Organize Your Home Using the Zone Plan
- Jonda Beattie
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Every year millions of people make New Year’s resolutions.
Not surprisingly “Get Organized” is right up there as number three on the top 10. This is a pretty vague and huge goal. It is no wonder that so many people give up on it. They focus on the outcome rather than a process to make it happen.
This is why I promote organizing your home using the Zone Plan.
Every year I divide my house into 10 Zones. Then every month except for July and December I tackle one of those zones.
At the beginning of each month, I look at the designated zone and list all that has to happen in this zone to get it clean and organized. Then I take out my calendar and schedule those tasks. I pull everything out of cabinets, closets, or drawers. I decide if those items are still needed or can I let them go. I clean out those spaces along with any windows, vents, or fans. If there are rugs or upholstery, I schedule to have them cleaned.
At the end of the month, I congratulate myself on what I have accomplished and move on to the next zone.
This plan works for me for three big reasons.
1. I take a large project and break it down into manageable tasks. Then each month I look at my calendar and schedule when to do those tasks. I do this in leu of spring cleaning.
2. Everything in my house gets touched and reevaluated each year. Every box has been looked into. Memorabilia boxes have been revisited and culled. Kitchen cookware and gadgets have been reevaluated. Holiday décor has been thinned out.
3. If life interferes with the plan and I didn’t finish a zone, I know that I will be revisiting it again next year. So, if there is an illness or a crisis of some sort, or perhaps an opportunity that I just can’t miss, I don’t fret about not completing this zone this year. I just make a note of what parts did not get touched so that I will start with those areas next year. The next month I just move on to my next zone.
I like giving myself two months off from the deep cleaning. In July I might do a bit of catch-up cleaning or outdoor cleaning. I might give a party or go on a trip. I want to put my energy on those items for that month. In December, I want to have the time to enjoy the holidays and the holiday décor.
Of course, throughout the year you carry on with your regularly scheduled maintenance cleaning. It’s not like you deep clean and reorganize a zone and then just leave it alone. You still clean and clear up your spaces. You still get rid of items that no longer suit you. But you don’t have the deep methodical cleaning of the zone plan.
If you are ready to make some meaningful changes in your home or habits and want to set a new course for 2026, join Diane Quintana and me on our next Lunch and Learn on Jan. 9. This class will help you set your course for 2026 and then create benchmarks for each quarter.
Jonda S. Beattie, Professional Organizer owner of Time Space Organization, and co-owner of Release, Repurpose, Reorganize. She is based in the Metro-Atlanta area. As presenter, award-winning author, as well as a retired special education teacher she uses her listening skills, problem solving skills, knowledge of different learning techniques, ADHD specialty, and paper management skills to help clients.
Your zone approach is methodical and it helps people get over the obstacle of having to decide what they "feel" like working on. The zone is the zone, the plan is the plan, and with less flexibility, people are often more likely to address the tasks, finish, and move on. I think, unless you're a rebel, having this kind of plan lets you avoid thinking about it; instead you just do it, like brushing your teeth, without moaning over it. It's definitely for the person who won't rebel against structure, but for most people, this is a refreshing return to the old ways, like when people did laundry on Mondays. I love that the Zone Plan could also be applied…
I love this idea! I am a fan of zone decluttering/organizing. I found that if there are anything I didn't visit, I tend to get to it in October, before the holidays. It works well. And, I can enjoy the holiday. Thanks for sharing your process, Jonda! Happy New Year!
When my husband was alive, I did skip his office - I offered to help him with it but usually he wanted to deal with it himself. On our common areas he would work with me on his sections - like in our bedroom, I would pull out his drawers from his dresser one at a time - tell him to sort it and let me wash it out and then let him or he would let me put items back - in the living room I would pull out all CDs, DVDs, etc. and ask if there were any we could dispose of - then clean the area and put keepers away.
We made it work.
I love your commitment to your Zone plan and how well it works for you. It's funny, but I never thought about it this way, but while I don't have this type of plan for our home, I do have something similar for my blog.
Every six months, I create a blog calendar which specfies the topic I'll write about for that month, the dates I'm posting, and anything else I need to note like "skip this week." For the most part, the topics repeat each year. For example, January's topic is always "Fresh Start" and February is "Change." There is flexibility along with predictability and structure, which are also elements with your Zone plan.
Maybe the Zone plan could…
I thrive on structure, so this method would totally work for me - thanks!