NYC – Rolanda L., Professional Organizer

5 Tools to Help You Organize Your Craft Room

If you love crafting in your downtime, chances are you also know the inherent clutter that comes along with arts and craft activities. The following tips and product recommendations will allow you to enjoy crafting while preventing your hobby from overtaking your space.

Keep small craft pieces contained by investing in a high-quality case.

The SnapCubes stackable arts and crafts case is a three-tier clear stackable storage container with compartments. It’s perfectly designed for jewelers, people who love to sew, as well as those who do beadwork. Small compartments within each layer of the case keep intricate pieces organized and neatly separated. A clear acrylic exterior allows for easy visibility. The case has a top handle which will make your craft supplies readily portable. The interlocking stackable design will save space.

A clear exterior and interior compartments make it easy to keep up with the tiniest craft supplies. https://amzn.to/2ILI5dz [affiliate link]

Grab a set of wheels, and put them in motion.

When organizing craft rooms, storage carts are typically a necessity. I prefer wheeled organizer carts with drawers over immobile pieces. While stationary furniture pieces make perfect sense in other parts of the home or office, arts and craft hobbies often involve moving from place to place to gather supplies. Many people also do their arts and crafts in rooms that serve multiple purposes. This is especially true of the confined spaces in metropolitan areas like New York City. If your crafting area serves multiple purposes, you likely find it necessary to occasionally stash craft supplies out of sight or in a more favorable location, especially if you typically convert the area the room to accommodate guests, to be used as a home office, or for any other purpose that does not immediately involve crafting.

The Seville Classics Organizer Cart is available in multiple sizes to suit your crafting needs and to complement the size of your space. The car is available with 6, 8, 10, or 15 drawers. Stylistically, the cart features multicolored drawers, which work well for categorizing and sorting arts and craft supplies and keeping them organized. The cart is wheeled, which makes it easy to take your crafting to other parts of the home or to stash your supplies quickly when you need to make space.

Multi-color compartments are great for organizing and color-coding according to category. https://amzn.to/35yyukn [affiliate link]

Another wheeled option, the IRIS 7-Drawer Rolling Storage Cart includes an organizer top, which is a simple compartmentalized tray that can house scissors, a hole punch, and other hand tools. The seven drawers are comprised of four shallow drawers in three deep bins. The shallow drawers are ideal for storing smaller crafting supplies while the deeper drawers are the perfect places to stash away incomplete craft projects that require days or weeks to finish.

A combination of large and small drawers accommodates smaller craft supplies and unfinished projects that require an extended period of time to finish. https://amzn.to/2OI3RTy [affiliate link]

Organize your desktop.

Keeping your craft room desktop organized can be a challenge. This is especially true for those who need boundaries and separation, neither of which a which an expansive open desktop provides. Fortunately, there are tools that can help you compartmentalize and organize your crafting desktop. The mDesign Lazy Susan Turntable Storage Organizing Container is perfect for organizing larger craft supplies. Divided into five compartments, the turntable storage container is spacious enought to accommodate supplies like glues, containers of glitter, and tubes of paint. A small cylindrical center compartment is sized for supplies like paint brushes, glue sticks, Exacto knives, and sponges.

Turntable organizer keeps desktops neat and attractive. https://amzn.to/2paBVgd [affiliate link]

Get a good desk or craft table.

In a craft room, your work surface is everything. A good craft desk will eliminate the need to purchase many different organizing and storage products. The South Shore Crea counter height craft table is a versatile piece of furniture for novices and for avid crafters. Taller than the average desk, the Crea craft table lends itself to working while standing or while seated on a stool or bar height chair. This craft table has ample storage including interchangeable modules, a wide drawer, and removable shelves. Its scratch-proof work table surface means your Crea craft table will retain its appearance and last for years of continuous crafting.

Removable drawers and shelves make this counter height craft table extra versatile. https://amzn.to/2MzHGMC [affiliate link]

Live in New York City? Need help organizing your space? Give us a call, or book your appointment online.

Can a Professional Organizer Help You Stop Procrastinating?

