Organizing for the way you actually live saves tons of time and exasperation. A furry example.
It started when he was about eight. “He’s a big dog, who knows how long he really has?” my husband said, tucking Baxter’s doggy ibuprofen into an egg, sunny-side up. “At this stage, cholesterol is the least of his worries.”
Turkey bacon joined the morning eggs and five years later, Baxter’s still motoring along. Being a good, smart, highly food-motivated dog, he’s also trained my husband to give him a snack each and every time he goes out into the back yard.
As you can imagine, there’s a lot of coming and going.
Put things where you really use them
Time efficiency experts wouldn’t pass judgment on pampering a very old dog (I would hope), but they would be appalled at how long all this takes. People oughtn’t to feed their old dogs snacks all the time. But they do — why not make it easier and more efficient?
Putting a box of the treats right by the back door would acknowledge reality and save time. Hiding them in the pantry as if you only occasionally award them a treat for exceptional behavior isn’t fooling anyone.
Put the cans of dog food you only use occasionally — “Dogs like pizza crusts, everyone knows that” — in the pantry because that’s what the pantry’s for, back up supplies. Organize for the way things are, not the way they “should” be.
When you look at your whole house like this, organizing gets more intuitive and a whole lot easier to maintain. Don’t put things where you think they ought to go or where you’ve always kept them because that’s how you set up the house when you moved in twelve years ago.
Take 20 minutes to look at something you have, asking yourself if you’re keeping it where you use it. If not, where would be a better place? If the only place it goes is where it’s always gone, and that place is inconvenient and out of the way, I’d put good money that you don’t use that thing. Either because it’s too inconvenient to use it and put it away, in which case move it somewhere more logical, or because you’re keeping it but don’t need it. In which case, off it goes.
Need help organizing your dog treats? Lucy Kelly is a professional organizer who shares decluttering tips and strategies on her blog, joyfulsurroundingsllc.com. Reach her at (720) 526-2114 or lucy@joyfulsurroundingsllc.com.
The Link LonkJune 12, 2021 at 08:01PM
https://www.timescall.com/2021/06/12/send-it-away-saturday-organize-for-the-way-you-live/
Send It Away Saturday: Organize for the way you live - Longmont Times-Call
https://news.google.com/search?q=Send&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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