Do you ever watch organizing shows on HGTV or Netflix and get the motivation to organize everything in sight? 

You color coordinate your closet to look like a beautiful rainbow, you perfectly fold all of the clothes in your drawers vertically and buy canisters and bins galore to hold all of your cereals, snacks, and goodies. 

At first things look great, you feel accomplished, you brag about your accomplishments to all of your friends… and then life happens. Within a week the folding has gone by the wayside. After a month, the beautiful rainbow in your closet has turned into a storm. After a while longer, your cereal boxes sit next to your new containers in the pantry.

What happened? Life happened my friend. Just because your home isn’t perfectly organized like you see on TV, it doesn’t make you any less of a mother. Please don’t get sucked into the trap of thinking this should be reality. True organization is about function, not perfection. I will be the first to admit, there will be days that if you walked into my home, you would think a hurricane passed through. 

So what’s the secret to creating function? The key is decluttering. I fell into a trap many years ago. I would buy cute containers and organizing solutions, only to find that within a few weeks that I had tons of stuff shoved in these cute containers. Without decluttering prior to organizing, it becomes impossible to maintain the new system you created. Decluttering will address the root of the problem. Think about it. Is it necessary to keep 5 pairs of scissors, 100 gift bags shoved into a closet, and shoes that you will never wear again? Society says yes, the more the better. I challenge you to buck the trend. Mom life is busy enough!

Remember the hurricane I told you about that passes through my home? Because I have taken the time to declutter, the storm damage, aka the mess, can be quickly tamed and company ready in no time at all.

This being said, I have good news and bad news for you. The good news is that it doesn’t have to cost a ton of money to get organized, the bad part is that it’s not going to be an overnight instant life transformation type task. It takes time to declutter and can be downright overwhelming at times. 

Before committing to an organizing solution take the time to analyze your purchase. Do you really have the time and energy to put each box of cereal into a container every time you get home from the store? If you do, please go ahead. If not, keep the cereal in the box. Do what works best for you! Remember function should trump fancy every single time.

My overwhelmed, tired, fellow mom, take a deep breath. Start with just one thing to declutter. In no time you will gain momentum and soon you will have more time because you’re not constantly searching. You’ll gain space, because you aren’t keeping things that you don’t have any use for. Most importantly, you’ll have less stress because now you can focus on what matters most!

For more home organization resources, tips, and tricks designed for busy moms visit www.SimplifyMeByAT.com and follow along on Instagram @SimplifyMeByAT