It’s no lie that these last few months of living through a pandemic has been tough. Not only am I hearing all about the struggles of living and working at home 24/7 from my clients and online community of readers, but I’m dealing with those same issues myself. Today I wanted to share five valuable lessons I’ve learned from Covid-19 about home organization, and I’m sure you can find yourself relating to these realizations yourself.
1. Backstock Is Non-Negotiable
I’ve always been good about keeping backstock on essentials at home, mostly because I hate going to the store. But the Coronavirus has really shed some light on how important it is to keep extras on hand of the things I need at all times.
I don’t mean recreating an episode of Extreme Couponing, because that’s hoarding and never ok (for you or the rest of your community), but I do think keeping some backstock is a smart thing to do for your family. Especially since for almost a month, toilet paper was almost impossible to find. And we had to drive two towns over just to get cat litter, which was super scary when we initially panicked when our entire city was out, and our cat boxes were nearly bare.
Here are the things I, myself, keep backstock of all the time:
- Toilet Paper
- Paper Towels
- Cleaning Wipes
- Pet Food
- Cat Litter
- Most-used Medicines
- Coffee
- Quick Easy Meals & Snacks
- Toothpaste, Body Wash, Razor Refills
- Batteries
2. Good Organization Is Better Than Good Design
When you’re stuck in your house for weeks at a time, you realize that having well-organized drawers and cabinets is way better than well-decorated rooms. We all fall into the trap of the Instagram Rabbit Hole and the Pinterest trends at some point, and get sucked into believing that our home has to look like a magazine photo shoot.
This pandemic has forced people to really live in their houses, which is bringing to light a humbling realization that our houses aren’t just for show. I’ve always been a firm believer and strong teacher that homes need to be organized for how you really live, not how you want to live.
Here’s a few things my Virtual Clients have mentioned over the last few months:
- “I no longer care about having perfectly styled open shelving.”
- “I turned my pretty guest bedroom into a home office. It’s not photo-worthy anymore, but it suits my needs.”
- “I feel silly that I was so adamant on hiding pet toys. My pets deserve to play with their toys whenever they want.”
- “We brought our kids toys out of hiding and into the living room in bins. The room doesn’t look like a well-designed space anymore, but our family enjoys spending time together in one room.”
- My husband is SO happy I stopped being so anal about keeping our bathroom counters cleared. So what if he leaves his deodorant out? I bought him a nice tray to store his most-used stuff on so it’s not cluttered and we’re both happy.”
3. Kids STILL Only Play With Less Than Half Of Their Stuff
I thought my son would have his hands on all his toys with all this newfound time at home. Nope, he still only played with the same stuff. Now it’s VERY clear what we can get rid of.
If you have kiddos of any age, you probably thought the same thing would happen, and I’m almost positive you were as wrong as I was. If that was the case, I’d like to encourage you to take a day for a little purge-sesh.
Does your kid’s toy collection need downsizing?
Here’s a good post I wrote for how to help kids be ok with purging their unused stuff. And once their space is decluttered, here’s a post on how to help kids create better cleaning routines so their rooms stay tidy now that there’s less to keep clean.
4. Now’s The Time To Learn The Importance Of Intentional Shopping
From groceries to home decor to random things on a Target run, this pandemic has made me more mindful about the money I’m spending. The uncertainty of the economy and security of our jobs made us be very aware of what we chose to buy.
Before, I wouldn’t think twice about throwing a random item into my cart that wasn’t on my list. But things are so different now, not just for me but for everyone in the world.
Being intentional with your shopping habits is incredibly important right now, not just for your wallet but for your home, too. We’ve all gotten a little bored sitting at home, and we’re all excited about changing up our spaces. And while shopping for new and exciting things to keep us occupied is totally ok, just remember that everything you order on Amazon will need a space in your home, and you should be prepared to provide that.
My Tip For Avoiding Impulse Purchases:
In-Store: Mentally note the item, and while you shop for the things that are on your list, think about why you want the extra item, where it will go, how often you will use it, if you can afford it, and if you already have something like it. If you still want it when you’ve finished your regular shopping, go back and grab it.
Online: Put the item in your cart, leave the window open in your phone or computer, and wait a full 24 hours. Ask yourself the same questions as above. If after 24 hours you still want it and can justify the purchase, go ahead to click that checkout button.
By taking just a little time away from the initial impulse to buy a random item, your brain can logically guide you on whether it’s actually something you should purchase versus just giving in to shiny-object-syndrome.
5. Kitchen Organization Is The Key To Sanity
We’ve been cooking at home more than ever, and I quickly began to appreciate my ability to prepare meals easily. Having a kitchen where everything is neat, tidy, and in place made meal prep so much less stressful.
And this isn’t just my own realization, but something I have heard repeated from every single one of my virtual clients. Every one! That’s proof to me that kitchen organization is the most important priority.
If you’ve been struggling with finding sanity in your own kitchen, I have an awesome free guide on how to organize your kitchen based on your exact layout. You can grab that guide by dropping your email address below and I’ll send it straight to you.
Join The Conversation
What lessons have YOU learned about home organization during the Covid-19 pandemic? I’d love to hear your thoughts and stories on how you’ve shifted your organization beliefs, habits, routines, and storage systems to adapt to your new normal.
Let’s get the conversation going in the comments below so we can all see new perspectives and viewpoints. Everyone’s lifestyle is very different, so this could be such a great learning experience for us all and shed light onto things we may not have even thought about.
