When we have little kids under our feet, home life can feel chaotic. Here is another awesome tool to have in your tool belt when the home starts to seem like it’s out of control.
As I walked from one end of the house to the other… I was more and more annoyed.
Or maybe that’s just me…
The house wasn’t completely disgusting and messy. It wasn’t even that toys were everywhere and the kids refused to clean up.
No… it was just that the house wasn’t working for me.
Read: Common Habits Of Organized Moms (With Printables)
In just 15 minutes a night (while you’re in your pajamas!) take your home (and heart and mind) from stressed out to organized.
Things didn’t have proper places.
Things were broken that should have worked.
And things that were broken should have been tossed.
Rooms were missing something vital for too long.
Corners became dumping grounds for lack of baskets.
Honestly, it was all out of control. And when things feel out of control – particularly if you’re a Type A wife and mom like I am – you become stressed.
The Organized Mom Book Of Checklists comes with some pre-made checklists for you to use in every area of life as well as template checklists (in Pages and Word) for you to make your own.
Learn MoreIt’s hard to feel at peace when your house feels chaotic
It’s extremely hard to not feel overwhelmed when you are at odds with your environment and the systems that are going on there.
Then, I found it. I found this little book I was sent a while ago and hadn’t read yet.
The book was called Building Your House and, though the whole book was excellent, one part really stood out to me. It was about how we need to do a House Walk.
Before she even went into the specifics I knew it’d be something I had to do in our home to get things to a state that didn’t cause me a Eye Twitch all day long. Let’s dive in…
In just 15 minutes a night (while you’re in your pajamas!) take your home (and heart and mind) from stressed out to organized.
What is a House Walk?
A House Walk is a purposeful tour you make around your home to determine the following things:
- Mess “hot zones”
- Things that need repairing or replacing (light bulbs, door handles, etc.)
- Stuff to throw out
- What you are lacking (storage, baskets, tools, etc.)
- Projects to be done
- Opportunities to reuse or re-purpose
Essentially, you walk around your house with a critical eye and figure out the things that are driving you or your family nuts and start fixing them one by one.
Now, this isn’t something like “kitchen renovation” or “paint entire upstairs hallway.”
Sure, those things need doing. But this House Walk determines the small inconvenient things that are causing you stress that can be fixed rather quickly.
Read: How to Raise Cleaning Machines: An Epic Household Chore List
If your house is chaotic, unorganized, and just making you feel “blah”… the House Walk will change your life.
Learn MoreTell me more…
What we will do here is cut down on the stress, clutter, and dysfunction.
We’re not tackling major projects that cause stress. Know what stuck out to me when I visited the kid’s bathroom (that I also use the majority of the time)?
The nightlight was burned out!
This has been doing my head in for weeks. I added “night light bulb” to my shopping list.
Then I added label maker tape replacement so I can finish a project that’s been taking up the dining room table.
In just 15 minutes a night (while you’re in your pajamas!) take your home (and heart and mind) from stressed out to organized.
What to look for in your house walk
In our House Walk we are not trying to rebuild an entire home, we’re trying to make things run more smoothly and efficiently.
Look out for things like:
- Small things that are not working or broken | light bulbs, door knobs, drawers, squeaky things, old toys, lamps, etc.
- Things you need to buy | baskets, hampers, stain remover, hooks for the wall, hangers, drawer inserts, toy storage, light bulbs, etc.
- Things you no longer use that you can re-work in other rooms to save you money and time | toys to be passed down, clothes to be passed down, unused baskets or containers, etc.
- And things you can donate or throw out | old cell phone chargers, baby monitors, unused toys, clothes you no longer wear, appliances that are broken, tchotchkes you don’t need, etc.
If your house is chaotic, unorganized, and just making you feel “blah”… the House Walk will change your life.
Learn MoreNow, though these things may seem small, sometimes it’s the smallest changes that make the biggest difference in your peace of mind.
Every night I use the bathroom I’m annoyed there’s no night light. While this is an easy fix, it just needed to be done.
How to do a House Walk
Well… this is very technical here, ladies, and I don’t want to lose you… You walk around your house and write down all the problems.
Ha. Okay, okay.
Go from room to room and write down things that need doing. I created some printables linked below, but a paper will do. Go from room to room, area to area, and mark down what things you need to buy/move/replace/get rid of.
In fact, as you’re walking, you’ll probably pick quite a few things up, get things done, or put into piles to help you with this.
The Organized Mom Book Of Checklists comes with some pre-made checklists for you to use in every area of life as well as template checklists (in Pages and Word) for you to make your own.
Learn MoreYou won’t need tons of time, but I’d try to do the entire house (or a least each floor) at once because then you’ll see where you can move from one room to another.
The result will surprise you. It’s amazing how one small tweak makes all the difference.
