Episode #140 - Transform Your Space – Breathe Easy

Welcome to organizing with these, where we simplify and organize our lives for the better. I'm Deanna Ball, your host, here to guide you towards a more organized and enriching life. Together, let's explore practical strategies, inspiring stories, and expert advice to simplify every aspect of our lives. Are you ready to embark on this journey with ease? Let's start.

Hello, friends, and welcome back to Organizing With Ease. I'm your host, Deanna Mull, and I'm thrilled to continue our January series, fresh beginnings start strong in 2025. If this is your first time tuning in, welcome. You've joined us during a very powerful time of transformation as we tackle our 31 day January decluttering challenge, New Year, Fresh Spaces. For my returning listeners, thank you so much for coming back for another week filled with actionable tips and inspiring stories to help you make meaningful progress in your home and in your life.

This week's episode, transform your space, breathe easy, focuses on high traffic and high impact areas that often become clutter hot spots. From entryways to kitchen counters, to toy zones, jewelry boxes, workout spaces, and even those piles of old receipts and papers, These are the spaces that affect our daily routines and mindset the most. Last week, we kicked off by decluttering holiday decorations, nightstands, and bookshelves. This week, we're diving deeper into areas you interact with daily, layering in habits, and making it all manageable with the fresh start method. I'll also share updates on how I'm navigating my kitchen remodel and keeping things functional during the chaos.

So are we ready to dive in? Let's start. So why this week's focus matters? Well, because spaces like entryways, counters, toy zones, and workout areas are central to how we navigate our daily life. When these areas are organized, your routines feel effortless.

But when they're cluttered, it can add unnecessary stress. So think about your entryway. It's the first thing you see when you get home and the last thing you deal with before you are heading out. If it's cluttered, it can make everything feel chaotic. Same as if somebody walks through your front door.

Let's say a guest. How would they feel? Or consider your kitchen counters when they're piled up with papers and appliances where meal prep can feel overwhelming instead of enjoyable. And the reason why I have a smile and a laugh is because of my current kitchen status. Chaos at its best.

But here's a stat that might inspire you. 93% of people report that an organized space improves their productivity and reduces stress. So this week, we're gonna focus on reclaiming these spaces to set the tone for calm and functionality in your home. So my kitchen remodel organized in chaos. Yes.

So currently, I am in the middle of a kitchen remodel, and let me tell you, it's been an adventure. With every cabinet and drawer emptied out, I had to create temporary zones around the house to stay functional. So here's what I did. I, of course, had to create a coffee and a breakfast station. It's a small area which houses my essentials, like my nugs, my coffee, and a quick, like, breakfast items.

Then I actually had to come up with a meal prep zone, which includes yes. I did have to resort to some paper plates and some plastic, utensils, of course. I do have a cutting board. I do have my basic utensils that are grouped easily to, you know, together for easy access. I also have, like, a little outdoor table on my patio, which is where my microwave and my air fryer is.

Again, I also have a little setup there as well with a basket of my spices and other, like, salt and peppers that I use as well. I did, also come up with a snack corner, which is a designated spot for healthy snacks to keep everyone happy and me sane. I also did create another zone, and that would be for Eddie, our little doggy, because he too needed to have his own little area as well. So even with these zones, I've learned how much I rely on a fully functional kitchen to feel grounded. This experience has literally has been such a reminder of how deeply our environment impacts our routines and why investing in organizing high traffic areas pays off both time and peace of mind.

Trust me, there's been so many moments since last August, but we're okay. We're making it happen is where I'm at. So practical steps to transforming high traffic areas like your entryway. It's your home's first impression. So why does it matter?

Well, it matters because a clutter free entryway reduces morning chaos and welcomes you home with ease. So here's a couple of things that you could do or, you know, consider, if you have not already. Add, like, you know, hooks for for coats or for bags. Have something there. Use a basket or trays for shoes and keys.

So we do have a, for my keys, I do have it not by the entryway, but I do have it in my laundry room because that is the door that goes straight out to the garage. So that is where I we put our that's where we place our keys. As far as our shoes, the same thing applies. We actually have both areas because it's high traffic. So we have one in the entryway and then also out into the garage as well.

I do create a mail sorting system to keep my papers under control, and I but I literally have to do that so that I know that it doesn't go beyond the entryway as of right now because of my kitchen. So I go through my mail now in the entryway. I sort it out. And then once if there's anything that, like, junk mail or anything that needs to be tossed, I literally take that, take it to, walk it over to my, trash bin that I have, and then the rest goes straight into my office because I cannot lose anything because of where I'm at right now. But it's actually a good way because I've now made my steps going through the mail a lot easier and a lot more productive for me.

So actually, I that actually has helped me a lot. Of course, you wanna rotate seasonal items, like hats, boots to reduce the clutter. For us now, we do need to bring out our umbrellas a little bit more. Not sure why, but that's just where it's been lately. Kitchen counters.

You want to simplify your workspace. And why does it matter? Because clear counters make meal prep and daily routines more enjoyable, and I can attest to that as well. Even in my lack of counter space, the counters the counters that I have created does need to be continuously organized. So what we do is and it's another action plan that you might wanna consider, but we definitely wanna remove nonessential items.

We want to group similar items like the coffee supplies and the utensils and trays. Again, we wanna sort our daily mail to prevent the paper piles. Typically, it's always been done in the kitchens. But, again, for me, it's been in the now it's been in the entryway. You do want to, if you can, add small chart charging stations to manage cords and devices neatly.

