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Reading Time – 10 minutes
Thanks to the staff at Arizona Moving Professionals for being my guest blogger.
With children out of school, there is more time to establish new routines. If how your children take care of their rooms has been bothering you take the time to help them learn how to quickly clean and organize their rooms.
All children love making a mess and hate cleaning up. The ones tidying up are the parents. However, tidying up after your child can be problematic when they can do the chores themselves. Firstly, you are creating more work for yourself. Secondly, you are sending the message to your children that you (or somebody else) will always be there to clean up their messes. A group of scientists and psychologists researched this topic – and the results were quite astonishing. Namely, the results showed that children who had to do their chores from an early age grew up to have better relationships (not only romantic but also with friends and family) and more academic success. So, is there a better reason for you to start teaching your children to keep their rooms clean and organized?
Cleaning Should Not Be Punishment
How often have your children misbehaved and, as a punishment, you gave them a chore to do? If you are like most families, the answer is probably – many times. However, when you do this, the child instantly associates cleaning with something bad, dull, tiring, etc., and they start to hate it. Thus, banish the concept of cleaning as a punishment from your home! Instead, teach your children that cleaning and organizing their stuff is something good and worth doing. Show them that doing those chores can be a ‘ticket to other things.’ For instance, offer rewards. And, always offer them on a positive note – remember, if you are negative and keep telling your children what they have to do in a ‘grumpy’ manner, children will be grumpy back about it.
Teach your children that cleaning and organizing can be fun from an early age.
When Teaching Your Children to Keep Their Rooms Clean and Organized, Give Them Options
Speaking of punishments, a large part of what makes chores seem like punishment is that you always tell your children what they have to do and when they have to do it. This will always result in a boycott! Instead, give your children some options. For instance, whether you want them to help with your spring cleaning or have them clean and organize their rooms daily, you should start by offering a list of things that must be done and giving your children the freedom to choose what chore they want to do. This will give them a sense of control – and all children love that. Your children will clean with joy feeling they are in control and rather than forced to do something. And, what is more, by learning that cleaning can be joyful, they will learn to do it with pleasure throughout their life.
Keep the Chores Small and Realistic
If you tell your little one that they have to pick up all the toys, make the bed, organize their closet, put the books away, etc., they will become overwhelmed! For them, doing all these chores is just too much. So, instead of forcing them to do all of these chores in just one day, make it a task a day. For instance, they can organize their toys on Mondays; on Tuesdays, they can organize their books, etc. Moreover, do not expect your children to do those big tasks like vacuuming the house or moping the floors – always stick to small and realistic age appropriate tasks.
This rule is also applicable to adults. Just think about it – if you start with the thought everything is a mess and everything needs to be cleaned up today, you will probably find yourself overwhelmed. Your thoughts should be small and realistic – see what needs to be cleaned and organized and split everything into smaller tasks that can be done over the next week.
The same applies to other life events. For example, if you have to move, do not overwhelm yourself with everything that needs to be done, and do not force yourself to do everything in just a day. Moving specialists at professionalmover.ca advise that it’s always best to organize your time and chores. Create a moving checklist and list all the duties that await. Then create a timetable that will guide you through all the steps. That, and the help of a moving crew, will help you go through the process stress-free.
Give your child small and realistic cleaning tasks, and they will be happy to do
Make it a Family Affair
Another great way to teach your children how to keep their rooms clean and organized is by making this chore a family affair. Trust us; no child likes being sent off to their room and forced to clean and organize. That sounds boring and, to be honest, lonely. So, instead of having your child clean alone and you and your partner cleaning by yourselves, make this cleaning event a family affair. Clean together. And, while doing so, make sure to keep things fun – chat, listen to music, have a race who is going to clean something faster, etc. This will make cleaning and organizing with children less tedious for the entire family. Moreover, it will make it seem like a game – and once it seems like a game, your child will start doing it alone and on a daily basis.
Whatever you do – do it together with your family.
