Bite Sized Pieces

I wrote a post on my main "Time to be Mom" blog about breaking large projects and goals into smaller steps.  The two main reasons are so that you'll actually be able to finish something soon and feel like you've accomplished something, which gives you momentum, and so that the size of the overall project/goal doesn't overwhelm you before you get started.

One of my goals has been to organize my house. Not just clean, organize. The reasons are simple; if we know where everything should go, we won't have to waste a lot of time thinking about where to put stuff when we are cleaning up (and hopefully it will be easier to clean) and if we can find the things we have, we won't buy duplicates.

Of course, taking on the WHOLE house is a BIG project, especially since I'm behind on basic cleaning after having been off my feet due to a knee issue and having a baby. Looking at the stacks of things to be sorted and stored has indeed been overwhelming!

After several attempts to tackle the stacks on a counter where we habitually drop stuff as we come, I was getting more and more frustrated. The stacks kept reappearing!  Today, I finally got smart and decided  to work on something I could actually finish.

Our coat closet has all sorts of miscellaneous stuff in it: shoes, coats, backpacks, hats, gloves, umbrellas, flashlights, blankets, soccer cleats and shin guards, etc. Many of these were on the floor or propped precariously on the shelf.  Even the items on hangers on the door were falling off because there were too many on each hook!

The Fix:
-I added another row of hooks just for hats at the top of the door. Now Josh and Bree will each have a row of hooks for backpacks and coats until they can reach the hangers.

-Since it is no longer soccer season, I moved the cleats and shin guards to the bedroom closets.
-I took out the baskets which were too small to be of much use and replaced them with larger bins for those miscellaneous items on the shelf. I also took out some of the extra items.

-I put a flashlight and a few other emergency supplies in a backpack that will stay in the closet for easy access.

I wish I had taken a before picture, but here are the after pictures. Not everything is in there since the boys are off at school and work.

I feel so much better after having actually completed something and having at least one clean/organized spot in our home.
Now... what to work on next?