With longer days and our ability to gather, it’s time to get out of our houses and start making memories again. It’s time to break out and use our outdoor spaces. Let’s commit to creating the perfect patio, deck or entertainment areas to make great memories this summer season.

Let’s Get Started!

Evaluating what you already have is an important first step to improving outdoor areas plus making sure you’re using everything you already own can help save money and time. This leaves more time for fun and relaxation during your summer. Once you go through everything, take a look and get rid of anything that you no longer use. It’s important to make sure everything you own serves a purpose, to prevent unused pieces from taking up space in your house, garage or outdoor spaces.

Next, evaluating your space is important. You don’t want clutter or crowding, so to combat this make sure you are able to comfortably fit everything you desire on your patio space. Furniture and outdoor pieces that don’t crowd make your space feel airy and inviting.

Helpful Hints

*PROTIP: When buying new outdoor pieces, try to find ones that are multipurpose. Think of a bench that doubles as storage because this way you are able to store toys, cushions, gardening supplies, and outdoor necessities without cluttering or crowding your space.*

Is this year the right year to buy new outdoor furniture? If so, click here to view ideas and different pieces to help improve our outdoor space.

Lastly, after making sure everything is organized and seamless you are now ready for guests and parties. Summer’s a great time to improve your outdoor spaces and enjoy time with friends and family. This year use your patios and outdoor spaces to their fullest potential. Plus, working on and creating these spaces is a great excuse for more fun time in the sun!

The post Summer is Here! appeared first on Open Space Organizing.

Regardless of how cozy or sweeping your space is, February is the perfect month to assess, declutter, donate, rearrange, and breathe some new life into your space. Bring back the spark you’ve been missing.

Sounds great – but now you’re wondering … Where to start? How do you begin to rekindle the spark? 

Here are a few tips to get started.

Evaluate – What’s in the way of falling in love

Falling in love with your space again means taking the time to evaluate the state of your space. Go through your home room-by-room with new eyes, like it’s the first time you’re seeing it. When entering each room pause and take in the furniture, artwork, rugs, decor, and window treatments, plus anything hiding in plain sight. 

Ask yourself:

What makes me smile? 

What makes me wonder, why do I still have this? 

How does each thing make me feel? 

How would my space be different if it only contained items I loved and that made me light up?

Consider moving out what no longer makes you happy. Consider the items that do make you happy and make those the focal point of each room.

What’s hiding in that drawer or behind that door? 

Falling in love again with your space means being fearless and looking into those dark corners! Drawers and closets are iconic dumping grounds for items we don’t have a place for. Things get “put away” with the intention of dealing with them later. Even if no one sees it, you know it’s there. To rekindle the love in your home, it’s time to face those hidden areas. 

Once out of sight, more often than not, we forget about them completely. We have grand ideas for saving things for some unknown future event. Now is the time to bring those items into the light and decide if they should stay or go. 

Break up with your clutter! 

When you walk into a room and feel it’s overcrowded, overwhelming and you’ve been avoiding it, that’s a good indication that it’s time to take stock and make changes. Surrounding yourself with items that add value to your life and allow you to love your space is important.

If you don’t love it, let it go. Clutter can hold you back and prevent new energy and creativity from entering your home. 

It’s well documented that clutter has a negative impact on our physical and emotional health. Living with clutter can even leave you more prone to developing diabetes and heart disease.¹ February is the month of love, so take care of your space and your heart by breaking up with your clutter.

Donating items that no longer serve you is a great way to declutter your place. Not only are you clearing out unneeded items, but you’re also doing good for your community. In the words of Marie Kondo, “By acknowledging their contribution and letting them go with gratitude, you will be able to truly put the things you own, and your life, in order.”

Clean Out Your Closet – Not your Heart

We all have items from family members and loved ones who are no longer with us. Having too many of those things is one way clutter can creep in.

Often there are feelings of anxiety, guilt, and regret because these items carry memories and emotions with them. It’s time to be honest with yourself about why you’re holding on. Grieving your loss, saying goodbye and letting the items go can help bring healing. You’ll always carry that memory with you where it’s most important – in your heart and mind.

Where Should You Start?

Think about where you spend most of your time relaxing and unwinding and start there. 