Explain to Your Child Why Cleaning is Important
In most cases, children do not want to clean because they do not see its purpose. Why would they make their bed today when they will mess it up tonight? This and similar thoughts are present in young children’s minds. Thus, if you never take the time to sit down with your child and explain the importance of cleaning and organizing their rooms, they will never truly know why they do it. As a result, they will hate cleaning and organizing. So, we suggest teaching your children about hygiene and avoiding those tiresome cleaning and organizing myths. Talk about germs and bacteria. Make them connect the dots by talking about what happens to our bodies when they get in touch with dirty things such as the previously mentioned germs and bacteria.
Teaching your children to keep their rooms clean and organized is neither easy nor complicated. It’s somewhere in between. It will take some of your time and dedication, but you will reap the benefits if you do it right.
Share how you made organizing with your children fun.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, virtually. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She guides and supports you in managing your time. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Click here to learn more about her online course Create an Organized Home.
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Reading time – 5 minutes
The quick declutter challenge is on week 6. The other challenges were to declutter cosmetics, bedrooms, livingroom dining room and office quickly.
It is said that we use 20% of things we own 80% of the time. This leaves 80% of our stuff that we seldom use. For example, do you have a certain style of pens you like and don’t use the rest of the ones in your drawer? You receive lots of newsletters and only read 2 or 3 of them. Do eat the same thing for breakfast most days leaving cereals to go stale or fruit to rot?
Look at your closet, are there clothes you wear a lot? Outfits you love? Items that never seem to get selected? This time of year is good for decluttering your clothes. The types of clothing you wear will be changing with temperature changes. As you reorganize your closet look at the 80% of your clothing you seldom wear and donate them.
Start with a quick declutter of your clothing.
Most times when you are decluttering clothes you find a lot of items in your closet that are not related to your wardrobe. If you have time and energy you can continue with your project organizing your closet so you can quickly find what you need.
If you need help with the quick declutter challenges book a virtual organizing session with me.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home, office, mind and time. She guides and supports you to be accountable for your time, to complete projects and to reach your goals. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Click here to learn more about her online course Create an Organized Home.
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Click here to learn more about working with a Professional Organizer.
The challenge started with cosmetics, continued with bedrooms, and then the dining room. You can join the challenge anytime and do it in any order. Remember to work quickly for 10 – 30 minutes going around the space and collecting items you no longer need, use or love. Use music to motivate you and a timer to help you stay on task.
Donating and recycling
Many items can be recycled, batteries, pens and markers, and printer cartridges at Staples. Habitat for Humanity takes building supplies and old electronics for recycling. Check with thrift stores in your area. They take household goods, clothing, toys and furniture. Books can be donated at Value Village.
Selling
You may want to sell some items, look at Facebook Marketplace, consignment stores, Kijiji and Craigslist. When selling items to strangers, meet them in a public place and have someone with you. It is the time of year when you can do yard sales.
The Challenge
This challenge can be applied to your family room, living room and recreation room. Get everyone involved and make the quick declutter challenge go faster.
In the comments let me know what interesting things you discovered.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home, office, mind and time. She guides and supports you to be accountable for your time, to complete projects and to reach your goals. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Click here to learn more about her online course Create an Organized Home.
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
I hope you found the tips for decluttering quickly in Quick Declutter Challenge 2 helpful.
Don’t skip this challenge because you don’t have a dining room. Many dining spaces have been turned into offices. You probably have a table that collects clutter or a cupboard that collects too many candles, napkins and unused dishes. It might be in the kitchen, a hallway or a dining room. When clutter is continually visible in a common space area people can start to feel anxious.
In a book I am reading Limitless by Jim Kwik he says, “A Princeton study found that physical clutter competes for your attention ( frontal cortex of your brain) and decreases performance and increases anxiety and stress. Divest yourself of things that attract your attention and distract you.” In the common areas of your home, you want to reduce anxiety, stress and overwhelm. Join the quick declutter challenge 3 and bring happiness to your home.
If you have missed Quick Declutter Challenge 1 – cosmetics or Quick Declutter Challenge 2 – bedrooms you can join the challenge now. Complete the challenges in any order.
In the comment let me know what you found when you decluttered this area.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home, office, mind and time. She guides and supports you to be accountable for your time, to complete projects and to reach your goals. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Click here to learn more about her online course Create an Organized Home.
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
How did the quick declutter challenge 1 – cosmetics go? Did you find it difficult to do it quickly? Did you spend a lot of time making decisions about what to keep and what to let go?
