I am a real fan of William Morris.  A turn of the century Englishman  who was a major player in the Arts and Crafts movement.  His approach to life and living is one I find inspiring and try to model my daily existence after.  It seems strange considering he found his artistic success before we even had cars or telephones, but his philosophies are very applicable for todays living.  

STEP #1:  PURGE

"Have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful."

-William Morris

This quote guides everything I do in my home when it comes to design and organization. Tackle one room, one space, one drawer at a time and ask yourself;  is everything in here useful and/or beautiful?  If it is not, then gather all the items in a bag or box and make  a donation run to Salvation Army or Goodwill.  There is no donation too small.  Just get it out of your house if it is not useful and/or beautiful. Purge!  I purge items from my home at least twice a week...and that IS NOT an exaggeration.  Just ask my girls!  

STEP #2:  EVERYTHING IN ITS PLACE

"The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life."

-William Morris

Once you have gone through a space and purged, the most important thing to do is group like-items together and find a PLACE for them.  They need a home within your home.  Designate a drawer, basket, shelf...whatever it might be, but do not let items scatter all over your home.  This takes time, but like my buddy Mr. Morris says, take interest in the details of your daily life.  The dollar store, the dollar section at Target, resale shops are all great places to find containers for grouping.  You can also use what you already have, just spruce it up with spray paint or cover in fun paper.  I love chalk board paint and maps.  Two things I always have on hand for such projects.

STEP #3:  CREATE DROP ZONES

"Simplicity of life, even the barest, is not a misery, but the very foundation of refinement."

-William Morris

Our daily lives create a lot of stuff... papers, bills, magazines, school forms, lunch boxes, etc.   All these things need to be dealt with and not just left in an ever growing pile on the kitchen counter.  To simplify all these things, I create DROP ZONES.  

I have a hanging basket in our mudroom for things that need to leave the house;  library books, items for Salvation Army, store returns, shoes left at house after sleep over, etc.  Keeping all these things together rather than strewn all over the house not only reduces the clutter, but it makes it more efficient for you to do those returns and drop offs.  

The second drop zone is the desk area I created in our porch room.  It is really a pass through space and nothing about it says "office", but I carved out enough room to make an area where mail, charging cords, school work, calendars, papers, etc. all go.  Managing life's stuff doesn't take a lot of space, just some creative use of it.  

Well, my friends, those are the 3 steps I use to try and create calm amidst the chaos of 5 daughters, 2 dogs, a husband and a 103 year old house.  By adding new, positive habits to your daily routine you can start to find the beauty and usefulness in your home again.  Your surroundings have a huge impact on your emotional and physical well being.  Organizing is a process, so start with one small area of your home and ...PURGE, CONTAIN, and SIMPLIFY.  Start changing your habits and enjoy the details of your daily life!

More posts to come on my pantry, closet, laundry room organizational projects.