Keep It Up
I recently met with a young professional couple for a complimentary consultation on home organizing services. Typical to their generational peers, they have busy lives working and raising a family, and the family is actively growing (number 2 is on the way!). They need help to get a better handle on the unmanaged clutter of their day-to-day work-at-home and family lives. While very few categories of belongings are currently supported by an established organizing system, by and large they have no or certainly not enough systems in place to help them manage it all.
Upon arrival, they were each quick to point out that the cleaning service had just completed the weekly house cleaning and ‘this is not what it usually looks like’. Toys were neatly arranged in the cordoned-off play area, kitchen counters were cleared, and a few neatly stacked piles of things were tucked into corners of rooms. The apartment would look great for a day, they noted, and then it would be back to the stuff of daily living strewn about each room.
A tour of their home revealed a very spacious three-bedroom apartment. In the heart of the city, its generous room sizes could easily rival a three-bedroom home in the suburbs. Most closets were of the reach-in variety consisting of a single rod with a shelf above, and otherwise a cavernous area. However, the closets were not all full and there was plenty of potential to re-imagine and re-organize each space to accommodate their belongings. It represented the inverse of a common home organizing assignment where there is often more stuff than space. It was refreshing to see and my imagination drifted towards all the fun that would ensue (for me!) by creating more efficiency and functionality in each of these spaces.
As the tour wound down, we sat to talk about the overall project. Using some specific areas of their home as examples, I described the process and what they could expect from each organizing appointment or session. We discussed their participation options, the schedule, the cost, and any other logistics related to the project.
Getting from Clutter to Calm
With a busy work and family life, they were eager to put systems in place that would guide them to a clutter-free lifestyle as they readily admitted that absent a system, incoming bills, for instance, got buried in a variety of paper piles and unfortunately were not always paid on time. They also cited the all-too-common frustration of not having enough time as a culprit for the accumulation and unmanaged clutter.
The systems we discussed can surely be set up – for bill paying, for laundry, for putting away toys, and any other belongings. The systems would be created to accommodate their lifestyle and ideas would be introduced with the goal of being able to return to baseline with no more than a few minutes of their time each day. Home organizing systems are great, but maintenance of those systems is key to get from clutter to calm.
I asked about their confidence in devoting the necessary time, no matter how brief, to maintaining the created systems and was met with the infamous deer-in-the-headlights look. I could immediately see the wheels turning with concern, confusion and questioning in their eyes. ‘How do we do that?’
Three Easy Maintenance Steps
Without doubt, it takes effort to maintain home organizing systems. In some cases, new habits or routines need to be formed. The last thing you want to do is spend time and effort, not to mention, expense, creating systems only to abandon them.
It’s as easy as 1 - 2 - 3.
Get everyone into the act. Even the littles can be quite helpful in keeping their own areas and belongings tidy. Written or pictorial labels will leave little room for error for everyone involved.
Devote a few minutes each day to tidy up areas in need. That is all that should be needed to maintain a system that was created to suit your specific needs.
Periodically review the systems in place to be sure they are working effectively. As lifestyles change, systems may need to change as well. Make adjustments as necessary including purging any items that are no longer needed. Remember, purging does not always mean throwing things away. Donate and recycle.
Consistency is key when it comes to maintaining any home organizing system. While it may take some effort to create a system that works just right for you, so does it take effort to be sure it continues to work for you and your family. But it certainly pays off in the long run giving you a clutter free home, visually calm spaces, and the peace of mind that goes with it.