If you regularly find yourself saying, "I know it's around here somewhere," it might be time to reorganize your apartment. Not only will it save you time and energy, it will make your space feel and look a lot better. However, bringing order to chaos isn't always as simple as it sounds. It's not just a matter of putting things away: you have to figure out where they're going. Here are a few things you can do to make getting organized a whole lot easier.
Magnets Everywhere
Magnetic strips are your best friend when it comes to the kitchen and the bathroom. You can use a magnetic strip to organize and display your knives, and keep them in reach when you're cooking. Be sure to place the magnetic strip behind a counter or something similar, so that no one will accidentally bump into your knives as they move through the kitchen.
Similarly, a magnetic strip to the side of your bathroom counter is a great way to hold on to tweezers, bobby pins, and other little metal objects. If you're looking for a clean, simple look, place the magnetic strips on the inside of your medicine cabinet instead. You'll still have an obvious place for your things, and only your nosiest guests will ever know about your bobby pin addiction.
Divide and Conquer
If your drawers and cabinets don't make any sense, it may be time to start using dividers. You can use shoe or cereal boxes to make easy DIY drawer dividers. Paint them or cover them with colorful paper to avoid the cardboard look and bring a splash of color to your drawers.
You can use A magazine file box to organize your shelved cabinets. For your cabinet under the sink, use a tension rod to hang spray bottles. Not only will this make your spray bottles easy to grab, it will free up space in the cabinet for other cleaning supplies.
Creative Labeling
Keep track of your similar-looking items by giving them easy-to-spot labels. You can attach bread clips to cords to simplify sorting wires, or paint your keys with nail polish to easily tell which one you need.
For boxes or other easily visible items, you can make cute labels using washi tape. Not only will the tape have a fun design, you can easily remove the label and use the container for something else down the road.
Organize You
Getting yourself organized is just as important as knowing where your bobby pins are. Even if your apartment is pristine, you can still feel disorganized if you're always running late and forgetting items on your to-do list. The first step toward becoming a more efficient person is figuring out your personal style of organization.
Somewhere along the line, you probably figured out what works best for you when it comes to remembering things. If you know you'll forget something that you haven't physically written down, get a planner to keep in your bag, and a to-do list to stick on the fridge. Do you come alive when you hear that ding of a notification? Consider a reminder-friendly calendar app like Sunrise, which syncs with your online calendars to get everything in one place.
It's not always as simple as buying the planner or downloading the app, however: You have to actually use them. Get yourself in the habit of writing things down or checking your calendar, and before you know it, you'll breeze through your commitments like a champ.