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Do you have a family that just refuses to get with the program when it comes to home organization? If so, you are not alone. This is a commonly cited reason for why people don’t get organized. The argument goes like this:

“Every time I try to get things organized around the home, someone else in the family just messes it up again. And I cannot get them to put away their own messes. Why should I be responsible for that?”

It may seem logical that you are not responsible for your family’s messes, but that is simply not the case if you are the one they turn to for direction. Not everyone excels naturally at staying organized, and like you, your family is juggling other responsibilities. They need your help to get organized in the home. Their mess is your mess.

How can you get your family organized? Here are some quick household organizing tips:

• Set a great example. If your family is not getting organized, and you are using that as an excuse to avoid getting organized yourself, how will they ever learn? If you are setting a poor example, no one in your family is going to get the message. Every time you tell them to put away their mess, they may just wonder, “Why should I do that, when you aren’t putting away yours?”

• Come up with a simple system everyone can understand. Sometimes it isn’t laziness or bad intentions which holds family members back from getting organized. Sometimes they simply do not find the system you are using intuitive. Come up with a system which is simple and make sure that you actually explain how and why it works so that your family sees its value.

• Ask for ideas and input. If you pattern the entire household organizational system around your needs and ignore everyone else’s, the system will not work for other members of your family. Ask for ideas and input, and you’ll improve follow-through!

• Make a home organization binder. If there are home organizing projects that you want your family to be working on throughout the year, a home organization binder with a calendar and a weekly schedule can help everyone stay on track.

• Reward your family for getting organized. It can be a big help to give your family some incentive to stay organized. While you are teaching the value of organization to everyone in your household, you have to accept that simply being organized isn’t its own reward for everyone. Tell everyone in your household that if they complete their organization projects for the week, you can all go out to eat, go to a movie, or do something else fun as a reward!

It may seem like your family’s mess is entirely their responsibility, but if you are the person in charge of keeping your household in order, it is a shared responsibility that belongs to you also. Accept accountability and you will find there is a lot you can do to get your family back on target to meeting your organizational goals!