Move plate storage nearer to the dishwasher.
Create a drop spot for your keys or purse.
Put a basket where people drop clutter.
In just 15 minutes a night (while you’re in your pajamas!) take your home (and heart and mind) from stressed out to organized.
Frequently Asked Questions
The initial house walk will give you a good starting point on things to fix or change around the house and working on this list will take some time. Now, I will typically do a house walk about once every month or two, or when I feel like our house isn’t serving us well and needs a tune up.
Have your kids walk around the house with you and ask them what they would change to improve the functionality of each space. Brainstorm possible solutions with them and ask them to help fix things that are broken or throw things away that you no longer need. If your kids are old enough, ask them to help you write down some of the areas to be worked on when you’re creating your list.
Anything that isn’t functioning well or isn’t serving the space that it’s in. Light bulbs that are burned out, leaky faucets, furniture that needs to be rearranged, clutter that needs a system to be resolved, etc.
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Thanks for this. It’s something I do without thinking but it’s good to be conscious about it.
We recently moved to the Philippines as missionaries, and when I moved in, I could have made a list to make your eyes water! Some things are little (like the luminous green kitchen with tile sink, some are huge (the way the rain just pours in the kitchen when it’s raining and causes a flood). And the bugs ….. I was almost in tears, and really hated it. But after about 3 weeks I started to get used to it. It’s amazing what God can give us grace for when we need it.
So next time you’re on a house sweep, think how blessed you are to have a lovely home, and that you can afford to replace things or throw things away. We are blessed so much more than we realise! Let’s count the blessings.
Bex, such great perspective. The things on your “problem list” might not even be something we’d consider. I have a new cousin-in-law whose family is from the Philippines and I love hearing about the culture. How many children do you have? She said her parents and aunts say that she just needs to have a lot (and I mean a lot) of kids because that’s what she just needs to do. Ha!
God Bless You and your family for doing the Lords work❣️
Yes, it is TOTALLY the little things that send me over the edge. A regular house walk is a great idea for keeping the crazy under control. ;)
Just the other night, I did a mini (and I mean mini) toy purge in our living room. We have two oversized milk crates that hold toddler toys. After the millionth time of swearing under by breath about how friggin’ TIRED I am of constantly picking things up that belong in these baskets, I realized the real problem. The bins still contained baby toys and stuffed animals that don’t get used much, along with the toys my daughter actually plays with. So I gathered up the unused toys, put those into a garbage sack, and hid them in her closet. Maybe they’ll get rotated back in; maybe they won’t. The result is that I have less to pick up AND my son’s board games fit in the empty bin. Such a little thing that made such a difference.
At about the same time, I also realized that hanging a bulletin board in our laundry room, which is right next to the garage, would solve a lot of our kid-related paperwork pileups. It would make more sense to keep memos from daycare and school there — where I’ll see them several times a day — rather than in our office, which is located on another floor and tends to be out of sight, out of mind.
It’s the little things! The challenge is not to let the inner perfectionist take over. You’re looking for solutions that can happen right away, not another Pinterest project.
Ashley, such wisdom in your comment. You are too right that it isn’t about some type of Pinterest project or what your house “should” look like but what works for your family and home. And I am with you about all the little “soft toys.” They make things look cluttered but rarely (if ever) get played with. I’m going to do the same with my daughter’s room when she is “ready.” Ha!
So true! Can’t count the times I waited to organize until I found a way to do it that looked cute 😜 so much better to at least have a shoebox to keep odds and ends in and terminate the paper pileup.
I do that too, I’m like waiting until it’ll look perfectly professionally designed then I’m like FORGET IT A BOX IS ENOUGH and it usually is. ha
Our thing is books…. The kids (4 in 5 years no multiples) all LOVE books which is great, but they struggle to get the books back on the shelf properly. I find books piles in every imaginable place, and many I never imagined! I try to do a book walk every day, but still there are books, books, books.
Totally agree! We actually have baskets we use for books. I’ve found that exact thing as well!
Something Ive like it’s getting the “12 books in one” kind of books–like the 5 minute bedtime stories that have a dozen fancy nancy stories etc. So much less clutter when you have so many stories in one bound book!
Baskets have been our secret to getting books back in the right place! It’s much easier for my 3 year old to set them back in a basket than to put on a shelf. Also we rotate which books are in the basket and the rest are away in a tote box. This helps decrease how many get left around the house.
Totally agree, Whitney, about baskets. Much easier for kids to clean up!
We recently took our three shelf book case and traded with a two shelf book case, and put it on top of a low dresser. The books were immediately off the floor and at kid eye level. There isn’t a way for them to fall off the shelf onto the floor after reading anymore!
