Get Organized in the New Year with These Student Living Tips

Being organized is an important factor for success at university. Winter break is the perfect time to prepare, since there are no classes to distract you. Plus, when you start classes for the new semester, your residence will be clutter-free, which will make it easier to focus on your studies. Here are a few simple steps you can take to make 2020 your most organized year yet.

1. Place Coat and Shoe Racks by the Door

When you come home exhausted from your busy day, make it easy to unwind with a neat place to leave your coat, backpack, and shoes. An affordable coat and shoe rack will keep everything in one convenient location. And, using them will simply require you to place your belongings at the door upon getting in.

2. Give Everyone a Pantry Basket

When food in the kitchen gets scattered, it’s not just messy — it may lead to disagreements about what belongs to whom. You can solve both problems by assigning each roommate a labelled basket or container for storing food their own personal food items.

3. Add a Bathroom Cabinet

Bathrooms are another common site for clutter and misplaced belongings. Make sure no one accidentally uses someone else’s products — and keep the place tidy — by committing to store your items on personal shelves in a cabinet. Keeping products out of the shower and off the sink will also make cleaning much easier.

4. Draw Up a Cleaning Schedule

Unfortunately, no amount of organization will keep your home clean on its own. To make sure everyone knows their responsibilities and the place stays neat, hang a chalkboard with designated chores. You can also use the board for reminders and other notes.

5. Store Everything

You most likely don’t enjoy seeing your roommates’ stuff lying around in the common areas — and chances are, they feel the same about your possessions. Prevent clutter by giving everything an assigned place, and put things away right after use. You may need to invest in some storage baskets to make this possible. A TV stand is also ideal, as it comes with plenty of storage space in the form of closed cabinets. If you don’t have one already, consider visiting the thrift shop to save money.

6. Purchase a Dish Rack

Dishes quickly pile up in the sink if there’s nowhere to stack washed ones. If you buy a dish rack, no one will have any excuse for leaving dirty dishes until later. Just make sure you put them away as soon as they’re dry to prevent clean ones from accumulating.

7. Make the Most of Your Closet

Stop your belongings from spreading across your entire home by making better use of your closet. A closet organizer can help by creating separate compartments for shoes, personal care products, bags and purses, jewellery, books, and whatever else you need to store.

It’s difficult (and sometimes even impossible) to stay organized when you share a small room with someone else and common areas with numerous other students. An effective alternative is off-campus student housing. Ottawa students are fortunate to have 1Eleven as a convenient option. Not only will you have your own room, but you can also benefit from their roommate matching service to find roommates who have a similar lifestyle to you. That way, you can share common spaces with other like-minded students who appreciate tidiness as much as you do.

For more information, contact us!