I read your comments in last week's intro post and it sounds like most of us struggle with the same basic issue - your office {room or space} and your closets have become catch-alls. Paper clutter, holiday decorations, "extras" of items, etc. - nothing has a real "home". I can totally relate. In our one bedroom apartment, we have a small coat closet, a small bedroom closet {which Chris uses} and a hallway walk-in closet {which I use for my clothes and storage}. My "office" is a kitchen table I've transformed into my workspace - for blogging, bill paying {and all other paper management}, running my small businesses, planning for school, etc. Since it's located right inside our front door, it catches everything that comes in - mail, school materials, purchases, receipts, etc.
I mentioned above all of the ways I use my office space, so I definitely have a lot going on in this area. I have a lot of unneeded items on my desk and in the drawers underneath - something that needs to be repurposed. I need to only keep those things I need for my office at my desk. Everything else needs to go or be housed elsewhere.
The coat closet kind of accumulates random stuff we purchase and needs a thorough cleaning. My closet is fine on the clothes side, but the shelves are an absolute mess and also accumulate random things that don't have a home. Part of my whole New Years goal was to simplify. I think it's time to purge and donate!
I have Monday off for President's Day, so I plan on working on my office space and closets this weekend. I will be sure to take before, process, and after photos and share next week.
Your challenge this week is to look at your office and/or closets that need help and identify the purpose for these spaces. For your office - what tasks do you manage in this area and what needs to stay? For your closets - what items will you store in each closet? What can you donate?
Definitely something I need to work on. Since moving my niece into my home and putting my mom in a nursing home I have acquired some stuff that I just shoved into my already organized closets. Need to work on them again.
ReplyDeleteAlso my office/desk area is right by the front door in a bay window. I am not happy with this layout but it works for now. Have so many things to re-think.
Thanks for the inspiration to get it done.
My office space isn't bad, but I do need to straighten the shelves. My office is actually our old laundry room - we had a contractor come and install hookups in the garage for the W/D. We are also using the office as a pantry, as I like to stockpile, so we have a big rolling shelf in here as well. It's not pretty, but it works.
ReplyDeleteI do need to go back through all of my closets. They're not too bad, but there's plenty that can be taken out and tossed or donated. This is a timely challenge - I follow FLYLady also, and she's having a "40 Boxes In 40 Days" challenge for decluttering. Guess that's a sign that I'd better get started.
I found your blog a few weeks ago when I was attempting to set up a new home management journal, and I have really enjoyed your posts!
Thanks for the good ideas to increase office-space. I had lots of unnecessary stuffs on my office desk, I kept them in the store room.
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