While posting an installment of OrganizeU that focuses on the benefits of leveraging effective time management, the issue of procrastination came to mind. Before introducing strategies to overcome procrastination, I thought it may be helpful to delve into reasons people tend to procrastinate. If you are a person who is prone to procrastination, your first step on the road to improvement should include taking time to think about the underlying causes of your procrastination habit.

Are You Doing What You Love?

The most straightforward reason people put off doing a task is because they simply don’t look forward to the process of completing the task. While the thought of doing what you love may sound cliche, and perhaps unattainable, level of interest and motivation directly impact productivity. Having a genuine interest in an activity naturally reduces the likelihood of losing focus and becoming distracted. But how does this translate to mundane daily tasks and the unfulfilling jobs many of us are required to work to make ends meet?

To the person who is working an unfulfilling job, I would suggest that ideally the motivating factor each workday should be to take a step toward a more fulfilling career path. You may not be able to change careers overnight; however, you can use your current occupation to hone your skills, figure out exactly what you would like to do, and at the very least, discover what you are completely opposed to doing as a long-term career.

Dealing with the monotony of daily tasks such as chores inside the home is much easier. Those who can afford to outsource household chores and errands absolutely should if doing so would improve their overall quality of life; time is priceless; therefore, the money spent will be worth it. The on-demand economy has created more opportunities than ever for everyday people to affordably outsource the most basic tasks. More and more households are not only hiring cleaners, but also professional organizers, laundry services, and even food shopping services to help keep their homes running efficiently each week.

Those who are unable to outsource their most dreaded tasks may break up the monotony in more creative ways. Arranging to complete tasks such as grocery shopping or doing laundry in a more communal setting may make the time seem to pass more quickly and also make the activity more enjoyable. For example, scheduling a weekly grocery shopping trip with a friend or family member may make standing in long lines and perusing the aisles of the grocery store a more social experience and, therefore, more enjoyable. Traveling to a laundromat with a friend or inviting a friend over to fold laundry together can also serve as an opportunity for two or more busy people to connect and catch up while remaining productive. In most ancient cultures, chores were performed with other members of the community. Nowadays, humans in industrialized societies are more isolated than ever. A large contributor to the isolation many modern adults experience is the change in which we complete household tasks and chores. Returning to our communal roots may effectively help combat the loneliness and anxiety many adults experience in addition to reducing procrastination.

Are You Afraid of the Outcome?

One of the most common reasons for procrastinating is fear of the direct outcome of taking action. As a home organizer in New York City, I have encountered procrastination that is fueled by fear of outcome in multiple different situations. Moving out of an apartment or selling a home may feel like leaving behind cherished memories. Therefore an individual in this situation may subconsciously dread packing for the move. Clearing out the home of a deceased parent is often very uncomfortable for the surviving children. In these cases, hiring a compassionate professional organizer to help sort through the household items and a packing company to help with packing and removal is highly advisable. In much simpler cases, some people are reluctant to get organized because they fear not being able to maintain their new organized space, no longer being able to find everything they need in their space, or they simply feel too embarrassed to show their clutter to another person. In these cases, I recommend the individual consider the numerous benefits of having a more organized home or office and carefully choose a compatible and understanding professional organizer with whom to work.

Do You Simply Need to “Grow Up?”

And now it’s time for the tough love section of the program. Sometimes we procrastinate because we do not establish mature boundaries for ourselves. In some cases you may need to tell yourself no. This often occurs when deciding to allocate time to completing an essential, yet unpleasant or mundane task. One of the best implications of adulthood is the notion that we can do what we want whenever we want once we are living under our own roof. However, with that living arrangement comes responsibility. No longer having a live-in authority figure to whom we must answer means it is up to us to establish healthy boundaries and to implement structure that will lead to balanced, productive, healthy living. Fortunately, we don’t have to do it alone.

Bring In the Professionals

If you struggle with maintaining an organized space due to procrastination, a professional organizer can help. If your procrastination has led to a chronic issue with time management, a productivity coach can help. I happen to be both. For more information on how working with a professional can help you achieve the balanced, organized lifestyle you desire, check out related topics in our blog, or contact us to learn more about our services.

