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One of the most stressful things about parenting is the disorganisation and clutter that comes with it. Whether you have older children or you are waiting to welcome a newborn into your life, it can be difficult to get over the fact that your space is going to change. The bathroom isn’t going to be as squeaky clean as it used to be, it may take you longer to clean the kitchen floor, you might find baby clothes and paraphernalia everywhere you go.
Of course, these are also exciting things about being a parent, because often many people can’t wait to embrace the new baby in their lives. However., It doesn’t mean that it’s easy to manage. Parenting doesn’t have to be as stressful as it is, but the more organised you are the less stressful it will be. Eliminating both mental and physical stress can make your life more manageable and create space to help you to pursue Your goals and your dreams.
From using personalised calendars and keeping notepads around to make strong lists, there are plenty of ways that you can organise your space as a parent. You need to consider exactly what you need to organise, it’s not just about tidying up. You might have appointments with the children, a calendar to look through for school timetables, your own work schedule to consider. There are a lot of things that you really need to consider when it comes to organising your home, but in this article we are going to cover some of the best organisation tips for parents that are out there so that you can build on these and make being in your home more tranquil.
Some of the best organisation tips for parents
Set a timer
So, you have a list of things that you need to get done but there is a lot that is overwhelming you right now. All your brain wants to do is shut off and scroll through your phone but you know that if you don’t get things done now they will never get done. Instead of worrying, set yourself a timer and give yourself an allotted amount of time to get a task done. It doesn’t sound like something that would work, but it really does because you are only going to give the things you have to do the time you give them. For example if you need to clean the windows, and you set yourself a timer for 60 minutes, do everything you can in those 60 minutes. Once you’ve done that, you have achieved at least halfway there.
Give everything at home
Storage is important, but everything in your home should have somewhere to be. If you have a playroom, for the toys, consider making sure that the playroom is equipped and the toys are back there at the end of the day. It doesn’t have to be the case that your house is constantly scattered with toys or clothes. If you know that everything has a home, do you know where everything will be at the end of the day. Labelling where everything goes will help the children to learn the homes for everything, to. This will mean that you’re not alone in trying to get the house straightened out or organised because the kids are going to be involved in that with you.
Set a timer for picking things up
Whether you’re doing this for you or you’re doing this for your children, you need to make sure that you have a timer set for picking things up. As much as we talked about setting a timer for getting things done, you need to have a limit of time that will allow you to get everything cleared away before bedtime. Setting a timer or choosing 10 minutes worth of songs to play and making this a part of your family‘s routine to clean up together to make it more fun. You need to inject fun into tidying up because really there’s nothing fun about doing it.
Don’t buy new toys unless you’re willing to get rid of old toys
If you continue to buy toys on toys, all you’re going to do is create an island where toys are your vacuum. Before you buy anything new for your children, get rid of something and this pertains to clothes for you and the kids as well. New wardrobe is always a wonderful thing to have, but if it’s already cluttered you need to get rid of what you’ve got before you add it. Get the children involved when it comes to getting rid of old toys because they can choose what they get rid of and have control over it. You don’t have to be in these things – they can go to charity and then do something good.
Have a designated closet for outgoing items
If you’re bundling things ready for the charity shop, don’t just leave them where people contribute. You’ll keep your home more organised if you have a specific space for outgoing items. If you have a bin in the mud room or basket by the front door, make sure that you put things to go out in those places so you can see them. This will encourage you to pick them up and take them with you as you leave the house – which is very difficult to do even though you know you have to.
Don’t do it alone
Children are perfectly capable of helping with the household chores, even the little ones. Ask them to help you at tidy up time, and get them involved in chores. Creating a chart or a list of each child’s responsibilities along with which tasks need to be done is important. Remember, your Child’s idea of a clean bedroom may be very different from yours so you need to be specific with your expectations and follow up with them at all times. Installing these things into them while they’re young is going to help them to grow into good adults.
Have a family calendar
A large and sensually locator calendar that lists each family member’s extra curricular activities will help everybody to understand where each other is at all times. If your children have sports clubs that should go on the calendar and if you yourself have a sports club that should also be on the calendar. Make sure that your children record relevant activities or sleepovers that they want to be involved in as well.
Buy storage
If you have Legos or small toys everywhere, you’re going to need some small organisational storage. This will help you to keep it all in one place and prevent things from getting lost which is actually one of the biggest bugbears for most children. Storage will help with all of the in-home chaos you’re trying to avoid.
Always prepare ahead
From getting school clothes ready to packing the children’s lunches the night before, you can make sure that you’re home and every individual within it is as organised as possible. Pre-planning for the day ahead is not only going to make you look good, but it’s going to help your children to go to school and feel equipped for the day. You can get everybody involved in doing this, and you yourself can pack the car ready with all of the school bags the next morning. This will ensure that nobody leaves anything behind, and keeps every single member of the household as organised as possible and everything that they do.
