UHeart Organizing: A-Tisket, A-Basket

Organizing is an ongoing process of tweaking things around the home to maximize daily efficiency and time.  Our systems always evolve as we grow, the weather changes, we play a new sport, we move, we start a new year at school, etc... One small change in our daily lifestyle can create the need to evaluate our homes and how we are utilizing them.

Anneke from This, That & Life, is here today to share how she manages through those changes in routine and her organizational thought process.  Usually the answer is right under our noses, and doesn't require us to head out to the store.  One small change and life can become much easier moving forward, those are the absolute best organizing tasks, am I right?

"It doesn't have to be complicated." This is a constant reminder to me every time I tackle an organizing project.  To keep it simple, functional, and pretty doesn't mean I have to paint all the walls, install new trim, and buy all new things.  It doesn't have to be perfect!

Often times, organizing is not just a one time get it done task, but something that needs to be revisted every now and then.  For us personally, as the seasons change, our organizational needs change as well.  I recently realized I was going to have a pretty frustrating summer with our three kids if I didn't address a problem area in home. The back slider where the kids come in and out off of the beach was already causing major tension as water and sand were being tracked into our house. The number one request has repeatedly been, "Mom! Can you get me a towel?!"

One of the first things I do before tackling a problem like this is to look all around the house and see what I can change out.  I believe we have an amazing opportunity to repurpose items in our home and give our home and entire new look, feel and function.  I recently applied this to our guest bathroom makeover.  Everything except the new shelving came from all around our home and I LOVE how it turned out!  Being able to repurpose items is typically true in transitional areas, but you never know unless you stop and think about it.  As I looked around our house for a solution before hitting the store, I settled on nixing this basket as my magazine and blanket drop zone.

 

It wasn't something that was absolutely necessary and I needed it much more to fix this problem before summer officially kicks off and the water is flying.   I relocated the blankets and magazines and filled up the basket with as many rolled up towels as I could fit!

I love that this particular basket is narrow enough for the space, but open enough to fit tons of towels.

This simple system has only been in place less than a week and we're already experiencing a HUGE relief all around.  No more water and sand being tracked into the house and no more yelling for help for something as simple as a towel.  They're right there for anyone to use.  Now I'm thinking I'll add a bottle or two of sunscreen and we're ready to officially welcome the summer season!

"Hi everyone! I'm Anneke and you can often find me working with some tools, browsing for great furniture finds, or getting all girly for a date night! Like many of you, I'm often looking for ways to make life run more smoothly amidst kids, messes, responsibilities, and limited time. I recently celebrated the awesome 3-0, ten crazy years of marriage with my hubby Michael, and have the privilege of being a stay-at-home mom to 3 amazing kiddos, not to mention our sweet miniature schnauzer. We live in the beautiful Northwest, near Seattle. Although I have a degree in Music, my brain spins with ideas about DIY projects, interior design, health, and family, all of which I blog about over at This, That and Life. I am beyond thrilled to be a part of the wonderful contributing team at IHeart Organizing and can't wait to get to know some of you better as well!"