Is there a space in your home that was once a great, working organizing system, but now seems to be bursting at the seams? You’re not alone! I’m a life (and space!) reclaimist, too!
My favorite spot to work is my kitchen counter. We have a bar that connects our living/dining room with our kitchen. I have a gorgeous view out over my back patio and can be right in the middle of the activity of my home. This perch gives me a central post in which to oversee my household. We homeschool our boys and run multiple businesses and our work, family, and school lives are intertwined…just the way we like it.
To accommodate working in the kitchen, I created a mini-office next to my working counter with a cute tea cart. I have my charging station, writing implements, and project files in reach. However, lately I’ve noticed the tea cart is beginning to get overloaded. It was time for a command center upgrade!
If you are experiencing a similar need to update a burgeoning system, take heart! You’ve done nothing wrong! Organizing systems are meant to be fluid and to grow and change with your life. If you’ve noticed a system isn’t working as it once was, it’s time to PAUSE, reevaluate, and make the system work for you.
Use these three steps to reevaluate your organizing system:
1. Re-confirm your priorities
To achieve true and lasting order, any organizing system should be built around your priorities; otherwise you’ve simply contained your stuff. If a system isn’t working as well anymore, pause and reconsider what life priority you want the system to serve. Returning to your priorities while organizing will serve as your “true North” and ensure your systems and spaces serve YOU!
For me, working at my kitchen counter and my mobile business center supports my priority of living an integrated life; one where work, family, and homeschool blend together in beautiful harmony. My makeshift command center was still effectively helping me live out this priority.
However, another important family priority is hospitality. We love having guests and often have friends and family popping in and out throughout the week. So, I want this system to integrate into my home and help me be guest-ready, avoiding piles and eyesores!
2. Understand what’s not working
When overflowing systems demand attention, look at the clues in your space:
- What is it about the organizing system that isn’t working anymore?
- Is there not enough room?
- Is the system placed in an inconvenient location so it’s not being utilized?
- Are non-related items ending up in the space?
In my space, the tea cart didn’t have any storage where I could put less-used or unsightly items out of view. It began to feel overburdened. What I really wanted was a piece that better coordinated with my living room décor. Having a more attractive station wherein I could “hide” my current projects from the sight of guests became increasingly attractive to me.
3. Start fresh
When redesigning your organizing system, start fresh! There may be aspects of the old system to pull forward, but don’t be afraid to throw the whole thing out! It’s all about making your system serve you NOW!
In my command center upgrade I brought in a beautiful piece – a little wooden side table with louvered bi-fold doors – from another part of my home that fits the décor of my living room perfectly! I loved how it offers out-of-sight storage. Plus, it was free!
Some of my items were moved on top of this side table and some were stored inside it. My speaker, charging station, and hot projects took their rightful space on the top of this little console.
Longer-term projects and bulkier items were placed in bins inside the inner storage space. This simple distinction between items that should live “above ground” and “below ground” will help you in any organizing project!
My favorite part is that this console sits next to my living room couch – a perfect place to set my cup of tea while I’m enjoying our fireplace.
Join me in thinking about spaces in your home that just need a little upgrade. Those clogged-up spaces are vying for your attention and shouldn’t be hard to identify. Walk through these steps to update your organizing system to fit your life and needs.
Related:
- Get hands on help with refreshing an organizing system in your home or office
- For help with Restoring Order to Your Home room by room and making your home serve you download Vicki’s books
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