Get Ready, Get Set, Get to Enjoy Your Home

Since Thursday, I’ve been writing (five back-to-back posts) about the organization process. I’m got getting into specific rooms and solutions (that will come another time). I’ve been sharing a way of thinking about, planning for, and implementing organization.
Thursday– background day–understanding some of the reasons we have so much stuff and answering a few questions to help you understand what makes YOU tick.
Friday- an explanation of “what clutter IS?”  and the dozen “Organization Goals”. 
Saturday- we jumped into learning to live with “love it or use it” and  “The Rules”– starting with the Preparation Top Ten– guidelines to get prepared for organization.
Sunday- the “Action Top Ten“.

Today, we’ll move onto the third and final set of procedures for staying organized:
The Rules- Staying Organized
MOVING FORWARD TOP TEN– how to keep your organized house….organized
1. if you can take care of something in less than seven minutes, do it now
Instead of adding it to your paper or mental “To Do” list, if you have what you need to do it now, get it done. 

2. don’t do things halfway
Hang up your coat when you walk in the door, put dirty clothing where you have your washer/dryer, hang up your wet towel, put dishes right in the dishwasher, etc., etc.

3. don’t create a pile of “stuff” or messes to process later
Piles = Chaos, so don’t pile a week’s worth of mail on the counter (“process” it right away), don’t make a pile of clothing on the bedroom floor (put it in the laundry room or put it away), don’t create a pile of things that the kids bring home from school ….you get the idea.

4. watch out for horizontal surfaces
Horizontal surfaces–your tables, counters, shelves and mantels are important in décor and should not become “holding” or “clutter” areas.

5. don’t overbook yourself
Sometimes it’s easier to over-commit outside the house (over-volunteer, etc.) so that you don’t have to deal with what’s INSIDE your home. Give yourself the gift of time so that you’re free to clean/organize when you see something that needs to be done.

6. of course there are exceptions, but in general, don’t store other people’s stuff
If you find yourself in a situation where you decide to become a storage unit, set a time limit. You need to claim your space. 

7. create a habit of “one item into my home – two items out”
If you master this skill, you’ll continually invite more breathing space into you home. In case you’re trying to outsmart this rule….two spoons do NOT count as the two items out when you bring another suitcase in! Size and relativity apply to this rule (but deep down you already knew that).

8. don’t shoot for “perfect”, aim for a home YOU can really enjoy
Perfect is an illusion. We’re not perfect beings so I don’t think we can live perfect lives with perfect people in perfect homes. What matters here is happiness, comfort and peace.

9. realize this isn’t just something you do once, but rather a life process
Many people make the mistake of thinking that once they get rid of a bunch of stuff and clean up their homes, they’re done. That’s not realistic and it’ll just set you up for frustration down the road. Once you get through your entire home, you’ll be in a position to maintain the organization you’ve created. Stick with it!

10. think of organizing as an adventure…it really can be fun!
I know that may sound crazy to you now, but once you get used to living in a home that works for you, brings you serenity and is the place you “can’t wait to get home to”, you’ll understand what I mean!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this five-part organization series. I’ll blog more about specific rooms and solutions another time, but for now you have the tools to jump in and get started!

Happy Organizing!
Kay

©2016 KAY MCLANE DESIGN, LLC
 kaymclane.com

ps. if you’d like to get more kay mclane design posts, please click “follow”.
p.p.s. if you have friends or family members who would benefit from these posts, please pass this along. Thanks! K

Once you GET organized, it’s important to STAY organized. ©2016 kaymclane.com

Get Ready, Get Set, Get The Rules

For the  past two days I’ve written about getting started with the organization process. It’s a new year, so let’s make a new start. On Thursday, I covered some background, including understanding some of the reasons we have so much stuff. I also offered a few questions to get you thinking about living in an organized home. Yesterday, we moved on with “what clutter is”, the dozen “Organization Goals” and a discussion about “loving it or using it”.

According to Merriam Webster, organization is “the act or process of putting the different parts of something in a certain order so that they can be found or used easily.” “Found or used easily”, wouldn’t that be great?

What if you could create a different home life; one where you live only with what you love and use?
What if you opened your bedroom closet and weren’t overwhelmed with items you don’t like, that don’t fit or that simply don’t “work” with YOUR life?
What if you never again had to search for car keys, the remotes, the perfect recipe, the receipt you need, or the batteries you’re SURE you bought?
What if you walked into your home and breathed a sigh of relief?

Let’s move forward and get to the next step, “The Rules”. In general, I’m not a fan of rules. Your house should be your home…a place that you can’t wait to get back to; a place that is restorative and calm and makes you happy; a place that reflects who you are and how you want to live.  With that in mind, many typical “design rules” may not apply.  Having said that, however, when you’re jumping into a process that may be new or foreign to you, it’s important to have a framework within which to work. That’s why I created the “rules”. If it makes you feel better, refer to them as “guidelines”, “great organization practices” or even “methods to stop the madness”. As long as you like the name, it’s okay with me!

There are three specific sets of procedures in the process:
Preparation Rules (we’ll start here today),
Action Rules and
Staying Organized Rules.

The Rules- Preparation
(getting ready to get organized)
PREPARATION TOP TEN– planning to live with my motto “love it or use it”
1. schedule “organizing time” (like you plan time with others) because it’s important
For some of you that could mean you allocate some time each day to organizing; for others it may be only one session each week…there’s no right or wrong.

