Sharing Spaces

7 Tips for Peacefully Sharing Space

Look at that pretty couple cheerfully hauling off their stuff - decluttering with style and having big fun.  Look familiar?   High fives all around if so!  

However, the most common - and hardest to answer - question I get whenever I speak to groups is this:  how do I get my husband/wife/co-worker/partner/roommate to help with the clutter and to maintain an organized space?  This could be in an office, a dorm, locker room, etc., but the place where it becomes the biggest issue seems to be at home.

If you want to know more about why someone may be causing a clutter problem, check out the most excellent post of Audrey Cupo - a fellow NAPO member -  HERE.

Below are my 7 best tips learned through research and real life experience with couples and co-workers over the years.  Try these organizing ideas out for a more peaceful co-existence!

1.  Lead by example.  If you are the "Felix" in the mix  ("Odd Couple" reference - ask your parents) you need to walk the talk - organize and right-size your own things before asking the other person to make changes.

2.  Start small.  As in any organizing project take a tiny bite at a time.   Re-do a drawer rather than a garage for a quick success and motivational jumpstart.

3.  Understand that your way is not the only way.  Everyone has their own level of sentimentality, comfort zones, and visual preferences around their things.  Being forced into an unnatural situation is seriously disconcerting - not just a whim.

4.  Focus on neutral belongings. Don't start the de-cluttering with beloved tee shirt collections. First tackle less sentimental things like kitchen tools, papers, and gardening implements. 

5.  Concentrate on the Positives. Write a list of the benefits of simplicity like saving time, parking the car out of the elements, earning cash for unused stuff.  Post the list and refer to it when incentives are needed to keep moving ahead.

6. Go to your own corners.   Find one or two places (a nook, a closet, even a whole room) that you can each totally decorate and organize to your own comfort level.  No nagging zones!

7.  Be patient with each other's stuff and value opinions.  This is art, not science.

At the end of the day remember this most of all:  it's just stuff.  People matter more.