Welcoming Style

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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.

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• 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.

3 Key Concepts for the I Love Stuff Personal Style

Dodgerton Skillhause via Morguefile

Ah, the poor I love stuff person. His (or her) ability to see treasure and potential where others see clutter has led to unflattering nicknames like "pack rat" and "hoarder." While it's true that those who suffer from hoarding disorder are often I love stuff folks, collecting does not reach a clinically problematic level for most I love stuff folks.

Nevertheless, most people with the I love stuff personal style tend to be emotionally attached to their things. Considering the form, function and style of each treasure can help limit the size of collections. 

In addition: 

• When it comes to organizing, I love stuff folks might consider limiting the number of items that serve only a decorative purpose and displaying them on a rotating basis. This doesn't mean getting rid of treasured pieces. Try tucking treasured collections away in accessible spaces and swapping the things you want to show off from time to time. If this sounds like the divide and conquer advice from last week, it is--with a twist. Where I love to be busy folks will organize by activity, I love stuff folks will do better to organize by collection and, what constitutes a "collection" varies widely from one I love stuff person to another. Some I love stuff folks will even count their storage containers among their collectibles, especially when they are unique and attractive.

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• When it comes to list-making, those with the I love stuff personal style may have a plethora of writing implements and notepads. If this sounds like you, don't despair. Again, I'm not going to ask you to get rid of anything (as long as it works). Beginning with the notepads, lay out your collection of goodies and think about how you can press them into service. You might choose to toss one notebook and one writing implement in each bag you use so that wherever you go, you have a pen (or pencil) and paper. You might put one tablet in each room of the house so that wherever you are, you have a pen (or pencil) and paper. Or, perhaps you'll assign each notepad a task: one for to-do lists, one for grocery lists, one for phone messages, one for random tasks. Once you've done this, store all of the remaining notepads in one place and put them away. If you'd like, you can also toss in the writing implements, once you know you have enough pens and pencils in the places you need them. 

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• If your goal-setting includes reducing the volume of stuff you have, remember that throwing things away isn't your only choice. Handing things down, donating them, and repurposing them allows them to continue to be useful in a new way. You might also consider the one in-one out rule. When you acquire something new, can you recycle or donate something old? Finally, consider setting an acquisitions goal that allows you to refine your collections, rather than just adding to them. What parameters do you want your new acquisitions adhere to? Beauty? Usefulness? Completing a collection? Thoughtful acquisition allows you to continue to add to your collections without being overwhelmed by them.

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If you're an I love stuff person, what key ideas do you swear by? Share in the comments below. 

For more ideas on the I love stuff personal style, check out my original post here. 

3 Keys Thursday: 3 Key Tools for Getting Organized for the School Year (Kids)

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Every year, the back-to-school lists seem to get longer and more complicated. While I don't doubt that the things on the list are there for a reason, I also know that buying everything on the list can quickly get overwhelming -- and expensive. I'm not going to second guess a supply list issued by your child's school (or, even better, your child's teacher), but I am suspicious of the general, one size fits all lists created by stores. Then again, I'm suspicious of one size fits all anything.

Having spent 27 years in elementary schools, I know that what one teacher considers essential, another might consider optional -- or supply herself -- and that it's possible to successfully "go cheap" on some items. But, since this is "3 Keys Thursday," I'm going to focus on three basic, important items that are worth spending a little more on, since they're key tools for staying organized all year long.

A home for papers that need to be referenced. For many kids, this is a three-ring binder. It can also be an accordion folder (or one for each subject, for older kids), a skinny binder with a clamp closure (or one for each subject, for older kids), or a collection of folders color coded by subject. Whatever it is, it needs to be durable and expandable so that it can house everything from a single sheet of paper to several fat packets that cover entire units of study. These should live in the desk at school unless they're explicitly coming home so your child can study for a test.

A home for papers that need to be dealt with (homework, need signatures). For younger children, these are the papers that go in the "take home" pocket of a two-pocket folder. If for older students have demonstrated success with this system in years past, there's no need to come up with something new. If pocket folders don't work, try file folders, top-loading "backpack" folders, or an accordion file divided either by subject or by whether the paper stays home or goes back to school. Whatever you child chooses, it should be big enough to hold a stack of papers, but not so big that a single sheet of paper gets swallowed up, and it should be durable, as it will spend a lot of time traveling back and forth between home and school in your child's backpack. Many teachers have a required system for this, so before your child gets too excited, make sure his or her system will be acceptable to the teacher.

