531 - How to Organize When You Are Never Home

Apr 14, 2023

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In today’s podcast, we will discuss how you can get your home organized when you are never home.

There are different seasons in our lives in which we will need to change our organization.

How does your home change for different seasons of your life?

The seasons I’ve identified that require the most functional organizing changes are:

Children 0-5 years old
Children in middle and high school
Empty nesting
Caregiving for a loved one
Settling an estate
Welcoming another generation of your family into your home - listen to this podcast on multigenerational living

There will be seasons of life when you will not be home much.

When I started podcasting in 2012, I was going through a season of life where I was never home. My children were in two different schools that both required me to drive for hours a day.

Looking back now, I can safely say it’s a season. So if you are in a season where you are never home, just know that this is a season. Some seasons feel never ending, but all of these seasons do end. I encourage you to take from these seasons the best that they have to offer knowing that one day you will be on the other side.

Why do we want to get our home organized when we are never home anyway? Organizing gives us a sense of control. In a season where you are already pressed for time and feeling a loss of control, you may be wanting to feel organized, proactive and productive when you are at home.

Where to begin?

At Organize 365®, we’ve identified four areas in every home that need to be organized in different ways and at different times and intervals. These are personal, family and communal, storage and paper. During a season where you aren’t home very much, I’m going to recommend you focus on personal organization.

Start with your car. I’ve always defined personal organization as your closet, bathroom, bedroom and car! You need to think about your car completely differently during this season. It’s now an extension of your home.

In 2012, I turned my car into my portable house! The trunk was my “car closet” and the front area was my personal cockpit. I set up my car to serve my changing needs.

Your secondary focus should be just your personal spaces (as time permits at home). Focus on your bathroom, closet and your side of the bedroom. Do quick tasks that you can complete in 15-20 minutes.

Write everything down. If you are away from home as you are listening to this podcast, something you can start doing today, from anywhere, is to start writing everything down. Everywhere you have a thought, you should have a notepad to write it down.

Take your Sunday Basket® with you. You need your Sunday Basket® more than ever during this season, but you may want your portable Sunday Basket® to be your primary Sunday Basket®. When you are out and about throughout the day, you will get 15 minute breaks in the action. Look at your portable Sunday Basket® and think “what’s one thing I can get done in this 15 minute pocket of time?” I processed through my Sunday Basket® in waiting rooms, in my car while waiting for my kids and so many other places.

It won’t be perfect. Focus on the moments. Build the future life and future person as you go. Support yourself along the way with personal organization that works for you. And bring your Sunday Basket® along for the ride.

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