Guys, I got home yesterday and took a look around our 1100 square foot apartment and thought for the first time in a very long time: this place is a mess. Yup. You heard it, the home of a professional organizer can sometimes be messy.
Why, you ask? Even I will admit, sometimes it's hard to maintain all of your systems. Even though I do a 15 minute per night surface sweep (because I'm like, cool) and regularly put things back in their "homes", the stuff of a family of 4 plus nanny can really start to creep up on you if you don't put it in check on a weekly basis, especially when you live in a small space.
What are my solutions? Let's start with "that" pile of clothes....
1. The clothes bench/table/chair/foot of bed in your bedroom:
also known as, "the Chairdrobe".
Okay, many of us live with (or happen to be) people whose passion for organizing is not as strong as....others...
That's okay. Disorganization is not a character flaw!
It is tough though when others' continual clutter breaches your own space threshold.
How to solve this.....hmmm.
My husband, aka Huzzin, has a "discard pile" of clothing on the bench at the foot of our bed. By the end of the week it can grow up to be 5 articles high.
Not gonna lie, it drives me a little bonkers.
This little issue has had me stumped for a while now, so I did a bit of research and found a great solution. I replaced my bench with a laundry sorting system which, for our room, includes:
• a general laundry section • a drycleaning section • cold wash and hang dry section (delicates).
Anything that doesn't fit in those 3 categories gets hung back up because evidently it's still wearable.
And guess what happened- it worked! Huzzin's clothes are no longer piling at the foot of my bed! What's even better is that I just roll it into my closet (and we pretend that it lives there always when guests come over!)
2. My next little thing that needed organizing is children's artwork: I love every single creative thing my daughter makes. But often, there is just no room to keep every single piece after its refrigerator showcase. And also, let's face it, pompoms and glue just don't store well.
I recommend an app specifically for storing photos of artwork/crafts etc. There are a few out there. I use Artkive. I personally think this is better than physical storage because you can document your child's creative growth at your fingertips (without accumulating a large gallery of googly eyes and Popsicle sticks.) AND YOU CAN MAKE THEM IN TO BOOKS. What the what? that's right. And they won't sift glitter when you pick them up!
get it?
So, I have put some systems in place this week that will make life a smidge easier. I hope they can work for you too! Links below.
Peace, love and Labelmakers y'all!
Meg