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A container to hold pencils, erasers and all the other little things that invariably end up in the desk. Possibilities here will vary widely based on your child's age, taste and styles, along with the teachers' requirements; some teachers specify not only the case, but what must go inside as well.Younger kids tend to gravitate to pencil boxes (and a pencil box may even be on the required supply list) or fancy pencil pouches. Size is the key feature here; what must be kept inside? Is more than one container allowed? Are kids allowed to keep a small basket of supplies on their desks, rather than hiding them away inside?

Older kids who travel between classrooms often like flat pencil holders designed to fit inside three-ring binders. They're typically carrying fewer supplies than younger kids and portability is more important than capacity.

Regardless of your child's age, make sure to take attributes like size, visibility (clear containers help I know I put it somewhere and I need to see it kids remember what's where), ease of use and durability. Again, this container will get a workout.

Finally, as you're making your purchases, consider how the three key container attributes (form, function and style) of the chosen supply interact with your child's personal and organizational styles. The closer the fit (and the more excited your child is about using the item), the more likely it will be used beyond the first month of school.

One last suggestion: If your child's school doesn't supply some sort of planner or assignment notebook, that should be at the top of your list as well. Your child may choose to integrate it into his or her home for papers that need to be dealt with, or carry it separately, depending up the tool he or she decides on for the papers that travel between home and school. When schools provide online assignments, many kids need a hard copy back up as well; actually transferring the assignment from the computer screen onto the page serves as a memory tool for some kids.

It's possible to spend endless hours (and nearly endless dollars) in the school supply section. As always, start with successes (what worked last year? what didn't?) and build from there, to make sure this school year starts and ends with STYLE.

3 Keys Thursday: 3 Keys to Keeping it Under Control

Dodgerton Skillhause via Morguefile

There's something about writing these posts that keeps me honest. After writing yesterday's post, I took action in three clutter catcher areas, restoring open space in less than fifteen minutes.

That felt good.

Sometimes, the keys to keeping a space neat lie in not letting it get messy (again) in the first place.

Know your trouble spots & prioritize. Which is easiest to keep under control? Which bugs  you the most when it's out of control? If several have gotten out of control at once, where do you start? I did this yesterday. Fully aware that I could easily restore order to several places if I let just one go a little longer, I started with the spots that were easiest to get under control, and was rewarded with beautiful, clear, open space.

Once it's neat, make it pretty. Maybe even take a picture. When a newly organized space looks nice, we're more motivated to keep it looking that way. That's also one of the reasons that form and function aren't the only considerations when we're choosing organizers. If we like the container we use for reasons besides form and function, we're more likely to use it. And that picture? A reminder of how things can be when we use the systems we've put in place.

Finally, consider the "one thing in/one thing out" rule. I don't remember where I learned this, but I do remember latching onto it very quickly. When you get something new, get rid of something old. That keeps the basic quantity of "stuff" in your house relatively stable, and helps to eliminate that feeling of being overrun by possessions.

I dream of a day when my house will always be company ready. Today is not that day, but I'm okay with that because I know I'm moving in the right direction.

3 Keys Thursday: 3 Key Elements of Planner Purchase

Photo: Dodgerton Skillhause via Morguefile

Every once in a while, a post qualifies as both a "3 Keys Thursday" post and a "Throwback Thursday" post. In the case of today's post, the content isn't recycled...exactly. It's just that the three most important elements to consider when purchasing a planner also happen to be the three most important elements to consider when purchasing a container: form, function and style.

No, we can't contain time. But like containers, planners are organizational tools, and the likelihood that we'll use them effectively increases when we consider the same three elements.

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• Form. Despite the fact that my iPhone and I are inseparable, when it comes to planners, I'm a paper and pencil girl. I don't know whether it's the writing things down part, or physically opening up a book and seeing everything at a glance -- or maybe both -- but even when I use the calendar on my laptop, I need a paper back-up. You may be just as staunchly electronic when it comes to planner as I am old school. What's most important is that you know that and honor it so you can choose something you'll use and access frequently.

