Summer is upon us! You probably did a wonderful job getting your home in order and cleaned up over Spring and you may now be wondering what will happen when everyone is home, visiting, traveling and relaxing this summer. Here are five tips that can help you pregame to enjoy your summer and stay organized!

1. Cast the Vision. As always, you can’t get anywhere if you don’t know where you want to go. So, start the summer by deciding exactly what your priorities and schedule will be. What do you want to do? What do you not want to do? Add any trips, activities, travels and even downtime onto your calendar. If you’ve got children, you might also consider creating lists and charts for summer projects, chores, routines and activities so they know what to expect. While summer can mean we slow down and simply enjoy our time, be sure to identify what things need to happen in order for you to keep that “grillin’ and chillin’” summer vibe. Keeping that vibe will be more difficult if your home turns into a mess! This might mean minimum baseline cleaning tasks, work schedule or even educational activities for children. It’s your summer, so decide now what you want!

“While summer can mean we slow down and simply enjoy our time, be sure to identify what things need to happen in order for you to keep that “grillin’ and chillin’” summer vibe. Keeping that vibe will be more difficult if your home turns into a mess! ”

— Quote Source

2. Say Goodbye to Last Season. Pack away your winter and spring items including clothing, decor and household items. Be smart about packing it away by labeling it and keeping it together so it’ll be easy to grab when the weather changes. Next, pull out your summer gear and take stock of what you’ve got. This is a great time to discard items that no longer fit, have holes, are broken and so forth. While you’re at it, be sure to go through all school papers, books, projects and discard what you don’t want to keep.

3. Have a Garage Makeover. The garage usually houses a lot of the things we need for summer including bikes, water gear, baseball bats and kites. Summer is going to go more smoothly if those things are both easy to access and easy to put away. In addition, 55 percent of homeowners say their garage is their home’s main entryway, which will make it even more important to have organized.

First things first with this job. You’ll want to decide what you want the garage to look like and how you want it to function. Then, you’ll gather all like items and go through them, one by one. You’ll decide what to keep based on what sparks joy (remember that joy can come from things that are functional and necessary in your life!) Go through items category by category and then discard or donate what’s not staying. Finally, organize what you’ve decided to keep according to your original vision. Place items where they make sense according to who needs access, how often they are accessed and other considerations that will make your life easier.

4. Create Summer Gear Zones. Once you know what you’ll be doing during the summer it’s important to make sure the fun won’t be responsible for making your home a mess! One way to do this is to create zones for all the summer items you’ll be needing. For example, you might create shelves or bins that are in the transition parts of your home (entry, garage, etc) where all the sunscreen, towels, bug spray and other summer items go. This way, whether you’re coming or going you can find exactly what you need and everyone can put it back in its home to be ready for the next adventure. You might consider also creating a mini summer gear kit in your car as well. Likewise, you may create a zone in your pantry or outdoor space where all things grilling live or on the patio for all gardening items.

Create your zones from what you have already by gathering all items from the different homes they may have been living in your home. This is an important step since studies show Summer is the second most expensive season of the year. Once you know what you’ve already got, consider stocking up on your essentials so that you can start fresh. Finally, have a show and tell session for everyone in your home so they can get in on the organization plan!

5. Build in Reset Time. Whether it’s just a day at home or a trip to the beach or pool, build in time to clean and reset your space. For example, you might establish a ten minute pick up that everyone participates in after breakfast and after dinner. Likewise, when you get home from any fun summer activity, set the expectation that the first ten minutes home will be spent emptying the car and putting things away. Adding these little blocks to things you’re naturally going to be doing like eating, coming and going, will make it easier to set and establish the habit.

There you have it, five tips to enjoy an organized summer!

Blog

Five Tips to Get & Stay Organized This Summer