Organisation queen Steph Pase is the woman behind Steph Pase Planners and the podcast Stephing Up. She says for most of her life she was “a hot mess and struggling with undiagnosed ADHD,” and just a few years ago, didn’t know the meaning of the word organisation let alone what it actually meant to practice it. Fast forward to today, she’s our go-to gal for organisation tips and tricks.
Steph says that taking your home from chaos to calm is all about the routines and systems. “We all have priorities, jobs, kids, things to do and I know no one could possibly overhaul a house in one day. So, I’ve distilled it all into smaller tasks and daily habits to help take your home from chaos to calm and most of all, maintain the calm,” she says.
Think small
It’s not about tackling the whole house in day, the key to home organisation is breaking it down. Take it one drawer, surface or corner of the house at a time. Set a calendar to plan out which section of the house you’re going to reorganise each day. Be realistic with this too! If you have jam-packed weekdays and nights, then set yourself a goal to do this once a week on the weekend.
Cull, cull, cull
The more stuff you have, the more mess it makes and, ultimately, the more cleaning to do! So, if you really want to do future you a favour, you need to cull! The thought of decluttering can seem overwhelming, so go back to thinking small and tackle one surface or small space at a time. Pull everything out and decide whether you really need everything. Can some things be donated, passed on to friends, recycled or even thrown away?
Categorise
Categorisation is queen! Sort everything into categories, grouping any similar items together. So, say we’ve tackled our kitchen junk drawer, categories may be stationery, coins, chargers, USBs, actual junk (aka to be thrown out or recycled!) and so on.
Store and contain
Now take stock of what you have and what kind of storage would suit. For your junk drawer, it may be a cutlery tray that suits this purpose. Make sure the storage solution you choose is accessible and functional.
Routine and upkeep
I always say organisation is like fitness. It’s a day-by-day, week-by-week situation. You can’t expect to go to the gym for a few months, feel fit and healthy and then stop working out and eating well while staying just as fit and feeling just as good! One doesn’t come without the other. The same goes for organisation; you need to build little practices into your everyday routines in order to keep up the habit, which brings me to my next point…
AM and PM routine
Building maintenance into your routine is key! Figure out which systems will work for you to help stay on top of it all. I love to split my daily routine into AM and PM. I generally set a timer for about 15 minutes to do the below.
- Whip around and tidy obvious mess so it doesn’t accumulate to unmanageable proportions. This means picking up toys, decluttering tables and other surfaces where stuff usually gathers, putting away clothes, shoes and bags, etc.
- Make beds. It really helps set the tone for the day, and it’s so nice getting into a fresh bed at night!
- Unpack/reload the dishwasher and wipe down benches after breakfast and after dinner.
- A load of laundry. If I’m really on the ball I load the machine and set a timer the night before so it’s ready to be hung out/put in the dryer in the morning!
- A quick spot vacuum and/or mop.
For more life hacks, advice and inspiration, follow Steph on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, listen to her podcast Stephing Up on Apple or Spotify, or visit justanothermummyblog.com.
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