DIY Home Hacks: 4 Clever Ideas to Simplify Your Life
We are days away from the official start of fall and after a fun-packed but also chaotic summer, I’m craving rhythm, routine, and organization. It’s the time of year for a reset and a fresh start. From juggling demands of work and family, one of the few things we can control is how we keep our homes organized and efficient. Today I want to cover some of my favorite hacks to help you and your home ready to take on the new season.
Designate a command center
Do you have a command center in your home? If not, you must! You can designate any space in your home as a command center, even a blank wall or small section of your kitchen. Our command center is in the mudroom off the garage where we corral all the loose ends: backpacks, shoes, mail, homework, and sports equipment. I have plans to install a bulletin board or maybe a calendar to keep important dates. Below is a little round up of products we either have and can’t live without or otherwise items I’m eyeing for our command center.
- Acrylic weekly/monthly calendar $55
- Linen bulletin board $199
- Chalk ink markers $25 (for your acrylic calendar)
- Wall-mounted office organizer $99
- Pretty daily essentials catch-all $70
- Entry-way hook rail $24
- Hanging memo roll $30
- Time and temperature display $26
- The vault important document organizer $56
Celebrate (and corral) the works of your tiny Picassos
Do you ever feel like you’re swimming in a pile of kid art? It’s just constant. Do not get me wrong, truly some of my most treasured pieces in my home are works of my own kiddos. Those snapshots in time deserve a better home than the kitchen counters and dining table! The key is to have go to storage and display options.
- Display frame and portfolio in one, holds 50 pieces of art!, $16
- Preserve kid art in this book, $40; Similar alternatives are Artkive and Plum Print
- Art display for kid’s artwork, $30
- The best art portfolio, $30
Create a designated workspace
A lot of us had to get creative with home workspaces when COVID hit, but if you haven’t created yours yet, there are some general guidelines to optimize productivity but also make it pretty. Ideally the workspace is totally separate from the living space, even if that means moving your desk to your closet. Creating a separate workspace will minimize distractions by creating a mental/visual barrier between work and play or relaxation.
Create a rituals and special moments that invite you to your designated workspace. For example, move your favorite plant to your workspace and make a habit of preparing your favorite cups of tea (in a pretty mug) before you sit down to work. It will make all the difference.
And if you think you don’t have the space, check out this post which includes a tutorial on carving out an office nook. Now that daughter has a computer/ homework station, her homework *shockingly* gets done!
Declutter
This one should probably first step on the list. Fall cleaning (vs. spring cleaning) just needs to be “a thing”. This is the time to empty every shelf and drawer and purge. It’s amazing to me how much $$ people spend on organization. Purging is a much less expensive than all the fancy organization products and I promise you will feel so much lighter. Take the first step of Marie Kondo-ing your home and then treat yourself to some of my favorite organizers for all the thing you love and use regularly. Many of these products are budget friendly dupes to organization solutions we use for high end custom home design clients. I also pulled in the master, my very own sister and owner of Less Mess By Design to chime in with her favorite products here too.
- Spice jar labels you never knew you needed to clean up your pantry $15. Start with glass jars here $21
- Moveable drawer organizers $28
- Expandable shelf organizers (love this to organize and display spice jars) $21
- Cabinet organizer (perfect for cleaning supplies) $31
- Label maker because I’m not crazy, you’re not crazy, there are 9,000 five star reviews, $23
- Lazy susan for the pantry, bathroom, kitchen cabinets, coffee station, you name it…. $29
- Drawer dividers that changed my life (thanks sis!) so you need them too, $21
- Garage tool organizer, Nick’s favorite rack to keep our garage tidy(er), $49
- Luxe velvet jewelry organizers $19 for two!
Happy Fall y’all!