When my kids were small, whenever it got hard to do a daily run through and organize my house, I knew that something was wrong. If it was too hard to do my daily clean up, it was time to start getting rid of stuff. As soon as I went through my rooms, got rid of things that I didn’t need and organized what I did, order and peace reigned again. It never failed, and now working full time, the same is true for me today.

With all the tantalizing, colorful and expensive organizing containers out there today, you’d think our houses would be more organized; they’re not. Added to all the stuff, they make more clutter. They do have their place, but most of the time they just add more stuff.

I get it. We’re always thinking – well maybe I’ll need this and when this holiday rolls around I’ll need this. And it’s true; it is worth keeping some things from year to year. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a minimalist by any means, but there is only so much time that busy Moms can devote to household order.

And it’s worth looking at our kid’s toys as well. Too many toys overwhelm our kids and add to the clutter. “But my kid’s would get bored with less toys” I hear you say. That’s where rotating toys come into play. If you take some of your child’s present toys out of circulation, store them in a closet and every few weeks bring those out and put others away – you’ll have less mess and less overwhelm. Your kids will enjoy what they have and your house will function better with less.

There is really only one solution to being organized; it’s getting rid of things we could do without. Of course if you’re the kind of person that loves putting things in little baskets and color coding your hair supplies, then maybe you’re okay with lots of stuff. But I would imagine that most of us don’t have that kind of time.

What do you think? Has getting rid of stuff worked for you? What are your ways for maintaining order at home?