Let's Get Organized
Getting organized seems to be at the top of everyone's 'to-do' list in 2019. Not least of all because the show Tidying Up on Netflix with Marie Kondo has gone viral. It seems to have sparked a new obsession with purging and organizing while honouring and bringing joy to your home.
It makes sense though, entering into a new calendar year means we tend to re-evaluate what's important to us and decide to engage in new habits that hopefully turn into a year round routine. Whether it be diet, exercise, mindfulness, cleaning, starting a new morning routine or reading more, January is the month of #newyearnewme.
With this in mind, we decided to consult local organizational guru Rachael Freeman from Space in Your Place to get her thoughts on getting organized for 2019.
Why do you think organization is at the top of many people’s lists for New Year’s resolutions?
Well I don’t know anyone who doesn’t want to be more organized and I think like so many resolutions, January is a fresh start to implement some change in your home. Nowadays people are busier than ever and just don’t have the time at home like they used to, so daily tidying takes a back burner to all of the other expectations and responsibilities we have. Keeping an organized home also doesn’t come easy to some people, so making it a goal or a resolution sets those people up to focus on that for the upcoming year.
How do you recommend people approach making these changes? Where should they start?
I think it helps to think of organization as a process, not a one time event. Don’t approach organizing a space thinking you will tackle an entire room in one go. It helps to break it down into chunks of time or a specific area in the room. For example, if you want to tackle the garage and you cant see the floor or the walls, don’t expect to organize it in a day. Set aside an hour every week to go in there and make homes for your belongings. Or pick a specific area in the garage to organize and work your way around the room.
Just start and start small!
Start off with a drawer or a corner of the room and go from there. Don’t forget it isn’t going to stay like that if you don’t keep it up. Think of the area in your home that causes you the most stress and why. How does it get so messy? Besides yourself, who is responsible to assist you in organizing the space and keeping it that way?
How can living a waste free lifestyle and having an organized space compliment one another?
I can’t begin to tell you just how much they compliment each other! The difference I see in homes that have a focus on a waste free lifestyle vs those that don’t is massive. There are usually far less products with my clients when using items like glass food containers or beeswax wraps than the plastic counterpart. When you’re choosing to live a waste free lifestyle, you know you’ll be re-using those products so they are not wasted, which means you don’t need so many of them. Any organizer will tell you that when it comes to organizing, it is always easiest and most effective to organize when you have minimized the items in your home. For example, in my own drawer, I was able to get rid of 3 large boxes of saran wrap and plastic bags in exchange for a few beeswax wraps and some fabric reusable snack bags. I was able to create much more space in my kitchen for other items that mattered most! When people choose to include zero waste living into their lives they have chosen to consume less and with the organization of any item in your home, the less you have, the less you have to put away, which in my opinion is always easier!
Space In Your Place Organizing Solutions is a full service home organization company, bringing comfort, efficiency and style to your home. I believe that spaces should be intentional, not chaotic. I teach my clients how to gain and keep control of their home.
Space In Your Place was created out of a passion for organizing and a love of working with families in their homes to streamline their lives and spaces.
