Tuesday, 20 July 2010
Renovate Your life: Organising your personal space part 2
Steps on the road to an organised room:
Make a list of things you need to do to get your room organised.
Have an idea of why you want to do it, i.e. I'm overwhelmed by the mess, I cant get anything done, it's holding me back, I'm holding onto something, etc. I personally need a more streamlined lifestyle so I can travel easier. Keep this in mind or even write it down and keep it in sight as you embark on this task.
If you can, enlist a friend to help. It makes things so much easier and funner, and you can encourage each other as you work through the mess. If your friend also needs help, volunteer to help each other.
Get rid of all the trash and stuff that you do not need: Choose a particular spot and work round. Start by having a box or bag for all the stuff you definitely want to keep, one you might want to keep, stuff you want to giveaway or recycle and a bag for all the trash. Things that you initially find hard to get rid of can be kept in the might box for closer inspection later( talk about later on how after everything is done they will have to face that box and sort it into 4 places: refer to the organisation piece on sentimental clutter note if there is no space for it get rid of it. ) At this point you are not trying to put things into specific places yet. This is mostly just to get all the stuff that is not where its meant to be to where it needs to be.
Divide your stuff into categories: Create different categories in which your things can go. The best and most efficient way I've found is to divide your things based on function. Even if all you have is one room model it after a home. Keep all your kitchen stuff in one place and all your linens somewhere else. Have everything down to the smallest detail on a nice piece of paper. Write it in this way: 3rd drawer on chest of drawer on the right will have all my medication and first aid things. This paper will be your guide and treasure map.
Begin to arrange the room based on this guide. I usually suggest starting with the closet because that is the main storage unit in most rooms.
The closet
Laundry stuff, linens, and medium sized storage boxes for appropriate things should go in there.
Shoes can go on the bottom and clothes should be hung with all the hangers facing the same direction. As much as possible, when using single hangers keep the amount of clothes hanging on it down to one so that it will be easier to find what you're looking for when you need it.
If you have enough space in your closet and especially if you are pushed for space (i.e if you're major personal space is your college dorm room), keep your laundry in a basket/ laundry bag in the closet, preferably under your detergent and other cleaning items and housekeeping items.
I've found it really helpful to hang my belts, scarves and really long necklaces, so that they are easy to reach and kept in sight.
Keep bathroom items together in a shower basket in an easy to reach place
Hats and bags: Keep them together as much as possible. I keep mine in this pretty purple storage bin that is relatively light, has tons of holes that I can see into the bin through, and fits in with general color scheme of my room.
If you have a chest of drawers or something you could use in a similar manner for the storage of any clothes you couldn't fit into your wardrobe, use it in a specific and clearly outlined way. A lot of people suggest that you should only arrange keep two layers of clothes per drawer, but I have found that this is completely unreasonable for me given my current college dorm room accommodations. Therefore, I suggest that you break down your clothes into certain storage categories and assigning them to definite drawers and sides in the drawers. For example, my current system is as follows:
- top drawer: delicates/underclothes
- second drawer: tops (that I wear on a daily basis)
- third drawer: bottoms that I wear on a daily basis
- fourth drawer: first aid items, medicine that must not be kept upright on the left, and pajamas on the right
- fifth drawer: tops that I do not wear often (nightclub gear, etc) and cardigans (in the middle of the summer these can't qualify as regular wear)
The dressing table (or you could use the top of your chest of drawers)
Jewelry trees and boards:I have this jewelry tree that I absolutely love for hanging my shorter necklaces, bracelets and anklets, and storing my everyday cocktail rings. A friend of mine also introduced me to the idea of storing my earrings by poking them through a board made of foam of cardboard and arranging them in layers. Alternatively, you could keep in a wire frame for this purpose.
I own a lot of hair accessories and keep them all together in one of the drawer divider bins that I've placed on my chest of drawers. The other one contains my larger jewelry like my cuffs and small box sets of jewelry. I have about 3 or so actual jewelry boxes that have my jewelry arranged according to level of formality of the occasion it would be worn to.
My makeup and beauty care products are all arranged here as well as my health care products like my medication that must be kept upright, my cleansers and my creams.
The Desk
I have all my regular use books lined up on the shelf on my desk, with their backs facing me for ease of access.
School supplies are all in this really cute set of tiny storage drawers I got from Barnes and Nobles at the beginning of the year.
My calendar hangs by my desk and all the wires that would usually run across my room are kept out of sight with the excess in a tiny brown basket under my bed.
My laptop and printer have a pretty constant place on my desk while the drawers that come with my desk have art supplies, tech stuff and papers arranged into each of them.
Everything Else
Suitcases and boxes used for travel and storage units that take up excess space are all kept under my bed through the use of bed risers.
Final Actions and Words:
Go through the box of might keep stuff: choose only the stuff you really need, will use, like and have space to keep. If the item doesn't meet any of these criteria please give it away or throw it away. You will feel so much better for it.
Congratulations! You have cleaned house! (Clean House show reference anyone? No? okay).
