Reiko: WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO REPURPOSE A ROOM IN YOUR HOME (I.E.; TO TURN A DINING ROOM INTO A HOME OFFICE)?
Linda: Try creating a room within a room so it continues to keep its primary purpose. For example, a smaller dining table may leave room for a child’s desk. This is better than having your child work at the dining table which you would have to clear off three times a day.
A closet can be repurposed into a home office with a few shelving adjustments. Clear out the closet, leave lower shelves for the desk top and some supplies if needed. Upper shelves can still be used as a closet for storage or linens…and you can close the door at the end of the day!
Reiko: CAN YOU GIVE SOME ADVICE ON THE BEST WAY TO STORE STUFF?
Linda: Be selective about what you’re storing. Always edit before putting things away so you know what you have and where it is.
Putting things in boxes without identifying them is postponing decisions and simply moving the pile from one place to the next.
Labeling and keeping track of what and where things are completes the process. Have proper containers and shelves to store things safely and securely for easy access.
Start small. Don’t work on a full room or closet, but instead choose one corner of the room or one shelf in your closet.
Reiko: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ORGANIZING AND DECLUTTERING?
Linda: You declutter before you organize. It’s the start of the process.
Organizing is putting like-things together and then finding the best places for them to live, based on how you access them. It’s the culmination of the downsizing/eliminating process.
Reiko: WHAT’S THE EASIEST WAY TO GET STARTED?
Linda: When choosing a project, set reachable goals. Avoid overwhelm and acknowledge your little achievements. Work in this order:
1. Start: Set aside time and pick a small space to organize – a drawer, a shelf, a pile of papers.
2. Edit: Ask yourself the right questions: is it usable/donatable/trash? Is it logical to keep?
3. Organize: Put like items together.
4. Decide: Where does it belong in my house? Does it need to be handy, or can it go into deep storage?
For example, could your business clothes that you’re no longer wearing since you’re now working from home, be moved out of your primary closet, freeing up space for something more useful? Could the good china in the kitchen be stored elsewhere because you need more pantry space now?
5. Finish: Take donations/ trash out of the house. Get boxes, file folders, hangers, and whatever else you need to finish the project. Sometimes finishing is harder than starting, but you can do it!
Reiko: Thank you so much, Linda!
DECLUTTERING FOR GOOD FENG SHUI ENERGY
I see decluttering as the first step you want to take before adding feng shui recommendations to your house. Decluttering is the best way to make sure that the good feng shui energy you’re infusing into your space actually works.
Think of a dusty piece of furniture – let’s say an old dresser. If you try to place a sticky note to the dust covered surface, what happens? It can’t hold and falls off. But if you dust off the dresser before applying the post-it note, it attaches strongly.
See decluttering as removing the dust of old energy from your space. Then, when you apply the feng shui remedies (“post-it notes”) throughout your home, they affix firmly and do what they are supposed to do…
Energize your space in order to align you with your vision, goals and dreams, so that they come quickly into your life.
Warmly,
Reiko
PS: If you want to refresh and arrange your home to support you this fall (and beyond) drop me a note!
