This year has been flying by so fast!! We are already past the middle of August, which…in my book means the summer is almost over. Granted we have over a month till the Fall Solstice….. But once the first week of August hits … well…. for me – growing up the first week of August was the County fair…and when the week was over… and the fair was packing up… it was always a big bummer because that was it… school would be starting soon and summer as I knew it was over… lol.. So dramatic!!! To be honest – with the heat that we have been getting hit with…. I am looking forward to Fall!!
So in honor of getting ready to say goodbye to summer and hello to fall, I have put together a few little Organizing Projects that you can easily do on your own that will help you get you ready for pumpkin spice and everything nice!
Swap out our clothes!!
When I was little I remember my gram storing away her winter clothes…. And up until my 30’s – it was never something I really did… and to be fair – for the most part I try to keep most of my wardrobe wearable year round – however there are things like big bulky sweaters that do not need to be worn when it’s over 90 degrees.
Now is the time when I start pulling those items out of storage so that I can wash them and get them put away as well as go through my current closets and drawers and donate items that I do not wear anymore and toss things that are … too “worn in” lol.
Start gathering up all the swimsuits and beach attire and put them away as well as getting out the coats and get them washed and ready for use!
Fall Menu Planning, Fridge Purge and Panty stock
Now is also the time to start bringing out the comfort food!!! I cook different things in the fall and winter than I do in the spring and summer. Hello meaty stews and pot pie!! Take some time and take inventory of what you have on hand. Go through your fridge, your freezer and your pantry. Take notes of what you have in stock and what you are going to need on hand (example: I rarely use beef broth in the summer time – though it often gets used in the winter for different soups and stews, so I always make sure to pick some up this time of year as I know I will be using it).
Attack your Central Station (Your document catch all area)
Is it your desk? Your kitchen counter? You’re dining room table? Where do you throw your bills, your important documents, your kids’ school work? Time to Organize that area!!
If you have kids- they are going back to school shortly… So all of last year’s work – time to go through it and only keep what you really need – if you are super sentimental – take a few photos of some of the paperwork – but discard the rest.
Purge and shred documents that need to be destroyed, Put everything else where it belongs and get ready to start the season with everything in its place!!
Clean and Swap Decor
I Spring clean… but I also Summer, Fall and Winter clean. In my head – it just makes sense to do a nice thorough cleaning before each season. I have season decorations up and this just works great for me. I take down my summer decorations (think fake flowers, kitchen dish towels, table linens and such) – they get washed and put in their designated totes. Then everything gets a good deep clean. Everything is dusted, windows are washed, furniture gets moved and vacuumed – the whole 9!! Then it is time to pull out the next seasonal decorations and put them up!!!
Outdoor close up…
Time to give a good clean to your outdoor patio furniture as well as get ready to close the pool! I know it doesn’t sound like fun – and besides it is “outdoor furniture” … trust me. “Next Year” you will thank you!!! Take the time now to give everything a good clean before packing things away that way when it’s time to set everything back out you will have less work to do!
I won’t lie, I love when fall comes around… I love when the days are warm and the evenings are crisp. I love hoodies and a good campfire. I love cozy socks and having the fireplace roaring.
So – you tell me – What do you do at the end of Summer that helps you keep organized? Now that Summer is ending, there is a good chance your house/garage/attic/etc is in a bit of disarray…I thought- maybe I could help with that and try to make the end of summer not as depressing.
I am hosting an End of Summer Giveaway!!!
(See below on how to enter!!)
I will pick two names on the last day of August (the 31st) and those (2) winners will receive a 3 hour
zoom/ facebook video chat Virtual Organizing Session.
The Virtual Organizing sessions will consist of:
Session 1 (1 hour): discussing your problem areas and what your goals are for the space. You will show me around the space. You will show me what works for you, what doesn’t work for you and any inspirational ideas that you may have. After the session is over I will then make a program that works for you and your needs.
Session 2 (1 hour): During the second session we will go through the program and you can start the work. I will be with you for the beginning stages so that you can ask any questions. Once our hour is up you will continue the program on your own. Once you have completed the program we will schedule our session.
Session 3 (1hour): We will discuss how everything works for you. We will discuss any issues you may be having and any new ideas or thoughts that have come to you while you were working. We will discuss other options that may work better.
Below are ways to enter. You can have only 1 entry or you can do any or all of the options below (up to 7 total entries) Obviously the more your name is in the pot the better your odds of getting chosen.
(if you already follow any of the pages – please let me know -comment on the post that announces the giveaway and you will still receive an entry)
I don’t know about you – but I know that I tend to feel…. Lost? Unfocused? ( I am not sure what the right word to use is) when my living spaces and work spaces are not organized. When my desk is a mess I feel that I can not concentrate on the tasks that I have to complete.
I take time out and clean up/organize and then I feel I can concentrate on what I am doing …. Once I feel I am fully focused my mood gets better and I feel more productive and energized… and so on… Guess what that is?? The Domino effect of Organizing. Check it out!!
