All about maintenance
Congratulations! You made it through a session with Simplified Austin and your space looks AWESOME. By our powers combined, we figured out what was serving you, got rid of what wasn't, and found homes for each item, from boxes of holiday decor to the tiniest paper clip. We created designated spaces for each item and pretty labels for them, too. You went to bed with an uncluttered brain and a peaceful heart.
The next day, however, one of your typical stressors rears its head to distract you from yesterday's good feeling, and you start to wonder...how am I supposed to keep this up? You think, I'm not a professional and I barely have time to get real pants on. How is this beautiful space supposed to stay this way?
If only you could wave a magic wand and have it all re-order itself! Unfortunately, that's just not how life works. You've invested your money in GETTING organized, and you'll have to invest some time and energy to build new habits to STAY organized. Part of our job is to tailor these new systems to you, and the other part of our job is to teach you the importance of upkeep. (Whitney, our fearless leader, has a background in education, so you're in good hands.)
In the meantime, here are some pointers to help you maintain your new organizational systems.
be intentional
Hurry isn't helpful. Hurry makes us careless. And if this organization is going to be the long-term solution you hope it will be, this maintenance must be intentional. Even if you only have ten minutes to spare, it could make a world of difference when done right.
But if you're in an inescapable hurry--if you're running late to that big meeting or that kiddo's doctor's appointment--throw all the mess in a bin for sorting and dealing with later and schedule a time to do so. At least you've intentionally created an uncluttered space to come home to. And speaking of scheduling...
schedule it
You make time to unload the dishwasher or put away laundry. You make time to walk the dog or make a sandwich. You even make time to (fill in the blank activity--you know the one). Why not add this little bit of maintenance to your cleaning schedule?
After your initial session with Simplified, we may have left you with some homework. This may include a handful of things you weren't sure you were ready to donate yet (we call this the "Maybe Pile"). Set a reminder on your phone for one week. If you haven't used it or worn it or fixed it or needed it in that time, it's probably time to let go.
While you're at it, set some other timers or reminders, too! What category or space makes you absolutely crazy? Make a reminder to touch it daily or every other day. What category or space only gets to you when it looks like a tornado hit? Maybe touch this space weekly or bi-weekly to keep the natural disaster at bay.
habit-stack it
You may have heard the term Habit-Stacking, which comes from James Clear's book Atomic Habits. The idea is to add (stack) a new habit to an old habit you've already mastered or is already ingrained. For example, if you're accustomed to taking off your shoes when you come home, stack on the new habit of putting those shoes in the pretty basket we just installed for you, instead of leaving them on the floor. New habit will become old habit before long.
refer to the labels
Labels aren't just for help finding where we stashed your stuff; they're for helping you remember where there's space to put your stuff away again. They remind you that everything has a home.
Think of the labels as your little teammates (especially since we can't be present every day to help!). Imagine them cheering at you, "Over here! Pass it to me! I'm open!" And when you put the thing away in the bin with its corresponding label, you've just scored a goal. Isn't that a cheery thought? Go, you!
Put it away
(aka There and Back Again)
Let's talk about the journey your stuff takes when you use it.
Picture: You're cooking spaghetti and you need the can opener to open the tomato sauce. You know where the can opener is now (thanks, Simplified!) so you seamlessly open the drawer and remove it. You open your cans. You pour them in the pan. Everything gets a good stir and then plated and devoured (because who doesn't like spaghetti?). Now you're washing up but you still need to feed the cat. You've got your catfood can, spoon at the ready, but you open the drawer to find the can opener is MIA.
...now what? Instead of it being where you needed it to be, you'll have to go searching for it.
Of course this illustration is tame and it probably (hopefully) only takes a few seconds to find the can opener on the counter somewhere. But the question posed by the illustration is: You put it down, but did you put it AWAY?
Many times, it takes less than ten seconds to put an item back where it came from AS SOON AS YOU'RE FINISHED WITH IT, especially if you're not going to be using it again in the next few moments.
PUT IT AWAY. Three words, four syllables, a mantra for a small habit with big consequences.
Or, for our Lord of the Rings fans, imagine your stuff going There and Back Again.
think of future you
I'll mention another personal development guru here. In her book The Lazy Genius Way, Kendra Adachi lays out 13 principles for streamlining routines that matter to you. One such principle is asking the Magic Question: "What can I do now to make life easier later?"
How many times have you cursed your past self for not doing the dishes? For coming home after an outing and ignoring the dishes in the sink, to wake up to the stress of a dirty kitchen the next morning, then your day is off to a bad start because your work load has increased and you are shaming yourself for not taking care of it when you saw the need? 🙋🏻♀️
I learned this one the hard way. My particular brand of anxiety is attached to how many dirty dishes are in my sink and the state of my countertops. But now, everyone in my household knows that I will not move on with after-dinner life until the dishwasher has been started and the counters are clean and clear. And in the morning, future me will thank past me for her thoughtfulness. Morning life is easier because I took evening time to do a quick reset.
permission to be imperfect
This is a new habit, and it will take time to form. You hired us in the first place because you were sick and tired of being sick and tired, and you wanted to make a change. But just like most things in life, being organized is not one-and-done (again, unfortunately, no magic wands). It's a habit, a routine, a ritual. We've helped you get over the biggest hump, and given you some tools to help you over the little humps to come.
You won't be perfect. But none of us are or will ever be. Give yourself grace as you learn this new perspective and as your habits follow suit.
(Also, guess what? You can hire Simplified Austin on a maintenance schedule! If you love the work we did for you initially, we'll come back to your home at a cadence that works for you, and we'll spruce things up a bit. We don't have magic wands either, but we are as close to fairy godmothers as it gets! Email today to consult with Whitney about getting on a maintenance schedule.)