A resource for those seeking information on organizing and transforming spaces.
Profile: The Happiness Project
Linda examines Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project and the book's organizing ideas
Linda examines Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project and the book's organizing ideas.
Gretchen Rubin, a former attorney turned author lives in New York City with her husband and two young daughters. Although not unhappy, one day she decided she wanted to be happier. She wanted to appreciate her life more, not lose her temper and be less insecure and melancholy to name a few. After soul searching and research, she came up with the “Happiness Project.”
To start, she created her “Twelve Commandments” which are principles she lives by, and her “Secrets of Adulthood,” which are lessons she has learned while becoming an adult. Then she developed a month by month plan of things to tackle and work on. For example, January was to boost her energy by exercising better, going to sleep earlier, de-cluttering and organize, tackle a nagging task and act more energetic. February was to quit nagging, don’t expect praise, fight right, no dumping, and give proof of love. Every month consisted of insightful areas for her to work on and to help her take control of her surroundings in order to be happier. You will have to read the book to find out what she tackles in March through December. What stood out to us at House to Home Organizing was the correlation between happiness and reducing clutter.
Toss, restore and organize is the heading of a section in January. Along with most Americans, she understands household disorder zaps most people’s energy. It can be exhausting to get home from work or your daily activities and start organizing. Gretchen writes that “ one study suggested that eliminating clutter would cut down on the amount of housework in the average home by 40 percent.” After evaluating her apartment she came up with what was the cause of her clutter:
-Nostalgic clutter (we call them keepsakes)
-Bargain clutter/freebie clutter (items found on sale or gifts)
-Conservation clutter (all the items you are saving because they MAY be useful someday)
-Crutch clutter (things that are used but in bad shape like old clothing with holes)
-Aspirational clutter (items that you aspire to use, but somehow never do)
-Buyer’s remorse clutter (bad purchases on items never used, Yes, we all have that in our closets and kitchen)
So Gretchen goes on a purge. With donate bags and trash bags she goes to work starting in her closet. “Once I finished the closet, I went back through it once again. When I finished, I had four bags full of clothes, and I could see huge patches of the back of my closet. I no longer felt drained: instead, I felt exhilarated.” She finds that having fewer clothing choices makes her happier and that too many choices can be discouraging.
One of the common issues we see in people’s homes is that they can’t find an item so they re-buy it over and over. In Gretchen’s case it was her thermometer. Simple solution that we advise is to always put things back where they belong. This way you will always find what you are looking for and will prevent you from over buying. She also enforces the “one minute rule.” She does not postpone any task that could be done in less than one minute. For example, putting away your umbrella, filing papers and putting newspapers in the recycling bin are a few areas she mentions. Along with the one minute rule Gretchen now takes 10 minutes to do the “evening tidy-up. “ “Tidying up at night made our mornings much more serene and pleasant and, in an added benefit, helped prepare me for sleep. Putting things in order is very calming, and doing something physical makes me aware of being tired,” says the author.
July is entitled “Buy Some Happiness.” Gretchen decides to indulge in modest splurges. She invests in strength straining workouts at a gym and hosts a party for her sister who is getting married. Being a writer she invests in some really excellent pens. She donates to charity, and buys some quality file boxes to store family photographs. Gretchen also has a blog. When she posts about modest splurges this is one of the responses. “I hate to say it but I hired a personal organizer to deal with our basement. There was an ad on the bulletin board in the grocery store. My wife had been after me since we moved to deal with the junk down there, which was three years ago. I have never been so happy to write a check in my life. It wasn’t even that expensive especially because we ended up selling some stuff we had in storage in the basement.” At House to Home Organizing, we understand that hiring a professional organizer may be a splurge. However, people lead very busy lives and when they arrive home they are very often too tired to deal with the clutter. Hiring a professional can take stress and anxiety out of the picture. As we have discussed, reducing clutter can help lead to happiness.
In conclusion, Gretchen’s husband suggests that the happiness project is about her gaining more control over her life. Gretchen does agree. “Having a feeling of autonomy, of being able to choose what happens in your life or how you spend your time is crucial. Getting control of my life was definitely an aspect of my happiness project, and a greater feeling of control gave me a major boost in happiness.” After a year Gretchen realizes she “can change her life without changing her life,” and ultimately she is really happier.
The “Perfect” Playroom
Kathleen shares her thoughts on creating the “Perfect” Playroom.
Kathleen shares her thoughts on the “Perfect” Playroom.
Real Image from a Professional Organizer's playroom
Perfect and playroom are two words, in my mind, that should never be grouped together and if they are than you may not be using the room correctly. I would love to have a picture perfect playroom like you see in magazines, but they do not exist if you have actual real-life human children playing in them. I believe playrooms should be used and even messy. However, it is the ease as which items can be put away that should command your focus. Everything should have a home and if there are multiple people who do the putting away- there should be labels. Toys should not be hidden or most likely they will stay hidden and then forgotten. Toys should be easily accessible and in turn easily put away. Shallow shelves, clear containers without lids when possible. I also love me a good theme, have a dress-up area, arts & craft area, and an area for dramatic play.
I set my playroom or play area up so if the situation arises, usually this means someone decides to stop by unexpectedly, I can literally “toss” items away and off the floor in an instant.
