The tips I use to stay organized through three moves and multiple design switches
Fun little fact about me is that my brain is a world of chaos most days. I am a creative person who works from home, which means that my workspace is my living space. I work hard to create essential boundaries for separating work and personal life, but I also know that this is slightly unrealistic.
My passion for organization comes from the need to have a clean, tidy home since my work often gets creatively “messy” very quickly. When you work in content, your day involves a LOT of screen time, as well as frequent task-switching. Having a home that essentially maintains itself with very little effort from me allows me to do my best work for my clients.
I get questions from family and friends on how to keep things organized and so I thought I’d put together my best tips on how to keep things where they need to be.
Think in systems, not products. The biggest mistake I see people make when it comes to home organizing is they buy a lot of “stuff” - bins, storage cabinets, etc, and don’t think about the systems in which they operate. Before you buy, think about how you actually move about your home. Think about your systems already in place (yes, even if it seems like chaos, its still your current system!) and how you can corral it to be more condensed and organized for you. Don’t buy ANYTHING until you know how it will be used. You don’t want to create more confusion!
Buy multipurpose and neutral. Yes, pops of color and creative “storage solutions” are so much fun, But oftentimes they’re based on trends and might not look great, or worse, be completely wrong if you move! Think, entire cabinets not fitting anywhere. Start small with simple white bins (I like these) and think about how you can make these work before you go big.
It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it does have to work. Perfect homes we see online and on social media have been creative directed to look pristine in those images. Those homes work for those people living in them, but trust me, you don’t need perfection. You need what works.
Throw shit away. Yes, Marie Kondo was right. I don’t mean throw away everything in your home, but you likely have a lot of crap that goes unused and sits collecting dust. Start by throwing (even better, donating!) and I promise this will make you feel better. I know its hard. It works every. Single. Time.