Week 1 of the Organizing Revolution is here, and the first project was to work on the office. I don't have an office per se, but I have carved out a family command centre just off my kitchen that functions as one. I used to have it in my kitchen, but it was never the perfect location and it took up valuable bench space. To the side of the kitchen, however, is a small wall that is the exact width of Irini's old change table, so I re purposed that and it is now the basis of my command center.
The change table turned out to be the perfect solution; not only is the perfect size, it has 4 good sized drawers for storage, and a raised border around three sides, which keeps everything on top nicely contained, unlike a regular desk. In this mini-office, I have everything I need for the day-to-day running of the family.
Starting on the wall, I have a calendar to keep track of everything at a glance. I use cozi.com as my regular diary now, but I like having a paper backup, and a wall calender means everyone can see what is going on. What I like best about this calender is that the top section is a regular monthly calender, but the bottom is a weekly tear-off calender with spaces for each of us in the family. I keep the calender in a wooden calender frame, and in the "pocket" at the bottom, I keep my calender stickers, birthday invites, blank post-it notes, and a notepad.
Next to the calender is a magnetic pin-up board, which holds a tear-off roll of note paper, my weekly meal planner, keys, various photos and my Thermomix quick guide. it also has my fifteen minute flylady timer, and the phone number for HealthDirect, the health dept's hotline for medical info.
On the desk surface, I have my Household Binder, recipe binders, and two magazine holders that hold recipe books I am currently using, voucher books and other bits and pieces. Next to that, I have 4 file folders in a clear perspex organiser. I have one each for the kids, me and current to-do's. In front of the file folders is a ceramic tray that holds two open boxes for pens, pencils, scissors and rulers, etc, and a lidded long box with spare rolls of sticky tape, elastic bands and paper clips. There is also a stapler, sticky tape dispenser, two aromatherapy sprays and a letter opener. I've also squeezed in a tube of hand cream, hand sanitiser and cuticle oil. Lastly, I have an accordion file for various bits of paperwork like prescriptions, vouchers and coupons, and a box of loose note papers.
In the top drawer, I have all of the other stationery and paperwork that I use, but not on a daily basis. I've used various shallow containers cribbed from other parts of the house to keep the drawer organised. The first compartment holds envelopes, stamps, address labels, loose change and the kids lunch order bags, as well as a tube of foot cream. The brown box at the back has my personalised stationery and address stamps, while the little trays in front hold a mini tube of WD-40 and various glues. Two metal muffin cups hold lipgloss and spare keys, and the space at the back holds my vitamins. The final container on the right holds odds and ends including my asthma sprays, a tub of Tiger Balm, and spare tissues and wipes for my handbag.
The final 3 drawers are also organised so that everything had a place. The 2nd drawer holds all of my vacuum attachments and bags, as well as clean mop pads, and various tools. The 3rd drawer holds all of the kids' workbooks as well as hard copy telephone books, and the final drawer holds miscellaneous cleaning supplies.
This new space is already functioning much better than its predecessor; its neater and everything on the top has a daily purpose, with things used less often stored away but easily accessible. Most importantly, because everything has a defined spot, it is easy to keep tidy,
Labels: housekeeping, lifestyle, New Years Organizing Revolution, organising