SIX MONTH HOME ORGANIZATION CHALLENGE

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As a military family who constantly moves, it is imperative for our family to stay organized.

I have always been a lover of organization, but this last year got the best of me with a growing business and a mid year move halfway across the country.

And guess what…we move again in 6 months.

So! That’s where this challenge comes in!

I’ve created this 6 month home organization challenge for ALL OF US to get organized! And if you’re a military family this is especially for you, because we know all about the pains of a PCS. (Permanent Change of Station - Military lingo)

We’ve been in this new place for 6 months and I’m STILL not unpacked because I wasn’t organized during our last move. It’s time to OWN THIS NEXT ONE!

Each month we will INTENTIONALLY tackle specific areas of our home so we don’t get overwhelmed!

The best part is, you do NOT need to start this in January! Or February! This is designed to fit into your calendar when it best fits…so if that means you start month 1 in June, then do that!

I made it 6 whole months so we can be thorough and intentional but also not feel rushed or overwhelmed.

So let’s give ourselves a 6 month window to MAKE IT HAPPEN!

Who’s in?

 
 

This template will be our guide!

Each block has extra space for you to write any specific information that you or your family needs to remember. i.e. specific dates, specific projects, extra areas, extra details etc!

So here you can print out this above printable to have for your home! Print it off, hang it on your fridge, put it in your planner, wherever! Just make sure the dates get added to your family calendar so everyone knows when it’s organization time!

UPDATE ONE: (I completed the majority of our basement which works as storage for our family, houses our gym, holds boxes for moves and all of our military gear - here’s what I took away from that!)

  1. thought process going in was “if I haven’t used it in 6 months, I can sell, donate, recycle or trash it.

  2. goal was to make our next move easier since we move so often in the military.

  3. put like items together in storage places so they’re easier to find.

  4. separate items into four sections: trash, recycle, sell donate

  5. put all holiday items/decor into storage bins that match the holiday you’re in. i.e. fall/halloween stuff goes into orange bins, christmas into green etc.

  6. if you don’t have holiday specific bins then at least put them into clear bins so you can see the decor.

  7. if you are a family that moves a lot or knows you will be moving, keep your small appliance and electronics boxes (i.e tv, mixer, coffee pot, dvd player etc) so they all have boxes specifically made for them to pack away. This also works great for resale!

  8. save empty boxes from a previous move that didn’t get messed up so you don’t have to buy new ones! you can cut them down to take up less room.

  9. buy a tree bag, ornament box and wreath bag for those items! saves so much hassle and room.

  10. we keep a humidifier in storage to keep items dry too.

  11. invest in a trailer if you are a military family and move some stuff yourself! you’ll make money every move!

  12. as you organize, be sure to separate stuff into sections for what you will take and what the movers will take. saves so much time.

  13. have outdoorsy, military stuff organized in an easy to find manner so you aren’t having to dig to find stuff.

  14. invest in conticos for breakable items.

You can see all of these tips in action on my instagram page @amylouhawthorne in my “organization” highlight button!

 

My starting point - lot’s of empty containers. January 2020.

Here’s what I want you to remember:

This is meant to organize items so you always know where they are.

This is meant to declutter.

This is meant to donate unused items.

This is meant to give you motivation to have a spring yard sale to make money off of items that have been sitting around for a decade, or items you simply don’t need.

You do NOT need all the bells and whistles to make this happen.

You just need discipline, time and motivation.

So if you need time to do this, ask for it. Blake and I sat down on January 1st and mapped out the next 6 months.

We marked off which weekends I would have to work on this massive project - and yes, this is my project because I LOVE organizing. On those weekends he will watch the kids and I will have full freedom to clean.

If there’s a point of contention, just remember to advocate that you are doing this for the whole family.

And above all else, once we get passed this challenge let’s do our best to keep our homes organized for years to come!

 
 

Want information on which storage containers I use throughout our home and which ones I love most?

Linking them all here for you! Just click on the item name and number to go!

  1. Seagrass Baskets || 2. Big tubs || 3. Tall wire baskets || 4. Clear containers || 5. Closed baskets || 6. Pink closed containers || 7. Wire Baskets || 8. Pink locked containers || 9. Open rattan basket || 10. Open pink storage || 11. Gray closed containers || 12. Open pink and white bins

 

Here’s how I use them throughout my home!

As I get to each room where I’m using them, I will add pictures to this post to share how I used them during my organization challenge. This blog post will be ever evolving until I reach month 6!

  1. I use these for the girls’ shoes, small toys and lotions/ essential oils

  2. I use these for the girls’ old toys and old clothes that I don’t want to get rid of but want to have access to. Anything bulky. (Also great for toys)

  3. I use one of these in the garage for sporting equipment so I can see in it and grab what I need and also for craft storage.

  4. My favorite bins. I use these for everything. Craft storage, out of season clothes and company inventory.

  5. Closed baskets are what I use for something that looks ugly but I use often. So I use it as a mini paper trash can in my office and for office supplies that I need on hand.

  6. My favorite for storing the girls small educational / sensory items. We keep these in our downstairs closet. They store coloring books, puzzles, magnets, legos, sand, playdoh etc.

  7. These are the prettiest for storing cookbooks, handtowels, and anything you need to store and keep contained but want to have visible.

  8. These will be used for office/craft storage.

  9. Love these for storing blankets around the home.

  10. These will be used for office/craft storage.

  11. My favorite for storing the girls small educational / sensory items. We keep these in our downstairs closet. They store coloring books, puzzles, magnets, legos, sand, playdoh etc.

  12. We use these to store the girls’ toys in. i.e. cars, train sets, and small items.

 

And here’s some pics of them throughout our home!

 
 
 
 
 

If you liked anything you saw and want to reference back to it in the future, be sure to pin any of the images above so you know where to come back and find it!

HAPPY ORGANIZING!

XX, Amy