THE LIVELY
BLOG

It felt really great to have a few days off this weekend. Though I was thrilled to be invited on an amazing 36-hour trip in the middle of last week (more on that later), getting back from the Austin workshops on Monday night and leaving town mid-week left me with a lot to of hurried work and unfinished to-dos.

This week my priority is to get caught up on last week’s unfinished work, complete what I have for this week, and prepare for our summer vacation(!).

On Friday, Mr. Lively and I fly out to Crystal’s Napa wedding and will stay a few extra days to explore San Fran. I also am excited to re-visit Alcatraz, for which I have an unusually strong affinity.

Today, I’d like to return back to the organize this questions and address the remaining topics.

Again, these will simply be my off-the-cuff answers and I will say that organizing anything is easier when you’ve donated/tossed/recycled/passed on anything that you no longer need, use, or love.

Quite simply: the less you have, the less you have to organize! 

Now, onto the questions:

 

Office desk please.

– Pagie G. 

Personally, I have a large farm table behind my living room couch where I do most of my work. Because it is so open to my living space, I don’t have any room to store paperwork.

So right off the bat, my office desk is usually a small pile of consulting notes, a weekly priority list, and some notes for the website I’m designing for my hotel client.

 

 

The rest of my paperwork lives in filing folders for bills, taxes, etc. or in binders for client notes. Those are all in the guest room in Ikea shelving (above you can see the white and gray filing box I got from The Container Store).

Because I have an online business, most of my paperwork is on my computer.

 

I second office desk. And email! Mine is always a mess. Also, how do you organize email addresses so that they’re all in google, even if they’re not an @gmail account? (is that even organization?)

-Jessica H.

When it comes to email, I’ve had Mr. Lively direct all of my email addresses to two gmail inboxes. I’m not sure how he managed this, but I do know that he looked up the directions online.

As far as actual inbox organization, I’ve covered how I simplified things in detail here.

 

The mountains of papers kids bring home….storing the ones you want to keep.

– Michelle F.

If I put myself in my (future) mom shoes, I think my first inclination is to hold on to a fair amount of the paperwork for a few months, if not a whole school year. I’d probably get plastic folders with the Velcro closures for each child (I use these for my yearly receipts and love them).

Then, at the end of a semester or school year, I’d go through and sort out the items I feel are going to be significant for several years to come.

The items that I keep from this sorting would go in a long-term folder or box for the child. And any artwork that I feel is truly special, I would frame and hang in a playroom or along the walls of a hallway in our home. This way we can enjoy the art on a daily basis, without feeling overwhelmed by too much volume tucked away into drawers.

The rest, I think I’d feel good about letting go of – knowing that the important items are getting their proper attention in the home.

(If you have dealt with children’s paperwork in your own home, please feel free to share your thoughts on this subject as well!)

 

Email/computer/make-up.

– Esha S. & Jen M. 

For Email, please see the answer above in Jessica H’s question.

As far as computer, this one is pretty simple. I don’t think have too much to share here other than I have folders for our family, the blog, With Intention, my hotel design project, and my residential design client home.

Within these major folders I have sub-folders for other items like website graphics, tax paperwork, etc.

 

 

When it comes to makeup, I have always had pedestal-like sinks for the past six years. This has made storing and using makeup on a flat surface problematic.

To work around the lack of space, I have used some form of tray for my makeup that gives me a flat work surface when applying the makeup and stays in the cabinet below when not in use.

 

Desk/office space (especially when it’s a part of your living room).

– Joanna P. 

I have had my office set up in my living room for the past three years in two different apartments and I love it!

The thing I’ve learned is that I cannot keep much clutter simply around because there isn’t room for it.

I use my guest room currently to house any unneeded paperwork like consulting notes and I have a drawer in my kitchen that has the few office supplies, like a stapler and three hole punch, that I need.

When I do have any paperwork on my desk, I try to limit it to one pile of just the items I need to address that day. Any other papers get tucked into a drawer in the guest room desk for later in the week.

If you need a place for items like tape and paper clips, I suggest using a pretty jewelry box (you can usually find them at Home Goods) or lacquered box to hide the functional items in a pretty way. You’ll notice the one I use in the office storage photo above.

 

My family of 5 is moving from Japan back to the US in a month. We’re blessed to have movers who will come pack us up, but I want to have the kitchen and craft closet organized before they arrive.

I am at a loss as to where to start in the kitchen and with the kids craft supplies and my scrapbooking stuff. I’d rather organize on this end than have to deal with mountains when we finally unpack as I’ll be about 8 months pregnant then!

– Laura S.

This is a tough one! To be honest, I would be really ruthless intentional about the items that I bring back. I would only bring those things that we use, or plan to use, on a very regular basis.