We actually have that as well, and it does make a big difference that it's all in one area, charging stations, and everyone can do that as well. Of course, we have it individually in, the rooms as well, but this is another thing if you have additionals. Jewelry boxes is, you know, one thing that I just love, that organ to organize. And if you have it, and it's sometimes things that are overlooked. So why does this one matter?

Well, because of the fact that a tidy jewelry box actually saves time, and it adds to the morning routine. So if you are planning the night before your outfit for the day, next day, jewelry, the accessories is part of the plan of what you're going to be wearing the next day and or for that morning. Right? So if you have an organized jewelry box, that makes a big difference. So if if you have not yet revisited or visited your jewelry box, now is a good time.

Why not? So lay out your jewelry and sort into categories. Yes. You actually do have to also do the same to your jewelry. Of course, you have your daily wear, the special occasions, and then, of course, those that might need some repairs.

Let go of outdated or broken pieces that you know you will no longer be wearing. Try using dividers or trays to organize and display your favorites. They have some great options now for jewelry trays, jewelry trees. They have stackable jewelry boxes. You can purchase them either on Amazon.

The Container Store also has a variety of colors. Target, Walmart, all of these main brands online can also give you some more inspiration on trying to get your jewelry organized the best for you. Whether you have 20 pieces, whether you have a 100 pieces, organizing your jewelry is definitely, and it should be, part of your action plan to get done. Hopefully, that is going to be on your agenda this week. But as we move it along, we're gonna be moving along from jewelry into our zone of creating for wellness, whether it's that workout room you might have, that yoga space or Pilates.

But a dedicated clutter free space encourages consistent workouts and self care. What we want to do is we definitely want to remove non fitness related items. We want to store the mats, the weights, accessories in bins or baskets. If you want to add some calming elements like candles or plants for motivations, by all by all means, do so. I don't know about you, but if you do have that room, you know, adding that TV actually can actually help as well because you can just download and watch your, you know, your exercising teachers online and you are ready to go.

Definitely keep your essentials visible to encourage what? Use and consistency. Because in the year of 2025 for transformation, we wanna continue our wellness journey. So while we're moving on to wellness journey, we're gonna also consider taking that paper clutter and those receipts, and this is the time we're gonna use it as an excuse to tame the chaos. So why does this matter?

So this matters because those unchecked paper piles create stress. I don't know about you, but I know it does for me. And it makes it harder to find what you need. Even though you might think it's in that pile, a lot of times it's not. So here we wanna gather all the papers, sort in categories.

We wanna keep, shred, and recycle. If possible, we want to digitize important documents or receipts with a scanning app. Set up a filing system with label folders for tax documents, warranties. Hopefully not. Hopefully you can all download all these, especially for the warranties and household bills.

But if you are still on the paper trail and you still have those folders that you have created in the following system, you know, we are in a new year, so you can now take advantage of January and go back to last year. All those folders, the ones that you've created for the household, go through them. And those are the ones that can be easily shredded so that you can start this year fresh. And make if you can, you can then if you have saved all of these papers and all these statements from the prior year and it's not needed for any tax documents or any type of reporting that needs to be done for this current year, Make shredding part of your weekly routine to prevent future build up. Just a little bit of a tip.

So, you know, daily nightly habits for sustaining progress really does make a difference. And decluttering is just the start of it. So here are some habits to help maintain your progress. I always am a strong advocate and I keep saying this a lot. Morning and nightly routines.

So a morning habit can be, you know, you spend 5 minutes tidying up any lingering clutter from the night before that you might have missed from that nightly routine from the night before. We wanna set up top three priorities for the day. Yes. That can still be considered part of your morning habit. A nightly habit can be do a 10 minute reset.

You know, clear the counters, reset the entryway, tidy up those toys, reflect on your day's win and plan tomorrow's task in either your calendar, your planner, and or a journal if you should be using one. These habits don't take long, but they actually make a big difference in keeping your spaces and routines on track. Remember, morning and night routines are really important. So I what I'm gonna be doing in the show notes for this episode, I'm gonna be adding again the 31 day calendar, January calendar of the decluttering New Year fresh spaces, but I'm also gonna include my daily, weekly, and monthly routine checklist for you so you have another guide to go by. These habits don't take long but make a big difference, again, in keeping your spaces and your routines on track.

This week's 31 Day January Decluttering Challenge tasks are all about impactful spaces. Yes, organizing your jewelry and let go of broken or outdated pieces. You wanna reorganize your workout or your yoga or Pilates area for a fresh start. If you don't have these areas, consider creating them. Clear off your kitchen counters and create functional zones.

Declutter toys and kid areas to simplify family spaces. Sort through old receipts and paper clutter, and digitize important items. These tasks will transform high traffic areas into what? Supportive calming spaces. So here we are.

I want you to share your progress. So this week, choose one area to transform, whether it's your entryway, jewelry box, or kitchen counter. Share your progress. Let's celebrate your wins together. My closing thought to you is step by step, little by little.

And also thank you for joining me for this week's episode. Even small steps can lead to big changes. Next week, we'll tackle the digital clutter. Yes. So if we start now with those papers and those receipts, next week is gonna actually even jump start you even to the next level of going into digital clutter and exploring how to clear out your virtual spaces really does give you more time and focuses on what matters the most.

Until then, let's keep transforming our spaces and lives together, wishing you a productive and peaceful week ahead. If you enjoyed today's episode, don't forget to subscribe to Organizing with Ease podcast on your favorite podcast platform and leave us a review. Your feedback helps us grow and reach more listeners like you who are passionate about living their best lives. And remember, a new episode comes out every Thursday at 8 AM. So mark your calendar and join us.

Until next week. Take care, and keep shining bright.