At the end of your organizing rope?

 
     When you walk into your home, how do you feel?  Whether you’re coming home from a hectic day of work, or workout, watching your place-kicking daughter, or even a day at the beach, if your home doesn’t feel welcoming and a place to rest in positivity, you may need to declutter and organize.
 
     Most of us are aware of what we could be doing to keep our messes in our homes to a dull roar. Suggestions like; sort the mail near a trash bin, put the clothes away after folding them, hang up your jacket when you enter your home versus tossing it on the back of a chair, and my favorite – if you’re going upstairs later, put items that will also be making that trek in a basket at the bottom of the stairs...But, who’s carrying it up later and putting the items away once they get toted up there?
 
     What I suggest to my clients is they practice the ‘two minute rule’. It was conceived by David Allen (https://gettingthingsdone.com/). The idea is, if a task takes less than two minutes to complete, do it as you go. Guess what? It actually works! After all, how long does it really to take to hang up your jacket? Or, stow your hairbrush, make-up, and blow dryer each morning? My bet is most women can put all of the sundries away in less than two minutes. It should take about 30-45 seconds, if you have the right organizing tools. I’m serious…For men, how long does it actually take to put away your shaver, (and run the water to clean out the dropped hairs), stash your comb / brush and hair products?  I’m thinking that same 30-45 seconds.
 
     At this point you may be thinking, well what if I have 10 things each day that fall into that ‘two minute rule’? I don’t have the extra 20 minutes each day. Or, hey. It’s much faster if I just leave everything out and accessible for when I need it the next time! I hear ya! But, that’s the trap.  The leaving it out syndrome is how one’s home gets the ‘lived-in’ look you’re trying to avoid.
 
     The thing is, and there’s always a thing, right?  Each item of our ‘stuff’ has to have a specific place to reside. The residence must be easily accessed and easily utilized. If it’s a pain to use, it won’t be. The art of staying organized, and having an uncluttered, yet highly functional, home does not come as second nature to most people. There is zero negative judgment/s on that!  You have plenty of other strengths and creativity outlets.
 
     Side story: I got a phone call a while back. The caller said she ‘had had it!’. The end of her rope had been reached. Her 23 year old son could not find his swim fins. As you can imagine, these are relatively good sized items. Being more self-reliant than many family members, he did search his closet and his car, called his swimming buddy, even looked in the hall closet before asking his mom for help. Together they faced-off with the garage.  After a frustrating hour of rummaging around through piles of unrelated items and unmarked bins and boxes, her son’s friend texted relaying he had found the fins in his trunk. Needless to say, I had a new client.   
 
     We want to be happy when we get home, not stressed (consciously or subconsciously). When there are random things in the wrong rooms or in dangerous locations, or in need of relocation before we can utilize whatever is beneath them, (think cluttered couch, countertop, table, bed, chair), or there’s mail stacking in need of review, (screaming bills need to be paid), or like my fin seeking friend, you’re not sure if your treasure is even on your property. Unfortunately, stress is environmentally built in.   
 
     It’s time to declutter. It’s time to organize. Call us. We’ll get you on your way to a happy, relaxing home.