write on the calendar who is doing dishes each day which depends on activities each child has and if they will be home in time.

Reset Every 6 Weeks

Now that you have a daily and weekly reset in place, it is good to do a re-evaluate session with yourself, spouse, and children to see what is working and what is not. It is ok to try something for a while and give it a good effort, and if it doesn’t work how you predicted, then switch it up.

Most of my clients have ADHD and their brains naturally crave new systems so it is at this time that a new system can be put into place that’ll satisfy their need for novelty.

I have put maintenance appointments onto my calendar for several of my clients that have finished their spaces so we tweak what systems we have and overhaul any that aren’t working. Sometimes all it takes is 2-4 hours each 6 weeks to be in a peaceful and functional environment.

Are you ready to get started? Are you ready for your maintenance appointment? Let me know how I can help you get to a more Peaceful Place.

Here is part 1 and part 2 to this article.