The Endless Pursuit of Organization: Functional Areas vs. Non-Functional Areas

by Chelsey Lauer, Founder and CEO, JLB Simplify Home Organizing

We have all been there and said, "next weekend we have to get that basement cleaned up and organized". If we are lucky, we find a way to push "next weekend" out as far as possible.

One of my favorite words when it comes to running a professional organizing business, is the word functional. It is also the first step to the JLB Organizing Method.

I think we all strive to have a functional home that is also organized. However, the feeling of “being overwhelmed” is the #1 reason we put off organizing projects in our home.

To better understand why certain areas are harder for us to tackle than others I want to explain the difference between a functional area of your home vs. a non-functional area.

Understanding the difference can make the non-functional areas, which tend to the be areas of your home you are the most overwhelmed, much easier to tackle.

First, I want to explain the difference between a functional area and a nonfunctional area from my perspective as a professional organizer. Functional areas in our homes are normally closets, kitchens, offices, linen clothes etc. They function, maybe not as well as you would like, but the area gets the jobs done. What these areas normally need are to be decluttered and then organized.

Then you have your non-functional areas. These tend to be the "catch all" areas: basements, spare bedrooms, or garages. These are the areas we tend to close the door to and forbid entrance to if a guest comes over. Often, these are the areas where you aren’t 100% sure what lurks inside, and even if you were certain, it could take 30 minutes of digging to find the item you were seeking. These areas tend to be hard to walk around in, with piles upon piles which can make looking for anything like a game a Jenga (can I move this, without that falling, etc.).

Over the next few weeks, I am going to share some simple tips and tricks to help you turn these nonfunctional areas into functional areas. This then makes the decluttering and organizing steps easier. Taking just a few steps to turn a non-functional area into a functional area will make you feel so much more confident and then be motivated to fine tune and keep the area organized.

The acronym I use for the JLB 4- Step Organizing Method is F.D.O.P. This is short for Functional, Decision Making, Organizing, and Personalization. Before you can get an area organized, you have to make the area functional and make decisions about the items in your home. The decision is not just if you need to keep an item or not but deciding what the item is to you and what category it should be organized in. After these two steps, you can start organizing. Once that step is complete, you can personalize the project or area.

Next article, I will cover the ground rules to follow and the supplies you will want to have on hand when you tackle transforming a non-functional area into a functional area.

Until next time, Chelsey Lauer

Chelsey Lauer created JLB Simplify Home Organizing in 2015 after realizing that sometimes life throws to much at you and no matter how hard you try, your home continues to be a cause of stress and endless clutter. Her goal is to help people feel back in control of their home and running a business and raising 3 boys, she knows all too well how quickly a clean organized house can become a cluttered mess.

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