The Best Home Organization Tips For Small Spaces

With the new year coming in soon, I like to really take the time to figure out where I see myself and my family in the upcoming year and what I want to accomplish and that is home organization and decluttering.

We have a ton in store for us this year, and it’s starting to get intimidating! In this new year, we’re planning to move when our lease is up at the apartment. Which means getting a ton of stuff in order to make the move! 

One thing I really want to focus on is keeping a better balance at home. I want to work on keeping things more tidy, both cleaner and more organized on a regular schedule.

Dealing with work or life things become so much easier when everything is nicely organized at home, but it does get difficult to maintain with how busy our day-today life is! 

So, I have found a new routine to help keep our small space organized and clutter free, so we can focus on all the other important things we need to get ready for moving. Plus organization ideas that actually works!

Read more: Creating Your Perfect Cleaning Schedule [Free Printable]

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Home Organization Tip For Small Spaces: The 2 & 5 Rule

You’ve probably heard of the 2-minute rule when it comes to cleaning. This is my personalized version. 

The 2-minute rule states that if something needs to be done around the home that takes less than 2 minutes, don’t think about it. Do it right now! Right then and there! It’s less than 2 minutes, so there is no excuse to put it off. 

What I am also going to do, however, is a 5-minute rule as well. I’ve noticed there’s quite a bit around the house that will take you more than 2 minutes, but I can accomplish it in under 5 and do it regularly if I tag it onto another routine. 

For this, set times when you do a longer task. For example, as long as I keep up on the dishes I can complete them in about 5 minutes, the same as throwing the laundry in (maybe on my way out of the bedroom every morning). Of course, these are the two jobs we do almost every day and the two we all love to put off as long as possible, so make a list of your 5-minute tasks and set 5 minutes aside as much as it fits in with your schedule at home to knock these out and avoid anything piling up. 

This year, I will set certain times to tackle a 5-minute task and do any task that takes less than 2 minutes as soon as it arises. 

More organizing goodness: How to Organizing Your Apartment: A Complete Guide

Home Organization Tip For Small Spaces: A Cleaning Schedule

Cleaning schedules can work wonders if you’ve never tried it before! Not every task needs done daily, and having a schedule lay it out for you helps you always remember what needs to be done on each day. 

They can be as detailed or brief as you would like it to be! Work it around your own schedule and your current habits. 
Pick which day to vacuum, water the plants, and scrub the bathroom based on what you usually do certain days of the week. Taking one cleaning task per day for your small space ensures that you won’t be piling up all the cleaning to do in one previous weekend day!

I am a working mom, and I find it easiest and most reliable for me to give myself one task a night on top of my daily tidying. 

For example, every day I do the dishes and pick up B’s toys. One day a week I will vacuum and mop, one day a week I clean out the fridge. One day is dedicated to cleaning out our living room closet – this is where we put our recycling and anything I decluttered that week that needs sold/donated. 

Every day I do the essentials and for the things that take a bit more time, I dedicate a day to.

This also gives me so much more time to myself and with my daughter on the weekends. I don’t have to worry about cleaning all day anymore. It is a huge relief and makes my days off that much better!

Home Organization Tip For Small Spaces: The Zone Method

Divide your small spaces into specific zones. This organization’s hack makes sure that everything is in the right place. Like the entry zone where your shoes, keys and bags are or a storage zone for seasonal items.

Home Organization Tip For Small Spaces: The Vertical Storage

For a small space, this organizing idea is game-changing it gives you extra space by maximizing the wall space. Install floating shelves, command hooks for the bags and coats, mount pegboard for storage flexibility and over-door organizers for your shoes or pantry items!

Create a Decluttering Schedule 

Along with cleaning, you want to make sure you stay on top of clutter. Especially for small spaces, too much clutter can make the space feel even more restricting. As I mentioned regarding the coat closet, I get rid of stuff weekly and put it in a box (you can also donate the things you do not need anymore) That may seem like very often. But, it’s only that often because I give myself one area to do certain days/weeks. 

Everyday I give myself one small task to go through a certain area of our home. Just to ensure we only have things we really need. This keeps everything nice and organized and never let’s us build up unnecessary items.

Know that you WILL fall off the schedule and you WILL NOT follow the rules all the time

With everything I  just mentioned, you cannot forget that you will not do this all the time. 

You may skip picking up that food that fell under the table until later.

You will leave the clutter on your counter for a night. 

You will leave the toothpaste on the sink. 

You will not vacuum like you were supposed to today, even if it was scheduled.

You will not get around to scrubbing the bathroom on the scheduled day. 

And that’s fine. Really. 

It will not be perfect, it will not be 100% as planned. But, going into this year we will expect that. We will know that we will not do it all and it will not be perfect. 

Some days we will put in more.

Some days less.

But having a schedule to bounce back to will help you when you fall off the crazy resolution bandwagon.

 It will create a daily habitual change, not a January maybe a week or two into February change. 

You will fall this year, but set yourself up with all the right tools to bounce right back up better than ever!

What are all of your new year’s resolutions for 2025? Comment below!