As the world is slowly getting back to business as usual, I’m starting to get more and more requests to participate in live talks all around Shanghai. Just yesterday I gave a talk to members of City’Super Shanghai and today I’d like to share with you my experience.
Because many of the attendees were new to the concept & duties of a professional organizer, I began the talk by sharing my mission and philosophy about organization.
I believe there is a direct connection between our environment and our mental state of being. As such, simplifying and organizing ourselves & our surroundings helps us achieve mental clarity, and instill balance and harmony in our lives.
Rules of Tidying
Next, I shared with my audience the 6 rules of tidying from the KonMari method and the different categories to sort their items in.
Rule No. 1 – Commit yourself to tidying up
Rule No. 2 – Imagine your ideal lifestyle
Rule No. 3 – Finish discarding first
Rule No. 4 – Tidy by category, not location
Rule No. 5 – Follow the right order
Rule No. 6 – Ask yourself if it sparks joy
If you’d like to learn more about decluttering from theory to practice, I wrote an in-depth article you can read here.
What to Do When the Mess Overwhelms Us
Next, I got a question from a very lovely individual that wanted to know how to stay grounded and not get overwhelmed by the mess currently present in their home. I responded that the best defence against overwhelm of any kind, is a solid plan and system of doing things.
I use and implement organization systems in my clients homes to help them work systemically and with purpose, ensuring they achieve their goals.
Elements of an Organizational System
The 4 elements of a strong organizational system are as follows: simple, logical, sustainable & visible.
Create a SIMPLE system so that other members of your home can follow it
Your system needs to make sense to you so it needs to be LOGICAL
This system needs to be SUSTAINABLE, so be realistic about your time, priorities & how your house functions.
Last but not least it needs to be VISIBLE and LABELED. Use storage solutions that allow you to easily identify and see your items.
It’s important to start working towards such an organization system in your own life, as clutter really does affect our mood.
Interactive Organizing
After all that theory, I decided to switch up the dynamic of our class and make it more interactive. The live demo / organization exercise I created gave members a chance to organize a box of stationary using clear drawer organizers.
This activity was very fun and interesting and I felt that everyone understood my teaching a little better. After the live demo, we ended class with a group discussion.
Finally, I ended the talk by talking about my favorite organization tips for the kitchen, closet and office space. Not surprisingly, most people wanted to know what storage products to buy and how to maintain an orderly home.
As a parting gift, everyone received a cord organizer to store chargers, headphones, and various other digital necessities.
Overall, I really enjoyed giving this talk yesterday and being surrounded by such a wonderful audience. It definitely motivated me to continue my quest to share my message about the benefits of decluttering & optimizing our home spaces.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse eu lacinia metus. Quisque lacinia mi vitae nunc sollicitudin, a dignissim sem imperdiet.