3 Keys Thursday: 3 Closet Habits that Lead to Chaos

Dodgerton Skillhause via Morguefile

After writing yesterday's post, I was hoping today's would be somewhere along the lines of "three things that are working in my closet," so I opened my closet door and looked inside.

There are definitely things that are working, but I'm not sure they're going to stay the same. Although the containers are working, thanks to the fact that they're style-specific, I can't swear that after I start taking things apart, the same things will end up in the same places. Consequently, it feels dishonest to call them "successes" at this stage of the game.

Still stumped, I went back to an old post -- one from May 2015 -- and re-read an amusing Buzz Feed article I'd shared. It was still amusing, and, better yet, I found three things that explain why I don't dread opening the door to my closet. Choosing not to engage in these habits promises to make even the most intimidating closet overhaul a little less challenging.

Tossing. Your mother was right -- clothes don't belong on the floor. Clothes on the floor of the closet are a sign that something's not working. Maybe you need a system, maybe you need a drop spot (even just a laundry basket on the floor of the closet), or maybe you just need more hangers. Find the "why" behind this shortcut that's really not a shortcut and let it lead you to a solution.

Stuffing. Shoving too many clothes into one drawer or bin or onto one hanger leads to wrinkles and confusion -- perhaps for you as well as your clothes. Decide whether to hang or fold (crush, stuff or otherwise spindle or mutilate should not be an option) and store accordingly. If a rod, drawer or bin becomes too full, it's time to reassess and either let some things go or shake up your storage system.

Allowing a big space to go undivided. Closet shelves are a blessing and a curse. That nice long one that runs the width of the closet (in particular) is an invitation to piles and inefficiency if you don't subdivide it. Use bins, boxes or shelf dividers to create sections to store whatever you decide belongs there.

I took one baby step toward my closet reorganization today, moving some tee shirts into an empty drawer and recapturing some closet rod space in the process. I still have miles to go, but knowing I don't have to start by clearing the floor or subdividing the long shelf (already outfitted with bins)  helps a little bit.

Closet STYLE

I am struggling with my closet.

Strangely enough, it's one of the best organized spaces in my house, but, as an I need to see it person, I find its dark recesses intimidating.

I've tried adding light, and that helps, but not enough.

I've tried buying skinny hangers, but my clothes still get crushed (I know. Get rid of some).

I am on the cusp of a clothing reorganization.

But where do I put everything? My house is small enough that I have to move clothes around when the seasons change, so a closet overhaul promises to be an intimidating endeavor.

There's that word again.

Would you be surprised to know that I have some drawers I'm not fully utilizing? Combined with the big, rectangular space that is my closet, I have space -- theoretically, anyway. The problem is determining how to best use it, and how to get from here to there.

All of my usual small steps tactics aren't enough. This requires making a big mess in order to create order.

Fortunately, STYLE provides the blueprint I need to make this work.

• Start with successes. I know some drawers and sections of my closet are working and well-utilized, so the first step is to decide what I don't have to change. That shrinks my task considerably, and sets me up to...
• Take small steps. Once I know what I have to fix, I can make a list. Then, I can either set aside an afternoon and make a big mess, or I can chip away at it drawer by drawer, section by section.
• Yes, it has a home. The heart of this project is determining which homes are working and which need to be changed, so as I... 
• Let it go and get rid of items that are out-of-style, out-of-shape, no longer my size or no longer to my liking I'll be able to decide which things belong in which homes (I hope). Once I've weeded out the non-keepers and put everything is in its (new) place, I'm on my way to...
• Easy upkeep. My end goal. Right now, the upkeep is not easy because some of the space is well-utilized, but other spots are overstuffed and therefore clamoring for attention. 

Pixabay

Funny how this process is cyclical. When the upkeep is no longer easy, it's time to go back to the beginning and Start with what's working. Not only does this help me identify what I need to fix, but it also reminds me what I'm aiming for. If something's working, it's probably true to my styles, and something I should try to replicate in the spots where things aren't working as well.

Having a plan makes the whole process much less intimidating. 

Now all I need is the time to put my plan into action.

3 Keys Thursday: 3 Strategies for Shaking Up the Schedule

Dodgerton Skillhause via Morguefile

When I'm not writing, I teach. Or, more accurately this semester, when I'm not teaching, I write. But lately, with a full course load, I'm finding it difficult to make the writing thing happen. My blogs are getting done, but I'm making little progress on my other writing projects.

And when I don't write, I get cranky.

All of us have those things we want to do that keep getting pushed to the bottom of the list. We set a time, but something more important or urgent rises to the top. We get started, but we get interrupted. Or maybe we just can't find the time to get started in the first place.

And then we give up.

Well, I'm not giving up. I am going to find a way to adjust my schedule.

