Be the boss of your space

If you work from home, even part-time, the perks can seem rather obvious. Calling the shots on when your workday begins and showing up for a conference with yourself at the dining room table in your pajamas is a luxury, many would say. And who doesn't think that life would just be better sharing at least a few hours a week with their dog warming their feet in their cozy home-office corner? But as a small business owner myself, I can attest that the challenges for those that enjoy a home-based work space are inherent and real. In the process of working with many clients who run businesses from home, I have discovered that these three strategies for whole home organization are key "best practices" for making your home space work as hard as you do!

1- Be the BOSS. Take time to manage your space so that your space doesn't manage you. Think outside the box (or closet or cabinet) to creatively use your space to improve how it can work for you. Take care to group categories of things that may have morphed into several spaces over time. We produce and shed "stuff" in layers and our homes adapt to those growing pains for better or for worse! Along with a steady diet of purging what you no longer need, make sure the amount of space you designate for a specific category is adequate so that finding what you need is never a problem.

2- Control INVENTORY. The logistics of household inventory can create a constant source of clutter and frustration. But when you have designated appropriate, specific space for what regularly comes in and out, the tasks of purchasing, receiving, storing and consuming groceries and supplies become so very simple. How? These tips can help:

• Create a master grocery list to make decisions easy and be sure to shop your pantry first so that you buy only what you need. (*If you do not have adequate overflow pantry space for warehouse discount shopping, do your stress a favor and just spend the extra pennies so that you don't have to step over giant packages of toilet paper in your bedroom or hide mega boxes of cereal in the oven.)

• Put everything away right where it belongs as soon as you bring it home AND get rid of as much packaging as possible before an item ever goes on your shelf. This one little habit may tack :15 on to your Target run, but it will keep you from starting and stopping a dozen times throughout a day.

• Plan a loose menu for the week ahead while everything you bought is fresh on your mind. This will make meal prep more mindless and prevent you from letting good food go bad.

3- RESET daily to be your most productive. NOTE: This amazing little habit, which is very KonMari, is super impactful but does not require decision-making at the end of your long hard day if #1 and #2 are already in play. Resetting means taking :10 to survey your space and return everything to its proper place before calling it quits and falling into bed. When clutter abounds in our living/working space, it slows you down and steals mental energy- even as you try to ignore it. This task allows you to really see through the clutter to what is trash and what is simply out of place. And if your space is doing its job, then returning everything to its official spot should is easy... your stuff knows where to go.