How to get your Spouse to agree with Getting your Home Organized

So you are ready to get organized, but your spouse is not on board. Sometimes, that doesn’t really matter. But, when you need the time and money to get it done, your spouse needs to be on board. When you want the organization to last, your partner needs to buy in.

“Our house isn’t that bad.”

“I don’t want to spend my time doing that, why don’t you just do it.”

These are some of the things that spouses can say when it comes to getting your home organized.

I have come up with some of the benefits of having an organized home.

But, the best way to get your partner on board is set an example.

Start with one of your own areas like your side of the bathroom or closet and see if they notice a difference in how smoothly and less frazzled everything is.

Getting Organized Reduces Stress

The top reason I like to be organized, it reduces stress. I know where everything is. My children know where everything is. Even my husband knows where everything is. When you’re organized, you don’t spend time searching for it. Also, with my kids knowing where items are, I don’t have to point out to them where the item is or goes. They know how to get what they need for snack and where to put away their toys. And the most stressful time of day, the morning, runs a lot smoother because everyone knows what they needs to do and where their items are.

Having an Organized Home Saves Time

Research has found that Americans can spend 2.5 days looking for lost items a year. That is time you could have used to do other things. Take getting out the door in the morning. When you’re organized, you can quickly make your coffee and/or breakfast. You can get your kids fed, lunches made and everyone out the door. 

In our house, I get up before my children because I love the morning time. I come downstairs to coffee already made and I get their breakfast made from their three breakfast choices for the week. Once the boys get up, they eat breakfast and I feed the baby and get her up. Then, Boomer (5 years old) gets himself ready through his checklist and Raleigh (2 1/2 years) follows his brother until he needs help getting himself dressed. I put their already packed lunches, snacks and waters in their backpacks. Around this time, my husband typically comes downstairs (he’s not a morning person) and sometimes helps get the kids in the car to go to school. However, even without my husband helping many mornings, I can get three kids and myself ready without much pushback (unless Raleigh needs help carrying all his books downstairs). The reason I can do this is because I have my house and routine organized and it saves me time. The boys get up 30 minutes before we have to leave the house and we’re able to get it all done quickly!

Getting Organized doesn’t have to be expensive

One reason spouses push back to getting organized is it’s expensive. True, buying clear acrylic everything is expensive. But remember those shoe boxes you kept because you felt like you should? Those can be used as containers on shelves or in drawers.  Plastic bags can be used to store games and toys with small pieces. There are inexpensive options for containers. You also don’t need containers. Even for people I organize for, I don’t always buy containers. Sometimes we just work in the space that is there and either use something the client has or don’t use containers at all. The goal of getting organized is knowing where everything is, not having everything in pretty containers.

Having an Organized Home saves Money

Plus, when you get organized, sometimes you realize something you don’t have to spend money on anymore. I have one client who stopped buying charging cords when she realized how many she had. I have another client who was able to cook from her pantry and freezer after they were organized. She didn’t realize how much food she actually had because it was shoved behind other items.  Actually knowing how much back stock you have of an item can save you money since you can use what you have already.

The main ways my clients are able to save money are

1. Locating items they didn’t know they had and had been buying new ones of

2. Creating a system for toys that children actually play with so you don’t feel the need to buy more

3. Knowing what is in your pantry when you’re grocery shopping and not double buying

4. Creating routines that save money, like meal planning or paper organization

Having your Home Organized can Improve your Relationship

The last way getting organized can improve your home is it improves your relationship with your spouse. This is not the one many people think about but stay with me.

Has your spouse ever come home and been so tired they don’t want to do anything? This happens many times in our home. If our home is a wreck from the kids, it is hard to let your spouse relax. The easiest thing to do is make sure they know the house is a wreck and demand help either in the form of helping with the kids or cleaning up the mess. Sometimes, they just need a few minutes to look at their phone and check out (or at least that’s what needs to happen in our house).  I am married to someone who works long hours outside of the house many days and is tired when he gets home. Most days, he can take a few minutes (or more) for himself before diving into the house and children because of our organized home.

If you have children, of course not every day is perfect, but most days do go smoothly in our house.  My kids know what to do in the evening and what is expected of them because of our routines. I can quickly clean up the kitchen because my children are occupied. My husband doesn’t have to worry about cleaning up the house right when he gets home. And even on days that are a little crazier, he can clean up after everyone else has gone to bed (his preferred time to clean) because he knows where everything goes. Since our house is organized, everyone knows where items go and what’s expected of them. That means, I am less frustrated with everyone in the house, it doesn’t all fall on me. Then, when our kids are in bed, we can take time to connect or watch a show or do something relaxing. We don’t spend the evening cleaning up and trying to pawn it off on each other because we’re both tired and getting frustrated with each other.

This goes back to the first benefit. Getting organized reduces stress. When you’re less stressed, you are in a better place to have interactions with your partner. Even more important, you’re in a better place to have interactions with your children. It is easier for me to stay calm with my children when my house feels in order. I know they appreciate that and it teaches them how to handle stressful situations. I am not as helpful when I’m stressed and they’re upset. It’s a mess!

Try explaining these benefits to your partner and see if you can get them on board.

If not, start small and organize “your area” of the house, whatever that is. If you do the majority of the cooking, try organizing some of the kitchen. When your partner is cleaning up, they will appreciate being able to find everything and having it make sense and function well in your home.

And once you convince your spouse that having an organized home should be a priority, reach out for some help. We are happy to talk through an area through a virtual session or come in and organize it for you. Just click below to set up a phone call and decide what is right for you. Investing in your home and your organization will improve your stress level, save you time, save you money and improve your relationships!