Being a parent means welcoming the occasional cutter. My personal belief is that kids need to experience making a mess from time to time. Not only is making a mess an enjoyable process to kids, but it’s also how they learn the benefits of organization. When Samantha recently participated in Screen Free week, which meant turning off the television for seven days, the messes got out of control. As much as I understand that messes are okay from time to time, I was grateful to receive a bamboo shelving unit just in time to help organize some of the clutter.

Tips for Spring Organizing with New Shelving

1.) Set the shelf up in an area crowded with clutter.

In my living room, I spotted a crowded location. The area had become a storage spot for dad’s school books, the kids’ games, and notebooks. This was the perfect spot for the shelf. I could quickly envision where the shelf should go, and even more important, I could picture what needed to go on the shelf.

Setting up the shelf was simple. Unassembled, I had several pieces of wood and some screws. It was easy to tell where each piece would go. The only difficult part for me was tightening the screws all the way. After the screws were screwed in tightly, the shelf looked sturdy and ready to help with the organization of my home.

2.) Create a study space for the kids.

The kids wanted the whole shelf to be used for toys. Samantha said she could picture how she would arrange her toys so she could see them. I appreciated her enthusiasm. Even though I wasn’t ready to part with the whole shelf, I did designate the bottom shelf for the kids’ educational material. This makes doing educational activities more convenient.

3.) Designate a space for technical books.

These technical coding and programming books have been on the floor next to my husband’s desk for SO long now. I’m not sure that he minded, but the area looks so much better now! Even though the shelf is meant for smaller items and can be used in the bathroom, I thought it worked out really well in our living room. I stacked the books horizontally for them to fit perfectly.

4.) Stack notebooks on their own shelf.

Next to all the technical books, there were a lot of notebooks and random paperwork. These fit well in the third shelf. I liked having a designated space for spiral notebooks and important papers. It was such a relief to see this clutter all finding a home! The notebooks were still easy to find, but out of the way just enough to make the room look more organized.

5.) Maintain a leisure reading and writing zone.

After creating a space for everyone else in the family, I realized there was room for one more person – me! I used the top shelf so it would be more difficult for my kids to get to it. My leisure reading and writing space is a great reminder for me to take some time for myself. I have my favorite novels, some notebooks, and my favorite mechanical pencil. Until I can have my own library room filled with built in book shelves, this freestanding shelf from ToiletTree is working very well!

Although this shelf didn’t take care of all the toys Samantha has been taking out during Screen Free week, it did help quite a bit! Organizing the house happens one step, or one shelf, at a time.

What’s on your shelf? Share your favorite spring organizing project in the comments section below.

Disclosure

I received a free item, but it in no way influenced my opinion!

Pris Blossom April 24, 2016

Great tips! I’ve been meaning to get a book shelf for my toddler’s books and things. Thanks for the inspiration 🙂

Kim Luker April 24, 2016

Great tips, and what a cute shelf!! I love finding ways to get things organized!

Cynthia @craftoflaughter April 24, 2016

I love corralling clutter! Especially books. It’s wonderful to build a cozy reading corner around the collection

Marie April 25, 2016

I love the idea of creating a kids study shelf! What a great way to corral materials and keep them easily accessible to kids.

Meg @EveryMomDay April 25, 2016

I love that the bottom shelf is all kids stuff – thats how everything is in my house too – the kids rule from the floor to knee level! Great tips on organizing the books too – we have a box full of books that still need to be unpacked and organized.

Michelle Ward April 27, 2016

I am adding a shelf to my shopping list. With summer break coming up I want to create some kind of study area for my kids to read and do workbooks. I have a collection of kids coloring books and workbooks that are buried in the basement.

Stefanie Gladden May 8, 2016

thanks for sharing your organization tips!! I really like the maintain a leisure reading and writing zone tip!

Nadine Smith (Scenes From Nadine) June 5, 2016

Thanks for the tips! I’m actually planning on organizing my place and I dont know where to start… I think I’ll start with books and notebooks after seeing your post.