1 Habit for a Thriving Home Office

Dr. Lark earned a Ph.D. in U.S. History from the University of Southern California. Her dissertation focused on the relationships between Japanese women and American soldiers who met and married during the U.S. Occupation of Japan. After graduation, Dr. Lark served as an adjunct professor at a community college. In early 2000, Regina worked with UCLA Women’s Studies program and then joined UCLA Extension for adult learning. In 2008, two months after an unexpected lay-off from her position as a Program Director, Dr. Regina Lark founded her professional organizing company, A Clear Path: Professional Organizing and Productivity.

About the 1 Habit For a Thriving Home Office:

1 Habit for a Thriving Home Office
is for anyone who wants to avoid traffic, a long commute, reduce their carbon footprint, save time, minimize interruptions in their workday, have more control over their schedule, focus on priorities and make significant contributions to their business, company, clients or the world.

 

 

You might be interested in a free copy of the Table of Contents and 1st Chapter of my Book

Download a complimentary copy of the 1st Chapter of Regina’s 3rd Edition of her book, Psychic Debris

Dr. Regina Lark

regina@aclearpath.net

 

Organizing Services Can Make Remote Work and School a Breeze

decluttered home office desk organized by a professional

All over the country, families are about to enter a grand experiment. The question: Can we handle working remotely while our children take virtual classes? Unless your family happens to be naturally suited to this setup, it’s probably going to be a bit of a challenge. One of the simplest ways to make it easier: A solid organizational scheme. 

Home organization is about more than simply putting things away. When everything has a place (and everyone knows what that place is) you save time and eliminate chaos. Moreover, you can use your organizational scheme to create psychological barriers between workspaces and living spaces. This will be one of the most valuable tools in your pocket when it comes to keeping everyone sane during the upcoming school year. 

Invest in professional organizing services to ensure your family is well prepared to juggle work and school from home. Here’s a look at a few of the ways that this service can help keep your family productive and happy while you adjust to this new normal: 

Enhancing Professionalism 

If you weren’t working remotely before the pandemic, odds are your home wasn’t set up with this in mind. In the early days, no one thought twice of barking dogs or messy desks in the background of Zoom meetings. Now that we’ve all had some time to adjust, however, you need to be thinking about how to stay professional during remote work. Think about what your webcam shows in your background: An organized office is going to give a much better impression than a messy, cluttered space.

Your kids should have this in mind as well. After all, virtual learning is going to be tough enough for them and their classmates without a ton of distractions. When your home is well organized, you can limit distractions on video calls and keep yourself, your kids, and work (or class) on track. 

A Clear Path’s Ninja Organizers can make sure your space gives the right impression, as well as ensure you have all the tools you need to thrive virtually, including: 

  • A high-quality webcam to join virtual meetings or classes
  • Ergonomic desks and chairs to stay comfortable throughout your workday 
  • Drawers, baskets, cubbies, and other organizational tools to keep you and your kids on track 
  • Fast, reliable internet that can support work, school, and downtime

school work from an organized decluttered space

Facilitating Focus 

Your headspace can make or break remote success. This is as true for you at work as it is for your kids at school. We need defined boundaries between work and life to be able to focus properly. When that’s all happening in one space, we have to create those boundaries for ourselves. Keep this principle in mind when working with your professional organizer, and ask for their insight about how to create these psychological barriers. Here are some ideas to consider: 

  • Specific workrooms: If you have spare rooms in your house, consider turning them into an office for you, or a study space for your child. Depending on your workflow and your child’s school schedule, you could conceivably share a space
  • Visual barriers: When you can’t set up a workspace in a specific room, visual barriers such as room dividers can help create mental barriers. Home inventories are a great way to figure out what should go where and define each area’s function with items you already have. 
  • Avoid blurring lines: Wherever possible, avoid setting up your workspace in an obvious relaxation area such as a living room, den, or bedroom. Not only will this make it harder to focus during work and school, but it can also get in the way of unwinding and getting a good night’s sleep. 

Overcoming Roadblocks

As if this year weren’t complicated enough, many families are bound to face obstacles that make it even harder. For example, you might need to move at some point during this year. On your own, juggling remote work while packing, unpacking, and organizing your new home can be a nightmare. With relocation specialists on your side, however, this process can be a breeze. Not only will you have an easier time with the move itself, but your move manager can also set your home up for virtual success from the get-go. 

a move manager can help re-arrange items to create a clean organized space

Here are a few more roadblocks that are much easier with an organizer on your team: 

  • Starting your own business or expanding a freelance career 
  • Managing a blended schedule, where children transition between in-school and virtual classes
  • Keeping a multi-generational household happy, healthy, and productive. 

Finally, go easy on yourself as you begin this upcoming school year. Your family has a major transition to navigate, and there are sure to be challenges along the way. Professional organization services can set you up for success, and a flexible mindset can keep you sane while you learn how to function in a brand new environment. 

Thanks for reading!

3rd Edition of Psychic Debris, Crowded Closets by Regina F Lark, Ph. D.

