The Good & The Bad of Moving

A quick little list to let you know you're not alone in your trials and tribulations of moving to a new home:

THE GOOD	THE BAD
You're moving on to the next chapter in your life	You're leaving the last chapter behind you
You get to redesign how you use the space you live in	You have to redesign how you use the space you live in
You are able to rid yourself of unneeded items you no longer use	You have to pack everything you own
Meeting new neighbors	All those change of address forms
Decorating to best accentuate your new life	You have to unpack everything you own
Starting fresh	Cleaning the old home before handing over the keys
Friends & family who help with all those steps	Helping when it's their turn

Well, maybe it's not as bad as that when you've got another set of hands around to help!

Couples Help

In the July 2014 issue of Real Simple Magazine, there's an article entitled "Disorganized Couple
Seeks Professional Assistance." Marjorie Ingall, the author, discusses how working with a professional organizer might help her and her husband find more time and less stress between the two of them.

Over the course of her story, they do in fact find the assistance helpful. (No surprise from me!). They tackle a variety of areas throughout their home and create a more relaxed, open space. I will note that Marjorie also states her and her husband are in couples therapy. I mention this only because I want to stress that the author is well aware that working with an organizer is not a substitution for therapy - unless your organizer happens to also be a therapist.

From time to time, I do work with couples. Usually, one or the other contacts me; rarely are both on board from the start. Fortunately, the other partner tends to come around after we meet or there is a more thorough explanation of what the organizing process will look like. But, every now and then, one partner is just not interested in organizational assistance.

It's not my job to convince someone they need an organizer's help. It is my job to help those who ask for it. When I encounter a couple where one party isn't interested, we simply organize around his/her belongings. For example, if we're tackling a master closet, we'll organize the items belonging to the one I am working with, but not the items belonging to the other.

Sometimes this creates more tension and arguments. To that, I ask both partners:

• What is this battle worth? 
• Is it terribly important to your home life and sanity to leave your space untouched and disorganized in the eyes of your partner? Or, is it terribly important that the partner who would like some help feels more comfortable in their own space? 
• Can you communicate a plan that will allow both parties to meet in the middle?

The object here is not to move you further apart, but rather closer together - in a space that allows you to do so.

Why We Like Pretty Things

Sometimes my work is dirty and dusty. Sometimes I wear gloves and a mask to work to help protect me from whatever elements I'm in that day. Other times, I'm fortunate to work in immaculate spaces that still have a couple corners of disorganization to tackle.

Most of the time I caution my clients from purchasing products before we get started. Chances are we won't need many or any new products. As we reorganize and declutter, we may very well end up with empty containers from how the space was set up before.

Recently, I was helping to better organize a great walk-in pantry. The pantry itself had plenty of room to hold to the food and other kitchen items we hoped it would. Although the home owner had previously used beautiful wood bins to contain some categories on shelves, she was still frustrated that it felt cluttered and messy. This is a great exercise in 1) how we all have different definitions of 'organized,' and 2) why we work better in spaces that are pleasing to the eye.

When I first looked in the pantry during our consultation, I agreed with my client that it looked pretty good. Like items were near each other or in bins, and shelves were labeled. But, as we worked through the house, we realized that it felt a bit haphazard in there to the many sets of hands that reached in on a daily basis. It was time to reassess.

By creating a space that was more streamlined, we created a look that had a lot less going on. Visually, the clutter was cut down. We took most items out of bins and placed them into matching, clear containers. Matching labels would identify contents. One of the few times that taking things out of bins created more room!

Not only did this end up creating more shelf space, but we left the pantry looking almost magazine worthy! The whole family could easily see what items were in stock, what was running low and where to find it. No more bulky bins the kids would find unwieldy. Now, there was a sense of calm - even in the pantry!