Home in Harmony

By Andrea Wait

Andrea Wait has been helping people organize their homes-and, by extension, their lives-for fifteen years, and after all that time she knows one thing for sure: putting your house in order can change your life for the better.

If you feel ov

• Language: English
• Publisher: Andrea Wait
• Release date: Jan 14, 2024
• ISBN: 9798989404919

Book preview

PART I:

Laying the

Groundwork

CHAPTER 1:

Why Organize?

For me, the biggest motivation to get started on an organizing project is the anticipation of what can happen when the project has been completed. Even after all these years, I am still amazed by how life-changing the results can be . . . in the best ways. Here are just a few things people have told me about the benefits of organizing.

All of my belongings now have a home. My apartment feels so much bigger and I feel a hundred pounds lighter. I actually look forward to coming home and feeling the open and clean energy of my space.

I experienced a feeling of relaxation I haven’t known in a long time. We made a messy, dys-functional kitchen into a space that flows easily. There is more room for everything now, and I have what I need on hand, where I need it.

Knowing where everything goes seems obvious but in my house that was not the case. Ask anyone where an item lived and we all had a different response. Now we don’t think twice about where we keep the scotch tape.

Our closets and kitchen are finally how they should be. Everything has a place and the clutter is gone. It has helped put me more at ease with the baby coming so soon!

I can’t believe it but I am saving money now that my house is organized. Why? Well, I often would get frustrated trying to find something and would just give up and order a new one . . . everything from a pair of scissors to the dog’s leash. And later on, of course, I would find said lost item.

Having a clean and organized home office has helped me to stay on track with my work and helped me with overall time management . . . fewer I can’t find that file problems.

My children’s teacher told me that my daughter, age six, and my son, age nine, were very smart but very disorganized. With our organization process in place, we now model what goes on in the classroom—e.g., take things out and then put them away. Both of their teachers say there has been a remarkable improvement with both kids. Best of all, we no longer have the morning shouting match about where my son last left his eyeglasses. I love the quiet of the morning now.

I think I look better because my house looks better and I am less afraid if someone just randomly pops by. I no longer have to pretend that I am not at home.

Do you see yourself in one of these scenarios? If so, this book is for you!

CHAPTER 2:

Organizing Prep

In order to ensure that your organizing session is successful, I suggest taking the following steps to get yourself ready:

Block out time on your calendar so there are no interruptions—no phone calls, no darting out to run errands, etc.

Get bags and boxes for donation. If you are someone who has accumulated many reusable shopping bags, this is your time to use those for donation bags and reduce your volume.

Get garbage bags for trash.

Contact your local charity shops to verify hours and what items they will accept.

If you have large pieces of furniture that you are ready to donate, schedule pickup of those items on organizing day.

If you think you will have many refuse items, contact one of your local junk hauling companies and schedule a pickup for the end of the scheduled organizing day. Trust me, once you have gone through the organizing process you will be happy to have these folks come and take your junk