Love you all and Stay inspired,
Labels:
Saturday, 17 July 2010
Renovate Your Life: Tiny Houses, Minimalism and Organising your space (part 1)
Dearest Devotees,
Lately I've been looking into different ways of approaching life, because of my goal to renovate my life and I've discovered that the whole concept of minimalism is really popular in the lifestyle world right now. After learning more about a minimalistic existence through blogs like Zen Habits and Mmlist, as well as More Magic Always , I have decided that it is definitely something worth pursuing. We do live in a world that is far too full of stuff, things that people acquire to fill up a void they may perceive in their lives. After having to constantly discard things whenever it was time to move again, I soon realised that I cannot base my life on things or attach my happiness to stuff. I've found that whenever we are attached to something it is usually because of the memories we associate with it, and not because that item in itself gives us any kind of happiness.Upon this realization, I slowly began to detach my self from things and to place more value in my experiences instead. Detaching my memories from my stuff made it easier to let go of these items whenever I needed to move on.
In my anthropology class we talked about how everything influences us and how we influence everything around us, and I believe that this can definitely be extended to our personal space and the things we surround ourselves with. I have always appreciated the way our clothes depict who we are to the world, but only recently have I noticed how much more our personal space says about us than even the clothes we wear. Everything from the decor, to the level of organisation present, to the pictures, art and photos on the walls tells something about the person that inhabits the space. It is actually amazing if you think about it, because even in situations in which you are not able to redecorate a place according to your taste, the way you keep your things in that space can show your level of comfort in your surroundings, the amount of time you intend to stay there, as well as your reason for being there. For example, the way I keep my things when I am visiting family in Northern Ireland for a month and the things that I bring with me, are very different from the way I keep my things and things I bring with me when I am visiting Spain for a couple of days to renew my passport.
Organisation is something that does not come easily to me. Despite that, it is something I constantly long for. This is because, the level of organisation in my space is directly and positively linked to how organised, peaceful, happy and serene I am, and I feel this is true for a lot of people. Whenever there is chaos in my world, it is reflected in the level of chaos in my room. When things begin to look up, my room also begins to become more organised. Also, not only does the disorganisation in my room reflect how I feel, it also influences how I feel. If I have been out all day and return home to find my room in a mess, I become frustrated and overwhelmed and unable to do anything about it. Unless the cycle is broken by a definite decision, I could easily end up in an un-productivity rut.
In the MMlist link above she talks about how there are many different approaches to minimalism, and I couldn't agree more. You might just love certain aspects of it, or just the concept behind it and could therefore adapt it to your own lifestyle. The major goal though is to streamline your existence so as to not feel overwhelmed by everything around you. This could be done by getting rid of all your stuff and living in a new house across the country with less things or it could be by leaving your home and getting a tiny house like this guy below. Or it could be something less drastic. The important thing is to approach it in a way that really suits you and takes into account everything that shapes your world, so that your lifestyle change will not hinder you but will help you grow.
In the next post I will talk about ideas on how to organise your personal space, and how to create (and stick to!) your own system.
Love you all and Stay inspired,
P.S. So let me know what you think. Do you strive for a minimalist lifestyle? How would you describe your current lifestyle? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.
Photo from : We Heart it
Tuesday, 13 July 2010
Seeking inspiration: Thinking outside the proverbial box and following your impulse
Photo from: jakobjaded
If I learnt anything from my acting class last semester, I learnt this: to portray your character, you must become your character. My acting professor consistently urged us to get outside of our heads and the proverbial box and to free ourselves from our preconceptions and misconceptions. Only by so doing would we be able to follow our impulses, which are the truest reflections of our creativity. Creativity in its nature is impulsive. If you try to force it, it will not come. You must be able to let go of so many things at a certain point in time in order to let your creativity roam free. I don't particularly care for the phrase daydreaming and wandering minds because it suggests no end in sight and no product as a result. True creative thinking always has a product, because whatever you come up with, whatever you create is a product of your thinking. The product could be a question, a solution to a problem, or a newly discovered truth.
Be impulsive. Impulsivity is what happens when we do what we're inspired to without letting 'rational constraints' hold us back. Create music out of pots and pans. Store your books in a crate and quils in a glass jar. Make a painting with coloured sand. Do a fine work of art in crayon. Add a acoustic/country beat to a metal rock song. Do it and see. You could be surprised and stumble on a brilliant new method. Or you could just sit back and enjoy your creative freedom. At the very least, in the end you would have learnt a little more about yourself, your talent and your art.
Inspiration Assignment:
My Translation:
I'm producing a beat for an acoustically-folksy rock song for my translation: Here is a snippet. I'll try to post the rest by the end of this week on my next Artist Corner post.
Links I've loved this week:
I found so many amazing little gems this week. It's Exciting!!!
This post about how to get rid of sentimental clutter is really helpful.
I feel like this post by A on how to create a core wardrobe is so relevant. It could be the solution to numerous poorly timed wardrobe malfunctions.
I just love blogs that bring fiction into the blogosphere. If you like them too you should check out ellie, Cass and Cady and caitlin and megan
I dream of having Andrea's style and thrifting skills.
This is an amazing talk for anyone not just people with ADHD.
