This article by Maggie Calloway about easing the chaos in your home originally appeared on March 19th, 2013 in the Langley Times.
Getting your home in order for the spring doesn’t have to be time-consuming and labour-intensive, says Linda Chu of Out of Chaos.
The thing about owning way too much ‘stuff’ is it affects not only how you live in your home but how you feel internally. Most of us suffer to some extent with the 21st-century malady called ‘more is better’ instead of ‘less is more.’
Some of us are drowning in ‘more’ and need to come up for air. Our closets are stuffed with things we never wear, never cook with and never play with. Rooms aren’t used for their original purpose because of the piles of things impeding any normal use. And if that isn’t bad enough, we are now renting storage space to handle the overflow.
If you are looking around at piles of clutter and it seems just too overwhelming or you just need help creating systems to maintain order, there is a solution.
To help you get from there to a new start imagine what your home will be like to live in once the chaos is removed. Wide-open spaces, windows scrubbed to let the sunshine in, getting up in the morning and feeling light and free. If that is worth pursuing, take some hints from Linda Chu, principal of Out of Chaos, a professional organizer service.
“People have such an attachment, such an emotional attachment to their home they feel if it is in disarray there must be something wrong with them,” she says. “The reality is there’s so much pressure these days between working, kids and their activities, parents, etc. that something has to give. People should know that realizing they need help in this area of their lives should be empowering.”
One of the mistakes most of us make when we realize things are getting a bit out of control is to run out and buy beautiful baskets and containers for easing the chaos instead of concentrating on function. “Organization is an essential; it is also relative to the individual; it is (also) the functionality. Just because it looks good doesn’t mean it works,” Chu says. “This is not to say you can’t have some really nice which work but the main focus is on function.”
If you want to get your home organized by yourself but feel totally overwhelmed, try this method. Keeping in mind your home didn’t get cluttered overnight, vow not to get discouraged if it isn’t organized in a weekend. Start in one room and every day get rid of at least three things. Some days you may feel inspired and get rid of many more but the next day you’re back to at least three. Pick a room and start there until the room is organized so you feel you are making progress. Three a day doesn’t seem like much? In a year you will have gotten rid of at least 1,095 things you don’t need. Hiring a professional company like Out of Chaos or taking on the job yourself could be the very best gift you can give your family and yourself and all is takes is that first step.
You can read the full article in The Langley Times. For hands-on help easing the chaos in your home, contact the Out of Chaos team.