Perhaps consider rewarding your children for returning all the books to the shelves each day. Whoever returns the books might receive a small financial incentive each time (they could use the money to purchase new books). You could also consider reducing the amount of books by donating old ones (ones that are no longer read) to your local library. I love that your children love to read – that’s so wonderful and clearly something you’ve instilled in them :)
Sounds like a great idea. And kids of all ages should be encouraged to read. I’m not a fan of paying kids to do what they should be doing to help out around the house though. I leaned more towards turning it into a game .. how long will it take to pick up 8 books, or something like that.
Wow! I really love this. This is something I need to start doing now to calm some chaos in our home. So simple, yet I wouldn’t have thought of it myself. Thanks for sharing!
This is exactly what I have been needing! Lately the little things (and a couple big ones) around the house that just need to get done have been stressing me out and causing me great anxiety. This type-a personality is getting the best of me lately and I usually have a good handle on it!
What a brilliant idea and so simple too. I will be doing this tomorrow when I’ve got the house to myself! Praise the Lord for wisdom!
Hope it works for you :)
Rachel: As I read this I wondered where you and your wisdom were when I was raising My Three Sons. Then, I realized, in the 90’s, you A: were not born yet; and/or B: Blogs hadn’t been born yet. I do believe that wisdom is a gift. Thanks for sharing yours. I have a new daughter-in-law to whom I can pass your discoveries (and please God, someday grandchildren.) I still have two adult sons at home, 18 and 22, bouncing in and out from college. Sometimes I believe the difference between them and toddlers is their shoe size! (There shoes are large; I trip over them every where between the front hall, kitchen hall and back hall.) I am 55, my husband and I own a manufacturing business where I the accountant two days per week, I teach Sunday school to the K-5th grade at my church and just finished writing my first VBS Curriculum. Oh, right: I am in the middle of treatment for stage one breast cancer. Things like your “House Walk” are tremendously brilliant! I, too, am type-A. Each room in the house is just a little off right now. I think this will “turn them on.” Who knows what blessings await.
Ellen, I pray that your treatment is effective ASAP and am so glad you are here! I think sometimes it’s the little things (like a house walk) that can bring a new level of contentment and sanity during difficult seasons.
Love your comments it applies to my kids ages 12 to 21; bigger children, bigger toys and messes!
I’m going to try this!! My house stresses me out so much and I’ve been looking into ways to deal with this. I’ve been collating a list of cool blog posts to share on my website – you have SO made the list :)
Aww thank you :)
I love this! Just had my 4th child 5 weeks ago (4 baby’s in 4 years) , and I’ve gotten so behind on our house clutter since having the baby that it’s driving me crazy! I’m doing the walk first thing in the morning! Also love your baby sleep schedule charts! My 5 week old sleeps like a dream, goes to bed at 8, dream feeds at 10, and sleeps 10:30-8 am! Now that I’m getting acquit rest, it’s time to get my house back in order!
Big congratulations :)
I love this idea of doing a house walk. I’m used to doing a kitchen sweep so I don’t have to clean up before and after breakfast. Definitely intend to do a house sweep. Also, with tge kids in bed you can really pin point the things that make you grind your teeth in irritation. Thank you for giving me a great tip to sort out the little things that drive me crazy.
Oh my goodness, I thought I was the only one that resorted to eating cheese and drinking a soft drink when I was overwhelmed. Lol. This was a great article and I will be referring to it often and sharing it with other Mommas. Thank you very much!
I thought the same thing too! Cheese and a coke with rosemary garlic triscuits are a go to for me and sometimes depending on the hectic schedule and chaos of the day the only meal I eat!
Brilliant idea….we also introduced a centralised errand and grocery list for everone in the household that is on our fridge…it works very well especially as it enabkes me to remind my children of what they need to do before they disapear upstairs….and then I forget as well…..
Hi, I am now 64 years of age, and 1 tip from my Mom, when I got married was. ” Never walk through your house, empty handed”. Meaning, something can always be put back in its place. Still do this today. ?
I do a house walk whenever we are moving or when I’m pregnanant. My youngest is already 6 months and I’m not pregnant yet and we’re finally in a home we’ll be in for a few years. So, I need to add house walk – great term btw – to a time of year rather than life event. Squeaky doors and burned out bulbs make me crazy but I can never just change a bulb when it burns out. That would mean pulling a ladder out, getting the burned bulb out, finding a replacement, going to the store for said replacement, getting back up the ladder and putting the cover back on. That is never going to happen with little kids and babies all over the place!
Hi there!!
Girrll, this article spoke to my soul!?
I am beyond estatic about this article! I clean homes for a living and THIS is what i have been trying to instill in my clients for years. I’d love to share a link to your fabulous article on my IG account if you don’t mind.
My handle on Instagram is @jaicuster. I frequently post pictures of my jobs and helpful ways to clean, organize and tackle home maintenance.
Blessings to you?