I never realised there were so many sewing and DIY tutorials and vlogs out there. Himehood is one of my favorites so far.
How to have an Alice in Wonderland tea party- It must be the theatre lover in me.
I would love my life to mimic the flow of this poem on Creative Everyday.
If you are a writer (as I assume many of you may be), and are looking for somewhere to get feedback on your work, you could check out this site.
This post on Zen Habits reveals a new way to approach simpler living.
Did you love Daphne of Scooby Doo's style when you were growing up?
And for those who share my interest in the day of a Costume Designer, see this post.
***
"...And the winners for the 2010 Blogiversary giveaway are":
1. The surprise gift winner is Zmaga.
2. The CSN giveaway winner is Debbie.
Congratulations to you both! To get your prizes please email me your contact info. My email address is aury4eva@gmail.com.
Love you all and Stay inspired,
P.S. So let me know what you think. What inspired you this week? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.
Photo from: Daily Lolita ; Beat copyright of Frances a.k.a Aury.
Thursday, 8 July 2010
Letter to my Body (The letter that kicked off Operation Organise)
Dear Body,
I am sorry that I don't treat you well enough. I stuff you with junk food that is really not good and that you don't even recognise as food. I don't get as much as exercise as I know I should. The amazing gym just down the street barely knows of my existence. Also, I barely sleep. Fours a night is not acceptable by any standards, especially considering how much I make you do during the day. To top everything off I stress you out to no end with needless worries and unflagging anxiety brought on by my disorganised state. It isn't right. I promise all this will change.
Love,
Aury.
One night, after realizing and being appalled at the vicious cycle of stress I found myself in, I sat down, wrote this letter to my body, and made a decision that set me on this new path to a life of purpose. I've always had goals and aims and pretty ambitious ones too, but for quite a while I'd felt stuck. I realized then that the reason I wasn't moving forward in my goals was because I lacked an organized system to support them. I like think of it in this way: My goals and dreams are castles built in the sky; without a sturdy support and foundation to back them up they will fall apart. It's sort of like my joy actually; without the foundation that is my faith in God, it would fall to the floor, and I would be swallowed by despair.
With all that is on my plate I need to organize. I really feel that I've come as far as possible without structure. Now it feels like every time I try to juggle everything, something falls by the wayside. I try to pick up the fallen item and something else falls. After high school, I wanted nothing to do with structure because I felt like it was a crutch being used to hinder my creativity but now I feel like it's the support I need to give me back the freedom needed to create. I'm aware it's a huge undertaking, trying to organize and instill structure to something as big as one's life, but in the long run I imagine it would surely be for the best. As I conquer each step I will let you know how I did it and what I've learnt from the process. I really hope I'll be able to help anyone who's looking for more structure in their lives as well.
Love you all and Stay inspired,
P.S. So let me know what you think. Have you ever felt this way? What did you do? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.
Photo from: We Heart it
Tuesday, 6 July 2010
Checking in with Reality: July 2010
Photo from: We Heart it
Dearest Devotees,
I took a break from these posts because I realized I had a couple of long term projects to work on for awhile and that weekly updates would be pointless until important steps have been accomplished. Now the middle of this year has come and gone I feel like I've gotten to a point where I can give a pretty good update on how my resolutions are going.
Since the last time I posted I have:
Finished my first official voice class. I learnt much more than I expected to learn and I feel like it has given me some skills that will help me in other parts of my life.
Finished my first costume design and production (sewing) classes. They were amazing. I learnt so much from both of them and begun work on my portfolio in earnest. I also now have a sample binder and created my first smock. I am currently figuring out how to embellish it.
have started understanding Economics again which is awesome since it's my actual Major.
bought my first sewing machine :) and memo board.
finished my first hip hop class. It was LA style hip hop. I loved it and am currently looking for another one.
have found the Karaoke bar I will perform at for my two public performances.
gone canoeing. It was epic.
found a room organisational system that works for me and have kept it for 7 weeks and counting!
Found some really amazing people who make everyday a blessing.
Things I'm currently in the process of doing and will continue to work on for the next couple of weeks/months:
Finding a good routine and scheduling system, that will let me have time for everything that's important.
Getting back into some sort of regularity with blogging. It's been difficult because I've been in summer school and 4 months of work is covered in 6 weeks. Honestly, I need to find a way to cut down on school work load.
Figuring out my business plan for my future fashion company.
Learning to use garageband to practice my musical production skills.
Teaching myself music theory.
Learning the most random but highly entertaining stuff from books in the library and my anthropology class.
Taking my first ballroom dance class.
Trying to find volunteering/interning/job opportunities and networking opportunities that could help me learn more about the creative industry.
Working on my faith.
Finding a mentor.
Practicing my music and my french.
Well, that's all for now my dearest devotees. I hope you are all well.
Love you all and Stay inspired,
P.S. So let me know what you think. Have you been working on your goals for the year. How far do you think you've come? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.
P.P.S. If you haven't already you can still enter for the giveaways. The surprise one is open to all my devotees irrespective of location. I have also extended the entry period until this saturday.
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