Six easy tips for getting organised after your holidays
Holidays are great, but they tend to throw us off schedule and make things a bit chaotic at home. Don't worry... this can be put right little by little once we get back. To make this easier, here are some tips for getting organised once our holidays are over. You’ll be back into the swing of things in no time!
When we’re on holiday, we go to bed later, put on the first thing we can find to go out, forget to exercise, and often eat at random hours. That’s why when holidays finally come to an end, it's often hard for us to get back into our usual routines. Staying organised at home is crucial when getting back into our day-to-day activities. As you will see, this can even help you to implement healthy habits, such as eating a balanced diet, exercising or getting more sleep. Let's get started...
1. Organise your clothing according to activity
Although the end of your holidays might not involve a change in temperature, it will entail a change in your activities. Whether you're returning to work or simply giving the beach or pool a break, the clothing you’ll need will be different. It's best not to put off changing out your wardrobe until the temperature drops; instead, start putting away everything you’re not going to need: swimsuits, sandals, hats… whatever else! This way, you’ll have a lot more available space for what you're actually going to use every day, making it much easier to pick out your outfits.
This also includes accessories: find a specific space for them so you can just grab them and go. A nice idea may be to hang them on perforated panels or boards on the door of your wardrobe, like in the photo. Gone are the days of not being able to find your belt, earrings or sunglasses that you wear nearly every day. All other accessories that you wear less frequently can be stored somewhere else (shoerack, dresser etc.). Just figure out which ones you tend to use the most so you don’t waste a second looking for them.
2. Get your clothes ready a day early
Do you find it hard to pick out your clothes in the morning? If so, why not set out your outfit the night before? You can hang it on a hanger, along with all the other garments and accessories you’re going to wear. The key is to think about what you’re going to be doing all day (work, meetings, appointments etc.) and choose clothes in which you're going to feel the most comfortable doing so. If you’re torn between two outfits, you can always leave both options out and pick the one you fancy the most when you wake up.
We also recommend having your bag or backpack ready with everything you’ll need (documents, laptop, vanity case etc.). You’ll save some time you can then spend doing other things, like having breakfast without rushing, so that you start your day off on the right foot.
3. Organise your bathroom in a practical way
The bathroom is another mandatory stop in the morning and one of the rooms in the house where you can waste the most time if it's not properly organised. If you're the type of person who accumulates more and more products in your cupboard or on top of the sink and it’s hard for you to find what you’re looking for, it’s time to put an end to this habit!
To do so, the first step is to take out any products you have stored away and put them all on the floor so you can take an inventory. Once you see how much you have, you’ll probably want to run and hide. But don’t panic! Soon everything will be much better organised.
The next step is to throw out anything that has expired (yes, cosmetics expire too!). As for everything else, you’ll have to decide what you actually use and get rid of everything you don’t. Once you’ve made your selection, it’s time to store everything you use in a neat and orderly way. To make this as practical as possible, we suggest you think about the order of your morning routine. An organiser like the one in the photo can be very useful here, as it has various compartments where you can store items according to their use.
If you’re wondering what to do with all the products that you don’t use as much but that aren’t expired, you have two options: keep them in a cupboard or another storage space that you visit less often or give them away to friends and family—it’s up to you!
And if you don’t have a lot of time, this video explains how to organise your bathroom in record time. Take note!
4. Plan your meals in advance
Planning meals is key when it comes to your health and for improving your performance on any daily task, whether that be studying or working. However, we often don’t do this, leaving our meals up to chance, which usually leads to us eating whatever we can quickly grab from the fridge. To avoid this, a good habit to adopt is creating a weekly menu for lunch and dinner. Of course with a certain degree of flexibility in case anything unexpected occurs, but the plan should be relatively clear about what meals you’re going to eat during the week. To get into this habit, the best thing to do is pick the same day of the week for figuring out the menu; let's say on Sunday mornings.
The first step before planning your meals is to figure out what you have in your cupboards, what you can make with those ingredients and what you need to buy. This will ensure that you get the maximum use of the food you already have at home and that you don’t buy too much. Once you have this information, write it down.
To make things even more efficient, we recommend you batch cook, where you spend a few hours preparing some of the meals. That way, they will be nearly ready when you're ready to eat. Although there may be some food you have to make on the spot, you can prepare many of the meals in advance, making it easier for you to eat a more balanced diet.
And of course, so it stays fresh for as long as possible, we suggest keeping the food you prep in advance in glass containers, like those from our IKEA 365+ range.
5. Find a good place for your sports clothing and gear
Is it hard for you to get back into exercising after a holiday? Something as simple as organising your sports gear can be a big help in regaining motivation.
We recommend you find a specific storage space for your sports gear and clothing. So every time you go to work out, you have everything in the same spot and the task will be much simpler. You can use a side table like the one in the photo, use a section of your wardrobe or find other storage solutions such as wardrobe organisers or boxes.
Aside from this, if you tend to skip work-outs because you don’t have enough time or the gym hours don’t fit your schedule, why not do some at-home workouts? You’ll have no excuses, because you can do them whenever is best for you.
If this idea appeals, find a specific area that has enough space to keep you motivated. Just make sure you have everything you need. Get going! Your body and your mind will thank you.
6. Disconnect from technology at night
Last but not least, rest! If you want to make getting back to reality and getting things organised as easy is possible, be sure to get enough sleep. And while multiple factors impact sleep (schedule, diet etc.), one of the most significant influences in recent years is actually technology. We have the bad habit of being glued to our phones at all hours, especially at night. We watch videos, browse social networks and answer messages and before we know it hours have gone by.
While it may seem fairly harmless and something we all do, it has been shown that being exposed to this stimuli before bed makes it harder to sleep and diminishes the quality of our sleep. That’s why we recommend creating a sort of technology station in your home, where you put all your devices after reaching a certain time in the evening. In addition to helping you disconnect and sleep, it will also allow you to connect with one another.
The time has come to put these tips into practice and bring some order back to your everyday life. If you need some more tips, here are some articles that may prove helpful. Go for it!
We love it when customers use our products in a creative way. Why not try to do something new with them yourself? But do remember, any modifications or changes that you make to IKEA products will prevent them from being resold or used for their original use, thus invalidating IKEA product warranties and your right to return.
