Consider the best storage

A big part of being happy in your space is the ability to find things easily and without having to shift other stuff out of the way to get to what you need. Many households are equipped with storage options that are not suitable for whatever needs storing.

Often it is helpful to create smaller units to avoid the classic situation where everything in a drawer just gets tangled or stuff on a shelf just ends up in a pile.

This is especially true for your junk drawer – the one where you keep random batteries, pieces of string, loyalty cards, pencils, mysterious objects and non-sticky post-its – and clothing on shelves.

Kitchen cupboards often are too deep and/or tall to easily get to the stuff that is stored in the back. The best option here is to make sure that rarely used items are either discarded or stored in the hard to access places. Besides that, it is useful to group smaller items (e.g. condiments or spices) in containers that can be pulled out as one and then placed back where they belong after use.

Sock drawers are a menace for most people. First of all: always put pairs of socks together after a wash, but also you may consider smaller boxes to stand the socks up for easy access and without having to shift all the other pairs.

Bookshelves with two layers of books are a common occurrence if you are bookworm, but that also makes it hard to find a particular book. Keep in mind that there are books you will keep forever, and other books you read once and then could discard, thereby keeping the shelves a little less crowded.

It’s important that you are able to identify the contents of any containers without opening it. You could either use clear containers (which allow you to see the contents but also the randomness inside) or you could label opaque containers.

Here’s your task for today: Have a look at your sock drawer. Can you easily find a pair of socks or is it a pile of random socks? If it’s the latter: go ahead and spend a zen half hour pairing them up and folding them together. If you want to go the distance, find a couple of shoe boxes to fit into the drawer and organise your socks more specifically (summer/winter/sport/colour). You’ll save a lot of time later.

If your sock drawer is fine, maybe your spice collection needs some attention, or the pasta section, or your tinned foods?

I wish you happy thoughts and good luck.