OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW: SPRING ORGANIZING TIPS

It's SPRING!  Time to bring some new, fresh energy into your life - and that includes the spaces where you live and work.

It's important to create places and habits that help you to feel calm, focused, peaceful, motivated, inspired and energized. Spring is a great time to do just that!

Here are some tips:

1.  Breathe some new life into your home office! Weed your files. Get rid of papers and categories of files that are no longer relevant or do not serve you. Create file folders for new projects or things you would like to bring into your life. The names you give to files only have to make sense to YOU!

2. Take some time to set up your clothes closet so that it functions as a place where you enjoy getting dressed in the morning.  Look at one item of clothing at a time and ask yourself:  Do I love it? Does it fit right now?  Do I feel good in it? Do I wear it regularly?  Does it need cleaning or mending?  Sort out what you want to keep, toss/recycle, repair or donate.  Housing Works Thrift Shop is a wonderful place to donate clothing that is in good shape.   There's one in Park Slope and one in Brooklyn Heights.  

3.  Clear your desk!  Nothing feels better than sitting down to a clean slate. Treat your desk like a work space, not a storage space.  Only keep items there that you use daily  - keep other items nearby on shelves or in drawers.  If you don't love file cabinets, use a rolling file cart or an open filing crate for projects you are working on.  Invest in a few new accessories to brighten up your desk! I like the jewel-colored ones at Poppin.

4.  January is not the only time to set goals!  Spring is the perfect time to re-visit the goals you set in January, or even to set some new ones.  Take some quiet time to set intentions for the different areas of your life: home; family/friendships; health/self-care; work/education; spiritual; civic/community work; inspiration/creativity; and finances. Where do you want to put your attention ? How do you want to move your life forward? Write it all down and use it as a guidepost when you plan out your days.

5.  Bring nature indoors and let it serve as inspiration.  Put a vase of flowers or a potted plant  anywhere that clutter tends to accumulate. It’s less tempting to let clutter build up where there is beauty!  Open all windows and let the fresh air move through your space.  It's been a long winter and it's time to let in the new energy of Spring!

*** Is there a Spring organizing project you would like a hand with?

Contact The Brooklyn Organizer: 929-224-4849 & eleanor@thebrooklynorganizer.com
Where you can find us:  Facebook.com/thebrooklynorganizer

Since 1999, The Brooklyn Organizer has helped busy women simplify and streamline their lives. We offers hands-on support to women who want to feel calm, inspired, and truly at home in spaces where they live and work. We help you to: Set goals and priorities * Better manage your time and energy * Create easy-to-use file systems * Clear your desk * Streamline your closets  * Identify resources for desk and office accessories that you love. We work with women in Park Slope, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill, and Brooklyn Heights. 

MINI KITCHEN UPGRADE

Sometimes small changes can make a big difference.

We buy a lot of dried food in the bulk section of the food co-op. It all goes into clear plastic bags, then gets weighed and priced by the check-out dude or lady.

When we get home, we dump the bags in a pile on a kitchen cabinet shelf. Sometimes bags get pushed way in the back, and then down the road I discover a bag of cranberries from 200 BC. Yikes!

I finally went out and got these air-tight jars that show off all our dried goods and keep them super-fresh. I love opening up the cabinet door and seeing all our goodies displayed like prized museum treasures!

I also got a denim laundry bag at Winn Discount to haul my clothes up to the laundry ladies on Smith Street. I'm totin' my threads a- la- 70s style.

SPRING = LETTING GO OF THE OLD = MAKING ROOM FOR THE NEW

After taking a late afternoon Spring nap, I woke up and knew I wanted to clean out my files. Sounds crazy, right? But it's usual that, after a brief slumber, my mind comes up with the right next step to take. So I went through each file and tossed out obsolete stuff. I moved archival stuff, documents I don't need to access much, up to a higher shelf, and kept more relevant and current files within easy reach.

Then I created new files for projects, like Brooklyn Blogade and Brooklyn Blogfest 2008 and Mike's Artwork.

In the process of going through old files, I found some great visuals from to put around my desk area, as well as images and articles to inspire new blog entries. Finally, I came across some articles that I want to mail off to friends.

It felt great to bring big bags of paper down to the recycling can. A great way to make room for new, exciting things to come into my life.

I went through the same process with my bookshelf. I took all the books that I don't look at much anymore and put them out on our front steps in an Up for Grabs Box. The books were gone in a blink. Knowing that the future holds more good books and magazines, I wanted to make room for those new treasures.

Let Go Of the Old, Make Room for the New.

One new treasure I brought in was a big clipping from a cherry blossom tree (see pic) which I bought from a mom 'n' pop grocer in our neighborhood. I can lay for a long time just looking at those blossoms, feeling happy that it's Spring and excited for whatever is coming around the bend.