Office Redo

“Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.”—Christopher Robin in A. A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh

 Can anyone relate to a messy Office? A messy anything really!!???  I have been on the quest to BE Organized for sooo long!!! Can someone “BE” Organized? Is it a one and done thing? I have had “Organized moments” and have a pretty good handle on several things but to “BE” oh how glorious a feat to achieve that!! One of my biggest struggles is the paper mess. My filing system is mediocre at best. My husband will ask me for a specific bill or receipt or the like and I usually ask when the said item was first acquired. I then sift through my piles like they are an archeological dig and guaranteed I will find them if they exist.  I am really great at those hidden object games on the computer/apps too. But the struggle to have an organized office is a real one. The first problem is what to keep and what to trash. As I have been looking through papers recently I have been thinking “well I haven’t ever had to refer to this in the past so I think it is ok to throw it away now.”  It has been so freeing to just TOSS and SHRED things. I have also adopted the thinking of if I don’t love it than I can just get rid of it. I know that through the purging process I have been able to get rid of the stress of keeping things just in case (which just in case doesn’t come as often as I think it will). I have the hardest time concentrating in a messy office so my creativity dwindles and so does my desire to do the things I love. I have so many hobbies and interests I want to pursue but my messy office/craft room has prevented me from being able to. So I have decided that Organizing has to be my priority if I am to enjoy the things I love and why not enjoy the process as well.

One mans junk is a another mans treasure.
I took an organizing class years ago and learned about reciprocity-which is the practice of exchanging things with others for mutual benefit. Something that the teacher explained was get rid of what you are not using right now and bless someone else’s life with it. The cool thing about doing this is when you need it again it will return to you.

Luke 6:38
Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.


 Think of all the ways you can bless others with your abundance no storage needed! Just give what you don’t need or use anymore. Clothes, toys, baby items, blankets, books, etc... the list goes on and on. Something I have thought about through the years is I should save this for my grandkids. Realistically when I do have grandkids it my not be the style or worn out so is it really worth the storage space to keep something that could be used now by someone else. Ask yourself “is there a family in my neighborhood that may be struggling that would get good use out of this item?” I know my family has been the recipient of many acts of kindness over the years. My daughter really wanted to give some of the kids she babysits a present for Christmas and came up with the idea of giving some of her gently used stuffed animals to them. She was so excited to pick something out that she thought each child would like and the bonus was she no longer has to worry about taking care of those items.

   Sometimes you run across things that may be worth your time to sell; that way you can earn some money for your next DIY project. I just sold a pair of lamps that no longer fit my decor. I didn’t have a proper desk in my office so I looked on Facebook Marketplace and KSL Classifieds (Utah’s online classified ads). I found a desk and a really cute office chair and both were exactly what I was wanting at the fraction of the price.

Final touches- Just when I thought I was done with my office I felt like something was missing. So I toyed with the idea of adding curtains to my windows but didn’t want them to get in the way. I was digging through my fabric drawer and found this really cute blue fabric but it had a green stain on it. I am not one to not use something if it still has life in it so I used my problem solving skills and voila red ribbon to the rescue; it covered the stain right up. A valance was just the right fit for my space and it really pulled the room together in my opinion.

 



Extra Features-
I have an antique trunk that stores blankets and quilts in it currently and I have my file organizer on top.
Under the window I have an antique metal basket that I am using to store all of my printer paper. This is a fun way to store something and make it a fun art feature.
I am also using an antique metal milk crate as a footstool with great book storage and a place for the kids to sit when they come in to visit with me after school. Both of these items I got off of KSL classifieds.
The best feature in the office is my electric fireplace. While my husband was serving in Iraq in 2008 our homes heat went out in February. He was expected home in April and I couldn’t afford to hire someone to fix it so I went to Home Depot and bought two electric fireplaces. By the way February is a great time to purchase this type of item because they are clearing them out. I think I spent $400 for the both of them. They have been so helpful over the years in my drafty old house.

Well...thanks for reading my rantings. I hope you got something good out of them and that you enjoyed seeing the pictures of my office redo.