Does meal prep and cooking help you decompress from your day? 

Is the chair in the living room your favorite place to escape in a book? 

Is falling asleep in bed while watching a show what you look forward to most each day? 

Whatever space allows you to wind down is the best place to start. 

Remind yourself of when you were smitten with this room. It made you smile when you walked in, you were happy to spend time there. When you looked around the room, you were happy you painted the walls that color, the bookshelf couldn’t fit more perfectly on that wall. Take a good look around again and start small. Go through that pile of mail. Clear off the coffee table. Fold the clothes laying on the floor. Small, manageable steps will pay off in the end.

What Do You Love?

There are small changes that can refresh your space and give it a facelift. What color lifts your spirits? What pattern brings out your happiness? Below are some ideas of items to make your room the apple of your eye once again.

Living Room Love

New picture frames

Throw Pillows

Rearrange a bookshelf

Small rug or area rug

Bathroom Love

Different color or pattern hand (and/or bath) towels

Shower curtain

Rug

Baskets or bins for organizing

Bedroom Love

Bed sheets – pattern or solid, colorful

Comforter or blanket

Decorative pillow

Lamp

Kitchen Love

Kitchen towels

Anti-fatigue rug in front of the sink and/or stove

Contact paper in drawers or cabinets

Any Room

Plants or fresh flowers

New, fresh wall color

Drapes/curtains

Shelving

Art

Of course, some of these are a little more costly in terms of both time and money, but not all ideas have to be a grand gesture. Switching photos, blankets, candles, nicknacks (tchotchkes), and art between rooms can be enough of a change to make you crush on your room again.

I Will Always Love You

Whether Whitney Houston gives you all the feels, or Marvin Gaye’s “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” is more your style, you and your home are now ready to spend lots of quality time together. Hopefully, this rekindled relationship won’t cause any jealousy with your friends!

Jump in and make home your favorite place to relax, renew and revive.

Need help falling in love with your space again?

Call OSO at 630-453-2582 and take advantage of our February Special – A Container Store Gift Card (value $45) when you book 5 hours or more! Because who doesn’t love the Container Store?!

Sources:

¹ https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/clinical/what-does-clutter-do-to-your-brain-and-body

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Change Takes Time

A changing world requires changes in us

After three weeks of quarantine, I’m not sure if anyone really has it “figured out” quite yet.  What I have found is that each new day requires me to take a look at what worked the day before, and make some minor tweaks to my family’s schedule.  I have found that exercising, eating well and drinking water make all the difference for me.  Reading or listening to an audiobook works for me.  What works for you?  What minor changes are you making day to day to make this time more livable?

I’m currently listening to the audiobook, “Own the Day, Own Your Life” by Aubrey Marcus.  In it, he suggests starting the day with a full glass of water – and THEN the coffee.  Ok, he suggests adding a teaspoon of sea salt to your water, but let’s not get too crazy too fast here.  I have been doing it, and I do see a difference in my mood and productivity already.  I checked it out from my public library, for FREE too!

Take your time

Of course on day one we all thought, “yes! My home will be spotless and perfectly organized in no time!”  For how many people did that actually happen?  What you can do is realize that all of these things – getting your home in order included – takes time.  Thankfully, many of us have a little extra time lately.  Take the time to connect with others, do a bit of organizing each and every day, and make your world at home the happiest one you possibly can.

Let it be

Yes, I am not afraid to quote John Lennon here, “Let It Be”.  Do you have that song stuck in your head now? Because I do.

Give yourself a lot of grace.  If you didn’t accomplish what you thought you’d do in the past 3 weeks, let it go.  Give it until tomorrow, and try again.  Or don’t!  It’s all really ok.  Make your world a happy place.

The post Change Takes Time appeared first on Open Space Organizing.

Do you all remember that At&t commercial from the 90s?  The “reach out and touch someone” tagline?  Did you imagine all the ways we’d be able to do that, 33 years later?  We can be there for each other – and if you need some tech support, don’t hesitate to reach out. “IT support” here at OSO can be here to help you too.  Google Duo video calls, Zoom, or Skype are the greatest inventions of our time.

