Living in an organized space means a more organized you. It means easier access to the much needed things of daily life such as finding that tie. It means more time to do other, more enjoyable things like stopping to grab that routine cup of coffee on your way to work, or better yet, brewing your own.
How organized are you? How do you arrange your socks? How do you arrange your sweaters and sort your ties? Are your sweaters high up on the top shelf and you're only a mere 5 feet and one inch? Do you have clothing falling in your face and on your head as you reach for that top shelf? How do you maintain organization in your living room, library, laundry room and other rooms in your home?
How are you with time? Do you spend a greater part of the morning deciding what to wear to work or what to take for lunch?
There is a remarkable relationship between organizing and time. They go hand in hand. Take my friend Michael for example; your average 31 year old, handsome, successful and well dressed. Mike has one unbelievable fault...he is selectively disorganized which is a surprising, surprise to me when I consider how he presents himself to the world. Selectively disorganized? You will see what I mean as you read further.
Michael Knew that I had recently started an organizing business, and needed clients, He asked if I would give him some tips on how to organize his apartment. "No I will not give you tips, I said, but what I will do is give you a consultation at a discount". He was happy to hear the word discount and said "yes" and I was happy to hear the word yes.
Our meeting was on a Tuesday and Michael answered the door neatly dressed as usual, wearing kahki shorts and a "muscle man" T shirt.
The thing though, was that his apartment was not what I had expected, so my initial feelings were a mixture of surprise, and awe.
His apartment was gorgeous. There was no mess. No dirty dishes sitting on the coffee table or a pair of pajama bottoms thrown on the couch as a result of a hurried exit. I thought, what the hell, this man doesn't need me. I stared around wide eyed and then a sudden thought hit me and I heard myself ask myself; "what is this man really after."
He motioned for me to follow him and the walk lead to his bedroom (of all places). I had previously pictured a large room painted in a neutral colour, modern furniture with clean lines. I pictured brushed nickel sconces mounted on either sides of a platform bed backed by a leather headboard (I hoped not).
I expected to see well draped grommet panels stacked neatly on either side of large windows, or maybe cordless shades, picked out lovingly by his mother or his girlfriend. Oh yes, and a mirror on the ceiling.
Michael stepped over the threshold of his bedroom and of course I was to follow...but only my right leg made it over that threshold, only one. The left leg would not move. In fact, I think I literally froze for a few seconds. Truthfully, the only thing I could see in that room was the ceiling and it did not have a mirror (thankfully). Everything else was hidden by bags and clothing and boxes and things.
After I lifted my leg over the threshold and fully entered the room, it was then that I knew I was in heaven. It was chaos. His room was a mess! It was all I could do to stop myself from dancing a jig right there in front of him. You see I enjoy the process of transforming the chaotic into the organized and then stepping back to see the results. This gives me great pleasure.
Michael explained rather embarrassingly, that he used his bedroom for storage, but stored certain items in the guest bedroom across the hall. The guestroom, like the the rest of the apartment was neat and nicely decorated. It hosted many visitors; his parents and siblings as well as friends. So where do you think he slept?
Odd I thought, as ones bedroom should be welcoming in a cozy, peaceful, and attractive way. The one space that is used for rest and intimacy...you know, where peace and love abide.
I think you know now what was meant by selective disorganization. Michael selected his bedroom to be that disorganized space. He was wasting a lot of time traveling between rooms to obtain items, and eventually setting boundaries became an issue.
So I gave Michael a consultation. Over the next three days, I researched different organizational systems and produced a helpful sample board to assist him with his project. Hopefully this will get him off that sofa and back into his bedroom.
You can see that Michael already has a knack for organizing, but just needed some help. For this situation the challenge was bigger than him!