When your household is organized, you will have more quality time to spend with your family. This quote says it all: “Families who work together, stay together,” or something like that.
Here are seven easy ways to motivate your family to get organized:
Be a role model
You have to be the role model. Make sure your organizing skills are adequate before you expect everyone else in your family to be organized.
Children closely follow what their parents do and say, so make organizing a regular routine around your home. Setting the example of keeping your home functional will give your children a good foundation for life.
Make lists
Set clear and reasonable expectations for the whole family. A good reminder for everyone is to write down each chore and what it involves. Also, include the supplies needed for each chore and where you store them.
Give your child the appropriate chores for his/her age and ability. Do not give small children jobs that are out of their reach and are not accessible. Keep safety in mind.
Promote togetherness
For a start, give the list of chores to the children and have them work together to divide them up. Of course, you will guide them to cooperate and communicate with each other.
Make sure to teach your children how to do the chores before they start doing them. Being patient is a virtue because learning a new skill requires time and repetition.
Start small
Create a chore chart. Start with short chores, those that will not take more than 10 minutes to finish. The goal here is for children to embrace these chores instead of resenting them.
Implement a reward system, starting with a sticker system. For sophisticated teenagers, stickers wouldn’t be appropriate. Maybe increase their allowance or contribute to their savings for something they want.
Don’t forget to take and share before and after pictures with the family for all to see and appreciate.
Celebrate accomplishments
Post all chores on a board. Then at the end of the week when chores are completed, each child receives a reward. Rewards can be a pizza night or watching a favourite movie.
Have fun
Make organizing fun. Turn on upbeat music that everyone enjoys listening to. If the choice of music is not favourable for everyone, give up your oldies for rap or something your kids like.
Your goal is to teach your kids a skill and have fun with them. Seeing who can put away the most toys can be a big motivator and fun. Consider setting a timer and making it a race. This will create a burst of energy to beat the buzzer.
Keep it fresh
As children get older and more skilled in completing their chores, challenge them with a different set of chores. Make sure to change the routine and rewards as time progresses.
Recognize the good work. Encourage them to build on their strengths. Some children are very messy by nature but if they finish their schoolwork and chores, praise them for that.
As Dr. Phil says, “pick your battles,” as progress instead of perfection should be every parent’s mantra.
Life coach Ranka Burzan owns a professional organizing company based in the qathet region and has written several books on reducing clutter and becoming more organized. For information, go to solutionsorganizing.com.
