Functional and Fashionable Spaces
Is it possible to have a home or space that is organized and both functional and fashionable? Some people may prefer to place the focus in their home and spaces on the fashion and decor trends to make it look beautiful rather than functional. Do you really have to choose one over the other – absolutely not! It is possible to have an organized space that is both functional and fashionable. The most important first step is that your space is uncluttered and functional. Thus the importance of organizing your space before beautifying it, can’t be overstated. Don’t forget that the positive effects of organizing can be life changing not only for you personally but for all aspects of your life including family and work. Does this mean that if you have a fashionable room that you can’t make it functional? Of course not, you can always work backwards to organize your space to make it organized as well as functional and fashionable.
Unclutter-Ask Yourself if Something Makes You Happy or Brings You Joy?
Do you find yourself spending time organizing and then your space reverts right back to the original cluttered state? It is not only frustrating when this happens but time consuming too. Here are some valuable strategies that will help ensure that your time and energy spent organizing is well spent. The first step is to realize that you have an emotional connection to your possessions and stuff. What does this mean? It means that you may be keeping “stuff” that adds to the clutter in your home and spaces for various reasons such as guilt. This can be the guilt of buying something and later deciding you don’t like it. Ask yourself if the item makes you happy or brings you joy? If your answer is no then this is something that can be donated to charity or maybe consigned. This simple question will help provide a guide for beginning to separate the emotional connection to your “stuff” that over time adds to the clutter that surrounds you. As you begin your organizing process and ask yourself this important question, begin using this simple strategy introduced by Julie Morgenstern, a well known organizer and time management expert. Julie’s SPACE formula will help ensure that your home and spaces have a functional, organized and clear purpose.
What Does SPACE Stand For?
S-sort: Categorize and group all items in a space so that you can visualize how much you really have and assign a space limit or boundary. This means the space may be defined to a basket in a pantry or a section in a closet.
P-purge: Determine what you don’t need and donate, consign, store or throw away.
A-assign: Determine where the items will go that make logical sense and continue to be accessible for easy use.
C-containerize: This is a step where you can add your flair and fashion sense. Make sure that your containers, baskets, etc are the right size and look good too. This is one of the last tasks to do in the organizing process.
E-equalize: This is something that becomes a daily task to maintain organization so that every day you do something to stay ORGANIZED.
So kick start your summer with a functional and fashionable organized space!