Let’s start with question 1.
Set a timer. A timer can help you
- to focus on the task because there is a deadline for you to stop.
- to start because you know you only have to do the task for a short time and then it is over.
- if you can see or hear the time clicking by, it builds a sense of urgency and importance
Play Music
- Music can help people to focus by blocking out thoughts of other things on their minds.
- Make a playlist of songs that will help to make the decluttering enjoyable.
- Some people will like uptempo music to energize themselves.
- Make your playlist for a set amount of time so when the music is done so is your time for decluttering.
Now for question 2
It can be difficult to make decisions when you are worried you will make the wrong decision. Trust yourself. You make decisions all the time, what to eat, what to wear, where to live and when to exercise. Develop some questions that help you to make decisions. Here are a few examples.
- Do I need this?
- Do I have space for it?
- If I keep it will it help me to meet my goals?
- What is the worst thing that will happen if I don’t have it?
Quick declutter challenge 2 – bedroom
Let me know what else was hiding in your bedroom that you decluttered.
If you need help, let’s work together virtually to declutter your bedroom quickly, julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home, office, mind and time. She guides and supports you to be accountable for your time, to complete projects and to reach your goals. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Click here to learn more about her online course Create an Organized Home.
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Click here to learn more about working with a Professional Organizer.
I had a number of questions submitted to me about how to create joy in your home. Here are my answers. I hope you enjoy them. Please send me more questions or place your thoughts in the comments about creating joy at home.
How does tidying up a home help create joy?
Tidying up so you can find what you want, when you want it, use it to accomplish your task and know where to put it away relieves, stress, tension and frustration. It also uses less energy to complete your work, leaving more energy, physical and emotional, for other parts of your life. Feeling less anxious and overwhelmed makes room in your life for happiness and joy because you have time to spend on the important things, health, relationships and personal growth.
How can you use the idea of a happiness shrine to help someone have more joy and help reduce clutter?
A “happiness shrine” or “pride shrine” in a home is a shelf/wall space/corner used to display items that serve no utilitarian purpose but to make you feel happy. I have a space in my office where I post 1 picture from some vacations with my family and a small shelf for interesting items, that remind me of my successes. This corner certainly makes me smile with many memories. People need to decide which things are significant to them by having a designated, limited, personal space for sentimental items. It allows other areas in the home to be organized purposefully reducing distracting clutter in the commonly used areas. Give each member of the home a “pride shine” area and remember what is in your shrine can change and evolve to reflect your life’s past, present and future.
How can someone organize their running shoes and workout gear in an attractive way where they are visible but don’t wind up in piles on the floor?
Exercise is one of many ways to help increase your mental wellness. People who exercise regularly tend to do so because it gives them an enormous sense of well-being. They feel more energetic throughout the day, sleep better at night, have sharper memories, and feel more relaxed and positive about themselves and their lives. The Mental Health Benefits of Exercise A study showed that people are more likely to exercise or make healthy habits if they can see their workout gear. Goals and habits are easier to accomplish if you are intentional about your plan, and set a day and time to exercise. Organize your sneakers and workout gear on a shelf so you can see them when you enter your room or open the closet. A shoe or pocket organizer hung on the inside of a door will also work well. Roll your exercise gear, shorts, tops, warm-up pants, warm-up tops, running jacket, etc and place each item in a pocket. It will make it easy to see your workout gear as well as limit the amount of gear you purchase. Don’t forget to put the shoes in one of the pockets too. A drawer may keep your gear hidden from your view but if you prefer using a drawer also put items in the drawer that you use every day so you will continue to notice your workout gear daily.
Books bring joy to many people. How can we tidy up our book collections?
Books are such a personal topic. Some people read a book once and donate it to their library while it is current and in good shape. Other people like to be reminded of the stories they have read and so keep books just to remember them. Still, other people like to have beautiful picture style books and enjoy them as entertainment, like watching a movie. Lastly, people like them as reference books on topics they have studied or want to learn about. Think about why you have books and if they still serve you well. Perhaps you can check out books from the library, download books, share books or trade books to reduce the number of books you own but still be able to enjoy them. If you have more books than you can display on shelves in your home, I think you have too many. Books that are kept in boxes can’t be used, enjoyed or experienced. Reducing the clutter of owning boxes of books, reduces the time and energy spent on thinking and worrying about what to do with them. It frees up time to spend on the things that are important to you now and it frees up space.
