Project Recap: Has my organizing worked?

This post is all about looking back at projects that I've done and seeing if it's worked with every day life.  Sometimes you organize something and it looks great but then life gets in the way. After a while it ends up chaotic. But there are also the times that these areas have been used every day and they work great! They look pretty much the same as the day they were done.  This makes me feel very happy.  I love opening a cupboard and looking at it and it still looks orderly.

So let's take a look!  Now the before pictures are the pictures taken after they were first done.  The after pictures were taken today.  I didn't do any tidying up.  I opened the cupboard and clicked. Also they have obviously been in use for different times.  Some have only been done recently.

With any organizing it's trial and error.  Some of these spaces are working great! Others need some tweaking. Just because it's not working  doesn't mean I have failed or hopeless at organizing. What I did might work great for someone else but it doesn't work for me.  And that's ok. Everyone is different.

I do think that after a while you get to know what works for you.  For me containers work really well.  It contains everything and when putting everything away all you need to do is toss the items into the container and you are done.

So first up is my en suite bathroom.  I still smile when I open this cupboard.  This cupboard gets used every day.  My 1 year old daughter also loves to pull things out of this cupboard on a very regular basis.  It's easy to tidy up and maintain. 

Next is the bookcase in the playroom.  Its working well.  The four big containers on the bottom work great.  Its easy to clean up for me and my girls.  I added a couple of things. It was so great to have the  space to put it.

One of the most important places in a home to keep organized is that space were everything is dumped when you  first walk in the door.  For me this is my kitchen bench.  I made up a basket for this purpose.  I put my keys staight into here and any papers or mail. I made it on the small side. This is because of the lack of space it makes me go through it regularly. This might not work for everyone but so far its working great for me.  I did add a small box. I found that I always seem to have small things hanging around like stray buttons etc. I keep these in here.  I always know were to find them and they don't seem to get lost.

Then there is girls bathroom.  When I did this there wasn't much in here but it was a complete mess.  I was really interested to see how this cupboard would go with my daughter pulling everything out every day.  I'm happy to report that it hardly takes any time at all to whip it back into shape every day.  It works great.

After that was the laundry.  I still love this cupboard as there is so much storage.  It has been working pretty well.  But this is one space that needs some tweaking.  I've changed some of my laundry products.  So I need to get in there and change things around.  Watch this space for a post about this soon.

My next project was the start of my office.  I have done one draw and I have lost all motivation and inspiration. The draw is working well.  But I'm not really happy with the look. I think it looks flat and boring. One day a light bulb will go off and I'll get it all done in one day. I wouldn't say this one is a failure because it does work really well. 

So then there was my 1 year olds wardrobe.  This space is working fantastically.  When I did this I hung more of her clothes up as this freed up more space in her draws. I love the colours in here when I open it.

Last but definitely not least was my broom cupboard.  This is still only new, but so far so good.  I have added to my collection of boxes but there was plenty of space for them. This space will definitely be tested soon as I would like to start on my office cupboard.

My tips for organizing a space.  Hopefully a successful one is...
• always empty out the whole space first. It's much easier to start with a blank canvas. Most often when you do this things really get changed around.  If you leave things in there then you tend to work around them and then you will probably end up in the same situation.

• think about what you use the space for the most. How can I improve it's function?

• what things do I need to help keep it organized and easier to use?

• when putting everything back,  put it back in way that you would do every day.  Not the way they do in the magazines. Sometimes it might not look pretty but if it works,  that's the most important thing.

• label,  label,  label!  When something is labeled it's makes putting it away a lot easier especially for other members of the family. Even for me there are spaces that I have organized myself and I still use labels to make sure I put everything back in the right place.

• ok now I'm going to sound like your mother. I'm sorry.  If you get it out put it back. I don't have some magical trick to keep things in the right place by themselves.  YOU have to maintain it. For me I like to toss so containers work great.  I tend to stick to smaller containers so I only toss a few things into a container. And it keeps the mess to a minimum.

• most importantly,  if it doesn't work change things around.  It doesn't always work the first time as I've shown you. 

I hope you have enjoyed looking at my triumphs and failures.  And I would like to wish you all the best of luck with all your projects.  What is your favorite organizing tool?

Organized By... Renee