The dirty secret of home organization? Most advice assumes you already have a functioning home.
While Martha Stewart arranges fresh-cut peonies in Lalique crystal vases, Sarah hasn’t seen her kitchen table in three months.
The $11 billion home organization industry sells solutions for perfect homes—not the chaotic ones most of us actually live in.
What about the homes that aren’t ready to be perfected? The ones that just want to achieve basic functionality?
Those homes that go past “a little messy” or “I just need to alphabetize” or “my spice cabinet should be cuter”.
The homes that need REAL HELP.
If you’re ready to:
- Stop feeling ashamed of your home
- Finally have a system that works for real life
- Create peace in your space without perfection
- Build routines that actually stick
Then keep reading.
Why is your home so overwhelming?
First of all, you’re not alone. You’re not some unique freak living in unimaginable squalor–you’re a regular person with normal struggles.
Those struggles can range, of course. Kids, depression, anxiety, a spouse or lack thereof, crazy neighbors, too many dogs, ADHD, a hectic schedule, parents in need of care, physical disabilities–we each have our own little cocktail of challenges. And for many of us, one of those challenges is a chaotic, disorganized house.
And a chaotic house can make those challenges even more difficult to manage.
But your house isn’t messy because you’re “lazy”. It’s because you just haven’t found what works yet.
If you’re floundering with no idea of how to start or what to do, but you know you need to make a change, let’s talk about first steps.
1. Decluttering
“Go declutter your house,” is an easy thing for me to tell you from here. Decluttering–truly decluttering–makes your entire life flow easier.
But decluttering is an intimidating struggle. We’ll talk about how to declutter later in this post. Right now, let’s talk about why decluttering is so good for you.
When you clear out the excess stuff, you’re not just creating physical space–you’re giving your mind a break. Think about how it feels when you walk into a room with piles of random things everywhere versus a tidy space. There’s something instantly calming about not having visual clutter all around you.
It also makes your daily routines smoother. Instead of digging through piles for the thing you need, reinventing your routine every morning, moving fifty pounds of laundry just to use your couch… Everything has a place, which saves you time, energy, and frustration.
And let’s not forget the practical benefits–less stuff means less to clean, organize, and maintain. Your cleaning routine becomes way more manageable!
There are so many studies linking a cluttered living environment to emotional and mental distress. Beyond that, clutter negatively affects us physically, too.
Decluttering can simplify and improve nearly every aspect of your daily life.
2. Good systems
One thing I try to impress upon my clients is the importance of household systems that work for their family.
You can fully declutter and organize your entire home, but without systems in place to maintain it, you’ll find yourself right back where you started.
You’ve probably experienced that cycle already! Let me know in the comments below what your pattern with clutter looks like.
Establishing routines and systems for you and the others in your household to easily manage and maintain things will relieve stress, lessen conflict, and free up time and energy to spend on things that matter more.
3. Getting roommates and family members on board
No matter how much you declutter, or how many good systems you’ve got in place, the process won’t work with people working against you.
For many of us, housemates exacerbate the issue. Maybe they move all your stuff when you’re not around, or their makeup clutters the whole bathroom sink, or they collect Funko Pops. 😱 All nightmare scenarios.
Try to cut yourself some slack about your cluttered house when there are enemies afoot who plot your downfall. Or whatever evil thing they’re doing, like “owning belongings” and “living in the same house as you”.
How To Get Your Spouse On Board For Minimalism
How to declutter.
So how do we even start decluttering? It’s hard to decide your entry point. Maybe you go through your clothing, or dump all the drawers directly into a dumpster.
To spend less time figuring out how to do it and more time doing it, I’ve developed the perfect system to get your house from chaotic and overwhelming to functional and practical, in just 30 days. Read more on that here: Home Heal.
Examples of effective household systems.
Household systems are those routines that we keep in place to fight off the chaos and keep things in order. Here are some examples of household systems.
1. Dishes
To stay on top of dishes, you might create a system where everyone is responsible for rinsing and loading their dishes into the washer immediately. Or someone is specifically assigned to wash dishes after each meal.
There could also be other rules with dishes, like you have to wipe out the sink and wring out the sponge afterward.
Basically, deciding exactly who, how, and when the dishes get done takes all the thinking out of managing it, making it much easier to upkeep.
2. Forgetting the trash
A problem I used to have was missing garbage day because I’d forget to bring it out to the road. To fix this problem, I just waited to take out my kitchen trash until it was time to put the bin to the road–that way I had a visual reminder the day before garbage day!
This method might not work for households that have to take out their garbage more frequently, but it’s what works for my house! Systems are all about determining what works for YOU and best accomplishes your goals.
3. Entryway
For most homes, a very effective space to implement a system is the entryway. When you walk into the house, where do you put your keys? Your bag? Your wallet? Jacket? Shoes? The mail you picked up on the way in?
Things like hooks, bowls, and inboxes for each member of the household can make leaving and returning home streamlined, effortless, and organized.
If you want to get started creating your own home systems, I definitely recommend starting with the entryway! Step into your home with the right foot.
Systems are all about taking a few minutes to decide the best way to do things, making those things as easy and convenient to stick with as possible, and then committing to it.
How to simplify and organize a chaotic home.
I want you to stop feeling overwhelmed in your space. I want you to walk through your front door and feel at ease–like you’re actually coming home, instead of entering a whole new battle.
And I want to help you get there the simple way.
Decluttering course for a clutter free home.
Home Heal: De-Stress Your Space is a 30-day email course with detailed instructions of simple, actionable steps forward, with printable charts and checklists to help you stay on track.
This isn’t about turning your home into a stark, joyless space. It’s about creating breathing room–both physically and mentally. Through 30 days of digestible guidance, you’ll learn how to:
- Tackle overwhelm without getting… well, overwhelmed
- Create routines that actually stick (even if you’ve failed before)
- Stop fighting against your space and start working with it
- Make decisions about your stuff with confidence
Each day brings clear, doable action steps. No complex systems. No unrealistic expectations. Just steady progress toward a home that helps you relax instead of stress.
What if it’s too hard?
If committing to thirty days of work sounds intimidating, I understand that. To make this information as helpful and accessible as possible, I’ve designed more difficult days to have low energy alternatives. That way, we’re always making progress, but we’re not burning out.
Each day ends with a summary checklist of the day’s assignments. After receiving some feedback from testers, I added the Low Energy Alternative lists, for those days where we just don’t have it in us.
Here’s an example:
Every tip and technique is designed for real life. Because a peaceful home shouldn’t require constant effort to maintain. I will provide as much support as I can along the way, meeting you where you’re at with your unique struggles.
The best part? A 100% money-back guarantee. If you work the steps of the course and don’t feel at peace in your home by the end of it, you get your money back.
You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain.
So find out if Home Heal is the solution you’ve been looking for! I have a feeling it might be.
