Day to day life can be hectic or chaotic at times with keeping everyones schedules running on track, such as getting ready for work, getting children off to school on time, where you left your keys, etc. When you are getting ready, do you have to search for that favorite sweater or shirt? What about when you are getting ready for your grocery run, do you feel like you are uncertain what you need because your pantry is in disarray?

When thinking about how little ways to make your life run smoother, think organization. An organized home can help you with an organized life. With this said, think about the storage areas of your home and how they function for you.

Close your eyes and think about your pantry:

• Can you readily say you know what you have? You should be able to scan your shelves with your eyes and be able to grab whatever item you want without searching through each shelf.
• Don't stack and shove items wherever you can fit them. If you need a space for paper towels, make a spot for them. Look at the dates of your food items, I bet there are some items in there collecting dust that you haven't used and forgot you had.
• Group items. Make rows of vegetables, dry goods, sauces etc. You reduce waste as well as make it so you know how many of each item you have. No more doubling up on supplies you had.

Now think about your closet:

• Can you readily grab an outfit without digging through everything? You can organize your closet in several ways. One way is to group categories (pants, shirts, sweaters). You can also group by color or season.
• Closet organizers are useful if you lack enough space for all your clothing. Sometimes just having a sectioned storage unit can help you fit more clothing in a closet. Shelves for foldable items, an area for long dresses, a section for pants or shirts all aid in organizing.
• Do you hoard clothes? Almost everyone I know has a mass of clothing in varying sizes. The thought pattern that "I can't fit that now, but I will once I go on that diet" or "That was such a bargain, I just need to find the right skirt to go with that" or "I can't throw that out, it's my favorite shirt!" (even though it has holes or stains). If you haven't worn it in a year (four seasons), get it out of your closet. That can mean storage container in the garage, or give it to Goodwill, anything you have to do, just get it out of your closet.

Let's talk about the dreaded childrens toys:

• Do you feel like your childrens rooms never stay clean? Are you constantly nagging them to clean their rooms but it never seems clean? Well that just might be because they are out of room! A good rule of thumb is to go through their toys with them and whatever they haven't played with in several months, box it up for a yardsale or Goodwill.
• Get plastic containers for their toys and label them so they can keep more organized. For younger children, stick a photo label on the containers. All you need is a printer and some clear box tape to adhere the labels.
• Every time the children get something new, have them choose an item to pass on to a younger sibling, give to Goodwill or put into a yardsale box. If you keep a box of yardsale toys aside for them to make money from, you might find they are more receptive to getting rid of unplayed with toys.
• If you have children that just can't let go, you may have to find time to go through their toys when they are at school. I have done this at times with my children and you would be amazed that they never noticed said toys were missing.

These are just a few ideas to help organize the storage areas of your home. I hope you find a few ideas to help you on your journey through organization!