I am overwhelmed by spring cleaning, yet I love it when a room has had that deep clean. The way I get around this is by using my Zone Plan. Every month I chose one area of my home to deep clean so by the end of the year, everything has been re-evaluated and cleaned.
March is my favorite time to focus on my living room.
· My first step when working in a zone, is to determine if this area still meets my vision.
I still use this space to entertain, eat, read, listen to music, and watch some TV. I want this area to feel inviting, comfortable, and embracing both to my husband and myself and to my friends who visit. I want to be able to exhale when I walk though my front door. I want friends to kick off their shoes and stay a while.
My living room is truly a living area. I start my day here with my cup of coffee and the newspaper. Later in the day my husband settles into his burgundy chair to read the paper, muse, and work on the crossword puzzle. We come together and eat our lunch here. And then in the evening when I shut down for the day we relax here with a glass of wine.
· My next step is to figure out what needs adjusting to match the vision.
There are some DVDs out on the entertainment center that did not get put away. The magazine basket is way too full. The fountain is not bubbling freely. There are still some winter accessories like a blanket that are still out but no longer needed. The window, the upholstery, and the rug are dingy. The coat closet looks overcrowded. I brainstorm a list of all that must happen to bring this zone back to my vision.
· Next, I schedule the items on my list.
I pull out my calendar and assign dates and times to work my plan. I find it easiest to work one wall at a time. Week one I plan to work on the entertainment center wall. During that week I will pull out all the DVDs and purge the ones we no longer want to keep. That will clear up space, so it is easier to put them away each time. The magazine basket is also on that wall so I will sort out magazines, putting aside some for a friend and then only keeping the latest issue of the others. The next week I will do the window wall which also has the fountain and an end table by the burgundy chair. The third week I will work on the couch wall along with the coffee table. And the last week I will work on the closet.
Sometime during the month, I will schedule to have the rug and upholstery professionally cleaned. When scheduling tasks, I allow some wiggle room because I know that life happens, and I may need to re-schedule some tasks. I want to work my plan without overwhelm.
· Last, I just follow my plan and then celebrate.
I will put out some fresh spring flowers, light a pastel candle, and enjoy my space.
By using the Zone Plan I will not deep clean this area for another year but to keep my vision I will follow a maintenance plan. On a regular basis the room will have a dusting and sweeping. Each morning before I sit down with the paper, I will do a sweep of the room and put away anything that has been left out.
Next month I will move on to another zone in my home.
If you want help or just some accountability in working your organizational plan join Diane Quintana and me on our Clear Space For You clutter support group.
Jonda S. Beattie, Professional Organizer owner of Time Space Organization, and co-owner of Release, Repurpose, Reorganize. She is based in the Metro-Atlanta area. As presenter, award-winning author, as well as a retired special education teacher she uses her listening skills, problem solving skills, knowledge of different learning techniques, ADHD specialty, and paper management skills to help clients tackle the toughest organizational issues. Jonda does hands on organizing and virtual organizing. For more of Jonda’s tips connect with her on Facebook.