Whew! What a whirlwind the past few weeks have been. My evening and weekend project (while not organizing with clients) has been a major reorganization of our lower level. The goal when we started the project was to create space for a ping pong table. Sounds simple enough, right?

Uh, wrong.

The original “easy” plan was to move my office into Jay’s. We shared an office when we first started simplify 101, so we knew this was a viable solution. But there wasn’t enough room in Jay’s office for my stuff (desk, bookcases, etc.) plus his stuff (desk, file cabinets bookcases, etc.) and all of my craft supplies. So, in addition to moving my office into Jay’s office, I also need to move my craft supplies into the closet in my soon to be “old” office. Simple enough, right?

Uh, wrong, again.

See that closet was already filled with two filing cabinets, a dresser, and four shelves filled with all sorts of stuff (container station, office supply storage, gift wrap items, simplify 101 supplies, etc.). Then, just when things were looking not so simple, we discovered that a ping pong table wouldn’t fit in my office. Hmmm…now what? Well, let’s do it anyway and move more stuff around to make it work. The plan at that point was turning my office into a T.V. room and turning the old T.V. area into the ping pong room. Easy enough right?

Not at all. But let’s do it anyway. Oh, and because I apparently thrive on chaos, let’s also paint Kailea’s room in the midst of this total reorganization of the lower level. At several points during the past week, there wasn’t a single room in my home that felt settled. Contents from Kailea’s room were in the family room and my bedroom, and the entire lower level was torn apart. It was truly crazy, and challenging.

As of right now, Kailea’s room is painted and organized. Now we need to decorate. (And she has to do a big reveal for her friends before I get to share anything.)

The craft closet is set up and the T.V. room is ready and waiting for a new T.V. (But first, we need to order a new dishwasher because in the midst of all of this, our old one decided it was time to stop working. Thanks for that!)

Craft Closet Organizing Ideas

My New Craft Area In The Closet of My Old Office

My office has been moved to Jay’s…for the most part.

What remains to be done is finishing touches and there is a whole bunch of stuff in the soon-to-be ping pong room that needs to be donated and sold. But, we are alive and well and making progress.

TV Room in Progress

The New TV Room Sans The TV

The most interesting thing about this project is that I experienced first hand what it feels like to be in many of my clients’ shoes. Having so much of my home out of my comfort zone all at once was very unsettling. I experienced that unsettled feeling like so many of my clients. The enormity of the project and the need to move so many items from one place to another became, at times, overwhelming. I found myself uttering the words I hear so often from clients: “I don’t know where to begin.” I can’t wait to share more of this insight in future blog posts and in my upcoming Organize-athon.

If you’re currently working on a big organizing project, be sure to check back for future updates, or snag a spot in the upcoming Organize-athon. I’ll be there to empathize with you, but even more important, give you proven strategies to help you move from point A to point B in your organizing projects. Get all the details – and sign up here!

Happy organizing!

Aby