Getting Your Family on Board

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A special thank you to Melissa Smallwood for contributing this article.

If you have decided to become more organized and your family is not yet on the same page, frustration is sure to ensue. If you do not address this issue than you will soon feel resentful and burnt out from trying to implement new strategies with no cooperation. Here are some ideas for getting everyone committed to becoming more organized:

• Establish a routine. If you are changing the place things go, the time you perform a certain activity, etc. make sure that you give everyone a chance to get used to the change.

• Solicit feedback. Not everyone deals with change in the same way. Some personality types require more time to adjust to new routines and ways of doing things. Sometimes a new way may work for some members of the family and not others. Be willing to listen to other’s input and take their feedback seriously.

• Make it worth their while. If becoming more organized wasn’t your tween son’s idea, he is not likely to be very motivated to assist. It is your responsibility to find a way to communicate- we are all in this together and if we succeed we all benefit, if not- fun is not on the agenda. No TV if the coffee table is cluttered, no video games if your shoes are on the floor. Stick to your guns and it won’t take long for everyone to get in the clutter busting habit.

• A place for everything… Sometimes I fear I sound like a broken record by making the point that to win the clutter war you must have a place for everything and put everything away in it’s place. It seems basic, but too often people don’t understand why papers are piling up or shoes are all over the mudroom floor. The answer is typically that there is no designated spot for those items. As long as the spot is logical, your family will become used to putting things away once they have a place.

• Explain yourself. Sometimes all it takes is communicating your “why” to get your family on board. Maybe they don’t realize the stress and upset that clutter is causing you. Remember, our families can’t read our minds. Communicate your goals and desires. Admit you need their help to keep it up. You will be surprised at their willingness to pitch in after they realize how much it means to you.

Melissa Smallwood (Multi-tasking Mama) has worked with seniors and families as a professional organizer for several years and is the owner of Organized Life by Design, LLC. She has an extensive human services background. She is also the mom of three active boys (one of which has special needs). She enjoys helping people get their lives, calendars and homes organized so that they have time to see and enjoy their blessings!