As an organizer and a mother of two small children, the most common statement I hear is “your home must be so organized”. My answer? I’m a mom, it’s as organized as I can get it and for as long as they let it stay that way. On any given day our playroom looks like a toddler tornado just hit it. As much as I love having it look”pretty”, I also love (yes I know - the horror of a pro organizer stating this) seeing such a disaster. It tells me my kids are being kids and having a blast playing with all those clutter inducing toys that my family and friends purchased for them. It makes me smile. What might make it different than other homes though is I also smile knowing there are proper homes for all the toys and there is a system in place that I or anyone taking care of my kids and/or home can rely on. I organize for my children but more importantly for me - so I can find things, easily put things away, and also teach my kids how to put things away properly. Will they always do it - no. It is often a struggle and of course frustrating. Kids learn through example and surprisingly they do love being able to find their toys with ease.
Make clean up a game - time them or race them. Show them that putting their toys away can be easy- they will catch on quickly. My children know exactly where their toys live. Do they put all their toys away, all the time - of course not, but they try (in their own way). At 3 and 6, I feel like I win half the battles. Stay strong care givers and let your children play!
Interview - Homes For Our Troops
Not only is Homes For Our Troops a great organization but they understand the importance of using a home's space wisely, for instance, they make sure kitchens are designed with pull down cabinets. We spoke with Teresa about their mission and how you can help.
Not only is Homes For Our Troops a great organization but they understand the importance of using a home's space wisely, for instance, they make sure kitchens are designed with pull-down cabinets. We spoke with Teresa about their mission and how you can help.
For the busy person what is Homes for our Troops?
Homes For Our Troops is a national nonprofit that builds and donates specially adapted custom homes to severely injured post-9/11 Veterans, to enable them to rebuild their lives.
What is the origin story for your organization?
Homes For Our Troops was started by a Massachusetts contractor in 2004 who built a home for an injured Veteran in Massachusetts. Since that time, HFOT has built over 250 homes in 42 states.
Who qualifies for a home and if so, how does the process start?
To qualify for a home, Veterans have to meet a few basic criteria including being injured in the theater post 9/11; retired or in the process of medical retirement from military service; qualify for the VA’s Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) Grant Program. Learn more about our selection process here: hfotusa.org/help.
If someone wants to help, what can they do in addition to giving money?
There is plenty of ways to help! We hold events for each project across the country where the community is invited to attend and welcome the Veteran home. You can find out if there’s a build in your area by checking our interactive map at hfotusa.org/map. If there are no builds near you, holding a fundraiser is a great way to support our mission. We’re even happy with people spreading the word about our organization through social media and word of mouth. Learn more about how to get involved here: hfotusa.org/get-involved/support_our_mission.
What are some of the projects that stand out or gave you extra inspiration?
Everyone of our Veterans has an inspiring story. Read about some here: hfotusa.org/rebuilding-lives.
Interview - NasKart
Many of our clients ask us how to deal with the vast number of toys their kids accumulate. We suggest limiting the number that come inside in the first place. We encourage a switch from toys towards experiences. We spoke with Cody of Montville, CT's NasKart SuperCharged Go Kart Racetrack.
Many of our clients ask us how to deal with the vast number of toys their kids accumulate. We suggest limiting the number that come into your space in the first place. We encourage a switch from toys towards experiences so we spoke with Cody of Montville, CT's NasKart SuperCharged Go Kart Racetrack.
What is the track's origin story? How long has it been around?
Naskart opened on January 1, 2017, only 11 months after its conception on a dinner napkin. It really is a unique concept that originated when one of the owners was on a family trip in Florida. As he sat watching his kids enjoy an indoor karting track he had two thoughts. 1. Why don’t we have anything like this closer to home, and 2. We can do this better. That is exactly what he set off to do with his business partners and 11 months later the doors open for the world’s largest indoor multi-level karting track.
What should a busy person know before walking in the door to race?
The first thing to understand when going to a facility like this, is that indoor karting isn’t like most entertainment venues. The system operates more like a airport than anything else, with a strict schedule of races with loading and departures times, always subject to delays based upon what is happening on the tracks during the races. Be sure to check online to better understand what to expect. What are the requirements to participate? What restrictions exist? What are the associated costs and hours of operation? All this and more can be found on our website NASKARTracing.com.
What are the different tracks and levels?
Naskart offers two distinct quarter mile tracks, Coca-Cola Raceway and Antonino Auto Group Speedway. On Thursdays we merge them both for Supertrack, a ½ mile per lap experience line no other. On either track you have two options for your speed setting, Semi-PRO, or PRO. For Semi-PRO the minimum requirement is that you are 58 inches or taller. For PRO you must also be 58 inches or taller, and also 15 years of age or older. Both tracks, and both speed settings use the same high performance electric go karts.
What are the age limits or height?
For our trampoline park we do not have any age or height limitations. Our policy is that you must be able to jump on your own without assistance and follow instructions. We are very strict on our safety rules.
Can someone drive a cart on the trampoline park?
In addition to our 80,000 sq. ft. track building we have our trampoline park, party spaces, Fuel Up café, and a full service sports bar. Be sure to JUMP & DRIVE before visiting the bar. For more information or to inquire about having a special event with us please email sales@NASKARTracing.com.
