26: Organizing Trouble Spots to Check In On: A Mid-Year Check-In
Our Mid-Year Check-In is here! This week, I share ten organizing trouble spots that are trending and on the rise. From cluttered workspaces to overloaded email inboxes, we delve into the challenges people face in organizing both their digital and physical spaces. Join us as we explore the latest organizing trends and provide practical tips to tackle these common issues and create a more streamlined and efficient lifestyle.
In this episode we talk about:
- Common trouble spots that people are experiencing when it comes to organizing their spaces
- How a cluttered workspace hinders productivity
- Why it’s important to regularly check and organize your workspace
Mentioned in this Episode:
Episode 002: Digital Space vs. Physical Space Organizing
https://theorganizedflamingo.com/digital-space-vs-physical-space-organizing/
Episode 005: Set Yourself Up for Success with a Capsule Wardrobe with Caroline Bower
https://theorganizedflamingo.com/5-set-yourself-up-for-success-with-a-capsule-wardrobe/
Episode 007: Organize Your Way to a Healthier Kitchen with Tomesha Campbell
https://theorganizedflamingo.com/organize-your-way-to-a-healthier-kitchen-with-tomesha-campbell/
Episode 013: Untangling the Web: How to Practice Good Digital Hygiene
https://theorganizedflamingo.com/13-untangling-the-web-how-to-practice-good-digital-hygiene/
Episode 015: The Pros & Cons of Subscribing to Email Lists
https://theorganizedflamingo.com/15-the-pros-cons-of-subscribing-to-email-lists/
Episode 018: Conquer the Paper Mountain: Reducing Your Paper Clutter
https://theorganizedflamingo.com/18-conquer-the-paper-mountain-reducing-your-paper-clutter/
—
The Organized & Productive podcast is brought to you by The Organized Flamingo and hosted by Stephanie Y. Deininger! For those of you who love the thought of organizing & being more productive, but don’t know where to start or constantly up against hurdles that don’t let you advance the way you want to, this podcast is for you!
Review full show notes and resources at https://theorganizedflamingo.com/podcast
Connect with Stephanie
https://www.instagram.com/theorganizedflamingo/
Review the Transcript:
Hello friends, and welcome to our mid here check in here at the organized and productive podcast. And if you're wondering what is it mid year check in? Well, it's actually two things for us one every year, we'll be doing a mid year check in just one of like one of those, hey, this is these are some of the organizing trends that I'm seeing some of the solutions that I think could work and just kind of a check in, in general about what's going on in the organized and productive podcast at the organized Flamingo community and world.
And again, to just give you some statistics of what's going on in the organizing and productivity world. But this year, it's extra special and an extra mid year check in because it's our 26th episode of our podcast year. And this is our first year doing this the podcast. And so it's a real obviously really special milestone. Whenever you start something new, you know that first year is usually just a really special moment, whenever you reach these big milestones like half a year like that's, that's a full 26 episodes of a commitment, right and making new habits and whatnot. So it's a really special episode in that way as well. And I am so glad that we are here to celebrate it together.
Welcome to the organized and productive podcast with the organized grooming go, I am your host, Stephanie, a professional organizer and productivity expert, ready to explore the right organizing and productivity solutions for you. Yeah, well, then let's go. Okay, so let's go ahead and talk about the mid year check in. So what happens in the organizing and productivity space is that there are certain things that are for certain that hat like for instance, habits, those are pretty certain that are there, it's very important for you to do when you're thinking about becoming and staying more organized long term, like having just good habits or sustaining systems that can be done for a long period of time, right. So just those those things are for sure. But there are other things and other elements and trends that tend to come and go depending on what phase of your life but just like as a whole of our community, it like we're facing. And so these are the trends that I'm seeing for this year that either clients are really having troubles with and asking for help with, or that I'm seeing or reading about.
And my hope is that this mid year check in will help you just kind of do your own check in hopefully that these 10 things that I'm noticing will give you that little reminder of oh, you know what, that has been a problem that I'm facing. I'm glad that she mentioned it, let me go ahead and and think about it for a little bit or take care of it. So that's what I'm hoping for, for this video check in so that it's like a gentle reminder for you to just kind of see if this is an area of trouble for you. Now, if I go through all of the list, and you're thinking to yourself, like nope, I I'm good and all those 10 things then, awesome, I'm so glad. And I hope that you'll share over on Instagram or any other social media platform that you're doing awesome. So that we can continue to cheer you on. But if you are seeing that you are struggling in one of these areas, as well as because again, it's a trend so if you're seeing that you're agreeing with the list or some of those things, just know that you are not alone.
Okay, so let's get through our list. LV coming in on number one is a cluttered workspace. So this has been something that people have been struggling with for a long time. Okay, so this is this, this is one of those things on our list that is continuously a trouble spot for people just having a cluttered workspace. But more specifically, and more of a change has happened ever since 2020, when people started to work from home a lot more and having to mix the personal and business side. So that kind of triggered people to not really have a system anymore, you know, because a lot of people would have like their office that they would go into and then that would be their workspace, and then at home, they would not necessarily have one. But now there's just a lot more overlap. So a cluttered workspace is something we're seen as a trouble spot more often.
And a disorganized desk and workspace can hinder productivity and make it difficult to find important documents or supplies and it just doesn't allow you to think as freely as you probably want to. So be aware of that check in on your workspace and make sure that that space is how you want it to be and that it's making you feel free that your thoughts are able to come and go easily that you're not so stuck because there's clutter everywhere. So just kind of do a little check in on your workspace coming in on number two is the email inbox.
