Organization is was not my thing.

Like, AT ALL. I had a method of madness, and it worked *well* for me for years. I knew where everything was in my chaos, but tasks took me twice as long to complete. And let’s not talk about what happened when someone decided to mess with my madness. But regardless of these *minor* irritations, I was content with my version of organization.

Photo by Robert Bye on Unsplash

Then I had kids. Talk about D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R! I couldn’t keep it together. I could never find what I needed when I needed it. I was always late (more than usual) and I was always stressed. I knew that if I could just get super organized I could eliminate about 90% of my stress. But old habits die hard, like really hard. I would get organized and two days later revert back to my usual chaos.

Luckily, I married a man thrived on organization.

His workshop is lined with well organized shelves; everything has a place and everything was in its place. (What a show off). He puts Marie Kondo to shame and I wish I was kidding. This man is strategic and organized about EVERYTHING. (Except getting his dirty underwear in the laundry basket)

Now that we have two children under five, a business, an old fixer upper, and multiple obligations; organization is a MUST. We are always busy, on the go, and we simply do not have time to be disorganized. So, 2019 is the year that I am completely giving in to the “LehDari” method of organizing. Move over Marie, Darin is the next tidying guru.

By getting organized we will be solving so many of our problems! We will be able to eliminate unnecessary stress, be more efficient, save more money, and best of all save TIME! Just the thought of being able to spend more time with my family is enough to make me do backflips!

The core values of my husband Darin’s organizational methods (which we will call the “LehDari Method” are pretty simple:

1. Burn EVERYTHING!
2. Put everything of the same kind in a labeled container .
3. If it can’t fit in a container, refer to number 1.

How he decides if he should get rid of something:

1. Will it go up in flames super fast? Yes? Then BURN BABY! No? Refer to #2
2. Will it go up in flames super fast if I dump gas or oil it? YES? Then BURNNNNNN. No? Refer to # 3
3. Will it fit in a container? Yes? Keep it. NO? Refer to #1

Ok, so I may be being a bit dramatic but sometimes that is the way it feels.

In an alternate version of our reality, the real core values of his organizational methods are this:

1. Give everything a home, preferably in a container of some kind.
2. Group like items together
3. Store items where they make sense. (Example, why do I keep my daughters hair brush in the bathroom when we always do her hair in her bedroom?)
4. LABEL EVERYTHING!
5. If you haven’t used something in more than six months, get rid of it. There are a few exceptions to this rule.
6. All items that you use on a consistent basis should be easily accessible.

Now, I do have ONE area of my life where I am super organized: my business. I have systems and processes that I implement for the various aspects of my business. By doing this, I am able to be more efficient and it saves me so much headache. I basically can be on autopilot for the majority of the tasks I need to complete, leaving my brain fresh and ready to design! By combining the use of systems/processes and my husbands method of organizing, I came up with a plan that works well for our lifestyle!

So my first step was to come up with a game plan because tackling this organization was a bit overwhelming!  I decided to break it down into quarters like I do in my business. I simply do not have the time to take a week or even a month to get organized. I find for me, it is easier to break large tasks down into smaller tasks and spread them out. I feel less overwhelmed and way more accomplished, because I will actually complete the tasks.

My “LehDari Method”  schedule looks like this:

QTR ONE: (Jan- March)

• Financials
• Clothing/Shoes
• Kitchen

QTR TWO: (April-June)

• Bedrooms
• Bathroom
• Playroom

QTR Three (July-September)

• Attic
• Sunroom
• Dining Room

QTR Four (October-December)

• Living room
• Office
• Crafting/Photos

I decided to start with the area/categories that cause me the most stress and that are the most disorganized. I will then work my way down to the least disorganized/stressful categories.

I created a checklist for each area or category, which I will share with you in the upcoming blog posts. Checklists help to keep me on track and focused, because I’ll admit I have an attention span of a goldfish.

In the next series of blog posts I will be breaking down how I organized each area/category and what I will be doing daily to maintain the organization of these areas. Maintenance is KEY! This is where my systems/processes will come in!

I also am challenging myself keep as much out of the landfill as possible. Instead, I will sell, donate, and recycle as much as possible. Don’t worry, I will be sharing with you how you can do the same!

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

So if you want to join me on this organizational journey sign up here! I will share with you all my checklists/ tips/ and give you monthly prompts! Let’s hold on another accountable, shall we?!