I am pleased to report that the small space that started as a closet and storage area has been transformed into an office. And the bedroom that was once part office is now bedroom through and through.

The really good news is that both spaces are working out better than I could have imagined. The office is a much more functional work area because everything I need is within arm’s reach — the unintended benefit of a petite space! — and better organized because things have real homes rather than “make do” homes. Because I can’t see the lights of the wireless network and hear the hum of the printer, the bedroom no longer reverberates with the energy of my work day. Without a doubt, the clear separation of office and bedroom has made for more restful nights and productive days.

A clockwise tour of the office:

Eventually I’ll do something decorative with this big blank wall but right now I just like to marvel that there used to be a free-standing clothing rack right in that very spot:

What’s behind the curtain you saw in the edge of the last photo, you ask? Why, it’s massive amounts of storage! All hidden by a just-perfect curtain constructed by my very handy mother.

Last but not least, the desk-less bedroom:

Do you ever have that lightning bolt moment when suddenly you see how things can be different? Now remember, I’m an organized sort so we’re talking more physical than existential here. But big sweeping physical change can be exciting too. It allows you to see your world in a different way, which then opens up the possibility for all kinds of things to happen. Maybe even existential things.

But rather than sitting around waiting for lightning to strike, look for opportunities to change the way you look at your space or relate to your environment:

Have your kids outgrown toys or play equipment and you just haven’t thought about storing everything in the basement or giving it away? Think about all of the floor and storage space you could reclaim!

Have a child who is going off to college next year? Start thinking about all of the fantastic ways to use this newly acquired square footage. Maybe it’s a painting studio, or a quiet space for meditation, or temperature controlled wine storage. Whatever you never thought you would have room for.

Think big: Instead of using that shed in the back yard to store the garden tools you don’t actually use or all of the boxes of stuff you really should just give away, consider getting rid of the structure itself and putting in the patio you always wanted.

The key is to take a critical look at the space you inhabit and turn your knee-jerk reaction of “but it has always been that way” on its head.

Recently, my lightning bolt moment occurred when I started really thinking about where I spend my working hours. As a consultant who works with clients either in their offices or homes, I don’t need a big formal space. I’m lucky enough to be able to work from my home office, but it was the “office” part that was giving me trouble. Before I spent my professional life in close proximity to my life life, the desk and laptop lived in an area carved out of the bedroom. As I transitioned from employee working in a cubicle to this consultant role, I found that I needed a separate space in order to be efficient when working as well as a way to turn off work that was more than simply closing the laptop. My solution was to make the large pass-through area I had used as a closet and storage space for six years into a home office with storage that’s a bit more hidden.

Since having this brilliant idea I have slowly but surely implemented my transition plan. Being a professional organizer my natural inclination is to get it all done right away to the exclusion of all else, but I’m learning to appreciate that sometimes big change takes time. I’ve included below a few of the “before” photos to give you an idea of the scale of the shift in my thinking.

Sometimes a project on a physically small scale can be the most challenging because it requires some real creativity. My new office is 6’ x 8’ with built-in shelves as well as an extra 2’ x 3’ bit of space tacked on to one end. Here it is in its previous incarnation as a closet:

A second view:

While perfectly functional as a work space, it was clear that this original configuration of desk and laptop wasn’t going to fit into the new office. My work area when it was still a part of the bedroom:

It’s easy for us to get stuck in a rut where we only see our surroundings in one certain way and have a hard time picturing them as something else. I encourage you to take a look around and see where a small shift in your physical space might make for a big shift in perspective.

Stay tuned for the transformation…

Organizing your space can be a daunting task when you’re tackling it on your own, and sometimes it feels as though the process can be made that much more challenging when your loved one gets involved. The loved one might be the spouse with whom you live so you’re required to figure out a way to share the space, or the loved one might be a friend or family member who has generously offered to lend a hand. In any of these situations, it’s important to take a deep breath and remember that you want to preserve these relationships long after the last bit of organizing is done.

