collaborative guest post
Keeping a busy household organized can be a daunting task, especially when everyone has different schedules and responsibilities.
Creating zones at home can help you stay organized and encourage family members to do their bit. With designated areas to store items or engage in various activities, tidying up or getting started on a fun project is much easier. Needing to clear a space before you can start is a real demotivator.
Here are some everyday benefits of zoning and a few ways to get started, such as ideas for mini-zones or maximising space with self storage.
Increase Family Efficiency and Productivity
We tend to think of efficiency and productivity as being work-based values, but they can apply at home too. If you can zoom through the cleaning in no time, for instance, you’ll have more time to indulge in crafts or hobbies without distractions.
Similarly, when time is limited, you might only have a half hour or so to indulge in a fun project. Being able to locate your kit, sit down and get started straight away, that half hour will give you sense of fulfillment and achievement rather than frustration.
Consider making a special play area for the kids, a study area for homework, or earmarking a quiet zone for reading and other calming activities. There are more amazing lifestyle tips to help you streamline your life over on The Diary of a Jewellery Lover.
Streamline Your Routines
We all live by routines to some degree or another. Even if most of your day is open to spontaneous actions, you probably have routines in the mornings, for mealtimes, and in the evening or for kids’ bedtime. Routines, while sounding a bit boring, help us get on with mundane or regular tasks because we don’t have to think too much about what needs doing.
Make mini zones around the home to help streamline your routines, such as somewhere for school bags, shoes or sports kit, a dressing zone in the bedroom or a food prep and cooking zone in the kitchen. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy that needs special equipment or furniture – a dressing zone in the bedroom, for instance, is just somewhere near the closet or chest of drawers that’s convenient for choosing the day’s outfit. To make this work, make sure your mirrors are handy, along with grooming tools or makeup so everything you need is within easy reach.
Clear Boundaries and Responsibilities
Sharing a space often causes friction between family members. It can be hard for adults, but kids often find it even more difficult. When you have zones for different activities, it can help everyone to cooperate and share with the rest of the family. It won’t work all the time, naturally, but if there’s an area for homework that’s separate from the TV area, it might help stop the squabbles if one needs to finish homework while the other wants to watch television.
Zoning can help set boundaries, so possessions stay where they belong rather than spreading through the whole house.
Reduce Clutter and Stress
Dividing the house into zones can also help you clear some clutter since it’s easier to see what belongs where and which items you’re not really using. If you find yourself with cupboards full of stuff you don’t use so there’s no room for the things you do use, consider renting a self storage unit to help manage the overspill. We all go through phases of interest, and it’s nice to have somewhere to put equipment or prized possessions, where they’re safe but not in the way.
Living in an organized, tidy environment is also good for mental health, since stress levels are lower and tempers less likely to flare. Everyone will have a better sense of well-being, and this helps strengthen family harmony.
Getting Started on Your Zones
Creating zones in the home takes a bit of brainstorming and work to set up, and some cooperation and collaboration between everyone. Start by watching where people like to do things so you can build on natural habits or instincts. You may need to move furnishings around a little, such as making space for a desk in the dining room or bedroom or adding seating in the kitchen if there’s room.
Just about anywhere can become a dedicated zone, from mini zones like having a key rack by the front door to bigger zones like turning a spare room into an office. And remember, that doesn’t mean you get rid of guest bedroom furnishings as they’re ideal items to stow safely in your self storage room so you can switch back without buying beds again.
Making zones can be fun too. It’s a chance to personalise with artwork or motivational quotes, contrasting décor or special accessories. Enjoy it and see if a zone or two doesn’t help you stay a bit more organised.
