As a professional organizer, I’m constantly trying to think of new, practical ways to make a space or process more efficient. I call it the “what if” approach, and combine it with evaluating how a space is currently used, what resources and organizational infrastructure are in place, and what’s needed to optimize it for greater functionality.
Here are some examples that you can easily and inexpensively implement.
I was helping a friend set up for a party, opened up a cabinet, and had an “Aha Moment.” She had created an “out-of-sight command center” for items she accesses constantly. She hates having clutter on the counter or taped all over the outside of the cabinets and fridge, so she figured, “what if I put it all INSIDE the cabinets.” She used 3M removable adhesive strips to secure the cork board squares, tacked up colorful (recycled) envelopes, and marked them “stamps/address labels,” “MAD cash,” “box tops,” “gift cards,” etc. Inside another cabinet, she had the school calendar/menu, football schedule, WIFI code and a few cherished greeting cards that were headed for the recycle bin.
My darling daughter is a dawdler. She would rather play with the cat than get ready for school. In an effort to curtail my downstairs/upstairs screaming for her to hurry, I wondered, what if we make changes? Would that bring peace to our mornings? I bought a two-way intercom and immediately the tone and volume of our conversations “to hurry up” changed from hostile and frustrated to kind and encouraging. She loves the novelty of speaking into a box with a button and hearing my reply. I love that she can tell me she’ll “be down in a minute, Mommy.” “NOW” has been replaced with “seeya soon, sweetie pie.”
I also made a “bracelet get-ready game.” With a Sharpie pen, I wrote one “get ready” action, each on a colored rubber bracelet (like the yellow Live Strong ones): face, hair, teeth, clothes, bed, shoes, breakfast. She starts with all of the bracelets on one wrist, and when she completes each action, she moves that bracelet to the other wrist, and knows that the last one leads her downstairs for breakfast. It’s visual, fun, and has planted the seed for a clear and manageable morning routine.
“I’m not a huge fan of hangers because I’m too lazy to use them,” my client, Amanda told me when we were rehabbing her closet and bedroom. So, what if we avoid hangers? While not ideal for everything, we installed rows of inexpensive hook racks in her not-so-big closet and placed an over-the-door hook rack on the bathroom and front doors. We went to town “hooking” up sweatshirts, jackets, jeans, pajamas, handbags and backpacks, and grouped items accordingly, in mass. We used hooks on hangars for undergarments and scarves. Amanda could finally see the floor, and was “hooked” on the new system. We folded T-shirts (shoulder to shoulder, then in thirds, top to bottom, the Marie Kondo method) and placed them, by color, in her drawers, all lined up like files in a cabinet. Attractive to look at and so easy to maintain.
Rather than stick with what’s common, you just might be amazed at how much more functional your space can be for your lifestyle if you imagine what if …
Next column: I’ll focus on how best to part with cherished items without guilt or emotion (aka folks who accumulate too much, have Aunt Millie’s antiquated furniture that doesn’t meet their lifestyle needs, are overwhelmed with childhood trophies, toddler artwork, etc …)
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Pam Hudson, owner of Simplify with Pam, a professional organizing business here in the Monterey Bay Area, works with busy families, individuals, and small businesses, as well as people who are downsizing, relocating and moving. www.simplifywithpam.com
