Organizing the Late Away: For People Who Always Are!

The traffic was terrible.

I couldn’t find my keys.

My dog…was moonwalking and I had to record it.

These are just a few of the excuses I have used over the past year to explain why I am, once again, late. I have barged into meetings, left out-of-town visitors drinking alone at bars and arrived at church mid benediction. I've developed a less than favourable reputation with many loved ones who exhausted their share of patience waiting while I scurried to find a vanished belt, shoe, or my keys. I can never find what I need when I need it. I had long concluded that my only option was therapy. Maybe some latent childhood trauma was the cause of my ineptitude for punctuality. I was ready to book a session until I happened upon Karen Booker, design savant and organisation queen. There may be hope yet. I set an appointment for 2 p.m. to meet with Booker at her Design Divas studio and as you can already imagine, I arrived late.

'How does your home speak to you?' was her openingquestion.

'How does my home what?'

“When you look around does it speak to you with anger? Or love? And if you invited someone to your home what would it say to them about you?'

I was both interested and confused. I had never really thought about how my home spoke to me, and if it did, I would have left, without question. Sensing my confusion Booker explained that our homes were extensions of ourselves and offered telltale signs about our internal state. How orderly we kept our homes, particularly our bedroom, bathroom and the kitchen was directly correlated with our self-esteem. Disorganization gave way to feelings of unworthiness, guilt and procrastination. Being punctual was more than just time management, it was organising our homes to make it easier for us to get ready, through the door and feeling good while doing it. If you're like me and suffer from being late by way of disorganisation Booker shares a few tips and tricks that will have your space more functional and organised before you know it.

1. Purge

This age of consumerism is a marketers dream. Companies have managed to convince us that we need more than we do. We have too many things and not enough space to put them, which creates clutter. This, unfortunately, diminishes our efficiency.

So, what’s the first step on the road to punctual redemption? Purge.

For someone with a packed schedule, this would be a mammoth task. Booker, in a bid to quell my concerns, advised that this process need not be daunting. Pour a drink, turn on your favourite tune and for an hour or so, over a week, room by room, go through each drawer, box, closet, and identify those items you either want to store, stash or give. Booker’s rule- if you haven’t used it in over a year, it’s time to let that item go. Now that your space is clearer, let’s get to organising!

2. Your Sitting Room

FURNITURE SHOULD BE MULTI-PURPOSE

Multi-purpose furniture pieces help maximize available space in a home and also get twice the use because of functionality. Invest in thoughtful, innovative furniture and design solutions to help a space function better. Storage Ottomans are great for your living space. Not only are they chic they are purposed to store items like magazines or remotes.

Take for example this modern twist on the sofa bed. No need to invest in a recliner, a couch, and a guest bed with this bad boy. It does it all. The back of the couch can be adjusted into a recliner position. It also can transition into a bed when you have guests.

STASH THE SHOES

A rule of thumb in many a Jamaican home is to remove your shoes before entry. So what do we do? We kick off our shoes at the door which creates an unsightly mess. This, according to the ancient Chinese art of Feng Shui, stagnates the flow of chi energy. Booker highlights that a shoe caddy should be placed near the door. This makes for easier retrieval and ensures a tidier entrance. Some shoe caddies also come with padding which can serve as an additional seat. If you have a bit more to spend, you could also go bigger and opt for one that closes and functions as a display unit.

3. Kitchen

ORGANISE YOUR UTENSILS

You're cooking and can't seem to find that one utensil that will do the trick. The search is both time-consuming and frustrating. Shave a whopping 20 minutes off your cooking time by simply organizing your utensils with these nifty items. For your cutlery, you can use an inexpensive drawer organizer. For your pots, plates and teacups you can try using racks. These are available at most household stores.

4. Bathroom

uOur bathrooms are usually an after-thought when it comes to organization.However, after our bedrooms, the bathroomis critical to the getting ready process. Thinkof adding a bit more organisation and storagewith labeled transparent storage drawers.Ladies, no more rummaging through yourhair products to find that stack of hairpins orbrush.

u Make use of your shower by adding a shower caddy to the mix. You no longer haveto waste time hopping in and out, you’llhave everything you need and will be donein a jiffy.

5. Bedrooms

Probably the holy grail of our homes, our bedroom is where we spend the most time. Since childhood, our bedrooms have operated as the grounding force in our home lives. It is where we do just about everything, and yet, it is probably one of the most cluttered spaces in our home. Booker highlights that if our rooms are disorganised we carry that feeling of disorganisation with us throughout the day, which can lead to decreased performance and increased stress.

CLOSET

Booker advises that your closet should have open shelving. Not only will it optimise the use of the space it will also allow you to keep a visual catalogue of the items you already have, which will prevent, you guessed it… consumerism.

Booker also advises that a basic rule of thumb is to organise clothing based on functionality. For example corporate wear should be grouped separately from casual wear. This makes it much easier to find what you need when you need it.

Not enough space in your closet to hang your clothes? Booker highlights that one can invest in Space-saving clothes hangers which will allow your closet to hold up to ten times as much clothing.

One of the most underutilized closet organisation tools is a valet. A valet rod slides out and tucks away neatly when not needed. The valet can be used to hang an outfit that you may need either later that day or even the next morning.

SHOE SHELVES

For those of us who are shoe lovers, Booker offers a designer savvy solution, use a bookshelf! Not only will the shelves offer the needed storage, they can add some finesse and sophistication to your décor.

LINEN CLOSETS

Changing your sheets, a task that should take no more than 15 minutes sometimes lasts for 45 minutes because we can't find all the pieces. To solve this, Booker suggests using vacuum bags to store your bed linen. Vacuum bags work by removing the air and sealing the items allowing for the storage of bulky items in compact spaces. They're also travelfriendly and do a great job of creating space in your suitcase.

Armed with this knowledge, I took Bookerup on her organisation challenge and it worked! It took me less than a week to purge and with Booker's tips, my space feels and looks roomier. I can find what I need with eyes closed. It also took me less than half the time to do my customary Christmas cleaning and preparations.The best part, I get to enjoy more time with my loved ones because I now have the joy of saying “I'm early."