You might be interested in a free copy of the Table of Contents and 1st Chapter of my Book

Download a complimentary copy of the 1st Chapter of Regina’s 3rd Edition of her book, Psychic Debris

Dr. Regina Lark

regina@aclearpath.net

 

Photo Credits: 1, 2, 3 

6 innovative in-house storage ideas for homeowners

Easy to build shelves can store many different kinds of items

Meeting the storage needs of a growing family or a growing wardrobe can be tricky unless your square footage is growing too. But, where there’s a will, there’s a way! When working with limited space, a little creativity can go a long way when it comes to making your home look cleaner, bigger, and better organized. We have rounded up six genius in-house storage ideas that will help you get rid of clutter and maximize space in your house.

1 Stair storage
Your staircase can serve more than one purpose. The first in-house storage hack on our list is converting your staircase into storage units while keeping their primary purpose. You can transform the original staircase by converting the side of the stairs into a cupboard or a series of drawers that will help you declutter your living space. This project requires some skill, so you might want to consider hiring a professional. This storage solution isn’t exactly cheap, but it’s definitely an investment that pays off. You can also use the wall alongside the staircase to create more storage space with additional shelving.

2 Pegboards

Pegboards are a great alternative to individual shelves that often look cluttered and messy. When it comes to wall-mounted storage, pegboards are probably the most versatile option. They have

small holes that allow for adding hooks, crates, shelves, and other attachments. Pegboards come in all sizes and colors, so they can fit any space and design. This in-house storage idea provides an abundance of adjustable storage space and allows for easy re-arranging whenever you get bored with one look. Plus, you can always see where everything is.

With this inexpensive addition, your purses, hats, and scarves won’t be cluttering up your coat rack or end up on the floor. You can hang a pegboard above your desk and use it to store office supplies. You can also use it to store plants, mirrors, vases, and other decorative items. To declutter your kitchen, you can add hooks to hang cooking utensils on the pegboard. In the bathroom, you can add attachments to store your toiletries. Finally, you can install a pegboard wall in your basement, storage room or garage to hang your tools, skis, bicycles, etc. and save some precious space.

3 Iron grids
Iron grids (or frames) are similar to pegboards but they have wider holes, typically square-shaped. They are also functional additions that provide much-needed storage space you can attach to the wall. You can use them to declutter and organize any room in your house. Their wide holes make iron grids perfect for displaying large earrings and other chunky jewelry. You can also display family photos, store keys and other small items by attaching hooks. If you don’t like the aesthetic of an iron grid, if it looks too rough and industrial, you can decorate it to make it more appealing. For example, you can wrap some string lights around your frame to enhance the beauty of your display.

4 Raised platform

A raised platform is a genius way to squeeze even more space out of your room. If your ceiling is high enough, you can add a raised platform to a room or part of a room and turn that space into something useful. A raised floor with hidden storage space can be used to store linens, suitcases, winter clothes, or even larger items like a spare mattress. You could even hide an entire slide out bed underneath.

Alternatively, you can invest in a raised platform bed. If you’re looking for simpler in-house storage ideas with a similar result, attach higher legs to your existing bed frame to make room for organizing products such as drawers or boxes underneath.

Raised platforms 1 of 6 innovative in-house storage ideas for homeowners

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5 PVC racks

PVC racks are one of the best in-house storage ideas for storing smaller items. It is a simple, inexpensive DIY project that will keep your belongings neatly organized and make it easy to locate what you are looking for. For example, if you have lots of shoes lying on the floor and it takes ages to find the pair you want to wear, PVS racks can help you clear out your shoe clutter.

Here’s how you can make your own PVC rack.

  • Get large PVC pipes at your local hardware store.

  • Cut the PVC into pieces of matching length. You can have the PVC cut in the hardware store or do it yourself at home using a table saw.

  • Sand down any rough edges.

  • If you don’t like the standard color, paint your PVC.

  • Glue the pieces together with PVC glue. First, glue several pieces together a base. Then, start stacking the pipes to create any shape you want.

  • Once the glue dries, mount the racks wherever you see fit.

6 Above-door in-house storage ideas

If you think you don’t have enough storage space in your house, maybe you forgot to look up. There must be at least one doorway with unused space above it. In most homes, the space between the door and the ceiling is completely overlooked. Add some storage shelves or cabinets to this part of your room and use them to store towels, books, and other less frequently used items, or even grow an above-door-garden. The shelf can be as wide as the door frame, but it can also go from wall to wall. Above-door storage is barely noticeable, which can be a pro or a con, depending on what you use it for. If there is a vent above the door frame, make sure the shelf is narrow enough to allow for airflow and ventilation.

3rd Edition of Psychic Debris, Crowded Closets by Regina F Lark, Ph. D.

You might be interested in a free copy of the Table of Contents and 1st Chapter of my Book

Download a complimentary copy of the 1st Chapter of Regina’s 3rd Edition of her book, Psychic Debris

Dr. Regina Lark

regina@aclearpath.net