Things without a place don’t belong in your space. I liked this catchy little phrase as soon as I heard it. It makes me think of Dr. Seuss and all the wonderful rhymes in his books. (His birthday is March 2nd, by the way.) However it’s not only catchy, it’s good, practical organizing advice. Establish a place for things, especially those things you use (and loose) all the time.
You may already know that I’m an avid scrapbooker. I love creating decorative pages with photos and paper embellishments to highlight my family stories and milestones. I also love sharing my creations with family. They joke around and say I’m a scrapbook pusher, but I know they like looking at them. Thanksgiving or any family get together is a great time to share my scrapbooks. I always bring one to push into their hands and invite them to look and reminisce.
Before that finished scrapbook is ready to share, the creating process happens. Things get messy when I’m creating, and I think that’s typical of most people. When you’re in the creative groove, organization is not a priority. However, I think an organized craft area helps us be more productive. Don’t we all want to quickly and easily put our hands on the tools we need for our project? Wasting time searching for our supplies is frustrating.
So, how do we set up an organized craft area? Whether you have a whole room devoted to your crafts, or you have to pull them out each time you use them, you can create an efficient crafting space with the Reach Ability Factor. It is a system that helps you decide the best location for things based on how frequently you use them.
There are 4 sections in the Reach Ability Factor. Use them to set up your crafting workspace.
Section A: Items in this section are tools and supplies that are used all the time. It depends on the craft, but some examples are scissors, pencils, cutting tools, and adhesives. Place items in section A within easy reach, so little effort is needed to reach out an grab them.
Section B: Items in this section are tools and supplies that are used frequently, but not on every craft project. Some examples may be, templates, patterns, and instructions. Place items in section B within comfortable reach, which requires us to get up and move a little.
Section C: Items in this section are tools and supplies that are used occasionally. Some examples may be special fabric, paper, and markers. Place items in section C within uncomfortable reach, which requires us to exert more effort to reach.
Section D: Items in this section are tools and supplies that are used once in a while or on special projects only. Some examples may be unique supplies that require more time to use, and items that are for a very special project. Place items in section D within difficult reach, which requires us to move other things to get at them.
Whether you have a designated craft space or you set up shop wherever you can, the Reach Ability Factor can help establish crafting order. By using it as a guide to set up your crafting workspace, you place yourself in the center circle and your tools according to use in the concentric circles around you. This enables you to create without having to waste time searching for tools and supplies. Enjoy the creative process.
The Reach Ability Factor can be used in other areas as well, for example a home office, the kitchen prep and cooking areas, and a homework area.
© November 2020 Janine Cavanaugh, Certified Professional Organizer® All Rights Reserved
Have any summer projects?
My husband is a teacher and always takes on summer projects. Well, if you ask him, I’m sure he’d say I provide him with a list of summer ‘honey do’ projects. If I’m being honest, I’ll admit, he’s right. I think summer is a great time to work on projects especially if you have more free-time on your hands.
20 Projects You Can Do in 20 Minutes
Set the timer for 20 minutes and get busy!
Devoting 20 minutes to any one of the projects on this list will help you create more order in your life.
During the past 10 years I’ve been in business, I’ve worked with over 1450* individuals to help them organize, downsize, and de-clutter. Although every project is different, with its own unique goals, the outcome is always achieved by getting rid of some stuff. The process of organizing includes removing what we no longer need, use, or want.
By removing stuff we free ourselves from the burden of having more than we can successfully maintain. By reducing the amount of material possessions we own, we have less to organize, clean, and stress about. Having less allows us to spend more time on what is important to us. Spending more time on what we enjoy improves the quality of our lives. The conclusion is we find the joy of less.
Through the years, I’ve witnessed how my clients’ lives improve with less stuff, and I’ve also seen first-hand how having less stuff has improved my life. My husband and I have participated in the Minimalist Game twice, May 2016 and June 2017. Each time we were successful in completing the game and getting rid of 930 things. We decided not to play the game this year, but we are continuing our efforts to have less, buy less, and reduce often. To us, having less means we have enough and aren’t overstuffed or overwhelmed by our things. Having less means we appreciate what we do have and really see the value in it. Instead of being overabundant with material possessions, we are working on being abundant in love, friendship, happiness, kindness, and gratitude. We are continuing to work on finding the joy of less.
Has this motivated you to see what having less will look like to you? What it will feel like? Will it bring you joy? One way to find out is to let go of all that you no longer need, use, or want, and experience the outcome. Keep me posted, I’d really enjoy hearing your story.
* This number includes hands-on paying clients as well as organizing students and presentation attendees.
©July 2018 Janine Cavanaugh, Certified Professional Organizer® All Rights Reserved
My house is small by today’s standards, but it’s a perfect fit for me and my husband. I love my tiny house, but organizing small spaces can be challenging. There is no room for excess and storage is limited. Little messes can appear to take over an entire room and a small amounts of clutter can seem like a mountain of clutter. So when working to facilitate and maintain order in my tiny home I rely on organizing systems and habits. Here are some tips that I use to help me organize my tiny home.
Organizing is like laundry and dishes. It’s an ongoing cycle of order followed by natural disorder followed by the important step of reclaiming order. Schedule 15 minutes a day to reclaim order by picking up and putting things away.
and cupboard. Make adjustments to cabinets to create more functional spaces. Customize closet with shelves and product that help you maximize it’s storing potential. Store like with like to keep track of how much you have.I hope these tips will help you organize your small spaces or tiny home.
©March 2018 Janine Cavanaugh, Certified Professional Organizer All Rights Reserved
Follow Me