Portable Closets: Solutions for Rooms That Have Minimal or No Closet Space

For rooms that don’t have closet storage, a portable unit is often a simple solution that also delivers aesthetics. The following products are mostly priced under $50 and can be purchased at Amazon by clicking on the image [image are Amazon Affiliate links; Amazon pays me a small percentage for purchases made through my links. The purchase price remains the same.].

Two hanging rods and nine shelves:

Heavy-duty doors for concealed storage with two bottom drawers:

Five hanging racks with two shelves [Exposed Storage]

B&W Eiffel Tower Decorative Cover w/ four shelves and one rack

Modular storage with rack

What is Professional Organizing?

Simply stated, professional organizing is a process through which a system is put in place to help individuals and businesses become more orderly. It is one of many very effective ways to improve quality of life and boost productivity.

What is the Rolanda L. Method?

Disorganization is typically a symptom of a larger disruption in an individual’s life. Sometimes the cause of the disruption may be minor and temporary like moving to a new residence or redecorating. In other cases, disorganization may have a root cause that is very chronic and persistent. Regardless the cause of a disorganized home or office, Rolanda L, Professional Organizer seeks to address each individual situation at its origin and to design and implement solutions that will ultimately set the client up for continued success. The Rolanda L. Method is a holistic approach to organizing!

What Can Be Organized (…Professionally)?

Closets, cabinets, shelves, paperwork, filing systems, you name it! Rolanda L. is also available to assist with furniture selection, room layout, and color coordination. Our clients also love our specialized relocation packing service, which makes moving to a new home or office much more efficient and generally more secure. Having a highly detail-oriented professional organizer handle packing during a move makes the entire process much faster and easier from start to finish.

But I Always Seem to Find Myself Needing to Reorganize…

Solution: Work with a professional organizer to implement a system and/or layout that works well with your lifestyle and behavioral habits…We happen to know one if you’re interested!

If you are unable to work with an organizer, simply take inventory of your daily routine (even if it is somewhat erratic), and ask yourself if you have designed your home and everything in it in a way that supports you in achieving your daily objectives. If the answer is no, walk through each aspect of an average day in your life, ask yourself what could be improved to increase efficiency and peace of mind. Then modify your environment accordingly. Keeping a journal of observations and changes may be helpful.

Also ask about our affordable workshop events, where you can learn organizing strategies in a supportive small group setting led by Rolanda!

Put me in touch with your pro.

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Announcing Upcoming Workshops

In an effort to help empower more businesses and households to optimize their living and work environments, I have decided to begin teaching my tips and techniques in a workshop format! More information about upcoming workshops can be found on my Meetup page, The Organized Life (www.meetup.com/the-organized-life/). Join the group to participate in online discussions and to follow along with the workshop schedule as more dates are added!

Economics and Marie Kondo’s KonMari Method

Famed Japanese home organization consultant Marie Kondo has inspired millions around the world to focus on optimizing their home environment. Although the thought of organizing and “de-cluttering” is a source of dread for many, Kondo’s book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, has performed tremendously from Tokyo to New York City. What is it about a book on home organizing that appeals to so many?

Kondo helps readers conceptualize their home organization and storage habits by utilizing basic economic concepts. Through these concepts, the author translates the oftentimes daunting language of organizing to everyday, palatable lingo. She effectively guides the reader along the path of uncovering the very psychological correlations between organizational habits and psychology.

The Sunk-Cost Fallacy in Organizing

In economic terms, a sunk cost is a past cost that has already been paid and cannot be recovered. This term is highly applicable when it comes to organizing and is a major setback for many individuals who struggle to donate or discard unused items. For example, an individual may purchase a fruit bowl or even a small kitchen appliance while it is on sale and later decide not to use the item because the colors clash with the current decorating theme or because there is simply not enough space on the kitchen counter. Over time, the new purchase remains unused, and the individual may or may not realize the item is not really a necessity. However, the item remains in place because it is perpetually regarded as a “purchase” that went unused and may still be of use at a later date. Meanwhile, the item takes up space in the home and will likely never be used because it does not meet a more urgent need in the household.

