Creative Cleaning & Organizing Tips for the Easily Distracted

Here at Lily and Thistle, we talk about art/creativity and motherhood – two subjects that go really well together except maybe, when it comes to keeping things in order.   If you’ve been at this mothering gig for longer than say a day, you know how quickly things can get out of control. Add a bit of paint and glitter and you’ve got a recipe for disaster!  Creative people need creative cleaning and organizing solutions.

I’m almost at the 11-year mark now and while the types of messes look different at 10 than at 2 (spoiler alert…ten-year-olds are worse than toddlers), I have found a few universal tips that have helped me keep things clean-enough at every stage. So I thought I’d share some with you! Here goes:

Remember That As a Creative, Your Organizing Solutions will Look Different and That’s OK! 

For the most part, we creatives are visual people.  We learn visually and remember things by visual clues.  So whether we like it or not, it’s hard to remember and get things done both creatively and in life if we don’t have visual reminders.  I try to remember that if I approach organizing with the usual storage solutions that seem to work for most people I am bound to fail because they were not designed for my brain.

I try to think outside the box when it comes to storing and accessing materials/supplies.  Creative cleaning and organizing tip: I use clear containers instead of opaque so I can quickly see what is inside.  I organize by project and gather the supplies I will need for that specific task. Having the tools I use most often within easy reach so that I don’t get distracted trying to hunt them down is key.  This applies to cleaning supplies too…

Store Cleaning Supplies in Convenient Spots – Even if It Means Buying Extra

I am easily distracted and so are my kids (hence the title of this post) so if I have to leave a dirty bathroom to find the cleaner under the kitchen sink, I may never return (This kitchen is a mess! Time to load that dishwasher!).   I have found that if I can get everything I need for the job in one spot, it helps me to stay on track.  So for this example, that looks like a drawer or a caddy in each bathroom with cleaners, scrubbers, replacement bags for garbages, and a paper towel roll.  We have three bathrooms…so yes,  I have three duplicates of everything. I may have to invest a bit of extra money in the beginning, but this means that we will actually get to enjoy a clean bathroom.

Make Things Easy to Get To and Even Easier to Put Away

I have found that if I can take away any unnecessary steps for the kids (and adults!) to put things away, there is a much better chance that it will actually happen.  At our house, this looks like bins for clean clothes instead of drawers (it’s much easier to dump clean clothes into a big bin then to open a drawer and try to fit everything in), and baskets for shoes, socks, and books.  We have bookshelves that are reserved for books we cherish but, for everyday picture books, a book basket is a great solution!

Blankets that get used regularly when we sit together in the family room are tossed (sometimes folded) into a storage ottoman, and art supplies go in their designated bin (think crayon bin, paint bin, brush bin, etc.).  While I love all of those cool compartmentalized organizing solutions, we all have to keep up with it and if it has too many steps, it will fail.

Set a Timer

I talk a lot about the power of a timer in my free Art Habit for Moms course.  It applies here too! It’s amazing how much more I can get done in a half hour when I’ve got my timer ticking away than when I don’t.  It forces me to focus and motivates me to hurry so I can beat the clock! Use your watch, Alexa, or a good old-fashioned egg timer!

Only Touch/Sort Once

A good example of this is my mail sorting system.  This is what it looks like: I walk to the mailbox, look through the mail on my way to the recycle bin and then proceed to toss 90% of it.  I finally figured out that there is no reason to even bring it into my house if I don’t want/need it.  This applies to laundry too.  Creative cleaning and organizing tip: I always have a giveaway bin ready for clothes that the kids have outgrown or (ahem) that I have outgrown.

Creative cleaning and organizing tip: Socks.  They are your nemesis right? I figured out a solution that works for us: I buy a big package of white socks that fit the majority of my kids and a big package of black.  I stick them all in a bin and fold them when I get around to it. If I don’t get around to it, it is super easy for them to find a match themselves.  So much time and energy saved! Life changing.

Be Creative With What You Already Have and Buy Less Stuff

One thing we creatives have going for us is resourcefulness! Use your creativity and have fun thinking of multiple uses for one item.  Get rid of all of the extra gadgets that are just collecting dust.  It’s a lot easier to keep track of and take care of less. Think of it as a war on clutter.  In our world of buy one get one and buyer “rewards” it’s hard not to give in (ask me how I know) but if we can be strong, it makes life so much easier!

Make Purging a Priority

If you think about it.  In our world right now, our most precious possession is not things (we have plenty!), but TIME. We can care for that precious possession by getting rid of the stuff that takes time away from us. As I mentioned above, reducing your stuff is the key.  If you reduce your number of dishes to the amount that fills the dishwasher, your sink won’t fill up with tons of dirty dishes.  Creative cleaning and organizing tip: If you reduce the number of clothes, towels, linens, etc. you own, you will have fewer piles of dirty laundry waiting for you.

As a naturally distracted creative, I have been misplacing things my whole life!  Can you relate? The advantage is that  I have learned not to get too attached to things knowing I can live without them or replace them if I find I really need them.

Remember That You are in a Messy Stage of Life

Just like any creative masterpiece, building a happy family is messy before it’s beautiful (in every way). That is just how creative projects are. And motherhood is the ultimate creative project. I’m thankful for my mom-friends who just embrace that fact and give me permission to do the same. On those days when it gets overwhelming, I try to stop and look for the meaning in the mess.  Legos all over the floor mean that my son has been spending time building and using his imagination. A countertop dusted with sugar and flour means my daughter has been practicing her baking skills again and “someday this is really going to pay off”.

You get the picture. The day I let the vision of a perfectly decorated and organized home go and embraced a home that is alive with people, laughter, and a bit of dust was the day I started enjoying this crazy, wonderful stage of life. Remember that happy memories last a lot longer than a perfectly clean home.

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