When to Reinvent The Wheel
My previous post argued that it’s not necessary to reinvent the wheel to get organized. Today, I’m going to play devil’s advocate against my own argument. Truth be told there ARE times when you’ve got to start from scratch. There are three times to reinvent the wheel when organizing.
The First Reason
First, I recommend that clients reinvent the wheel most often when multi-use closets are not working. Yes, I know I said that front hall closets usually just need tweaking. But, when clients live in homes with just two closets then that front hall closet can be an office, a coat closet, & an off season clothing closet. When a closet has more than two storage uses, that’s when reinventing the wheel — tearing down the structure inside — and designing a closet around its multiple uses. I always recommend that my clients use Elfa closets. It’s not just that I’m familiar with them after designing countless ones. I like them because they’re easy to change along with you — through moves and changing uses for a closet.
The Second Reason
Second, I recommend that clients reinvent the wheel when a process isn’t working. By process, I mean time management. Organizing isn’t just about storing physical objects. For example, if you’re always late to work no matter how hard you try, reassess every routine you have. Examine everything from when you go to bed, when you wake up, how you get ready, how you prepare breakfast (or don’t), what motivates you to jump out of bed, to the transportation and route you take to work. Something (or two or more things) will stick out like a sore thumb and you’ll realize that these things have to change.
Recently, I upended my kids morning routine because although we were not late, we were always screaming at each other trying to get out the door. So, I reassessed everything. For me, the sore thumb was TV. I came up with an idea of having us sit down as a family to eat instead of tuning in to some inane morning show and then when the kids awoke, letting them sit and watch a cartoon episode while they ate. I changed my night time routine to include laying breakfast things out the night before and waking up a little earlier, which is a little annoying. But, the civility and reduced screaming in the morning is more than worth it.
The Third Reason
I often tell a client to reinvent the wheel is when a room is unused but my client wishes it was. It’s usually due to poorly placed furniture or junk on top of said furniture. I’m not an interior designer by any means but if you have all of your furniture (even a bed) shoved up against the wall, I guarantee nobody’s going to gravitate to that room. In addition, if you’ve got mail, papers, and what not on top of your dining table or other surfaces in a room, it’s not exactly an invitation to come and sit awhile. When you have an unused room that you want to use, take out a measuring tape and experiment with putting everything in a different place. You’d be surprised how transformational changing up furniture placement can be.When in doubt of what to do, check out these basic decorating rules.