How does donating unused or unwanted items help to create its own sense of joy?
Donating unused or unwanted items creates a sense of helping others. Your items can be used to help raise money for community causes, given to charities to help people, and develop relationships with organizations to make the world a better place for everyone. We are so privileged to have enough to share with others. Your sense of joy may come from protecting the environment by keeping useful items out of landfills, by sharing your wealth to support people and projects locally or globally, and by being an example for others to follow. Joy comes in many forms.
Let me know in the comments how you bring joy into your home.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, virtually over Zoom. She enjoys working with her clients to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situation. She reduces clutter, streamlines processes and manages time to help her clients be more effective in reaching their goals. Julie can coach you to break-free of the physical or emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Click here to learn more about working with a Professional Organizer.
Reading time – 5 minutes
Do you have a home or office that is creating anxiety and a feeling of stress and overwhelm? You know you want to change the situation. With a little knowledge, help and support you could start to feel happy in your home and organized in your office. I have been offering virtual organizing sessions for 10 years, this may be the year for you to try it.
Who would use virtual organizing services?
For clients who:
- wish to do the “hands-on “organizing themselves
- are uncertain about someone coming into their home,
- want a cost-effective way to get organized
- need to manage their organizing appointments to fit a complex schedule
- need support to stay focused on the project
- need accountability to help them reach their goals
Why would I offer this service?
Virtual organizing allows me to:
- to provide support to my clients through prearranged online meetings
- have clients all around the world
- continue to work with clients who moved away
- do organizing while coaching, teaching, supporting and mentoring clients
What would a virtual organizing session look like
There are probably as many ways to do virtual organizing as there are organizers. Here are my 4 formats.
A series of mini sessions.
This format starts with a one-hour session to establish the goals the clients want to achieve and is followed up with a series of 30-minute mini sessions to set steps to follow to complete the job.
Be there with you
This format is for clients who don’t like to work alone. I am with you on my computer helping you to:
- know what to do next,
- make decisions about what to keep and what to donate and
- set up organizing systems to store your stuff.
Complete Plan
This format is for the client who wants to work by themselves on their schedule. After you contact me, I set up a 1-2 hour Zoom call and you show me the room you want to get organized. I develop a customized organizing plan that you implement. If you have questions we can set up a support call to:
- solve problems,
- clarify the next step,
- receive storage suggestions.
- receive donation and recycling information
- check in with you while you are working
Develop Routines
A lot of organizing and maintaining a home, office or room is establishing routines and systems. We work together to set up step-by-step systems.
These are the A, B, C, D’s of virtual organizing
For more detailed information check Virtual Organizing Services on my website
Virtual organizing allows an organizer to support your organizing projects by providing planning, coaching and mentoring. Share on XTo book a complimentary 30 minute virtual assessment use this link or contact me directly at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, virtually. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of learning how you think and feel about your items to help you to reduce clutter, in your home, office, mind and time. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Reading time – 3 minutes
Here are some tips for holiday planning to make a H A P P Y season.
Holiday Decorating
You may be feeling overwhelmed or disorganized by the number of items on display in your house. Try putting the non-seasonal items away to reduce the number of items on display.
Think about decorating with fewer items but larger size items. This means there are fewer items to pack and unpack which will reduce the amount of time you need to prepare your home.
Take advantage of using linens to cover tables or end tables and seasonal pillowcases to cover throw cushions to decorate couches. They may be less bulky to store and cover a larger area making your home seem completely decorated while taking less time to get the job done.
Use items that self-destruct so you don’t need to pack them away, flowers, paper towels, and tissue boxes all give your house a festival spirit but don’t need to be packed away and stored.
When you go through your decorations part with the ones you no longer need early in the month so thrift stores have an opportunity to sell them and so they don’t need to store them until next year. Some stores don’t take holiday décor in January and then you will be stuck storing them for another year.
What tips do you have for a H.A.P.P.Y holiday season? Share on XAccept Help
Acknowledge that you are feeling overwhelmed and stressed and when people offer to do things say yes. We all love to help people so let people feel good about themselves by allowing them to help you.
