Fall Home Organization Tips for Busy Entrepreneurs

 

For many folks, September is a month of transition: the end of a fast-paced, carefree summer and the start of a slower, more productive autumn. The shift that can either bring comfort—or chaos—especially for busy entrepreneurs.

On the one hand, fall offers a chance to nest and find comfort in the home; on the other it can mean back-to-school stress or an unwelcome “back to reality” mindset. There’s also seasonal depression as the daylight hours turn shorter, bringing many folks a malaise that’s hard to shake. Add that to a disorganized and cluttered home and, well, it can compound anxiety.

That’s why we’ve reached out to local experts for practical advice on getting your home—and yourself—organized for the busy fall season. If you don’t have a natural inclination towards organization, then this editorial is the perfect place to find practical advice on how to better manage your space and maximize your productivity over the next few months!

 

Start With A “Seasonal Flip” 

Almost like closing down the summer chapter of your year, start to mentally prepare yourself for the fall by packing away the items you no longer need. Things like sunscreen, flip flops, beach gear, camping supplies, and other summer-related apparel can go into storage until next July, giving you more room to embrace the colder months. 

It’s the perfect first step because this way you’ll have the space for warmer items like scented candles, cozy sweaters in your closet, as well as specific seasonal mugs and decorations. A natural grounding mentality occurs when we move summer out and update our homes with fall items, giving us the mental and emotional space to hunker down.

 

Maximize A Small Home 

Many entrepreneurs live in the big city due to its proximity to more business opportunities. However, as many of us know, this means smaller living quarters that don’t always include a designated office. Less space plus more stuff often equals a messier, more disorganized work station—which can compound agitation and break focus.

However, Sarah Gerber from NEAT Method Vancouver encourages individuals to create systems and routines that delineate spaces in smaller homes. For example, if your desk happens to also be the kitchen table, create a morning routine where you can set up your laptop, enjoy a special coffee, light a candle, and get to work. Then, at the end of the day, pack it all up and put it away so that the space can revert to a dining room or kitchen prep counter. 

She describes these routines as “brain cues” that help folks enter the work mode because getting the space ready is getting your mind ready.

 

Show Kids How To Organize

If you’re an entrepreneur with young children, balancing both work life and family responsibilities can often feel overwhelming, especially when the home is full of toys, arts and crafts, and back-to-school gear. Thankfully Marie Potter, a professional organizer in Kelowna, has just the advice for you!

For young ones, turn putting things away into a game because rewarding their help will reinforce the behaviour. It’s also important to demonstrate letting go of items at a young age rather than clinging to unnecessary junk. For example, children often accumulate a lot of stuffies—so when decluttering, hold up two stuffed animals and ask them which they’d like to keep. It’s an easy action that results in reducing 50% of the clutter. 

You can also set-up a designated bin in your garage labeled “donations.” This way, as teenagers clean out their rooms, they can let go of items since the bin is there for them. 

If you enlist your children to help keep the home organized and clean, they learn to respect their own space more. It’s also an opportunity to teach this life skill early on, and expand their responsibilities as they age, adding on more tasks. Neuro-science even shows that mirroring organizational skills can help children learn just by observing you.

 

Customize Your Home

A lot of houses have the right amount of square footage—just not necessarily the right set-up when it comes to keeping the home clean and tidy. If you’re looking for a way to set yourself up for success this fall, consider customized shelves or drawer organizers. 

Elizabeth Cucnik from Skyview Closets, Cabinetry & Blinds knows that sprucing up a closet with adjustable shelves, or even adding a shoe rack, can help maximize the bedroom, which can often leave more room elsewhere. Adding hooks, cubbies, or wall organizers to a mud room means keeping items in their place so it’s easy to tackle a busy day each morning.

 

Work With Your Natural Tendencies

Sarah Gerber knows that not everyone has a natural inclination to organize—our brains work differently and not everyone can see a system. But that’s why professional organizers exist! 

When you begin to organize your home this fall, don’t overwhelm yourself and your family with a complete overhaul. Instead, work with your natural “flow” and create a system that already works with your pre-set habits. 

One easy hack you can try out is a label maker. “Labelling keeps systems in place,” says Gerber, “especially if multiple people live in the home.” Combining a multi-use bin with an easy to attach label can save search time and leave a space clutter-free. Thankfully, NEAT Method Vancouver offers both!

 

Increase Your Productivity

Our brains favour order over chaos. In a world that fights for our attention and focus, setting up these systems leads to a space exuding calm and peaceful energy. According to Marie Potter, a well-organized home increases productivity because when you minimize distractions and the time spent searching for things, you automatically increase your efficiency. 

One simple change to make this autumn is creating a designated spot in your front room for returning a library book, paying bills, or giving gifts. By placing these items in one place that’s on your way out, you set up an “action” space with one intended result: by doing the action, you remove one item from your home. 

Another easy rule is whenever you bring in 1 new item, you must take out 1 other. So, if you need to update your fall wardrobe, take stock of how much clothing you buy and then take the same amount to a local donation centre or thrift store. It’s an easy way to keep the same number of items in your home!

Removing clutter is a natural therapeutic process—there are plenty of studies on the effect of clutter on the brain and by engaging in small actions like this you receive a boost in dopamine. This in turn leads to more productivity and a home that feels calm and inviting as we enter the colder months.