Ok, but what if the things to get rid of aren’t yours, and the owner (hubby or kids) don’t want to part with them? Or what if you have a great system (like the drop zone) and hubby or kids refuse to use it? We have a drop zone as you come into the kitchen on a non-essential counter space that’s not used for food prep. But hubby consistently ignores it and uses a spot two feet away on a counter right by the stove that is the equivalent of a food prep highway. He backs up traffic on that highway every single day and if I move anything of his two feet to the drop zone it’s as if to him I dropped it in the Burmuda Triangle. He gets irritated and asks me where it went. Even though the answer is always the same.
The mantra – A place for everything, and everything in it’s place – needs to be applied here. If DH’s place for his things is next to the stove, to him that is it’s place. Give him a more convenient space, and if he consistently leaves thngs near the stove, move them to their proper place. Ask him what place he would like. he has established a habit and if you wan to make his routine to your liking, it needs to be to his liking too.
Mine consistently dropped keys, wallet, cell phone on dining table. Then there was a mes when we needed to eat, . And always a flurry of anxiety when he couldn’t find his “stuff”.
So since keys are a major item we need to keep track of, I got a nice looking bowl and placed it on the dining server – all in and out things go there, It took a while to keep returning his clutter from surfaces to that bowl, but now it is a lot easier to get out the door without running around yelling “Where are the keys?”
habet
I love this. I am going to start tomorrow. I have three kids ranging from 18 months to 10 years and I hate how cluttered and messy our already to small home is. I love to leave and hate to come back. Hopefully your wonderful tips can help me love coming home again.
I have always done this at 4 Pm almost every day. I work from home and want to tour the house starting at the top checking to make sure all is in order before I switch over to non-work mode. I fix up what needs doing, note what I can tackle the next day. Then I can clear my mind for the evening. I’ve always called it my “circle check” from the walk around the truck the drivers do before a trip to make sure the semi is ok.
Rachel, this was SO inspiring!
My house is fairly organized and my husband and I even have an organizational blog where we give great (if I do say so myself) advise to people on how to get their home under control. I must say, however, that I haven’t come across the concept of a house walk before, not in this way at least. (I will have to read that book). I love it! It is so simple but still gives you a document to start from to get the momentum rolling.
We usually advise people to do a type of walk in their minds. Have them brainstorm what areas in their home or life would make the biggest difference to their day to day life, if they had that under control. Then we break down the areas and create systems that help them organize and maintain the area.
Organization has made such a big difference in my life as a mom and … well, a person.
Thanks again for sharing this, I will have to do this tonight!!!
This is a great idea! I only have one little one, but I get overwhelmed A LOT. Awesome post
Thank you for your blog post. About year and a half ago I purchased my own home. Due to the location and house market I could only afford a house with about 100m2 plus garage. Now, coming from a big family with two story house that used to be a two apartment house is very discouraging. There is never a space for what I used to dream about. But never the less I started to appreciate that with less space, I can still have the amazing design, it just needs more thought, especially versatile furniture and lots of buckets of white paint to cover up the terrible yellow color. And lots of good looking storage options ?that said, even a small house has the same amount of incredibly annoying things like a big house: the switch keeps interrupting in my pantry, the tile needs to be replaced, the kitchen cabinets are falling apart, and the faucet was incorrectly installed, etc….. however one major thing from my list got done – new fireplace insert and it made a huge difference in the entire living room! So to sum it up, we all have these annoying little things that drive us completely nuts and the simple solution is ourselves ?
This information is precisely what I needed today. It’s also probably a good idea to do a “Life Walk” to list what needs fixing/replacing/tossed! Thank you so much for the inspiration!
I so enjoyed the comments, insights and instructions from you and the others. I have been a caretaker at my parents’ home (two miles from my home) for my Mom for over 17 years, before that I assisted for two years with my Father. Now I am back in my home that was a ‘storage unit’ for 19 years with neglect on any major care. I have gone from living in a bedroom at my parents’ home to seeing the reality that I have used my home as a 1,000 square foot storage unit. Where do I begin?
Where did you get those yellow pajama pants??? Love them!
I love all the comments on here. They are so positive and it sounds like so many other women have just as many needs for this article as I have! There are so many little things in my house that drive me crazy so I’m starting today with my house walk. Thank you, thank you!
Deborah, oh man it’s the little things that really make it hard. Good luck!
I’m late to comment but I’ve done a version of this but it’s too overwhelming. I’ve found that getting rid of extras and downsizing on the number of furniture pieces has helped with the stress my house causes me. Thank you so much for your wonderful knowledge
I will continue to follow your posts.
LOVE these ideas! The excess stuff I’ve accumulated is having a seriously negative effect on my mental state. I feel so overwhelmed! I want space and time for crafting. TOO much stuff stifles the ability of the create.