Have you asked someone how they are feeling today?  Has anyone asked you?  Staying engaged, connected and positive is more important now than ever.  Reaching out to help others, dropping a little care package on a neighbors porch, calling to check on the elderly in your neighborhood are all fine ways to stay connected, while keeping your distance.  These are clearly unprecedented and uncertain times.  But when it comes right down to it, society will come together.

Keeping a routine, whether you have kids or not, is going to be so helpful.  Get out for a walk in the afternoon, even if it’s just a lap or two around the block.  Do your best to feed yourself and your family well with what you have.  Play music as loud as you like.  Dance.  Sing.  Laugh.  Send someone a meme today.  Tell someone you love them and think they’re amazing.

We’re here for you.  Reach out if you need anything.  We think you’re amazing.

OSO team

The post Stay Connected appeared first on Open Space Organizing.

Breaking up with Clutter, one piece at a time

The post Fall in Love With Your Home Again! appeared first on Open Space Organizing.

Getting organized can start at any time, on any day, but why not today?

Our eight top tips for getting started, today!

1.) Start Small. …
Make one shelf in your home, beautiful and perfect. Organize one closet, one drawer, so that every time you see that space, you light up. Then keep doing that until your home makes your heart happy.

2.) Use One Calendar for Everything. …
And in case you haven’t heard, OSO has produced their own calendar!  Keep everything in one place so you never miss an appointment!

3.) Establish Daily, Weekly and Monthly Routines. …
Did we mention the calendar? Put your routine down on PAPER and FOLLOW it religiously!

4.) Set Manageable Goals. …
Please don’t try to reorganize your entire home in one day or one weekend. Set one room per weekend, or even one closet per weekend. It takes time to properly craft and curate the home of your dreams. It is doable, but remember it takes time and don’t give up!

5.) Divide and Conquer. …
Break your project up into small chunks!

6.) Find a Home for Everything. …
If it doesn’t have a home – do you need it? Or, where would you like it to live? What is occupying that space currently? Does that object make you happy? Make your life better?

7.) Stamp Out Piles of Mail. …
This is my worst subject! It has taken me months to get back into the habit of getting the mail done right away, but honestly – bills can be paid online and the cards stop coming after Dec 26th, so the mail is mostly junk! Say goodbye!

8.) Enlist Help. …
Preferably not from friends and family.  A neutral party can be very helpful, as you know they aren’t going to be hurt or upset to see that you aren’t keeping that ugly Christmas sweater.  Find a junk pickup service in your area, donate to the salvation army, goodwill or AMVETS (they pickup too – from your porch, whatever one man can carry!).

The post Happy New Year! Time to Get Organized! appeared first on Open Space Organizing.

As the holidays are officially upon us now, we want to be aware of what we are gifting. Many Americans feel pressure to give many gift items, and spend over their budget. We are here to remind you that love, care and generosity can come in many packages! Those packages don’t always have to contain a thing.

The gift of an experience, such as the holiday lights at a nearby park or arboretum – or even a drive or walk through your very own neighborhood! @Geekdad has a fantastic list of gifts for kids in their article here: “The 5 Best Gifts of All Time”. Just to forewarn you, one of them is dirt and another, a stick! It’s a great read, not to be missed!

Making gifts meaningful by adding engraving to an everyday object makes something used daily a little more special.

This year, my family is doing a “gift-away” instead of a grab-bag by bringing donations for a local shelter. Companies like Heifer International will use your donation to give a giving animal (like a sheep for the wool, a cow or goat for the milk or a chicken for the eggs) to a family in need overseas. It’s a wonderful company and I’ve “given” in my mother’s name a few years in a row now.

From all of us at OSO, we hope you have a safe and enjoyable holiday!

Keep it Organized!
OSO December Special – The Gift of Organizing!
Buy organizing for yourself or a loved one this year!
* One size fits all
* Perfect for the person who has “everything” (and doesn’t know quite what to do with it all)
* Won’t add clutter to your space

December Special – Buy 5 Hours, Get 2 Free! Special price $497. Hours can be used until Dec 2020.

Use organizing hours to…
*Clear out the garage
*Organize the basement
*Tackle the toy room
*Get the guest room guest ready
*Or reclaim any room in your home

Take advantage of the December Special today!
630-453-2582

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Fall has officially arrived here in Chicagoland. The temperature has dropped below 70 during the day, and the evenings are borderline cold. Cooler temperatures mean more time inside – is your home ready for that? Besides weatherproofing, does your family have indoor activities ready to go and easy to find? Indoor space to play and relax?

