No doubt you are familiar with Pinterest and Houzz, two sites that offer endless amounts of eye candy. Personally, I can spend hours drooling over beautifully organized spaces – closets, craft rooms, kitchens and more. As a professional organizer I have the pleasure of organizing all sorts of spaces for my clients. I find loads of inspiration and ideas on these sites. Despite the apparent simplicity of some of the photos it can take considerable effort to create a space that is both beautiful and functional. When working with clients to simplify their lives and create spaces worthy of Pinterest or Houzz I rely on three basic principles.
Know What You Have: Even the smallest closet can be a black hole with nooks and crannies filled with forgotten and unloved items. Our lives get busy and our stuff gets out of control. It happens to everyone. So, the first step for organizing any space is to know what you have. Empty out that closet or cabinet or garage and see what you have.
Let it Go: Once cleared out, it’s time to evaluate what you have and group like-items. This second step leads to letting go. This step is critical but is often the hardest. I give you permission to get rid of that gift from great Aunt Jean that you never liked, used, or needed! Seriously, though, we all hang onto things we don’t use out of obligation or in the hopes of using them someday. Forget someday – live in the now!
Create Zones: Once you make the tough decisions about what to keep and what to pass to donation or trash it’s time to put it back. It’s not always easy figuring out where things should live. Step three is to create zones. Like a professional chef who preps, cooks, and assembles a meal in different areas in the kitchen I encourage you to consider how you use your space. List the things you do in the particular space. Compartmentalizing these activities will enable you to assign a specific home for each item. I even create a rough hand sketch to help layout the zones. Knowing where things live in your home will simplify your life by making it easier to find what you need when you need it.
Check out this closet to see these three simple steps in action. I bet getting dressed is truly simple!