When working with your spouse or significant other in your shared living space, remember that you both have a vested interest in the end result though you may approach the process from two very different angles. Cut the other person a little slack if he gets antsy when discussing ways to pare down his themed tie collection, or when the two of you have opposite approaches to naming and ordering your shared electronic files. The key is compromise. Give a little here and there and you will both feel as though your work together was successful.

Here’s a process suggestion:

1. When sorting through a stack of items and deciding whether or not to keep them, the first person works alone sorting into piles of KEEP FOR SURE, MAYBE KEEP, AND TOSS.

2. Subsequently, the second person goes through the stack again, also alone, re-sorting into his own three piles.

3. Review this second sort together and implement what you’ve decided. This allows both of you to feel as though you had your say in the process without the kind of friction that can sometimes occur when you’re working through it live. Each of you will get to see what the other has chosen, and hopefully you will feel as though you have come to a consensus decision.

Helping a friend presents its own special set of challenges. Whether you have been asked to help or you’ve offered your assistance, the key here is to remember is that you are on his turf operating under his rules. You may have your own — and very good, you think — ideas about how a project should be done. Perhaps you’re helping a friend pack up boxes in preparation for a move, or helping to install a closet system in the guest room. It’s great to offer a helpful suggestion or two along the way but in the end this is his deal.
Here’s a process suggestion:

1. In the case of the closet installation, understand what needs to be accomplished and what time you have to accomplish it in. If the goal is to get the closet installed and fully functional, either commit to being there until it’s done or make it clear that you have two hours to devote to the project but then need to be on your way.

2. Take direction well. If your pal asks to you go and fetch the drill: fetch.

3. Be patient. Recognize that he may not be a drill master, but unless he asks for your help let him figure it out on his own. And in the meantime, don’t drop on his head the shelf that he’s trying to screw down.

Projects on which parents and children work together can be the most challenging to tackle because of the years of shared history and existing relationship dynamics. Whether you are a parent teaching your child how to keep his room reasonably tidy, or an adult child helping your parents downsize from their house into a retirement community, the key thing to remember is that this important relationship is primary, and whatever you’re trying to accomplish is secondary.Here’s a process suggestion:

1. Have a very clear understanding of what the goals of the project are. I recently worked with my mom to put on a yard sale. She determined that the primary goal was to divest herself of things she no longer needed in order to lighten the load once she decided to move from the house she is in now, without worrying about how much money was raised.

2. Talk through the process. Mom and I sketched out a timeline of when we would price and move items, how we would advertise, and what were our individual to-do’s in the weeks and days before the sale.

3. Be kind. Recognize that you’re under stress and one or the other of you (hopefully not at the same time!) may buckle. It’s just temporary, though, and remember that you’ll get through this challenge and come out on the other side.

What are some general tips that are helpful in all of these situations?

Have plenty of snacks available, and drink lots of water. There is nothing worse than a food- and water-deprived cranky partner when you’re trying to get a project done.

Take regular breaks. For example, 15-minute breaks every hour and a half if you’re working on a day-long project. This will help you clear your head and stave off any snarky commentary.

Agree to the no-guilt “cry uncle” option. If you’ve done what you can do for the day, or for the project, agree that communicating this will induce no guilt on your part or hard feelings on theirs.

Celebrate your success. Recognize that you’ve just put in a whole lot of hard work — whether it’s two hours on a closet or two days preparing for a yard sale — and give each other a big pat on the back.

As a professional organizer, I hear this one a lot. As in, “I’m so overwhelmed by this pile of stuff in my basement I don’t even know how to begin making sense of it!” A disorganized space, as with other aspects of life, can feel so out of control that you feel like you can’t make a dent without devoting some serious time and energy. Of course, it’s my job to come into that same space and bring order to it, but I’m here to tell you that you too can tackle your own problem areas without giving your whole life over to the project.

Here are a few tips to nudge you in the right direction:

Just start somewhere. It’s easy to talk yourself out of diving into the basement project by mentally reviewing the piles of stuff and everything that has to happen to get it from its current state to what you picture as its finished state. Start with one piece of the puzzle, and you’ll be amazed how eventually, all of the pieces will fit together.

