I'm heavily into a clutter busting phase right now. My husband and I returned from vacation recently. We stayed for 3 days at an amazing Asian inspired hotel that gave me such a sense of calmness that I'm ready to make some changes at home. When I first started working from home I foolishly thought that I would be able to do more on a daily basis in terms of housekeeping and organization. Truthfully, I have been so focused on work I have done even less and it is bothering me more and more. I believe in Gretchen Rubin'ssix word secret of happiness that "Outer order contributes to inner calm". I spend far to much time searching for things which is supposed to be an indicator that I need to be better organized. I constantly search for needle gauges, calculators and markers as well as basic office supplies. I then end up buying multiples because I can't find what I need. to work. I also suffer from entrepreneurial guilt which tells me I should be working all of the time if I want to be successful.
Some time ago I read this posting. It says that "scientists find physical clutter negatively affects your ability to focus, process information". That means that getting things organized will ultimately help my business. I'm going to start by doing about an hour of organizing everyday that I can and assess where I am at the end of the summer. Maybe I can get that sense of calmness at home.
I applaud you in your efforts and can assure you that it will be worth every minute you spend organizing for the time you will gain down the road to focus on your business. Having "multiples" of things you use often (needle gauges and stitch markers etc.) is not a bad thing, but they need "homes" where they can live so that you can find them when you need them and those "homes" should be close to their point of use. Look for clear containers both portable and permanent that can capture these all over your home, car, bags etc. Here's my quick (professional organizer) advice: 1. Gather like with like 2. Contain it near it's point of use 3. Work WITH your habits, not against them 4. Put everything back in it's place AS SOON as you are done with it (even if you MIGHT come back to it later). 5. If you are visual, keep things stored in clear view (glass jars, clearly labelled bins, open shelving etc. ) because too often out of sight = out of mind!
I have been saving almost everything. Now after 20 years in this house we looked around and thought "How did we accumulate all this stuff?" I have been bringing bag after bag to Good Will and have been purging the house of things we haven't used in a while.
I was on prednisone at one time and gained a lot of weight so when it came off I was left with beautiful clothes that needed to be altered. I finally understood that I would never alter them with so many other chores hanging over my head so I gave them all away.
Slowly my house is becoming organized and because of this I am able to tidy up more efficiently. The only down side is I have a husband and daughter who rarely ever put anything away after they use it.
email contact robinknits(AT)gmail(dot)com
I've been knitting my whole life. I don't even remember learning. I started making garments for myself in my teens and then explored sewing, tailoring and millinery. I want to teach knitters about fit and flattery and turn them into fashion stars!
On my blog you will find lots of interviews with knitting industry professionals, how to tutorials and a variety of posts about what's going on in the knitting world.
I love to come out and speak at shops and guilds. Here's what the Downtown Knit collective said after one of my talks:
“Robin Hunter’s inspiring talk, “The Barbie Factor,” left everyone in a feel-good mood at the conclusion of the May meeting. Heads were nodding in agreement all around ... as she tackled a multi-faced problem faced by many knitters—why don’t we knit for ourselves? She touched on many topics including fashion, body image, media and how it all relates back to our knitting.”
You can see my patterns on http://www.patternfish.com/des/robin_hunter and you can find me on Ravelry at http://www.ravelry.com/people/knittingrobin
My YouTube channel is here:http://www.youtube.com/user/robinknits?feature=mhee
I applaud you in your efforts and can assure you that it will be worth every minute you spend organizing for the time you will gain down the road to focus on your business.
ReplyDeleteHaving "multiples" of things you use often (needle gauges and stitch markers etc.) is not a bad thing, but they need "homes" where they can live so that you can find them when you need them and those "homes" should be close to their point of use. Look for clear containers both portable and permanent that can capture these all over your home, car, bags etc.
Here's my quick (professional organizer) advice:
1. Gather like with like
2. Contain it near it's point of use
3. Work WITH your habits, not against them
4. Put everything back in it's place AS SOON as you are done with it (even if you MIGHT come back to it later).
5. If you are visual, keep things stored in clear view (glass jars, clearly labelled bins, open shelving etc. ) because too often out of sight = out of mind!
I have been saving almost everything. Now after 20 years in this house we looked around and thought "How did we accumulate all this stuff?" I have been bringing bag after bag to Good Will and have been purging the house of things we haven't used in a while.
ReplyDeleteI was on prednisone at one time and gained a lot of weight so when it came off I was left with beautiful clothes that needed to be altered. I finally understood that I would never alter them with so many other chores hanging over my head so I gave them all away.
Slowly my house is becoming organized and because of this I am able to tidy up more efficiently. The only down side is I have a husband and daughter who rarely ever put anything away after they use it.