S.P.A.C.E.
I learned this handy acronym from Julie Morgenstern on an episode of Oprah in the early 90’s. Julie’s approach to chaotic areas in one’s house, spoke to me. Loudly. And I didn’t even have a house yet!
I’ve not looked at another approach to organizing clutter since memorizing this treasure.
S: Sort the stuff. Really, make piles of like-minded items. Most people begin to find a place for these items at this point, but honestly, so early in the S.P.A.C.E game, a move like that is premature.
P: Purge the stuff. Do you really need it? Have you used it? I usually have a “Throw-away” and a “Give-away” pile. If I can’t find someone who wants what I’m peddling, I donate – quickly, in order to get it out of the house.
A: Assign a place for the stuff. Where are the left-overs going to go? Those piles you sorted?
C: Containerize the stuff. Now that you have sorted, purged, and assigned a place, the fun begins. Find baskets, bins, etc. to organize those stacks, items, single socks who are missing their mate. But to make it to this step, you must first complete the others. (At this point, I try and repurpose containers that I already have in the house – so as to not drop a load on new items.)
E: Equalize the stuff. Keep the system going. Upkeep is important.
(Want the nitty gritty on this system from Julie herself? Head over to her website for more details.)
Now, for the truth.
There’s this room in my house, see.
A room that I’ve neglected since I finished home-schooling Zane in June.
A room, I’ve only entered in order to grab something from the printer, or an empty box to ship a package.
A room in which I’ve risked spraining my ankle while stepping over stacks of books, papers, and various items (seriously, I don’t know what’s really in there) in order to grab something off the printer. Remember the trash compactor in Star Wars?
This room, which used to be my office, is officially known as the “room which shall not be entered.” That also goes for the cleaning lady.
I’m known as being a pretty organized person. Well, check out that featured image up top. How do ya like them apples?
It’s time to reclaim it. I live in a 4 BR house. To not utilize one is ridiculous.
This week, we will be embarking on a journey to take back this room.
Our vision.
As much as this Mom likes her alone time, it’s silly for me to have an office that can not be used by anyone else. We have a living room/dining room combination, and a basement where the kids hang sometimes (less time that I would prefer), but we are missing a den. A reading room. I almost want to call it a “Think Tank”. I can do some writing, kids can read or do homework – lots of thoughts swirling around here.
Right now, all we know for certain is that BR #4 will become a Den. Desk, reading chairs, bookshelves. A space heater – for that room is chilly, with a capital “CH”.
A Den. For everyone.
Do you have a room, or closet, or space that desperately needs some S.P.A.C.E. TLC?
