Recently, I emailed my good friend Xania, who I hadn’t seen in awhile and suggested dinner. Typically, we always go out to a restaurant for dinner and drinks to catch up. To my surprise, she responded with an invitation to her place for home cooking. I’m not kidding when I tell you I read that sentence a few times. You see, my beautiful friend was not someone I would call domestic. She was an artist - a busy artist who loved to work and LIVED in her work space. Or should I say her living space WAS her work space. Entertaining in her home was not something I would have considered (nor did she) – her desk was her kitchen table But she just moved into her larger two bedroom and wanted to be the hostess, so I accepted the invitation.
To my surprise, when I entered her new pad, I was shocked. The “I-work-where-I-live-and-live-where-I-work-girl” had transformed her much larger apartment into a REAL living space. I wandered around to see her stunning work framed and on display (incredibly talented photographer), the careful selection of paint she choose for her walls, contrast of materials and colors that work beautifully together, the openness and airiness of her living and dining room, new flat screen TV (the girl never even had cable before and was working with one of those old tubes!), the room filled with the aroma of scented candles and incense and of course, her separate and organized work space. It was the complete opposite of her previous space, which Xania described as “stagnant and suffocating”.
Just before we sat down in her living room to enjoy a glass of wine and catch up, she wandered into the kitchen to check on the salmon in the oven. I came right out and said “Girl, I would have never thought in a million years you would be this domestic”. She laughed and told me that she cooked all the time now and would enjoy the news on her new flat screen while relaxing on her couch. She stated that the distinction of her work and living space had transformed her life, uncovering “hidden domestic capabilities and a new found sense of creativity that works wonders for my mental space - I feel refreshed and inspired to take on new projects, my ideas are fresher and innovation and efficiency is at an all time high”.
Whether you realize it or not, your living space plays a big part in your productivity and says a lot about who you are. Take a look around your space, do you see things that you have been putting off - ironing, an unfinished project, filing, dusting, folding, old books, magazines, clothes your don’t wear anymore, a photo you have been meaning to hang on the wall, a book you have been meaning to finish, studying for an upcoming exam, the list goes on and on. Your space can encourage procrastination when you don’t have a clue where to start, as well, it can discourage visitors and the option to entertain guests in your home. Who wants to live like that? It doesn’t matter if you are an entrepreneur or working for an employer, as Xania said, a cluttered and disorganized space is “stagnant and suffocating” and does hinder your achievements. Take pride in your space and make it a welcome and inviting place.
The female entrepreneur who works at home
For those of us who work at home, the distinction of living and working space is critical. You need a place to go to when you start work in the morning and a place to leave when you have wrapped up for the day. If you are working where you eat and entertain, then sister, you will have productivity ISSUES! Just like Xania experienced, working in your living space doesn’t allow you to shut off. As an entrepreneur, your business will be the primary of your concerns, however, it doesn’t help that you are literally EATING and BREATHING your work 24/7. Assigning a separate room as your office not only allows you to LEGITLY write off your space come tax time (that’s right ladies, you can only write off your rent/mortgage if your office space is distinctly separate from your living space), but it also gives you a proper space to invite clients to and organize your work items separate from the day-to-day bills and other life items.
If you are in a studio or one bedroom, considering upgrading to a one bedroom plus den or a two bedroom. If that’s out of your budget, then consider in investing in a Murphy bed that can be tucked away in the day or a workspace you can hide when the work day is a wrap. IKEA has a ton of great storage and living space solutions at great prices for those who live in cramped quarters. If you are a mom, your office should have a door so that the little ones know that when the door is shut, mommy cannot be interrupted. Setting the boundaries of your workspace is the first step in becoming more organized.
Getting organized in any home work space, whether large or small is critical to running a successful and efficient business. Take a look at your filing system? Do you even have one? You should in a proper filing cabinet. Where do you stash your industry magazines and books? They should be categorized and shelved for reference. Are you displaying awards and certifications on the wall or are they lying wayside waiting for “that day” you get around to it? Are you tangled up in cords and cables or are the tucked neatly behind your desk? What do you use as a desk – is it the size of what you used as an 8th grader, an old kitchen table or is it something you would consider professional? Are your office supplies stashed together or scattered everywhere? All of this factors into your productivity. Now some will say “I live in organized chaos”. People who say that don’t have the first clue on how to get organized so they adapt to their disorganized environment. If you get organized properly, you will still know where everything is and will 100% see a difference in your efficiency.
For any women’s living space
For any woman, your living space will say a lot about you. Your space is the place to show off your tastes and personality whether it be contemporary, eclectic, French Country or classic. For many women, putting together the perfect space takes time as we search high and low for the perfect pieces to complement our style. After you have done all that and picked the perfect paint to go with it, if you STILL have magazines piled high to the ceiling and you have so many shoes at the door it looks like you invited an army to dinner, your space will still restrict you, not matter how beautiful your décor is.
My step mother is the perfect example of this. She loves her stuff and she has a lot of it, so much that both her and my father have banned my brother and I from buying them any more stuff. We now resort to gift cards to bookstores, salons, spas, the theatre and restaurants. You visit her house and it is clean with great furniture, but it’s buried under stuff. Is she organized? Not at all. If I could tell you how many Christmas’s she has bought something for me only to stash it and forget it and find it 6 months later – who wouldn’t love a pair of flannel pajamas in the middle of summer! From purses to shoes to books, my step mom is finally taking the steps to purge and organize and it’s making her feel wonderful.
Take a look at your space. Where can you purge? What needs to be put away and categorized? Do you have so many clothes that you end up buying an item you already have? Does an entire season pass you by and you never wear those shoes even once? Are you a product junkie who collects and leaves products lying out to create a very cluttered bathtub? Do you leave old bills lying around so that bit by bit the stack gets higher? If this describes you, it’s time to get things in order.
A woman’s closet can be the thorn in her side, even for the most organized woman. If you are cramped for closet space, it can appear to be a no-win situation when it comes to managing your wardrobe. First step is to purge. The second step is to invest in some kind of closet organizer…we are talking about multi-level, drawers and shelves. You can find the DIY closet organizers pretty much anywhere, Wal-Mart, Target, IKEA. You can find storage solutions easily for under $100 for the girl on a budget. While you are at it, check out the magnitude of shoe storage solutions that you can keep at your front door or tucked away in a closet and leave that space for your guest’s shoes instead.
If your idea of storing your books and magazines is in a corner pile, you should try the very fashionable baskets that can be found in all colors and sizes. Decide what to keep and what to toss then place them neatly in a stylish basket. If you are working with a small space, look into investing in a storage ottoman that will work as a coffee table and secretly keep your books neatly stashed.
Your computer can be an eye sore and potentially in the way when entertaining, if you don’t have a dedicated computer space in your home. There are so many options when it comes to desks and computers. Laptops are the number one choice for many, as you can easily tuck it away when guests come over. But for those who work with traditional desktop computers, consider a roll away desk or a corner unit/armoire that has doors. This type of workstation will not only allow you to cover your computer, but it will also provide you will extra storage to keep pens, paper and other items you may use for your computer.
Xania says that her organization instantly implemented a balanced lifestyle, “During moments of relaxtions, I'm able to enjoy a glass of wine and conversation with friends instead of staring at my computer and/or flipcharts begging me to accomplish the endless tasks that plague me”. We all deserve to relax in an ordered and comfortable environment that we call home. Xania and my step mom are examples that organization at home can contribute to a more productive life. If you are considering improving your space, you should check out your fellow members Alluring Interiors and Home Interiors & Gifts for ideas and how they can assist on re-vamping your space.
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