Parties may be larger again this year. It is a good time to try a new way of doing things. Allow people to help clean up dishes on their way out the door. Be ready for it. Have a place to put cutlery to soak. Have a container for compost. Put glasses or coffee mugs directly into the dishwasher.
You may need to accept help with setting up a hybrid party. Put one of those “youngsters” in charge.
Planning is important
Use a to-do list. Divide your to-do list into to pick up, to e-mail, to call, to buy then you can plan your day and route to get things done and not be driving back and forth all over town. The trick here is to look at the list and use it not just make it.
Keep your plans from year to year, record your menu, grocery list quantities and timelines. Each year you can reuse, revise and update the plan. This year’s plan may need a lot of updating from the previous years.
People and relationships are the reason for the season
Some people like to send cards in December. I keep my cards and addresses and stamps together. When I am going somewhere where I will be waiting I pick up the supplies and take them along and write my cards. I have done it in many places including my van. I usually leave replies to someone who has sent me a long letter until January.
Use your spare moments to write cards
You may want to send e-cards. Jacquie Lawson is the site I use. If you want to automate the card-sending operation there is a company called Send Out Cards. You can attach a gift to the card.
Gift-giving may be an area where you are developing a system. Have you thought about Clutter-free gift giving?
Consider the idea of a gift that self-destructs. See my post on Clutter Free Gift Giving .
Yes you can
Being organized is more about an attitude than how something looks. It is not about having the perfect home, party or gift. It is doing the best you can with the time and resources that you have. The only way to get better at organizing is to practice. It is a skill that can be learned and with practice, it becomes easier and easier. This year’s challenge may be technology. Ask for help and practice ahead of time. You might want to play Yahtzee at your gathering. Try using these 2 sites.
Score sheet http://www.playonlinedicegames.com/scoresheet/yahtzee
Dice roller https://www.elversonpuzzle.com/yahtzee-dice-roller.html
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, virtually. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situation. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home, office, mind and time. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Click here to learn more about working with a Professional Organizer
From now until January there are many celebrations. During the holiday season expectations are raised. The food needs to be perfect, the gift needs to be thoughtfully purchased, the house needs to be tastefully decorated, and everyone needs to be happy all the time. Record your expectations for the season. Everything you can think of. Look through your list and decide on a plan that makes each expectation manageable for you. If your expectations align with practicality, this holiday will be less stressful and more fun.
Planning Food
Could you:
Make a simple Holiday meal.
- Cook ahead of time and freeze the food
- Plan a potluck with everyone contributing
- Buy your holiday baking
- Simplify your menu, prepare fewer items
Gift Giving
Gift Giving
Could you:
- Reduce the number of people you buy for
- Draw names so everyone gets one gift
- Set a price limit on the value of the gift
- Plan an experience instead of buying a gift: go to a play, go out for dinner, and go to a movie
If your expectations align with practicality, holidays will be less stressful and more fun. Share on X
Decorating
Could you:
Use flowers to decorate.
- Put out fewer items
- Use more oversized items to make the space look decorated instead of using lots of small items
- Decorate with flowers; you don’t have to pack them away when the season is over
Be Happy
Be Happy
Could you:
Spend time together doing things you enjoy
- Plan your schedule so you don’t get over tired
- Plan downtime so each member of the group can spend time alone
- Plan things you like to do, not have to do
- Plan to exercise and get fresh air
Can you learn to ask for help and accept help?
Can you learn to ask for help and accept help?
Virtual organizing allows me to support your organizing projects by providing planning, coaching and mentoring while both remaining safely at home Book a 30-minute complimentary virtual organizing assessment. https://mindoverclutter.as.me/virtualorganizingassessment
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, in person and virtually. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situation. She uses her love of physical activity to reduce clutter, in your home and office. She guides and supports you to manage your time. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Click here to learn more about her online course Create an Organized Home.
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Reading time – 10 minutes
Living in a small apartment has many challenges. The biggest is the lack of space. Many people wind up in homes that simply aren’t large enough to house all their possessions.
