megram - Index

megram - magazine - Index

STEP 2: PURGE
You need to take a close look at
what you have sorted and decide if
it really belongs in your space. I
encourage my clients to ask themselves
three all-important questions:
1Do I need it? (Your tax returns
going back more than seven
years.)
2Do I use it? (Your second
toaster.)
3Do I love it? (Well, that’s pretty
self-explanatory.)
If you cannot say “yes” to any of
these questions, then the item simply
does not belong in your home
any longer.
Clients will often say “but someone
gave it to me” as an explanation
for why they are holding onto something
they do not need, use or love.
My philosophy is that when someone
cares enough for us to give us a
gift, they have no intention of giving
us something that is a burden in
our lives, so we should never hold
onto a gift out of a sense of guilt.
STEP 3: ASSIGN A HOME
This is the time when you
decide whether the item should stay
in the room or find another, better
suited place to be. For example, you
might expect a French–English dictionary
belongs in an upstairs home
office, but when you think about
who uses it and how often, you realize
that it is better kept near the
spot room where your child does his
homework each day. Accessibility is
key, as you want the organizational
system to be easy to use and maintain
so that it will not just get organized
— it will stay organized.
STEP 4: CONTAINERIZE
This is the area in which I find
quite a few clients making the same
mistake. People go out and buy baskets,
plastic containers and decorative
boxes before the organizing
process even begins in the hope
that the containers will help them
to get organized. Please, please,
please save yourself wasted dollars
and wait to purchase containers,
OFFICE FURNITURE, PROFESSIONAL SPACE PLANNING
MOE JABARA
Designer
DISCIPLINES
Project
Management
Ergonomics
Specialist
OMAR JABARA
Designer
DISCIPLINES
Business
Development
Interior
Retrofit
OFFICE FURNITURE
& PRODUCTS
373 Coventry Road
Ottawa, Ontario
K1K 2C5 Canada
(613) 247-0505
Ottawa Page 19 Due West/Due East Magazine • Fall 2008