Organizing will save you time.
You have just spent 10 minutes looking for the tape. You are now running late to that Birthday dinner. You thought it was in the junk drawer, apparently it wasn’t. It takes time to organize your house, but once it is…you will no longer be wasting time looking for things. When you organize a space everything has its own “home”. A place to find an item and a place to put an item back.
And this leads to ….
Organizing makes clean up a breeze.
Even if your house feels like it’s upside down, it doesn’t take long to put it back upright. In most cases, when my house is in disarray – I can have it picked up and ready for company in 15 minutes or so (including vacuuming) because I already had it organized. Everything has its “home” – so all I have to do is fold some blankets, put things back in their rightful places, throw some dishes in the dishwasher and we’re good to go.
So if it saves you time and makes cleaning up a breeze… guess what that means?
Organizing can help reduce stress
Think about it… You now know where everything goes so you no longer need to worry about that pile of stuff that has been waiting to be put away because you had no idea where to put everything-when your house is organized you do not need to stress where to put it because it will already have a home waiting for it – or at a minimum a designated spot. Remember that tape you were looking for? You won’t need to worry about finding it because you will always know where it is… like I said…one less thing for you to worry about!!
Guess what less stress can lead to??
Organizing can help increase your productivity!!
You are now less stressed. Your mind is no longer dwelling on that tape or the pile of things that only the lord knows where you are going to put it…you have more confidence knowing where things are at. Now you have made some space in your head for the other things that you should be focusing on. You have time to focus on work, or your family work schedule. You are more able to manage your deadlines and family activities!!
So where are we?? Cleaning your house is a snap of a finger, you are feeling more productive and getting more work done and on top of that you are feeling less stressed…. What does that lead us to????
Organizing helps give you more “ME” time!!!
Do I need to say anymore??? I don’t, but I will.
With all this free time you have saved (extra time not cleaning the house, extra time not looking for odds and ends and tape, extra time not working because you are so productive….) now you have time to focus on YOU!!! Work on that craft that you have put aside, soak in the tub with some wine, read that book…. You have more YOU time so eat it up!!!
Remember this is the Domino effect we are working with…. So now that your house is clean, and you are so relaxed from the soak in the tub, you don’t have a worry in the world… you better believe that….
Organizing can help you sleep better!
Think about your bedtime routine… What does it look like?? Can you fall right asleep right away or are you up tossing and turning and overthinking things? When you have less stuff on the brain and you are more relaxed you tend to have a better night’s sleep. Now, I am not a Doctor or a Sleep Specialist – but this is my experience.
So there you have it…. A few of the benefits from Organizing your house… who couldn’t use some more me time??? And think – that is only the positives of organizing your house – we haven’t even talked about taking organizing into your daily life!! But that is a post for another day!
So – Today is the day!! You have made the conscious decision that you are going to get your house (and with it – your life) in order. You feel confident. You feel MOTIVATED!! You are ready to take on anything – including that pile of folded laundry that has been sitting in the basket for over a week (Oh – is that just me?!?!) You take a look around your house… you see the unopened mail piled up on the table by the door… the opened mail in a pile on the desk… shoes scattered around the front door… a pile of… god knows what sitting at the base of the stairs waiting to be picked up…. And boom – that motivation and confidence… it didn’t just slip out of your fingers – it jumped out of your hands and ran out the front door screaming.
Does any of this sound familiar?? Can you relate?? Guess what?? Most people can. I CAN!! I have been in that scenario plenty of times. Yes – I am an organizer, however, I was not always an organized person (before 9th grade I had THE messiest bedroom in the world!). Once I began 9th grade a flip switched in my head – I started making my bed each morning and somehow that evolved into everything being tidy and organized. So over the last 20+ years I have worked on perfecting my organizational skills – and it has become my own artform -It is what works best for me and I want to share it with you – the rules I live by to keep my house organized.
Pick a Space and stick to it.
First things first – If you are too busy focusing on the big picture (aka the whole house or the whole room) you could very well get easily overwhelmed. Don’t do this. Start by looking at the smaller picture. Pick one space and stick with it. Focus on it only. Not only will this help you not get too over your head – once you have completed this one small task it will help you feel more accomplished and possibly bring those feelings of Motivation and confidence back. Once you have selected the space you’re going to tackle, move on to the next step!
Look at what you have
This is where the fun begins!! You know the old saying “you gotta spend money to make money”…. Well I have a new one for ya.…. “You gotta make a mess to organize your mess”. This process is when you take everything out of the space you are organizing – for example: your bedroom closet. Pull everything out. Empty it out. You need to know what you have in order to organize it. This is the easiest of all the steps. You want to make the next step easier? Start putting things in piles now!! Separate items into their piles when you are emptying out the space. You’ll thank yourself later!
Wipe down
Your space is now empty, so before you go putting things back – CLEAN IT. Wipe it down, vacuum it, do what you have to do – but clean the space so it is ready to hold all your items.
