Margaux is a college student. When she returns home, it can be challenging to keep her two bedrooms neat. Two? Yes! Our goal – to clear one for her, and for the other to be a guest room. It would take two sessions. In the first room, I suggested working our way around it.
First, with her mother Etienne, we started on the floor in front of a dresser, then moved to the dresser itself. We put some things away, set others aside to discard, for bathroom storage, or for the other bedroom.
Next, the bed. I encouraged her to make it, every morning. While running the risk of sounding like my mother, and placing my own “twist” on the topic, I suggested that making the bed can be a strongly affirmative way to start the day, and also is a sign of self-respect. Mom never said any of that. It may have been more like “Because I said so,” though lovingly, but I couldn’t justify pulling that “rank.” Besides, doesn’t it feel nicer to get into a made bed, rather than one that’s been left all day?
Moving around the room, we next turned our attention to a set of shelves. It held art supplies, souvenirs from other countries, magazines. We cleared it, moving some things to the other bedroom, with others for the bathroom, and other items to be discarded or recycled.
The desk was next. We cleared it, too, just as we did the dresser and the shelves.
On to the closet, with an empty shelf! It felt like a blank canvas. We hung a small art piece on the wall. Why not? The space was practically begging to be used partly for decoration! We put some other art “stuff” on the shelf. Decorating the closet may have been a first in the six years of operating this business. What fun!
Margaux seemed a bit stunned when we finished. Since her mother Etienne and I had already worked together before, she wasn’t surprised, but was equally pleased. Next – the other bedroom, to make it a welcoming guest room.
About De-clutter Me!
De-clutter Me! offers non-judgmental, competitively-priced and confidential assistance to help clear clutter in your home and/or business. We’ve been changing chaos to calm since 2013.