Preparing Your Home for Social Distancing
Today I cleared out my home office so my husband could have a proper workspace. It was the right thing to do given he is working full-time from home and I’ll be on duty full-time with the kids…or perhaps you could say I’m moving offices to accommodate my new ‘co-workers’? However you look at it, this is a small sacrifice in the bigger scheme of things, but a big adjustment for me nonetheless after launching my business last year. For all of us, the unprecedented times we find ourselves in have shaken up life as we know it. With the situation evolving daily, we are only just beginning to understand the true impact of the coronavirus, what it means for us personally, our families, communities and the world. One thing is certain though, our adaptability is essential. And now, more than ever, that starts in our homes. By adapting our spaces we can ensure they are equipped to serve us with greater functionality and comfort during periods of change. Whether our attention is proactively turning to projects we’ve put on the back-burner, or reactively responding to feeling cramped, confined or otherwise ill-equipped, I’m sure we could all benefit from identifying one or two ways to adapt our spaces to these lifestyle adjustments.
Based on insights from my home organization work, I’m sharing a few key tricks for preparing your space for social distancing, which right now in Ontario means working from home as possible, school and daycare closures, and minimizing shopping excursions to the essentials (food & pharmacy). Here are a few ideas of where to start:
Realign your space with your priorities. Before I gave up my office to my husband, I had to move our boys into a shared room to carve out the space for myself. Being adaptable in how we use our space has helped us through both transitions and is a valuable lesson for the boys too. If you’re feeling like your home isn’t working for you but aren’t sure what to do about it, think of your space as a blank slate and see how you can fit your priorities and highest needs first, then work other things around it. Temporary adjustments can go a long way in helping the family cope with all this time at home. (If you’re feeling cramped but having trouble seeing how you can make do with what you have, I am offering free remote consultations this month to anyone seeking an outside perspective on making their space more functional and adaptable. Use my contact form to message me if you’re interested.)
Shop your cabinets. Not only are we being urged to buy just what we need to help avoid added pressure on the supply chain, but using up our own excess toiletries & cleaning products can free up valuable space under our sinks. You’ll never be more happy to uncover long-lost travel shampoo or long-forgotten soap! Now is a good time to use it up, so you can extend the life of your latest and favourite products. See what forgotten items you find that can be swapped into your daily routine. Just taking a moment to consider what is still usable is a good test to know whether they are worth holding onto or primed for decluttering. When it comes to cleaning products, check under all your sinks and in your laundry room to take full stock and note what’s almost empty. Use up any ends of supplies or consolidate separate bottles of the same item because clearing out space will make it easier to keep track of what you have and what you realistically need.
Get your pantry organized. Categorizing food items goes a long way in simplifying meal planning, shopping and avoiding food waste. Common categories include breakfast cereals, grains, beans, baking, snacks, treats, sauces, and meal staples. You don’t need fancy labels, but even using masking tape to allocate space appropriately to each category helps maintain order. Do you have many specialty items, purchased for specific recipes, taking up valuable pantry space? Now’s a great time to get inventive with your food…search online for new inspiration to use up any pantry items before they expire, clearing space for your true staples as you make efforts to grocery shop less frequently.
Give your kids a final chance to put their things to use or get them out of the house. With kids spending so much time at home, it’s the perfect chance to see what you have that’s still age appropriate and engaging for them. If you’ve been holding onto unused games, crafts or toy sets it’s a good time to dive into the ones that require more attention or time than the kids typically have. You can go through one by one and give them a shot. If there’s no interest in using it while they have the time, consider passing it along to someone else who will be eager for a new activity. Same with their books. Remove anything obviously outgrown then encourage them to make a pile of the books they are excited to read and ones they are no longer interested in. What goes around comes around so there’s no need to be too attached to any items. (For more inspiration on decluttering with kids, check out our recent blog series.)
Declutter your surfaces. Simply making space to enjoy your essentials by removing things you don’t really need or value can go a long way in making a space feel bigger, brighter and more personalized. Scan open shelves and other surfaces you’re using frequently to see what really needs to be there and remove the rest. Pack up, put away, donate or throw out what’s not currently useful. Decluttering surfaces will also make cleaning and disinfecting high-use areas so much easier.
Decorate. Although it’s hardly a time to be shopping for décor, that doesn’t have to stop you from updating and personalizing your space through art, photos, and the styling of shelves:
Replace old framed photos by ordering new prints online and surround yourself with pictures of friends, family and favourite travel destinations.
Style shelves using favourite books and sentimental objects, clearing out anything that no longer feels relevant or sparks interest, and moving less aesthetically pleasing but useful items into cupboards.
Create a gallery wall for kids art creations.
Create an accent wall with peel and stick wallpaper to liven up a space if you’re really feeling adventurous.
As you can see, there are many ways you can work with what you have and better equip yourself to adapt to the changes we are all being called upon to make. Any one of these steps can contribute to a greater sense of calm, comfort and ease and help you kickstart your spring cleaning.