2. make sure you have the supplies you need- bags, boxes, labels, markers
You don’t want to get into the process only to find out that you don’t have the “tools” you need to do the job.

3. invest in a label maker– use it for bins, boxes, shelves, cabinets
Being able to label “what’s where” is a great help.

4. recognize that everything you own will end up in one of these categories:
KEEP– you “love it or use it”, so it goes in its correct place
STORE– you “love it or use it” but it doesn’t have a place to “live”
These things are often special treasures you want to pass down (“love”) or seasonal items (“use”); but try not to have too much store- be judicious!
DONATE– what you don’t like, doesn’t fit, won’t use
RECYCLE/TRASH– broken, torn, soiled items that can’t be donated

5. work in a way that makes sense for YOU– listen to music, sort through things quietly, work early or late in the day
Don’t start the process when you’re already tired or you’ve had a bad day–unless that’ll make you feel better (which often happens).

6. start with one area that will positively impact your life; a space that you’re in and use regularly (could be as small as one kitchen cabinet or bathroom drawer)
Don’t start with something you don’t see regularly, like the attic; you need to see the positive results (which should motivate you to keep going).

7. be methodical; do ONE room, closet or drawer at a time.
Finish one space and THEN move on; getting overwhelmed will get you nowhere!

8. allocate 50 minutes before you quit (set a timer), then take a 10-minute break and do something entirely different (check email, take a walk, throw laundry in the washer), or start again another day
You need to have enough time set aside to make a difference, but also the ability to either stop after that 50 minutes or take your 10 minute break and say, “I can’t wait to get back to it!”

9. have only one “To Do” list; segregate that list by area
As you move from room to room take that list with you. 

10. don’t keep stockpiling (paper towels, tuna fish, toothpaste, ) during your organization period- it WILL go on sale again

Coming next, to a blog post for you, ACTION RULES.

I hope you have a great Saturday,
Kay
©2016 KAY MCLANE DESIGN, LLC
 kaymclane.com

ps. if you’d like to get more kay mclane design posts, please click “follow”.

This little labeler and I have done a lot of work in the past decade! ©2016 kaymclane.com

Get Ready, Get Set, Get In The Game

Yesterday, I jumped into the new year by jumping into ORGANIZATION. How great, right? If you’re emphatically shaking your head “no”, or uttering something like, “this woman must be crazy to think this is great”, I’m not offended. Most of us are inundated with the “STUFF” of life. If your possessions truly bring you joy, that’s wonderful. If, on the other hand, the stuff of your life weighs you down (physically, mentally or emotionally), that’s another story. Yesterday’s post covered some basics like:
-questions to ponder
-internalized reasons that you may have too much stuff 
-more simplistic reasons that you live with clutter or disorganization

My mantra (regarding EVERYthing in your home) is “Love It or Use It”.
What that means is you either:
“love it”- it makes you smile, brings you joy or has a wonderful memory associated with it, or you
“use it”- it has a true utilitarian purpose.
In an ideal situation you’d “love it” AND “use it”, like the handbag that holds the stuff you use AND makes you smile, or a piece of cookware that you genuinely enjoy using that helps you create a wonderful meal. Since that can’t always happen (think of a broom or maybe a beautiful piece of art), I’ll settle for “love it OR use it”. Makes sense, right?
It’s all the stuff that doesn’t fit into one of those two categories that’s the problem!

What IS clutter?
I define clutter as  anything that:
is disliked
is unused
you have excess of
is broken
is obsolete
makes you uncomfortable
or is disorganized.  

Clutter doesn’t just suddenly appear, It gets that way over time.
Clutter is the biggest enemy of space!
When there’s too much to take in➜
your personal space has been absorbed➜
you to feel PUSHED toward the door➜
you sense that “this room is too small”➜
and you retreat because it’s overwhelming!
This is NOT the way to live in your home!

Another problem with clutter is that it:
“roots” you in a home,
cuts off breathing space,
leaves you little or no room to grow.
You become root-bound like a plant.

So, let’s set some “Organization Goals”. These are important because if you don’t know what you’re aiming for, it’s pretty challenging to get there.

ORGANIZATION GOALS
1. empower yourself to make changes and evolve
2. design a “vision” for each room in your home
3. live in the home you WANT, not the one you’re stuck living in with all this STUFF
4. think about enjoying what you do have as a different kind of abundance;
embrace “less is more”
5. edit your life to create “breathing space”
6. recognize that there’s more to life than taking care of stuff 
7.have less to store, insure, move and dig through, making it easier to care for your home
8. know what you have and where it is, so that you can enjoy what you own
9. streamline or simplify activities by having less stuff to deal with
10. clear things out rather than hide them away
11. create serenity– doesn’t that sound great?
12. move toward living only with what you love and use- “Love It or Use It”

Tomorrow we’ll be starting with the first section of “Rules”: Preparation- Top 10.
Let the games begin!!

Happy Friday,
Kay
©2016 KAY MCLANE DESIGN, LLC
 kaymclane.com

ps. if you’d like to get more kay mclane design posts, please click “follow”.

Wishful thinking won’t get you the organized, serene home you want. Goals (and a plan) are what you need. We’ll get there together, one day at a time! ©2016 kaymclane.com