Steps to Help You Achieve Peace of Mind, Meaning, & More

Organization: it’s a common term. Most people take this to mean arranging things/your belongings/work in an orderly fashion. I have always been skeptical of this notion, as I never found this practice providing me much solace in my day-to-day life. A drawer neatly divided, with perfectly placed pairs of scissors, plenty of writing materials, and countless note cards, is just as anxiety-inducing for me as a messy drawer full of such stuff.

But wasn’t organization supposed to be the answer to knowing where all your belongings are, so you spend less time searching for that one paper clip you need, or can feel relieved that your home has the perfect space for each one of your possessions?

Feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of things I owned, I began cutting the clutter. What I discovered was a revelation. I once had over 20 pairs of scissors in my home—I would keep buying more because every time I needed a pair they seemed impossible to find. I thought that if I had more scissors in my home, the time it would take me to find one when I needed it would be less; my life would be less stressful. Instead, I found that although my house was overflowing with scissors, I still could never quite predict where I might find a pair. My house was simply being overrun by a surplus of this home essential.

I asked myself, “What would I do if I only had one pair of scissors?” One pair for the entire house, one pair to share with three kids and two adults. I decided to try it out, and the results were an eye-opener. With only a single pair of scissors for our entire household, I realized that the scissors were consistently put back in their original place after use. The time spent looking for one of the 20 was eliminated, and I didn’t have to waste money buying more of the same. In essence, what was achieved was better “organization,” more free time, and money saved.

Admittedly, though, one pair turned out to be a bit too little for my family of five. We settled on having three: one pair in our kitchen drawer, one in our playroom (where the kids do a lot of art projects), and one in our master bathroom. This brings me to the importance of finding the right number or quantity, not just having less. The extra steps it took to walk from the playroom to the kitchen (where the kids also do art projects) entailed wasting time, and seldom were scissors returned to their original location between these two spaces. Keeping a pair of scissors in the playroom also was logical and mitigated the downside of having only one pair while upholding the benefits of having less.

Scissors are one item that we all have, and finding the perfect number for your dwelling seems easy enough… But how do you do this for all the items found throughout your entire home? It can seem quite overwhelming. Every journey is different, but based on trial and error, here are four steps that I have found work wonders when organizing your space.

SHOP THE FEATURE

Tackle like objects, not entire spaces.

Photographer Jairus Gallimore, Unsplash

Several years ago, I read that if you want to be successful at decluttering your home, you must pile up all similar items in the middle of your home and go through them all at one time. For way too long I ignored this idea, and would declutter room-by-room or space-by-space.

To give you an example, when I had an hour here and there, I would take that time and go through just my son’s dresser, without taking into consideration his full wardrobe—I mean, I only had an hour, and I didn’t want to turn his entire room upside down if time was of the essence. What actually happened was that I would still keep too many pairs of shoes, sweaters, etcetera. I ended up going through all his clothes several times in a matter of months. If I had simply spent some extra time sorting through like objects (first shoes, then sweaters, for example), instead of his entire wardrobe, from the beginning, I would have saved so much time and been able to get rid of the excess with more clarity. Employ the same method for office supplies, toys, hobbies—for everything, in short.

Design a cohesive wardrobe.

Photographer Alyssa Strohmann, Unsplash

With all your clothes in a large heap, begin by picking out some of your favorite pieces. Proceed by carefully selecting items that coordinate with your go-to picks. Be okay with letting go of items that aren’t cohesive with the majority. What you will accomplish is a closet full of items that match perfectly. This also makes getting ready in the morning a cinch.

Make open shelving beautiful and functional.

Photographer Jason Leung, Unsplash

As an interior designer, I find that many of my clients tend to over accessorize open shelving. They fill them with picture frames, collectibles, and random décor items, all in the hope of creating a beautifully rich scene. Their efforts often fall short. My suggestion is always to keep it simple. In a kitchen, open shelving can be used for conveniently located bowls, live plants, or a pretty herb garden, and those few cookbooks which you turn to frequently.

Having too few is just as bad as too many.

Photographer Unsplash

Attaining the right amount of stuff for you and your family takes critical evaluation and deep knowledge. Therefore, every item should be carefully considered for its value, beauty, and overall usefulness in your life. For some, a bookcase full of books may be overwhelming. For others, the collection is greatly valued for the enjoyment of reading and re-reading these favorite stories, and for the sweet, musty aroma of the printed pages.

We are all different and unique—there is no one-size-fits-all. When you take the time to evaluate the purpose of your material items, you will achieve meaning, peace of mind, and more.

Interiors Editor Erin Melkonian

Photographer EMID Design Group

Erin Melkonian

Interiors Editor

Erin runs a collaborative design firm, EMID Design Group, specializing in healthcare, hospitality, and residential interior design, in Fresno, California. Seeing the world through an artistic lens has allowed Erin to experiment in a number of different styles. Everything she does with a space is deliberate. Every piece has a purpose and has been thought about, from color, to position, to scale in order to create the most unique and personal spaces for her clients.