Nesting Your Way to Better Organization

Spring. It’s that time of year when so many of us are inspired to clear out the old to make way for the new.  It’s more than just “Spring Cleaning.” It’s nesting!

Though the term is typically associated with preparing for childbirth, according to the World Dictionary,* nesting is defined as:

“The tendency to arrange one’s immediate surroundings, to create a place where one feels secure, comfortable, or in control”

There are several times in your life when you may find nesting helps express your personality and emotion:

  • At the start of a new season
  • When you’ve just moved to a new home
  • When your (last) child living at home leaves for college
  • In the weeks before undergoing a medical procedure
  • During a career search
  • While recovering from a loss, divorce or breakup
  • Preparing for a loved one who is entering (or re-entering) your home

If you are feeling the urge to “nest,” here are a few simple tips to keep in mind that will help you achieve a greater sense of clarity and control.

  1. Focus on one area at a time such as your office, cubicle or bedroom and resolve to finish the task even if it takes more than one session.
  2. Start by clearing one surface space such as a desktop or even a bed. Having one clear space is a great motivator to keep you going and you’ll need it for the next step.
  3. Sort like items into three piles Keep, Toss and Not Sure. The goal here is not to get stuck on the “Not Sures.”
  4. Remove the items you no longer want or need by placing them in containers (bags or bins) for donating or recycling.
  5. Identify the purpose of each “Not Sure” item and ask yourself, “Does this still serve me or enhance my life in some way?” If not, consider letting it go, donating it or re-purposing it as something you would probably use.
  6. Assign a permanent home for the items you know you will keep and contain them with other like items especially if they are small to help you find them again.
  7. Clean and/or dust areas as you go. Create a fresh space to resume the activity you do (or plan to do) in that space.
  8. Enhance your newly organized space with something fresh or inspirational such as a vase of flowers, a piece of art work or a photograph you love to bring new life into the space.

When you’re done, go out and enjoy the beauty of Spring!

Tags: Posted by Lis McKinley, M.A., CPO®