I would suggest using the same “hanger method” you mentioned in your comment that you used for your closets. Anything that you haven’t touched in the last six months in the crafts, scrap-booking, or kitchen I would consider up for donation.

Donating scrap-booking or craft supplies to a school or non-profit for children gives you a chance to help institutions who may not be able to afford the items in Japan. And you can always repurchase papers or paints in the US if you find you want them after you return.

 

Closet exfoliation and organizing.

– Christine L.

Please see my response to Ashley G.P. in the first post.

 

The computer! I have so many pictures/file from blogging & I don’t know what to do with them!!

– Here&Now

Over time, I’ve learned that I would personally rather save my blog images on my actual blog server than on my desktop.

Any unedited pictures from my DSLR are auto-imported into My Pictures folder on my Mac. But once they get processed and blogged, they are put in the trash because I can always reuse them directly from the blog’s media folder.

If I need to re-find a DSLR photo, I simply go back in the events in My Pictures and retrieve the one I need.

So my personal suggestion is to transition your blog image saving to the web, rather than your computer. I used to keep all my old pictures from my blog early on and found it to be a waste of space and organizational energy. Allowing things to just live on the blog has simplified things a lot.

 

I hope that these ideas may have been helpful for the ladies who asked these questions and anyone else who might be looking to simplify and organize in their own homes!

 

office photo by

 

Yesterday I asked people on Twitter and Facebook what they would like me to share when it comes to organizing.

There was quite a response to the question, so I thought that it would be best to share each Q and A here in one big post.

I’ll also say that some questions I cannot speak to directly from personal experience because I don’t have kids and I am not moving to or from Japan. So when I cannot relate personally from my own life, I will share based on principles, what I believe I would do in each case.

My hope is that these insights, or any that are provided in the comment section, are helpful for those that face similar challenges.

Ready? Let’s begin.

 

I’ll say right away that my approach may not be ideal for some people. But Mr. Lively and I have honestly found that we rarely ever use the boxes or instructions for electronics. And warranties are pretty rare for us since we are apartment dwellers without appliances and don’t purchase warranty extensions on our electronics.

So for this reason, I am pretty sure that I only have the instructions for the TV and the printer (which does get used from time to time).

I may also still have the box for my MacBook Pro in the guest room closet because it is the one electronic I would be likely to eventually sell. However, I did resell my laptop back to Apple and they sent me a box to use, so even my box may not be necessary.

Instructions, I’ve learned from Mr. Lively, are often available for products online, so we no longer worry too much about those as well.

So to answer the question, I keep a few instructions in a folder  and would include warranties there too, if I had them. Boxes I’m less concerned about keeping in general unless I was sure I was going to re-sell.

 

 

Jewelry and hair accessories please! My headbands and bracelets are out of control.

– Kelsey Heinze (‏@keheinze) 

This one I’ve got to say has a lot to do with editing. I have gotten better and better over the years at editing my jewelry wardrobe down to only the items that I use on a frequent basis.

The items that I use sit on my dresser, below. Necklaces go on the tree branch, earrings go in the ikat bowl, and bracelets and watches go in the crystal bowl.

I do have about 10 more pieces than what is shown in this photo, now, but overall this is still the same set up.

 

 

I also have some heirloom jewelry which I have on display, but my bedroom only houses the regular workhorses in my wardrobe.

There also is a bag of old Jess LC designs tucked away in the guest room closet (aka “the attic”) for when I have a daughter to share them with.

When it comes to headbands, I only have one. And it is hanging with my belts on these great hooks and rods from Ikea.

 

I’m hoping to get through my house this summer…but organizing the organizing is proving to be scary (it’s a big house and it’s just me doing most of it, kids aren’t much help).

Thoughts on organizing the organizing of a big house when you work full time? Thanks!

– Marguerite S.

This one I really can’t speak to from personal experience since I don’t have kids nor a big house.

I think I would personally try to devote a few weekends to doing it since I wouldn’t want it to drag on for months and weigh on me with such a busy schedule. I would also probably enlist my children (depending on age) to be responsible for helping with their items (something The Seven Habits recommends).

If that option wasn’t available, you could consider hiring help.

In fact, I was hired as a teenager to organize and clean a busy neighbor’s overflowing playroom since she was too busy to tackle the project.

Either way, it will require time (doing it yourself on nights or weekends) or money (hiring help) to resolve. You could even “hire” your kids!

If anyone else has thoughts on how to get this done, please share as well!

 

One idea would be prioritizing. Where does a rational person start? Another would be storage of under used hand me down china and crystal you can’t get rid of for various reasons.

 – Lynda M.B.

Not knowing your exact situation, I’d start with creating a vision of what I’d like the space to look like. I’d then figure out what actions and organizing would give me the most progress towards the actualization of that vision and start there.

