Now that you are finished organizing a room, you have to keep it that way. Remember Pavlov and the dog experiment? Pavlov conditioned the dog to do various tasks by ringing a bell. While that sounds simple and great, we are humans, right? Yes we are, but it takes a lot of behavioral changes to keep a house organized. You have to be Pavlov for your family, and sometimes you have to be the dog. Once the room or the house is organized, you must keep it that way or your work was in vain. Buy a basket or decorative box for each person in your home and place it somewhere central in the house – the living room, den or stairwell works great. Through the course of the day, place any objects that belong to others in these boxes and have them clean out their box weekly if not daily. Let them know where things go, and that you expect to see them follow the organization rules. Feel like a commanding officer? Well, would you rather have your family help you stay organized, or go back to the way things were (remember, life was overwhelming, confusing and frustrating when you couldn’t even find the chair to sit on)? Stay on top of them, and stay on top of yourself. After a month or two, everyone will be used to the new way of living, and like it a lot better than before.
Every week or month, set aside a half hour for each room. This will allow you to go through any new items or documents that have entered the room, and allow you to put things that may have gotten out of order back to their place. The easiest time to do this is when you or a family member is cleaning up. The room remains fresh and organized by just donating thirty minutes each month. Not a bad trade off at all.
Also keep in mind that you may need to check and adjust the way each room is organized. Ask you family what is working and what isn’t. Pat yourself on the back for those ingenious organizing ideas that makes life easier, and change the ones that aren’t so hot. Better yet, ask your family how they would change it and let them! Delegation is another great organization tip.