The fall is the time for change. As the leaves turn from greens to all the reds, yellows and browns, we prepare for the winter ahead, and that includes our homes. Clearing clutter, just like clearing the fallen leaves, prepares us for the spring. Once the clutter is gone, the flowers of our minds and hearts can truly bloom.

Start small – as you pull out the decorations for the fall and winter holidays, consider what you aren’t totally in love with, and release it. Let it go, give it to charity and let someone else love it. Let it out of it’s cardboard box prison and let someone treasure it, the way you once did.

Even if it was a gift, or a treasured craft created by your child, you can release the object, while keeping the memory. You could even take a photo of it, and create a slide show for your screen saver, letting the memory of the object come to you a few times a day!

Let OSO help you save time this fall, get organized and create family friendly systems, so you can feel peace in your space!

Call now to take advantage of the October Spooky Special!
630.453.2582

The post Cool temps keeping you inside? appeared first on Open Space Organizing.

As summer draws to a close and the weather begins to turn, I feel motivated to make adjustments in my home space.  Sometimes it’s a closet refresh, sometimes a maneuvering of furniture, sometimes the beginning of a whole new chapter.  In the Chicago area, the change in seasons from summer to fall can mean a big change in the weather. It’s now time to pull out the scarves, sweaters and boots!  During this time of year, when we swap our summer wardrobes for fall and winter, it is also a wonderful opportunity to purge some of the items you aren’t deeply in love with anymore.  A fun fall idea to motivate your purging is to have a wardrobe, purse or jewelry swap with friends!  Purge your items, and swap for something new – costs you nothing, and gives you a fun night out with friends!

The best part about fall for me – BACK TO SCHOOL!  The school supplies, crisp air, and renewed feeling of learning always excites me!  However, for little kids, adjusting to a new school routine and staying organized can be tricky.  Routines can be so helpful with this. Having the same wake up time every day, setting aside time for homework every day at the same time, having a place for backpacks to hang and reminders to hang them there – everyday.

Students need a homework station – and even in the smallest of spaces, this can be accomplished.  Having a clear space with a jar for pens, pencils, rulers, glue, etc. is really all that’s needed.  But it needs to be clutter-free and removed from distractions like phones, TV and games.

Create a space for backpacks for school as well as activity bags for sports, teams, etc. In the mudroom, or garage are great places for these!  Use your vertical space and 3M hooks to hang bags in neat order!  When it’s game-time, you can just grab and go!

The post Change Seasons, Change Space appeared first on Open Space Organizing.

School is well under way for most students now!  Backpacks are purchased, new shoes are sized, hair cuts are had, and first day outfits have been worn.

Now, after two weeks of school, do you still know where those backpacks, shoes and new jeans ARE?!

In order to STAY organized, we absolutely MUST have a place for everything, and put everything in it’s place!  This month really got away from me, as you can see by the delay in the newsletter and blog post!  The fall is a busy time for everyone, whether you’re “celebrating” back to school or not, and it’s a great time to organize a few small areas of your home.

First, the “landing place”.  This is the spot in your home where everything seems to land when you all walk in the door.  Is it the front room?  Kitchen table or counter?  Bedrooms?  Wherever your landing pad is, you need to have designated areas for things like: mail, keys, sunglasses, purse or wallet, backpacks, etc.

Mail can sometimes be the bane of my existence – I might not get to sorting it right away and it piles up!  I have taught myself that I really don’t like it when there is a pile so I have to deal with it right away!  File papers in a “to-do” or “to-pay” folder, toss the junk, and put away the magazines!  When you receive a new monthly, recycle the old one – yes, even if you’re not totally done reading it!  It’s ok, I promise.

Find a hook or shelf for purses and backpacks and always put them back. It only takes a minute to do this and it will save you so much time later. Stop the endless morning search for your belongings!  A small basket for KEYS ONLY.  Don’t put your chapstick in there.  No coins.  Do not empty your receipts in there. You can create other homes for those things.  Let your key basket be for your keys only.  A place for everything and everything in it’s own place.

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