Today, 14 January, is Organise Your Home Day. So here are my top five tips to getting your home organised, and keeping it that way:

1. Start with a declutter – less is more

Go through your most used cupboards and space – especially the kitchen/dining area, bedroom and study – and keep only what you really need, use and love.  The less you have, the easier it is to keep organised.  Be ruthless and honest with yourself about why you are keeping things.

2. Have a home for everything

All your belongings need a home. If they don’t they tend to be dumped on whatever surface is available – the dining room table, the kitchen counter, even the floor. Inform others in the household on what belongs where, or else you will find the space being ‘hijacked’.

3. Use your best storage space for what you use all the time

Your most accessible storage space is like prime real estate, i.e. those storage spaces that are easy to access without stretching high or bending down, at the front of shelves and in drawers.  Use these spaces for items that you use regularly, rather than for storing items that are seldom used. This will make finding things and putting them away easier.

4. Get into the habit of putting things away

Have a quick tidy up at the end of each day – you will be amazed at the difference this makes. By putting things away, you home will look and feel more organised.

5. Use cleaning day as a trigger to keep things tidy

It is very difficult to clean a cluttered house, and the clutter usually means that a lot of the house doesn’t get cleaned properly.  I have a domestic worker once a week and I use her cleaning day as a trigger to put my shoes back in the cupboard and to tidy up spaces that have got cluttered during the week. This makes her job easier and the house will be cleaned properly.

I challenge you to put some of these tips into practice and enjoy the difference!