To do that, I need to take a closer look at not just my schedule, but also my mindset. Am I efficient, or just busy? Am I managing my time, or is my time managing me? Am I setting realistic deadlines, or falling prey to the "more is better" school of thought?

I don't think I want to see those answers in print.

I also don't want to create a schedule so hemmed in that I lose flexibility or the joy of becoming immersed in something I enjoy. But I can...

Rein it in. Sometimes, an activity really needs an inordinate amount of time, but, more often, I let myself get sucked in. Setting a time limit for one thing frees up time for something else. And, when both things are equally important, it just makes sense.

Accept unfinished. This one's a lot harder. Getting partway through a task and then letting it linger unfinished can be tricky. Knowing that a job is sitting there, waiting can create an uncomfortable feeling of pressure -- much like the one I'm trying to resolve right now. I'm going to give it a try, though, reminding myself that spending a little bit of time on two things can be better than finishing one and leaving the other neglected. And, who knows? Maybe that pressure will morph into motivation to get back to the unfinished job.

Shake off the "shoulds." The more I worry about what I should be doing, the less I get done. Lecturing myself about what remains undone just wastes precious energy that could be spent on something else I want to do -- maybe even sleep or relaxation. In addition, worrying and berating myself just makes me feel bad, which does nothing to improve the situation.

Pixabay

It's clear that to make this work, I have to get out of my own way. I may not be able to create more space on my calendar, but I can take some steps toward balance so that I'm spending as much time as possible on the things I love to do.

What would you love to do, if only you could find the time?

A Passion for Planners

I'm not even counting my Passion Planner (my dream book)
in my total! If you want to see beautiful planner interiors
in action, check out Passion Planner on social media.
Photo: @passion_planner

I currently have four active planners -- five if you count the kitchen calendar that I use only when I don't want someone else in my family to miss something. Six if you count the combined planners on my phone and laptop as separate calendars (I don't because they update each other).

It really is more organized than it sounds, and, except for the nagging feeling that it "should" be streamlined, I've almost got my list-making/time management system exactly where I want it.

For work (school), I use:

• One planner that's specifically designated for class planning, course overviews/due dates and keeping track of lesson plans. It's a lesson plan book and long-term planner in one.
• One steno notebook where I keep all of my work-related to-do lists. I don't include this in my planner count because it's undated and I don't use it to keep track of deadlines. 

This system is working, so regardless of how many Type A organizer rules it breaks, I'm not messing with it.

At home, I use:

• A portable, spiral bound planner with enough space to write appointments and due dates in the weekly view, plus a month-at-a-glance view for long-term planning. This was supposed to be my writing calendar, too, but during the busy start to the semester, I haven't had much writing to keep track of.
• My word-of-the-day desktop calendar with two columns that come with their very own boxes so I can check off what I accomplish.
• The calendar on my laptop which syncs with the one on my phone. This is my safety net, as all the family dates go on here, and the most important ones get transferred to the kitchen calendar.

Pixabay

It's the home set-up that feels somehow unwieldy. My goal? Planners that transition from home to life and back again. Much as I love my desktop calendar and my laptop, they don't do that, which is how I ended up with the spiral-bound addition that's useful, but somehow feels like an over-the-top duplication. But, unless I learn to love the calendar on my phone (unlikely), I need something more portable than any of the other components.

If I compare my work and home set-ups, the logic is clearly the same: a space for recording appointments and long-term planning and a place for making lists -- lists that may be longer than what I can fit in my portable planner without going on visual overload. Adding the laptop and the kitchen calendar brings my family into the loop and reinforces the weekly conversations we have when I transfer things from my laptop (main calendar) to my planner and we review the week ahead. This also nudges me to keep current on what's coming up.

When I put it that way, it all makes sense. Perhaps it's more complicated than it needs to be -- but, to me, it's clear and intuitive. So, unless my system stops working, I guess what I really need is a dedicated home for all these time management supplies.

Good thing I have some extra drawers.

3 Keys Thursday: 3 of My Favorite (Free) Things to Repurpose

Dodgerton Skillhause via Morguefile

One of the best ways to try new organizers is to get them for free. That way, if they don't work, you've lost nothing.

Here are a few of my favorite freebies that pull double duty as organizers.

The stuff that linens come in. Whether it's a fabric drawstring bag or a plastic zippered pouch, the containers that protect sheets, blankets and comforters on store shelves make great storage after you get them home. I use the drawstring bags to pack shoes in my suitcase and the zippered pouches to store out-of-season linens or to pack linens when I travel.

Toilet paper rolls. This one I stole directly from Pinterest, where I saw toilet paper rolls decorated with washi tape used as storage for charging cords. Not only do I like using them to corral the cords for my phone, my iPad and my Kindle, but I have fun decorating them, too.