Fortunately, it turns out that there are numerous strategies you can use to increase the amount of space you have available. In this post, you’ll find all sorts of ways to expand the space available to you, even if you live in a studio (or something even smaller)
Use Outdoor Space
If your apartment has any outdoor space, such as a balcony or shared shed, then use it. The more outdoor equipment you can keep outside, the less it will clutter up your home. You can purchase water tight chests to protect your items from damage and keep them safe.
You’ll notice that outdoor items and tools are often the bulkiest possessions you own. While you can stuff plenty of clothes into a drawer, rigid toolboxes, and bicycles are hard to keep out of the way.
Use Multi-Functional Furniture
Another tip is to use multifunctional furniture. Doubling up saves space and reduces the need for duplication. Many pieces of furniture can be used to store your stuff, coffee tables that lift up with storage below, use a cabinet instead of a table or bench a footstool where the top lifts off to provide storage. If you have a two-bedroom apartment, get a sofa bed. You can use it as seating until guests come over, at which point you can transform it into a bed.
Add More Vertical Storage
You could also try adding more vertical storage to your apartment to increase the space you have available. Adding more vertical storage space is pretty easy. We recommend concentrating it in one room, like the bedroom, allowing you to declutter other parts of your space. When possible have the bookcases, cupboards or shelves the same colour as the wall. When they blend into the wall the room looks larger since you don’t notice the furniture. If they are a contrasting colour to your walls you notice the large pieces of furniture and the room looks smaller. Focus on providing additional vertical storage in less noticeable places like above doors or adding an extra shelf in a closet. There are many over the door organizing gadgets that provide storage on the back of doors.
Leverage Out-Of-Home Storage Wisely
Even with the best efforts in the world, you sometimes still run out of space in an apartment, especially if you own sizable possessions, like a grand piano. The most cost effective expense might be renting a storage unit. Having a small apartment with a lower rent and a self self storage unit may meet your budget better than paying more for a larger apartment. Units provide space for your belongings, enabling you to free up room in your house to easily access the things you use regularly. Decide what is important to keep and store and donate the rest. You want to rent the smallest unit possible. Organize it so you can easily access your stuff.
Organize Your Small Kitchen
Invest your time in organizing your small kitchen. These kitchens can be challenging to manage and significantly easier to take care of and use when you adopt the proper techniques.
For example:
- Use shelf risers and hooks to increase storage options
- Consider placing magnetic racks on the walls or under the cabinets
- Remove any unnecessary appliances from the countertops and store them in the cupboards
- Use foldable and stackable kitchenware
Many cookware brands now offer two-piece sets that meet 99% of your cooking needs. Reducing your cookware can free up space for other items you might want to use more often. If you have some appliances you use seasonally, barbecue, crockpot, dehydrator, deep fryer put them in less accessible places and make room for the items you use most in that season. As seasons change rearrange the storage of your small appliances.
If you have space put in a small island to have more counter space and storage space. Buy one that you can sit around and use instead of a table. If it has wheels even better, so you can move it around as needed.
Add Curtain Dividers
You might also consider adding curtain dividers to your space to make it more flexible. Having the ability to create new rooms is a great way to compensate for a lack of space and make your apartment more flexible. There are styles you can mount on the ceiling and roll down so that when you are not using it you don’t see it. You can mount a rod and hang the curtain as needed. The curtain may double as a bedspread so you don’t need to find a place to store it.
For instance, you invite guests over but don’t have a spare bedroom for them. Adding curtain dividers to the living area is an excellent way to provide them with the privacy they want.
Be More Minimalist
You can also try living a more minimalist lifestyle if the above options don’t appeal to you. Reducing the number of possessions you own can be an excellent way to free up space and enjoy your living conditions more.
Being minimalist doesn’t necessarily mean you need to adopt a Spartan approach or buy cheap items for the home. Instead, it means investing in quality belongings you will use regularly, and reducing anything that doesn’t fit into your routine or priorities.
As you’re deciding what you can live without you may want to store it somewhere else. As you start to enjoy having less to take care of, organize and clean you can start to donate items. Living well in the space you have is the best way to enjoy your life.
Here are some of the ways you can get more space in your apartment with ease.
Share in the comments your favourite way to make more storage space.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situation. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home, office, mind and time. She guides and supports you to be accountable for your time, to complete projects and reach your goals. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Click here to learn more about her online course Create an Organized Home.
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