Coming at it From Another Angle

 It's summer! Okay, perhaps not officially, but once spring semester is over, it's summer in my world. And, when the summer classes start only a few days after spring semester ends, I feel justified in my proclamation of the season.

As usual, I started my list of things I want to accomplish this summer even before spring semester ended. Some are directly connected to organizing, but others are a bit more peripheral.

The closet. I made some small changes in my closet on the last day of classes, driven as much by the thought of summer and leisure as the reading I'd been doing about style (in the fashion sense). Returning home after my last class with summer and leisure in mind (and in the air), I pushed my long-sleeved, professional wear off to the side, (but still visible -- my personal style is I need to see it, after all), placing my short-sleeved, casual clothes front-and-center for easy access and review. This summer, I want to go through all of those short-sleeved tops with an eye toward removing anything I don't feel good in, or that no longer fits my style (or perhaps never did). Doing this a few pieces -- or even just one piece -- at a time is the next logical step in the process. Organizing doesn't always have to be a big project. Sometimes, small steps work just as well.

Painting. Though I've finished painting the walls in my dining room, the trim is still crying out for attention. Does beautifying a space count as organizing? Maybe not technically, but the process typically includes reorganizing and often inspires a new perspective on an old space as well, nudging us to upgrade our organizational systems along with the décor. If I'm truthful, finishing this painting project is not a task I'm looking forward to, but it's not (yet) so an onerous task that I'm willing to pay someone else to do it. Adding these finishing touches has something in common with organizing, too -- almost finished is not the same as finished, nor does it give us the same satisfaction. So, final touches, it is.

Creative pursuits. Last spring, I read about trash collages and decided to give one a try. I loved it, so I began devoting some time to collage-making. Unlike the scrapbooks I made when my daughter was small, these latest creations reveal my love of words while also tapping into my creative style. The organization connection? Flexing my creative muscles will, I believe, lead me to be even more likely to explore creative solutions to organizing dilemmas.

So often, we think of organizing as simply de-cluttering and making things look nice. While those skills are definitely important in achieving and restoring order, coming at organizing from another angle can shake things up (in a good way) and inject a little fun into the process as well. 

And I can't think of a better time to add a dash of fun than summertime.