Pretty boxes. Okay, so I've bought a few of these, and they don't come cheap. So, when a pretty gift comes in a pretty box, I hang on to the box for future use. Some of them get stashed in drawers and used to keep small items separate and safe, while others (especially the larger ones) serve both a decorative and organizational purpose.

Matching containers to styles can be challenging, Why not take advantage of a free trial offer?

A Place for Everything, An Item for Every Drawer

Now this would be a cool
addition to my office!
Photo: Pixabay

In my office, I have two unassigned drawers -- that is to say that they currently serve as "home" to no specific items. One has served several purposes, but, because of my I need to see it style, none of those plans have stuck. Right now, it holds some writing projects and some "miscellaneous files" (always bad news from an organizational perspective), but I wouldn't call the space well-utilized.

The other is drawer is a small one, the lone, empty drawer in a three-drawer unit. Its companions hold, among other things, FitBit wristbands and toilet paper tubes decorated with washi tape and pressed into service as cord storage. Unlike my drawer-in-limbo, it's an organizational coup -- easy to use and in keeping with my styles, I can find what I'm looking for in under five seconds. Because these small drawers have clear, labeled fronts, I can not only glimpse the contents, but I also know what's inside even before I open them -- the labels remove all the mystery.

As an I need to see it person, I need this, ahem, transparency. That's why my wonderful, large drawer with projects and miscellany is a drawer in limbo in a room that still has piles that need sorting. I could take a page out of the I know I put it somewhere handbook and transfer the stacks from my counter (which looks much better this week, I must say) to the drawer. Unfortunately, that would simply hide the problem, rather than solving it; my counter would look better, but I wouldn't be any more organized. Worse yet, those papers could sit in that drawer, hidden from sight, for years before I paid attention to them again, which means that I'm taking a significant risk if I put anything important or time sensitive in that wonderful, practically empty space.

Meanwhile, in another spot in the office, a rolling bin has been pressed into service as file storage for my active class files. Previously, it collected dust as the official storage place for all of my notes on organization, but, when I needed a place (besides the chair in the living room) to keep my class files, I rethought the plan. I moved the organization files -- which I don't need to access on a daily basis -- to the family room to create space in my office for the files I touch every day.

What, you may ask, is the purpose of all of these stories?

Balance.

Balance between overstuffed and just right = room to grow (my empty/unassigned drawers).

Balance between my I need to see it personal style and my drop and run organizational style = a "just right" container that allows me to put things away (instead of down) in a place where they're visually accessible.

Balance between the easy answer and the one that makes sense = time + patience + trial + error.

Pixabay

It's amazing how easily we fall into -- and stay stuck in -- habits that don't work. Getting organized and staying organized means constantly reassessing what goes where and whether or not the storage we choose is the best choice. It means finding what works and replicating it so that eventually, everything has a home that's as easy to use as the default surface we choose when we're too exhausted to put things where they belong.

Needless to say, it's a process.

And sometimes, empty drawers share space with homeless piles.

3 Keys Thursday: 3 Key "Night Before" Ideas

Dodgerton Skillhause via Morguefile

This morning, as I was racing around before work gathering my supplies, I asked myself why I don't pack my bag the night before. Then I remembered this picture:

Yep. That's my I need to see it personal style in action.

With one schedule on MWF and another on TuTh, if I don't lay out all of my supplies just before packing my bag, I'm afraid I'll forget something. (Personal experience tells me there's good reason for me to have this concern). My global nature (the need to see the big picture) and my I need to see it style collide, making what sounds like a very practical idea impractical. 

Although packing my work bag the night before doesn't always work for me, here are three key things I could do the night before to save myself time in the morning.

• Pack my lunch. The contents of the kitchen are not going to change between dinner one night and mid-morning the next day. Packing my lunch, stashing it in the fridge and leaving myself a bright, visual reminder (fuchsia sticky note, anyone?) on the back door will save me precious get-out-of-the-house time.

• Lay out my piles. This is something I'd be more likely to do if I lived alone. But, since other members of my family tend to object to my taking up the sofa or dining room table with my class-by-class files, I don't do this. I guess this is just one more incentive to clear off the counter in my office.

• Check my calendar.  During the semester, my days have a pretty predictable rhythm, but there are always those days when extra appointments or meetings sneak in. Ideally, I've done a review of the week ahead sometime between Friday and Sunday night, but a quick peek at the calendar the night before is always a good idea. In addition to refreshing my memory for places I need to be and people I need to see, it gives me the opportunity to pencil items from my to-do list into my schedule. 

Pixabay

Notice that I said these are things I could do. Now I just need to work on putting that could into action.

How about you? What are your morning time savers?