Move methodically around the room. Once you have decided to begin the project, pick one corner of the room and go from there. In our imaginary basement, tackle the shelves of paint, household cleaning products, and automotive supplies. Take a careful look at what is still usable and donate or toss the rest. Once that section has been thinned out and only that which you’re actually using remains, continue moving clockwise around the room doing the same sort of thing.

Don’t bite off too much at a time. Start with an hour, and reward yourself once that hour is done. I find that a time increment like this is easier than saying “Today I’ll organize every photo I’ve ever taken” because the latter can more easily get overwhelming. When you organize with a time goal in mind you are more likely to feel successful, and thus more likely to continue working on the project.

Maintain the order you’ve created by taking the time to put things away rather than just dumping them in the middle of the basement. Also, continue to evaluate why you’re keeping what you’re keeping. If you’ve decided that you’re done with tennis and want to spend all of your time playing golf, now is the time to sell or give away your rackets rather than have them take up valuable storage space. Another “spend time now to save time later” practice with big benefits is to spend 15 minutes when you get home putting away the cleaning you picked up on your way home, hanging up the suit you just changed out of, and recycling the junk from the mail you just brought into the house. By doing this you will more easily maintain an organized space and won’t have to spend double the time down the road.

It happens to me every year. Just as the weather begins to turn and we’re surprised with a long stretch of warm, sunny weather –- the kind that pops up in the spring in Seattle before summer officially starts on July 5 –- that I start to feel the organizing itch. Maybe it’s the desire to lighten up my space, make it more streamlined and ready for the long summer days ahead. I mean, who wants to think hard about where to file your July paperwork when the sun and barbecue beckon?

Here are some of my favorite things to do to clear out the cobwebs from a winter of being inside. Try a few of these, and I guarantee that you will feel lighter. And as a reward for all of your hard work, perhaps a mojito on the back deck?

Take a serious look at your closet. Now is the time to look critically at what you’ve just been wearing (or not wearing) all winter, and what you anticipate wearing for summer. Make some space in your closet for tank tops and capris, and move the big sweaters to the back corner. After you’ve done that, consider one of these ways to unburden yourself of unwanted clothes.

Sort through your stack of manuals and warranties for electronics, household appliances, etc. See the manual for the toaster oven you sold at a garage sale ten years ago? Pitch it and all others for products you no longer own.

Take a walk through your files and recycle or shred paperwork you no longer need to keep. Make space in your filing cabinet and you’ll find it’s easier to put new documents in on a regular basis, thus staying more organized.

Go through that unruly pile of photos and organize it into labeled photo boxes, arrange in albums, or categorize your electronic photos if the unruly pile is a virtual one. One tip: If you are feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number, try to pick out a few representative photos from a particular trip or occasion and don’t feel guilty about disposing of the rest. Consider sending the extras out to family or friends you know would enjoy the photos –- what a fun surprise for them to receive!

Give your stack of magazines a critical once-over. Sure, there are some magazines -– perhaps relevant to your profession –- that you want to hang on to for years to come. Most of us, though, turn down a page thinking that we’ll come back to reference a particular something but then don’t ever return. The solution is to go through your magazines and tear out anything interesting and toss the rest. Make some files into which you can drop the things you’ve torn out. A few to start with might be design ideas, recipes, product suggestions, how to’s, and gift ideas. For those of you who really get into this idea, sub-categorize further: gift ideas for kids, parents, sister, brother, hostess gifts.

As you dive into the summer gardening season, look at which tools you’re actually using. Maybe you don’t really need five rakes that all perform exactly the same task? Now is the time to give those extra tools to your daughter who has just bought her first house (and acquired her first garden!) or donate to something like the P-Patch Community Gardening Program that could put your unneeded tools to especially good use. They can be reached at 206.684.0264 and are pleased as punch to receive gardening tools in good working condition.