Way Back Wednesday: One Small Change

Adjusting to a new schedule has left me, well, behind schedule, so I went in search of a post that was worth revisiting. This one pulled me in with its first sentence because, although the post is several years old, I'm having that loving my office feeling again. I cleaned my desk shortly after the designated day in January and have committed to keeping it clear of junk. This leaves me excited to work at my desk, and has made the transition to online teaching a bit easier, too, since I have much less junk to navigate.

But this post isn't about my desk. It's about how one small change, made perhaps in response to a serious dose of cabin fever, can kick off not only a succession of changes, but a feeling of appreciation for our surroundings. 

Lately, I have been loving my office. It all started when the white lights I'd had for a couple of years breathed their last, and I had to replace them. The string of new lights was long enough to allow a new configuration, one that added more light to the room, brightening up the small space. Soon after, I found myself spending more time in my tiny office. Nothing had changed but the lights, and yet the room felt more warm and welcoming. 

The same is often true with a new organizing tool. One small change can start a domino effect. Suddenly, not only is there an improvement in the look of the space, there's an improvement in how the space feels as well. We become excited about the possibilities again and, instead of avoiding a space that was once in need of an upgrade, we feel motivated to expand outward, bringing improvements to other areas as well. 

While it's important for our organizational tools to function well, the form they take and the style they embody matters as well. We're more motivated to use a tool that hits all of these three key concepts. A tool needs to be functional, fitting our styles and working with them, not against them. Its form -- the size, shape and physical attributes of the tool or container -- needs to fit into our physical space, or, in the case of something like a planner, the parameters of our life.

But often, it's the style of the tool that brings us back to it again and again. When we like the look of the container or tool, we're more likely to use it. The more we use it, the more habit-forming its use becomes and soon, we've developed a smooth, workable process that keeps us organized.

So, the next time you're tempted to dismiss a purchase as frivolous, put it through the attribute test.

Alexas Fotos via Pixab

• Form: Will it work in your space and in your life?
• Function: Will it fill a need and/or serve a purpose?
• Style: Do you find it appealing?

When you find something that does all of these things, you've hit the container jackpot and you're well on your way to organizing not only by STYLE, but with style as well.

And that not only looks good, but feels good as well.