Organizing

Howdy again,

So ever since we got back, the combo of Dash being laid up in bed and the house having one less child in it has made for the perfect blend to get some good ol' organizing done!

I have been (re)inspired to tack a tally of our possessions, mainly in terms of what we need and don't need.

It started with just some small steps.
For example, here are two typically disasterous drawers in our kitchen:
(sorry I don't have Before Photos... that would've been so rich!)

There was so much superfluous junk in here -- duplicates of things, items we never use, etc

Everything has a home now!

There are a lot of reasons why I like organizing/paring down.
Here are some of them:

1) Makes finding things more efficient because you know exactly where things will be, you don't have to sift through distracting things for it, etc etc

2) Makes cleaning up faster. When there is less of everything, and you know where its home is, you don't have to spend as much time cleaning it up

3) Makes moving easier. I have this idea that we'll be moving to Japan or some other such place at some point, so paring down our possessions now, makes it all the more likely and less intimidating if/when it comes around ;)

4) You can give things to others! "One man's trash is another's treasure" is our home's motto. And when going through these two drawers, I found all sorts of items that have no purpose in our home, but will probably find one in someone else's. That will save them the money/effort of tracking it down, and will also save the item from ending up in the landfill if I were lazy and just dealt with it that way.

Some other spots in the house that I hope to hit up (preferably before Ella's arrival are):

1) the back of the TV
You guys know how psychotic it can get back there, mainly in terms of cables, especially when you own as many gadgets as we do (thanks, Dash~)

2) Ella's drawing desk
It feels like this thing is always a work in progress. Like, I just haven't nailed the perfect set-up for her. It's tricky, because she's such a prolific drawer, there are always the vast amounts of drawings to figure out what to do with... Truth be told, a lot go into the recycler in no time, but it's still hard to keep the place manageable and thereby more attractive for her to spend time at in a relaxed and efficient way

3) the cable chest
So Dash has this chest that he found on the curb in L.A. which really has nothing it now but his extensive collection of cables. The exterior is lovely, but the inside is really a huge mess, so I am going to go through it and figure out if a) we need all those cables, b) if things might find a better home elsewhere, c) how to make it more accessible when we do need cables in the future.
Wish me luck.

That is all for now in terms of Dashiell Household Organizing/Paring down.

What really prompted me to do all this, was a chance I had, in Tucson over holiday, to do some fun organizing for my family! One was the cabinet under a guest bathroom, and the other was my nephew's toys. Both resulted in less clutter, tidier order, and therefore more accessibility to use the spaces and the contents within them.
I truly enjoy the order and tranquility that comes from organizing-purging, and how it invariably benefits the homeowner too. I like to consider it my little "christmas gift" to them :)
My relatives were very pleased with my work, and even told me that I could probably make something of a career from it! Wouldn't that be something? :)
I am really going to put more thought toward making that a possibility, because it is something that I enjoy, it helps others, and it makes money. Perfect!!

Anyway, more on that at a different time.

Have any of you guys been bitten by the organize-purge bug? I think the influx of possessions coming into the home a la Christmas gifts is always a good incentive to then move old/unused stuff out.
Like your house taking a nice deep breath. In...and out... I like to keep that cycle alive and well with us :)

If any of you guys have an area of your house that you'd like tackled in terms of organizing-purging, please talk to me! You can be my guinea pigs for the start of my "professional organizer portfolio", eh?

Well, until next time, take care and Happy Organizing!!