Dr. Rippe's Blog

How would you rate your work space and your living space on the clutter scale?  If you are an always-organized type, then you can skip this blog. But even if you are generally neat, there may areas of your home or office (or members of your family) that are more cluttered (or more cluttering) than you'd like. If so, spring is typically the time our minds turn to cleaning up and clearing out. Tackling points and places of clutter in our lives can improve our sense of well-being. Clearing a drawer or closet or garage can help us clear our minds and let go.

Personally, I'm fortunate that my main office workspace is generous and allows me to keep the documents related to many research and work projects neatly organized while still openly to hand. However, I have a colleague whose work space is fairly small and she says she also probably falls into the category of the "chronically disorganized" or at least, she says, the "serially disorganized."  She's usually involved in multiple projects and enjoys throwing herself into them. Meanwhile, the once orderly stacks of project documents dissolve into blended piles. At the point when finding stuff becomes frustrating, she calls a halt and clears up. That improves her mood and productivity, she says, and she never loses hope that this time will be the time her workspace stays organized. I'm not holding my breath.

But she is right that taking time to clear clutter can help boost your mood and increase enjoyment of your space. There are lots of helpful websites. Or depending on the challenge you might want to work with a professional organizer. Never forget, however, that the goal is to arrange your space(s) in ways that work for you.

Laundry is a never ending chore that someone's got to do. Mostly, that's you, right? Several organizing tips can save time--and family hassle.

• Get and label a separate basket for each family member and one for towels/sheets. The person on laundry duty folds clothes and items right out of the dryer and into the baskets. From there on, each family member is responsible for his/her laundry.  Organizing the baskets on a set of low shelves is helpful.
• Install a hanging rod in the laundry room (above the baskets or washer/dryer there's often room). Use the same procedure--dryer to hangers--for hanging clothes.
• Use two (or more) hampers for dirty clothes--one for lights, one for darks. Sorting laundry loads is much easier.
• Keep a basket in each closet for clothes that need dry cleaning.  Take them to the cleaners once weekly.
• Rotate laundry duty. These simple organizing tips make it easy for all but very young family members to take a turn doing laundry.

Use the time you've saved to take a fun or restful moment for yourself.

The places and spaces in which we live and work can make a difference in our quality of life. For example, sleep research has long indicated that reserving the bedroom for restful purposes can help many people get better sleep. "Restful" means not using it as a spare TV room or place to play loud music, etc.

Do the other spaces you inhabit regular support positive feelings or tend to depress you? With many projects going at once, I spend many hours in my office. So it needs to be a space that promotes my creativity yet is peaceful. For me, that means plenty of daylight, blooming plants (I like orchids), and classical music playing softly in the background. I've also had to devise an organization and filing plan that keeps project info handy but banishes clutter.

Even if your workspace is a cubicle in an open office plan, what touches have you added to make it your space? A colleague of mine finds that a "natural light" bulb in her desk lamp not only eases eyestrain but keeps a plant or two very happy. Another friend has made the sidewall of the cubicle a collage of postcards and photos from his travels. His careful arrangement makes it look like art, not a junky bulletin board.

If you could change one thing about your spaces and places at home to make you feel better, what would it be? Declutter the garage or master closet? Turn the backyard into a real outdoor living space? Brighten up and redo the family room?

Identifying and prioritizing a few goals to turn your living spaces into more supportive places can be very rewarding.