Have you considered colour coding your family? Here’s the ultimate guide to getting more organised around the home by giving each member in the home their own colour.
1. Towels
Get organised in the laundry by giving everyone in the house a colour coded towel or you use coloured hooks (you can buy them at $2 shops) for each towel in the bathroom.
2. Cups, Glasses & Mason Jars
Give everyone in the house their own drinking glass. Get kids to find their glasses and cups around the house so you don’t have to look for them. This stops kids grabbing glass after glass and reduces the number of times you have to pack and unpack a dishwasher. Get them to wash their own cup or glass if possible.
3. Toothbrushes
Although you probably do this anyway – match toothbrushes to a person’s glass or towel. Now, you’ll really start to feel the new mix-n-match clarity-giving vibe in your house.
4. Dinnerware Sets
This is another ultimate way to reduce washing up. Give everyone in the house their own plate, bowl and cup set. If a plate gets left somewhere in the house – you’ll know who the culprit is!
5. Lunchboxes
Ahhh…. There’s nothing better than the sanity of a lovely lunchbox and an organised. Here’s a way to keep everyone organised and feel a sense of calm morning after morning. Never accidentally give a kid the wrong lunchbox again with colour coding. Buy the same type of lunchbox so they stack nicely away.
6. Water Bottles
Keep the whole family hydrated and from drinking out of eachother’s bottles too. Hygiene is a great motivator! Keep lunchboxes and water bottles organised in one drawer or cupboard at home. I keep mine under the cutlery drawers so they are easy to wash and put away daily.
7.Laundry Baskets
Never sort laundry again. Colour code laundry baskets. Give each person in the house a ‘laundry’ day. Wash their laundry, hang it out and bring it back in all on the same day. I keep a portable clothes horse in the house for each person and put it in their bedroom. I get the kids to fold and put their laundry away as part of their daily chores list. Make each person in the home responsible for their laundry on laundry day.
8. Sheets & Linen
Keep your linen cupboard super organised by matching sheet sets to everything else on this list. Yes, we’re verging on ‘Truman Show’ but my goodness I feel a sense of calm and clarity just looking at this picture. Don’t you? I haven’t got to this level of organisation yes – but I’m inspired.
9. Picnicware
You know when you go to the beach and the kids start drinking out of eachother’s water bottles? Yik… Even yikkier when they’re not your kids.
By colour coding the cups you can stay in control of all the cups. This works the same for water bottles above – but if you are taking juice for everyone – this one’s a keeper. Now you can get back to reading that magazine and soaking up the sun, while the kids frolic in the sand.
Nice one mum!
10. Kids Stationary
Kids stationary is messy business. Consider colour coding folders, art tubs, recycled pen tins and well – anything that makes your heart aflutter with the fabulousness of clarity and sanity.
11. Coat Hangers
Use colour coded coat hangers to separate kids gear on the same rack or in the laundry when drying clothes for similar aged children.
12. Socks
Colour code socks + separate laundry tubs + mesh washing bags (so nothing gets lost) = a recipe for complete laundry sanity!
13. Freezer Meal Containers
OMG – I can’t believe I didn’t think of this earlier. I’m going to colour code the meals from my book $1.50 Dinners – Freezer Meals so I know which day is which.
For example, I’ll make ‘Mince Monday’ pink and ‘Chicken Tuesday’ blue. Yes, this is a little OCD-ish but this will make my no-cook nights even easier than they already are. I’m so excited!
14. Files In The Office
Don’t forget the office. Win the paper war for good. Organise files and projects into colours too. Make them functional. For example, make expenses files ‘red’ and income-generating documents ‘green.’
15. Your Wardrobe
Once you’ve organised the kitchen, kids and your office – how about colour coding your own wardrobe? Never lose an item of clothing again and easily dress to your mood each day.
Get out of black too. That’s sure what I needed to do and this worked really well.
16. The Bookshelf
OK – I do love my books and I’m not sure if I’d personally do this. I sort my books into categories. For example, cooking, self-help etc. But if you really want to take this idea to the limit – here’s a visual!
17. Kids Rooms
Take it even further by colour coding your entire kids room in the colour you picked for them.
OK. That’s it for today, but there’s more of this organisational goodness to come. Thanks to everyone on Facebook who submitted their awesome ideas about their experiences with colour-coding family members.
If you’ve got more great ideas please comment on the FB feed for this post. Thanks.
Have a fantastic week and happy colour coding!
Get organised in the kitchen this weekend. Cook for a family of four adults this Saturday. Spend just $230 to feed an entire family breakfast, lunches, snacks and even desserts for an entire five weeks. Click the pink link below to check out my latest eBook.