• Function. All planners have one function in common: to help us to organize our time. What we need to look at more closely is the details of how they'll perform that function -- things like ease of access and layout. I struggle with the calendar on my iPhone, but love the version on my Mac -- one is just easier for me to get to and manage. 

          What type of layout do you need? Monthly?
          Weekly? Both? If you're choosing a paper planner, how much room do you need to write?

          Do you need to keep track of your whole life in one book, or are you just writing down 

          appointments?

          Price is also a factor. I like my months tabbed, but as long as the inside layout works, I 

          actually enjoy customizing a cheapie calendar with sticky tabs for months and sections. 

          

          Finally, do you take your calendar with you or hang it on the wall (or both)? Are you trying to     

          sync your calendar(s) with someone else's? Although it's usually a good idea to keep track of 

          all your obligations (work and home) in one planner, I've seen people successfully dovetail 

          planners and master wall calendars, particularly when the wall calendar brings together the

          individual planners of several family members. To make this work, however, you must set aside 

          time to transfer events from the planner to the wall calendar, or you're likely to overbook or 

          miss something important.

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• Style. My planners can be cheap and boring, but the wall calendar in my office has to be pretty. Conversely, when I took a survey about planner choice among my young adult students, the words "Vera Bradley" and "Lilly Pulitzer" popped up as a part of the descriptors on a number of the young women's answers for the planners they carry with them. While some of the young men in the group rolled their eyes at this, these young ladies were on to something. Many of us are more likely to use a tool that's aesthetically pleasing. 

Taking time to choose a calendar that's "just right" for you -- both outside and inside -- is the first step toward taking control of time management. Next week, we'll talk about some keys to that very subject.

3 Keys Thursday: 3 Key Ideas for the I Love Stuff Personal Style

Photo: Dodgerton Skillhause via Morguefile

I love stuff folks are collectors. Often optimistic about not only fitting everything into a much-too-small space, but also about life in general, they are sentimental, attached to not just the things they collect, but the stories these things represent. But if they're not careful, those with the I love stuff personal style can end up with more stuff than space. This can feel catastrophic because the I love stuff person often can't imagine throwing anything away.

For those with an I love stuff style, organization often becomes a two-fold task. Items need a home, but because those homes are often visible to others, the collections on display need to have some type of organization as well.

Sound complicated? It doesn't have to be. Just go with your I love stuff gut.

Photo: krosseel via Morguefile

• Keep like items together: This often comes naturally to I love stuff people who are collectors. A cluster of similar items or treasures united by a theme (color, function, size, etc.) looks neater than a haphazard group of items that appears to have been dumped on a shelf or table. Unrelated items look like clutter. Items that go together look like a collection.

• Remember form, function & style? Aim for two out of three. Before adding something new to your collection, ask yourself how you'll use it. If you love it (style) and it serves a purpose (function), it may be worth adding to your collection. If it's the perfect size for that empty spot on your bookshelf (form) and you love it (style), that item may pass muster too. Asking these questions about an item's value to your life before you acquire it will help you avoid unnecessary duplicates, which lead to clutter. And before you take it home and fall in love with it completely, don't forget to ask yourself where its home within your home will be. The time to realize you have no place to put a new acquisition is before you acquire it. 

  

  Photo: mockingbird via Morguefile

• Remember that Let it go! doesn't have to mean throw it away. De-cluttering is hard for the I love stuff person; getting rid of a beloved item can feel like letting go of a piece of oneself. When my daughter was small, she was firmly entrenched in the I love stuff personal style, and no logic or reason could get her to throw away something before she was ready. But if we could pass the item in question along to someone else who'd enjoy it as much as she had, she was much more willing to let it go. Over time, she's become more ruthless when it comes to de-cluttering, but for those who remain true blue I love stuff thinkers, remember that giving away and re-purposing are valid alternatives to the trash can when it's time to Let it go!

Photo: kzinn via Morguefile

If you have an I love stuff personal style, what are the key ideas you swear by? Share in the comments below!

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