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March 6, 2025 | IN Together Magazine | BY AVID | 4 min read

When you’re trying to balance work commitments, extra-curricular activities, social outings, relaxation time, and school pickups and drop offs keeping the home neat and tidy can sometimes feel like an impossible task at the very bottom of your to-do list. But, according to mum and home organisation guru Pip Renfrew, there are so many simple steps families can take to de-clutter and re-organise their home. 

We sat down with Pip who shared her best tips and some bonus hacks for creating an organised, stress-free haven you and your family will love.

Pip Renfrew’s Biggest Tips

Figure out what matters most to your family

In Pip’s home, a tidy kitchen before going to bed is non-negotiable. This might not be as important to you, and that’s ok! Figure out what is most important to help you feel more organised, then make a note of it and implement it in your daily routine. This can be anything from ensuring all the kid’s toys are put away or the cushions and blankets in the lounge room are neat and tidy.

Create a family calendar

This calendar can be physical or digital, whatever suits your family best but make sure it’s kept in a place where everyone can see it. Colour coding the calendar for each family member makes it much easier to track everyone’s busy schedule and roles in the home.

Establish a routine

Creating daily routines for school days, meals, and bedtime helps create structure in your family’s lives. For example, on school or day care days, everyone might need to have breakfast, teeth brushed, dressed, bag packed before they can watch tv or play with devices. Simple routines like this, once established, can make a major difference. 

Pick a ‘drop zone’ and ‘command centre’

Keeping track of everyone’s important documents and school notes can be hard in a busy household. Pick a central area in the home to hang a whiteboard or corkboard where your family members can place these. This also doubles as a great spot for the family calendar! 

It’s also a good idea to set up a ‘drop zone’, where each family member can have a designated place to put their school or work bag, shoes, lunchboxes and hats. This helps to keep mess and lost items to a minimum and might even lessen the chance of the dog eating the little one’s homework!

Meal Plan 

If you’re a busy working family you know the struggles when it’s been a long day at work, the kids have after school activities, you get home at 6pm and there’s no dinner. Meal planning for the week ahead keeps you organised by knowing what meals are going to be cooked each night. Have a theme night at least one to two times a week like Taco Tuesday or Schnitty night to make the decision process easier. Take note of the nights you do get home late so you make a double batch dinner the night before and eat leftovers. 

Don’t be too hard on yourself

Keeping your family and home organised can be a full-time job in itself. Start with one task at a time and add these gradually into your daily routine. The more you do a task, the easier it becomes, making it less of a chore and instead just a normal part of your day.

Bonus hacks for young families

1. Declutter regularly: Regularly go through your belongings to see what you and your family no longer need or use and identify pieces that could be donated to charity or thrown away.
2. Label everything: Add labels to tubs, baskets, drawers to help identify where items go. This makes it easier for family members to find items and helps maintain organisation over time.
3. Rotate toys and clothes: If you are limited with space in your home, create a toy rotation. This also keeps your kids more engaged with their toys when they are swapped out regularly. You can also store out of season clothes in storage tubs or vacuum sealed bags, freeing up space in your wardrobe for the current season clothes.

About Pip Renfrew 

Pip Renfrew is the owner of The Tidy Sidekick, a professional home organisation business hailing from Maitland in NSW. Pip previously shared her knowledge and expertise with residents from AVID’s Waterford community at the Waterford Home Show earlier this year. Pip delivers in-person consultations and also offers her services via online and virtual sessions. To find out more about Pip visit: https://thetidysidekick.com.au/