Like with Like
Once you have emptied out the space you need to put “like with like” so you can see what you have. Again – we will go with using the closet as an example. You will divide up your piles. Categorize everything…..Piles of shirts – long sleeve, short sleeve, sleeveless… piles of pants…jeans, work pants, etc. Boots…Heels… flats…. You get the idea!!! Once you have all your different piles you will attack each pile one by one with the next step.
Purge!!!
Marie Kondo tells people to ask themselves if an item brings you “joy”, and if so – then keep it. This is a great idea, but not always feasible – Start with – “do i really need this?” and be HONEST with yourself. Guilt is not a reason to keep something. Remember the pile of clothes I mentioned above? Now is the time to go through it.
You are going to start with one pile. We will use a pile of long sleeve shirts as our example. You are going to sort the pile into color coded piles – and WHILE you are doing that you will be reviewing each article of clothing. When was the last time you wore it? Does it fit you? Did you get rid of it? Good for you! Did it go in the designated color coded pile? That’s fine too-we’ll be coming back to it!!
So – now that you have individual piles of long sleeve tops – look at your biggest pile, for me – that would probably be black tops or white tops. How many black tops do I need? Not a big pile worth. NOW is the time to refer back to the art of tidying. Look at each top and narrow it down to just a few. Obviously I am not coming to your house and looking through your closet so if you decide to keep them all – there is no penalty by me lol.
Find a “home” for everything
Obviously for our example of a closet – that is the clothes “home” but for other items in other spaces – this is what they need. A home. A place to call their own. A place where you know it will always be and where it will always go. This is also where the idea of hierarchy comes into play (see my Theoretical Thursday blog post – https://www.architecturallyorganized.com/architecturally-organized/theoretical-thursday-architecture-and-organizing/ ). What do you use the most vs the least? The items that get the most use, more often than not, should be in the most accessible places. This will be different for each person as each person is unique as are their needs. One person will have their business attire front and center.
Contain your items
Sometimes your space needs some extra help. You have the perfect location for an item – but it needs something more. Sometimes a basket or box to contain the item is all it takes. Start by taking a look at DIY storage ideas or baskets/boxes you may already have in your own home. Reutilize them to save on cost. Organizing does not have to mean running around to The Container Store or TJ Maxx buying tons of containers. You can easily find things around your own house to hold items.
Maintain your space
Congrats!!! All the easy work is done!!! Now comes the hard work – You have to maintain your organized and tidy space! That is what takes the most time and effort – taking the time to put things away where they belong. You need to keep yourself invested in it and not let things fall to the wayside. Which of course is easier said than done sometime, especially when life decides to attack you!
That’s the gist of it. Those are the steps I follow when going through a room or space to get it clean and organized. Obviously some of these steps will take longer in different rooms but the end result is a space that houses things you use, need and love. Keep in mind when I am performing these tasks I am usually also cleaning while I am doing it. Wiping things down, dusting, vacuuming when needed – etc.
Take an afternoon and apply these to a space in your own house and let me know how it goes!!!
I have been studying and working on spatial relationships for over 20 years. The design principles regarding form, function and beauty that are applied to laying out and designing spaces can also be applied to organizing spaces. When laying out an efficient and effective design there are numerous factors that you must consider-total area, hierarchy groupings, circulation, aesthetics…just to name a few.
All of those items not only apply to Architecture-but also Organizing. Take a minute and think about it….
Total area: how big is the space you are organizing/how much room do you have? During the day I am trying to fit numerous private offices, conference rooms, huddle rooms, pantries and workstations into a specific amount of square feet. Well the same applies to organizing a pantry or closet. It’s true – there is only so much that will fit-and sometimes you will have to compromise your wants and needs. Either way – I will try to find the most economical and efficient way to fit what should be included in the space.
Hierarchy groupings: what items do you use the most vs the least and what spaces/objects should be placed next to other groups. When laying out an office I do not want to place the conference room right next to the restrooms or a noisy copy area – and I don’t want to put the President in a small windowless office. Think about how you apply this to your own home. When you are in the kitchen you will want the items you use most close at hand and even more than that – you will keep “like with like”. For example: Keep your baking items (flours, sugars, etc) near your mixing bowls and spatulas.
Circulation: In a home or office you need plenty of room for people to move throughout your space to get to where they are going and to access the things they need. In your closet you need the same sort of access. Do you want to move a bunch of items just so you can get to your supply of toothpaste? Do you want to move all of your dry goods around in your cabinet so you can grab that box of pasta? You don’t want your items all smushed in together-just like people, they need a little breathing room.
Aesthetics-this of course is all in the eye of the beholder, but let’s be real here-no one wants an unattractive space – be it a home, an office, or their bedroom closet. When things are in their places and are tidy – for most people – it takes a weight off their shoulders. Puts them at ease…
And lastly, like Architecture and designing spaces-each Organizing project and client are different and have their own unique set of wants/needs/requirements.
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