In my opinion, there aren’t many “mistakes” you can make when it comes to organizing. No one method of organizing will work equally well for everyone, because no two homes are exactly the same!
But there is at least one organizational blunder that I would label as a “mistake,” if only because it seems to defy common sense! But this mistake is so common (even in my own house!) that I thought it would be useful for me to address it in today’s blog post. 🙂
Related: 7 Ways You Self-Sabotage While Organizing
For more tips and tricks that will help you get organized, check out my e-book Get It Together! You can buy it in my shop, or download it for free if you’re an OGT Plus member!
The Worst Organizing Mistake You Can Make
So what is this common organizing mistake, you ask? It’s the act of storing an item outside of the space where you use it most frequently.
Retrieving things from around the house is often a deeply ingrained habit, so it may not even occur to you that you’re doing it! To find out if you might need to reevaluate where you store things, just make a note on your phone every time you leave an area to grab something you need.
Do this for a week or so, then review your list at the end of the week. It should give you a pretty clear idea of how you could correct your organizing mistake!
Additionally, check out the tips below for storage ideas that will save you some time and effort!
Related: Sick And Tired Of Clutter? Here’s The Easiest Way To Fix It
9 Ways To Store Things Where You Use Them
1. Hand Tools
Find yourself making small household repairs in the kitchen or at the dining table? Keep a small set of hand tools nearby and save yourself the trip out into the garage!
2. Scissors
Scissors can come in handy all over the house, so stuffing them in a drawer in your home office may not be the best way to go! If possible, keep a few pairs of scissors around the house in useful locations, like the kitchen and living room.
3. Contact Case
If your contacts are bothering you, it can be a pain to go all the way upstairs to the master bathroom to get your case and contact solution. It might be more handy to keep them in the downstairs guest bathroom instead!
4. Lotion
Dry skin can run rampant during the winter, and having lotion tucked away in a bathroom may discourage you from using it when you need it! Keep it somewhere more central so you can use it as needed, or stash a few different bottles around the house.
5. Laundry Hamper
Laundry hampers shouldn’t be relegated to the laundry room! The best place for a hamper is wherever clothes tend to pile up (even if that means having several different hampers!)
6. Cleaning Wipes
Do you frequently cross the house to grab your container of cleaning wipes? Consider placing a few different containers in the rooms you use them most.
Or at the very least, consider storing them in a more central and convenient location!
7. Stamps
If you typically pay bills or write letters in the same place, it makes sense to keep your stamps there too! Keep a stash of stamps and envelopes handy so you don’t have to go searching for them every time.
8. Reading Glasses
For me, the most difficult part of adjusting to using reading glasses has been keeping them with me! I’m still trying to break the habit of setting them down somewhere and then immediately forgetting where I put them.
In the meantime, I just keep a couple of pairs of reading glasses handy. Since our house isn’t very big, it means I can usually find a pair quickly enough when I need them!
9. Dishes
If you have china or other fragile dishes, you most likely use them infrequently enough that you can store them in the dining room (or anywhere else outside the kitchen.) But when it comes to everyday dishes, the best place for them is whichever cupboard is closest to the dishwasher!
It may not seem like a big deal, but it makes unloading the dishwasher faster and easier!
What’s one thing in your house that could be stored in a better location?
