We’re still on the journey, exploring the serious and lighter sides of organising with a wander through the alphabet with The A to Z of Organising.
Catch up on previous posts here:
Now it’s time for F… and yes, there is a controversial word included.
Favourites – One way to make decluttering decisions easier is to play favourites. You can do it with anything. Too many cups and mugs? Play favourites. If your designated drawer or cupboard for cups and mugs is overflowing, select the favourite cups and mugs and ditch any that don’t fit into that designated space. Wardrobe overflowing with scarves? Play favourites. If you find yourself always choosing the same scarves, you know they get to stay. The rest won’t be missed. Play favourites with shoes, books, pens, lipsticks, even friends.
Feng Shui – The ancient Chinese philosophy that claims to find balance and harmony between elements, feng shui is sometimes known as the art of placement. In simple terms, feng shui is about positioning different elements to optimise Chi, or energy. Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui by Karen Kingston is a popular book on the subject. Here she writes about clutter and the feng shui bagua.
Filing – The art of organised filing is knowing what to file, where to file it, and what to toss entirely. I wrote a blog with 5 Household Filing Tips I think you’ll like.
Floordrobe – Not an actual word but a perfect one to describe when the floor is covered in clothes, usually a mixture of clean, lightly worn and dirty, with some shoes thrown into the mix as well. Not an ideal way to store clothes. To prevent a floordrobe from happening, keep a receptacle for dirty clothes somewhere nearby. Make it easy to use with one toss. If you have to lift a lid to put dirty clothes in, that’s too many steps and clothes will likely not find their way in. Also, have a designated place for lightly worn clothes to wait for their next wear. A hook, a chair, or a basket are all options.
Flow – Things flow into your life and your home and usually flow out again. Most possessions do not remain for life, and that’s ok. I wrote an article explaining this concept called The Kitchen Sink is Overflowing on my Hoarding Home Solutions website.
Freedom – Why does freedom come into the A to Z of Organising? Because ultimately, freedom is what we get from being organised, having enough but not too much stuff, being able to access our things quickly and easily. When you’re organised, you have the freedom of time to spend as you’d like instead of searching high and low for your keys. When you’re organised, your mind as well as your home is free from clutter. Freedom.
Fridge & Freezer – Oh the joy of reaching into the fridge and quickly finding exactly what you want. Fortunately, refrigerators these days make it easy to be organised, with clearly defined sections for meat and vegetables, dairy products and drinks. As with all organising, consistency is the key. If the cheese (I’ll have a vintage cheddar please) is always on the same shelf, you can grab it and go. The same applies to the freezer. Where’s the ice cream zone? In my freezer, it’s in the top drawer on the left. Also on this subject, labelling is important. Be sure to clearly label anything that goes into the freezer with the date and contents.
F***-It Bucket – Everyone needs one of these, either a real bucket or a virtual one. There are some things in life you just can’t control. Things go wrong. They trip you up. Those events bring up feelings you’d rather not feel. But it is not helpful to cling tightly to those feelings. Write it down on a piece of paper, scrunch it into a ball and chuck it in the bucket and move on.
Fun – Organising is fun for me, but it’s not fun for everyone, which often results in reluctance to do it. If organising is not fun for you, here are three ideas to inject some fun:
- Turn on some music
- Do it with a friend, either in person or over the phone
- Take the piles or containers outdoors or to your favourite place in the house
Functional – Pretty containers and tidy shelves are great but meaningless if they are not also functional. Keep that in mind.
