When life is hard, small solutions can be big.

Recently there was an article in the New York Times examining why it is hard to do things like shower when we’re depressed. I feel these types of articles are becoming more ubiquitous as we get more honest with how every day life tasks can be a real struggle for folks. For some these struggles are all the times and for others these struggles can come and go.

It got me thinking about the struggles of organizing and the article highlighted some good takeaways that are helpful regardless if the topic is getting yourself in the shower or starting to get your spaces organized. Here is what I gleaned:

• Validate your feelings - Acknowledge the struggle is real and be honest with yourself about the overwhelm. You are human, be kind to yourself.

• Set smaller goals - In the example of showering they encouraged mixing it up. Maybe showering everyday is too hard. How about every other day? What if you just washed your body and skipped the shampoo and conditioner? In regards to organizing - instead of saying ‘I’m going to organize my entire kitchen’ what if you just picked a zone (the main countertop, one cabinet, the pantry) or a category (expired foods, fridge items, the bread drawer). Setting smaller goals means more wins, which can be contagious.

• Break down the tasks into smaller chunks - Showering: turn shower on, stand in shower, you get the idea… For organizing: in the case of the “countertop” zone, my main counter peninsula is a catch all for - mail, dishes, food items, anything that someone picks up and doesn’t put away. Start by putting like with like, all paper and mail in a stack, all food items to be put back in pantry and fridge together, all items that need to be rehomed elsewhere, corralled. This smaller step will beget the next step, which is putting these items away.

• Make the task more enjoyable - Showering: buy nice smelling soaps and shampoos. Organizing: turn on your favorite music or put on a podcast while doing the tasks. Find a way to take the pain out of the task.

These are small ideas, but with everything, small can be big!

Ways to make organizing more manageable when life gets hard.

All square footage is not created equal

Over the years we’ve done things to make our smallish house feel more spacious. Some big, some small.

Here are 5 smallish things you can do to make your home feel more roomy. These ideas are affordable, and just about anyone can tackle them.

1. Put things on the walls. Going vertical is the easiest way to free up floor space and make room. The space by our bedside is limited. Instead of having table lamps that could be knocked over or bumped when getting into bed, we installed these lamps from West Elm and I couldn't be happier with the fact that they swivel and extend. Other things that go good on walls - shelves, murphy beds, wall desks. 

2. Clean the Windows. This one is practically free. I know, I know it may sound silly but just trust me on this one and open the blinds/curtains while you’re at it. The relationship between indoor and outdoor space matters. Sightlines to the space beyond your four walls will make your house feel lighter and airier.

3. Store off season clothes and gear in vacuum bags. I have a love affair with these bags. We are big skiers which means lots of winter gear and with a finished basement and no attic there is little room to store these items in the off season. Puffy jackets hanging in a closet can take up a lot of room. When the off season comes I do copious amounts of laundry and edit down the things my boys won’t fit into next year, then I vacuum seal it all. Not only are these great for reducing the volume of stuff to be stored but they keep everything clean, dry, must, mold and moth free. I like to list on a post-it note the bags contents and place it inside before sealing. It helps to identify items later on.

4. Clear the countertops in the kitchen. Our peninsula is the hub of our home. It is the drop off spot for so many items - backpacks, bits and baubles, used cereal bowls, mail. In my ideal world there would be almost nothing on my kitchen peninsula. But I’m human and live with three other slightly messy humans. Corralling mail and paper into one pile, and having a pretty platter as a catch all for items is a nice way to imperfectly solve this problem. Our whole house can be in disarray but when there is breathing room in the kitchen for meals and cooking the house feels more spacious. 

5. Reduce visual clutter. This is a piggyback on #4. But there is a reason why the home staging industry is booming when it comes to residential real estate. Paring down and visually quieting a home sells it faster. A simple exercise -  walk through your house as if you were a prospective buyer. What stands out? In addition to the kitchen counters, take a look around - remove items from the fridge doors, put a way coats and shoes in the entryways, put away the things left on the stair landings. Visually quieting your spaces, by putting items in their respective homes, can go a long way. 

Product alert: Space Bags.

At about 1500 square feet my home is on the smaller side. Living in less space, as a family of four, I am constantly seeking ways to find more room. Along with some more expensive things we’ve done to find space (renovations, dormers) there are small things that go a long way. One of my most favorite organizing products are space saving bags. These are my go to , but there are several other good ones out there.

Between living in New England and being a family that skis almost every weekend in the winter, we accumulate a ton of winter gear. With limited storage space in our home, I have to be creative with how I store everything. Hence the space bags.

The Process:

Step 1: Wash

Wash all your winter gear.

Step 2: Donate & Discard

Are your kids growing like weeds? Instead of storing things they won’t fit in next year, donate them to Goodwill. Have a stack of single mittens? Answer: textile recycling. This makes for less stuff to store.

Step 3: Choose.

Store your stuff in a way that makes most sense so that you can find it next year. I personally like to store all hats and mittens together - both adult and kids. Some people may prefer to have a separate bag for each family member. Maybe you only need all the ski gear once a season but hats and gloves are a winter everyday item. It would make most sense to store these items separately. Think ahead.

Step 4: Stuff

Gather items to store in the right size bag and start stuffing. Most bags have a “don’t fill beyond this line” mark on them. You don’t want to over stuff them. If you’re like me, you will need multiple bags.

Step 5: Label

Write down what is in the bag. I use the *back side of a post it note and stick it to the inside of the bag, near where the vacuum hole is.

(*the sticky part of the post it will adhere to the inside of the bag)

Step 5: Seal

Seal the vacuum bag closed. It’s like a big ziploc bag. You want to make sure you seal it completely (very, very important so air won’t seep back in).

Step 6: Vacuum

Attach your vacuum hose to the circle on the outside of the bag and turn the vacuum on. You may have to adjust the bag as you go in order to suction out all the air.

Optional: put a lavender sash or dryer sheet in the bag before sealing, for an extra touch of freshness.

Reasons I LOVE space saver bags:

• No moths, mold, mildew

• stay clean and ready to use next season

• compact: reduce the amount of space needed to store bulky belongings.

• inexpensive space saving solution

Hats & Gloves

Label what's in the bag

Label space saving bag

Winter Coats and pants

Space saver bags

Vacuumed bag

Shrunk to 24"x 34" x 7"

space bag

space bag

This goofy video (taken with the help of my 8 year old who was home sick) shows me putting 7 down/puffer coats (adults and kid sizes) and 6 ski pants (adult and kid sizes) into one space bag. It compressed down to a neat package that’s about 24” W x 34” H x 7’ D. I can stack multiple bags in a limited amount of space.

Outflux

Outflux. Noun. 1 the act of flowing out; outflow (opposed to influx).

We all have methods of bringing #stuff into our homes (think: shopping, hand me downs, inheriting, curbside drive by pick ups...). It is critical to balance these efforts with equal amounts of purging, recycling, throwing out, donating. I just took 4 bags to Goodwill. My advice, keep a donation bag set aside ready to be filled with no longer needed items, once filled drop off at Goodwill or other charity, then repeat.