Dining room – Office from Martha Stewart
Every August I share simple housekeeping routines on The Inspired Room. These posts are some of the most popular each year because many of us face the same home-management challenges. The topics aren’t always the prettiest, but the behind-the-scenes work is essential — without routines and systems, a home can’t truly feel comfortable or be at its best.
August is when I start thinking about returning to a steady routine. I begin planning how to reorganize closets and rooms before the school year starts, because I don’t want to head into fall with a chaotic house. Fall is my favorite season, and I want to be ready to enjoy it rather than be stressed by clutter and disorganization.
I still follow the 4 Simple Housekeeping Routines I shared last year. Those basic daily habits keep our home “clean enough.” If you struggle with maintaining order, I recommend starting with simple, repeatable routines rather than trying to overhaul everything at once.
Daughter’s original room and closet — on its way to turning into a guest room/game, gift and wrapping closet
If you follow The Inspired Room on Facebook, you may have seen that my daughter and I have begun a major reorganization of our second floor — the bedrooms, laundry room, and linen closets. This is a full-scale project meant to reshape how we use those spaces.
The goal of this overhaul is to create a more functional layout and eventually carve out a new office space for me once the upstairs is settled. I introduced this plan in a previous post about rethinking how you use your space. It’s a big project and may take time, but I’m determined to get it done.
STEP ONE TO HOME ORGANIZATION:
ASSESS YOUR NEEDS
The first step to getting organized is assessing your current needs and challenges.
Look at how you actually live in your home — what works, what doesn’t, and why. Understanding how you use each space gives you clarity on what to tackle first. Homes and families change over time, so expect to reconfigure and adapt your organization as needs evolve. Make the space work for you now and be open to adjusting it later.
Repurposing rooms can make your home more effective for the way you live. That’s what we’re doing upstairs: this is more than cleaning out a closet — it’s a complete re-think. Two rooms will take on new purposes, and four closets will be repurposed and reorganized to better suit current needs.
Daughter’s current room, soon to be guest room, as we start the clearing out process
In our house, the need for an organizational overhaul comes from three main reasons.
1. You learn what works by living in a space. When we first moved in, we made the best choices we could, but after using the rooms and closets for a while, we discovered better ways to arrange things to fit our habits and routines.
2. Life changes create new organizational needs.
Since moving in, our household has shifted in several ways.
Our middle daughter has moved in and out for school, my parents and adult children visit more often, and we realized we need a proper guest room. My son needs less play space, my husband prefers working outside the home, and I want a dedicated office as a household command center. These life changes open possibilities for repurposing rooms to serve current needs better.
3. This past year has been the busiest we’ve had. When life gets especially busy, projects get postponed and clutter accumulates because time and energy are limited.
We’re ready to settle in and reduce the chaos — or at least make it more manageable.
Oh my. Somewhere in this mess is the room my daughter will move to. Heaven help us.
What changes do you need to make to your home to be ready for fall?
If you want ideas for routines and homemaking, a good starting point is FlyLady’s baby steps to build simple, sustainable habits. Small, consistent actions can make maintaining a well-managed home much easier over time.