When sorting through closet and storage spaces, remaining honest about an item’s realistic potential for use is paramount. While I, personally, do not aggressively focus on forcing clients to discard items simply for the sake of getting rid of things, I do encourage my clients to audibly talk through the way in which the item came into the home and list realistic pros and cons of keeping the item. At that point, the individual is typically able to make a firm, practical decision about whether the item should go or stay.

The Folly of Prediction in Sorting and Purging

More thoroughly explained in the Freakonomics podcast, the folly of prediction simply acknowledges that, in the grand scheme, human beings are often terrible at making accurate predictions. How does this relate to organizing? Marie Kondo uses this fallacy as a basis for utilizing current valuation of an object to determine whether to keep or remove it from the household. Common examples include clothes that are a few sizes too small or books that have already been read. At this point, my method diverges from the KonMari method slightly in that I typically do not insist on a client getting rid of clothing that is within a couple sizes of his or her current weight or donating favorite books if a) there is space to store the items within easy reach OR neatly within plain sight and b) the client establishes or is clearly working on an organized plan to get back into the smaller clothing size or reread the book. Other examples include housewares and decorations that were purchased for a specific purpose and will likely never be used again. Board games and toys that never see the light of day should also be considered through this lens in most cases.

Status Quo Bias and Preventing the Accumulation of “Clutter”

Under the status quo bias, as it relates to organizing, many people are governed by the belief that they should keep an item in the home if they cannot think of a reason to discard the object. Here Marie Kondo employs a dramatic switch that I find to be the most life-changing of all the economic concepts discussed: she suggests changing the status quo to one under which no item is kept in the home unless there is a valid reason to hold onto it. Under the suggested status quo, most of us would be opting for online bank, credit card, and utility statements, recycling empty bags and boxes, no longer keeping massive collections of old, unused plastic food storage containers. The average American household would be drastically different in form and, to a significant degree, in function. We would no longer need to go out and purchase new stuff to help us store our old stuff.

What would we do with all that extra space? Imagine how much more “living” we could do in our home environments…

For more information about the interplay between the KonMari method and economics, check out this Atlantic editor’s personal experience.

Set Yourself Up for Success

It’s October. The leaves are crisp. The weather is soggy (here in New York). Pumpkin Spice Lattes are flowing freely. These are a few of our favorite things, right?

In addition to fall boots, sweaters, cool nights by the fire pit, and pumpkin-flavored everything, there is another gigantic advantage to the fall season we often overlook: we have just entered the quiet before the holiday frenzy. Therefore, this moment of relative quiet is the perfect time to sit down and make clear, sober plans to set ourselves up for a prosperous New Year. It is an opportune time to position ourselves to make New Year’s resolutions we will actually keep.

What does this mean for our lives in general? Assess, assess, assess. If you struggle with your weight or bad health habits, sit down and think about how you can do things differently. Visit the doctor. Have your levels checked. Is your cholesterol a little high? Let’s make a plan now to anticipate cutting down on saturated fats and high cholesterol foods in the New Year (…right after we enjoy the rich, holiday foods). Start looking into gyms. Think about an athletic activity you enjoy or a fitness class you’d like to take. Do some research…Is money management your thing? Think about what a realistic budget for your household might entail in 2017. Social anxiety got you down? Let’s start thinking about healthy ways we can meet people in the upcoming year. What hasn’t worked well for us in 2016? Anticipate. Plan. Begin the mental prep work now.

And finally…what does this mean in terms of getting organized? If you’re already my client, now is the perfect time to schedule a “check-up” to see how well your current strategies have been working. If you’re not my client, let’s get acquainted. Visit our Contact page, and schedule an appointment with me to talk about how we can make your home or work space feel more comfortable and run more smoothly. Once we embark on the journey of exploring the connection between your environment, your sense of well-being, and your overall productivity, I guarantee your outlook on the concept of “space” will never be the same. Let’s talk organization, and let’s get empowered!

Happy October!