Hello friends! 

How are you dealing with our new normal?  

If you would have told me 3 weeks ago that my planner/calendar was going to be crossed off with red ink because everything on it was going to be canceled, I would haven’t believed it.  Just like you, my schedule was full; meetings, events, kids activities, conferences, client consults, and projects; however March took an unexpected turn for all of us. COVID-19 has forced us all to stay home, work from home, homeschool, and most importantly social distance to avoid the spread of this infectious disease. 

Staying home is our new normal.  Organizing and cleaning have become the central focus for many of us and rightfully so, we are spending a lot more time at home so we all want our homes to be beautiful, organized, functional, and cozy.  

Creating a beautiful and functional home is obtainable.  Set goals each day to tackle a space, not all has to be done at once, give yourself some grace after all you are doing it ALL right now.  If getting organized is your wish during quarantine, I’m sharing some tips to get you motivated to start in the following spaces. Let’s do this! 

• Kitchen, I believe this is the easiest space to start and create an organization system that will not only look beautiful but also be functional.  As with all organizing projects, take it all out, I know this can be stressful and sometimes daunting but you must take it all out to see what you have.  Take a look at all your kitchen items and decide what is frequently used and needed. You will be amazed to see how many forgotten items you have found but no worries, this is the time to begin the process of elimination.  SORT items into categories or as we like to say “likes-with-likes”, TOSS all those unused, unwanted, and duplicate items and REPEAT the process until you have the essentials. Don’t forget that the goal of the organization is to give a home to everything you have. 

• Pantry, oh how I love to organize a pantry.  Did you read last month’s blog post All About Pantries?  There, I share all my tips and inspiration to organize a pantry.  This month, I’m excited to share my own pantry makeover and when I say makeover, it was completely redone.  This was my very first house project and I’m very happy with the results. Just to give you an idea, this now gorgeous pantry was covered with 80’s wallpaper from top to bottom and the shelves had sticky contact paper all around.  I knew the paper needed to come off, fresh paint, new clean shelves and a brand new blue accent wall. I was also able to order new products from The Container Store and re-purpose what I already had.  You too can have an organized, beautiful and functional pantry, and because we are all going through uncertain times, I’ve decided to offer complimentary pantry assessments.  Just fill out the contact form on my website or click here and I will be in touch with you to get your pantry organized.  

• Bedroom, it really doesn’t matter if your room is small or big because if you have an organization system and only the things you love, your bedroom will be your own sanctuary.  Since we are all home and most likely working from home the best advice I’ve received is to always make your bed every morning. To be completely honest, this is a habit I’m still working on, however making your bed every morning will set the tone and productivity of your day.  Habits and routines are essential during uncertain times, staying focused and setting goals will set you and your family up for success. 

• Closet, this should be an entire post but I know a lot of you want to organize your clothes during quarantine, which is another great start.  Did you know that we only wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time? Wild, right? So, when decluttering your closet you should make the decisions of what you no longer wear, if you haven’t worn it in one year, you will most likely not wear it again.  Consider using 3 bins or just 3 designated areas where you will put; love, need, and everything else. Keep what you need and love then everything else can be donated to someone who needs and will love it. 

• Makeup, this is a time to go through your makeup drawer, box, cabinet, or bag.  Check for expired items, SORT likes with likes, TOSS expired, smelly and old items.  Create systems that support the lifestyle you want to achieve. Wipe and clean your makeup storage and don’t forget to also clean your makeup brushes, dermatologists recommend that you should clean your brushes every 7-10 days. If you have gently used or unopened makeup consider donating to your local women’s shelter, you will brighten up someone else’s day. 

If you are ready to achieve your organizing goals during quarantine, I invite you to join the Chaos Coordinators Organizing Challenge.   I've partnered with three other professional organizers to bring you this fun and supportive community challenge!  On our private Facebook group we post a new challenge everyday and share tips to tackle a space. 

During the next few weeks, we will be covering key organizing strategies for all areas of your home.  We want to help bring calm to the chaos you might be feeling right now. So let's make the most of this time at home together! 

Hope you can join in the fun, weekly giveaways for sharing your progress photos every Sunday afternoon. 

Until next month,

STR