To me, the ability to have your space reflect your vision for it is the highest priority. It may also give you the encouragement you need to keep going and complete the smaller, less impactful changes as well to complete the overall look you are seeking.

And on the china front, I’m sorry that you have items you feel you cannot get rid of! That’s really tough.

I suppose, since I live in an apartment, I would store it in Tupperware tubs under my guest bed. But you could do the same in whatever area of your home you have extra unused space as well.

 

Planning…electronic vs. paper…personal vs. work.

– Lauren H.

Great question!

For me electronic is best since it actively syncs with my phone and computer (I use Google Calendar and TeuxDeux).

I was a paper girl before, but the idea of losing that planner used to scare me. I also enjoy that my electronic schedule will beep at me and alert me before specified appointments to remind me to get a move on!

And to keep things simple I keep work and personal all in the same place. This might be easier for those that are self-employed vs. at a corporate job, however.

As far as what to plan to do when, I’m covering that in today’s WIKW!

 

Clothes, accessories and jewelry. By color, function or outfit and if by outfit what about muting use items?

– Janice W.B.

Clothes: I have t-shirts, shorts, and sweaters folded on shelves in my closet. For the rack, I do three main sections: short-sleeve and sleeveless tops, long sleeve tops, and dresses.

Each of those main sections are then color coordinated from light to dark so I can essentially find any item I’m looking for in any section quickly and easily.

Pants and skirts are on their own rack and are by color as well.

Accessories: I have my scarves and belts hanging on rods and hooks from Ikea.

Jewelry: Check out my answer to Kelsey above.

 

Paperwork!

– Kara F.

My honest answer is: I try to get rid of as much as possible and keep everything online.

This leaves me with very little paper to deal with. I have a binder for consulting notes, a hanging folder box for bills and insurance, and a plastic folder for 2013 receipts.

Past year’s accounting items go in their own plastic folders and are stored on the upper shelf of the guest room closet.

Important items like passports, birth certificates, etc. all go here.

 

I second the clothing stuff (including editing with your organizing)- its something everyone can use, but many of us don’t have the money to hire someone to help us with this daily task! Everyone is busy and rushed in the morning – an organized closet can really help start the day right. Mine is a mess.

– Ashley G.P.

This can be tricky to do if you have a hard time letting go, but I think an intense makeunder could really help you.

They say that we wear 20% of our clothes most of the time. So chances are that you might be feeling overwhelmed by your closet due to having too many items that you no longer need, use, or love.

I would focus on creating a killer vision of what you’d like your closet to look like and how many items you’d like to have and then work your exfoliating towards achieving that vision.

You could also ask a friend who is good about clutter to spend the day with you to help you to make progress as well.

Here’s a previous makeunder I did on my wardrobe which might be helpful, as well.

 

Tomorrow I’ll be back to finish answering the questions shared on Facebook.

In the meantime, feel free to share any tips or insights you might have for these wonderful ladies as well!

 

dresser photo by

In honor of Organization Week, I am following the makeunder process and exfoliating first.*

For this exfoliation, I decided to go big. Throw out 100 things challenge big.

Because let’s be honest: the simplest organization occurs when we have less “stuff” in the first place.

Over the last five years I’ve developed a pretty good rule of thumb for items: I need to need, use, or love them in order to keep them. Anything that doesn’t fit one of these rules is a candidate for exfoliation (which means I toss out, donate, pass on, or recycle the items – depending on their potential).

In addition, I’ve had an intention to have only really nice stuff for the last five years as well. So exfoliating has also allowed me to fulfill this intention little by little,  even when I was tight on cash.

By exfoliating the items that were not-so-nice, I managed to increase the percentage of my stuff that was nice.

So without further ado, let’s get to the items, shall we?

 

 

(Confession: totally forgot to add the 99th shirt – Mr. Lively is exfoliating another two that I didn’t include in the photo because I counted wrong. Doh.)

As with past challenges, I did my best to exfoliate things in batches, when possible. So you’ll notice that there are several pairs of earrings bunched together instead of counted separately.

This helps me to really make more substantial progress with clutter and allows me to be a better editor overall.

I gotta be honest, it feels great looking around the apartment now. Less clutter in drawers or in the closet really does feel like I have “more” nice stuff.

I have found that the more difficult things to let go of are often the things that I later appreciate exfoliating the most.

Exfoliating Tip: If anyone has trouble letting go of things, especially clothing, my suggestion is to put the items you are on the fence about in a box for three months. If you haven’t gone back to the box to retrieve any items, donate the box at the end of the three month period.

And of course, if you find yourself similarly inspired to go through your home and do your own challenge, please share your post link back here so we can all check it out!

 

* Unfamiliar with the makeunder process? You can check out the four steps here.