Again, email inbox has been a trouble spot for a long time. But nowadays it's even more troubled because we're just getting so much Do more and more emails from people, right, you're subscribing to email list. And now you're on different lists and groups and whatnot. So that is definitely something that is becoming a troubled spot. And just like junk mail, like the physical junk mail, your inbox now probably has been with you for a long time. So it when you move like as opposed to junk mail, you know it, when you move, it doesn't necessarily follow you, per se will hear an inbox does no matter where you go, it's just continuing to accumulate.
So if you're not paying attention to your filters, what you're subscribing to, and making sure that you have some kind of system in your inbox, then it can become crowded, I mean, having a crowded email inbox with lots and lots of hundreds and 1000s of unread emails or just like a cluttered space digitally can be overwhelming and time consuming. So the inbox part is very important, it is the one way that we receive information digitally. And that is owned by you.
So you do want that to be or to have a system, it doesn't have to be inbox zero, we don't necessarily subscribe to that being the only way to abstain organized, but it should have some rhyme or reason to you. We do have several episodes that we have done in the past year, about the digital world and how to kind of have that a little bit more tidy. Also how to have good digital hygiene with some experts that offered their advice. So I will put that in the show notes, as well as how to unsubscribe to email list intelligently. So not to just necessarily go on this unsubscribe and binder because that's not always the solution. So I will put in some of those episodes down in the show notes coming in on number three is just having dis organized digital files. Speaking of digital organizing, so like I said, we I am going to put in the episodes that relate to digital files and inbox and all of that in the show notes. But when you don't find your digital file your files easily on your computer or maybe your phone. And there's that lack of proper folder organization, or maybe even inconsistent naming conventions, it can just start to get overwhelming, you can't find things easily.
So that is something that we're seeing as the that is like a trend that is actually growing more so than even the overloaded in email inbox. Because we're just operating in the digital world a little bit more, and there is no rhyme or reason to are organizing. So check in on your digital files and make sure that that system is working for you coming in on number four is a trouble spot that has been around this list for a long time. And that is the excessive paper documents, accumulating stacks of paper documents that need to be sorted and file or disposed of can create clutter very fast. And just like the digital files, right, but these you can actually see. And that could be a hazard. If you have too many like a fire hazard, it could also just be in the way. And if you can't find what you're looking for, then that is a trouble spot for sure. So this paper document if you need help with that, let us know. Or let's just go ahead and talk about that. Because make sure that that is not piling up so fast that you can't keep up coming in on number five is the wardrobe or closet that could be a trouble spot for you like the place where you're just kind of stacking up clothes, maybe you're not keeping up with what's coming in and out of your closet, meaning you're buying or consuming more than you are letting go of.
And that can immediately start to fill up the closet area. So that is an area of trouble. And in particular this year. And we're seeing it as a trend. Because of that change in the work mode that I talked about earlier where a lot more people are starting to work from home or they have a hybrid situation happening so they don't need as many of those suits or work clothes that you used to wear into the office and or even if you are going back to the office setup and type of office environment, the wardrobe types have changed, right? It's not a little of more companies are going less formal than before. So if you are in the if your closet is like outdated or you're still having you're still keeping those older clothes that are no longer serving you especially in the workspace, then maybe it's time to declutter or start to think about what is coming in versus what's coming out of your closet. Okay, and then coming in on number six.
Let's talk about the trouble spot in the kitchen. So we're seeing a big trend in cabinets and more specifically, it's for people that have what we're seeing is that a lot of people did some renovations on their home or they just don't know how to upgrade their homes. So then now it's sort of starting to feel a little bit clustered. So we're seeing a lot more people doing updates but then to their house but they're not updating their like the friends Since or organizing systems, so if you used to have closed kitchen cabinets, and now you have open shelving, then that type of system is going to look a little bit different, you can still use some of those things that you used to use before, but maybe not. So what we're seeing is that people are updating their kitchen areas and or they're moving and they're just not really changing the kitchen system to fit their new needs.
And so that's why it's becoming a trend of a troubled spot trend this year. Coming in on number seven is we are seeing a big trend of having overflowing bookshelves, this is a troubled spot that has grown in the last couple of years, where the book area is just a growing the available space. So now it's just feeling cluttered, it's no longer that nice to look at bookshelf that maybe you are going for. So a lot of people that keep their books for nostalgic reasons, maybe they're sent or sentimental reasons of their favorite books, or whatever the reason may be and then they like it to be in their library. Cute, awesome. But they're not letting go of old books, or they're just not really rearranging their book area to fit their space. And so we're seeing a big overtake on books just growing and growing like book libraries growing and growing, and not really decluttering or letting them go.
And again, kind of like the paper, the paper, the excessive paper documents. Trend, this is also it could be a hazard. And if you're not getting rid of it fast enough, then it just becomes overwhelming. And then you will have a harder time finding a taker of the books because there's just so many and books have, you know, they were published at a certain time. So when they start to get outdated, less than less either people resellers, or donation like libraries, they won't take it as much because it's an old version of information. Now, of course, we're not really talking about the collectible type of books or first editions of popular books, we're talking more just about the general books and bookshelves that maybe we're not taking a closer look into be. And then so now becoming a trend and problem, problem area. Okay, the next one is all about digital photos. And this one is starting to grow, you know, again, another trouble spot that is starting to grow in the area where people are needing more help with and that means that you're just have so many digital pictures that they don't even know what to do with them. And there's a couple of things that we've talked about before in some of the past episodes, that where you can, you can remedy this, and that's including deleting duplicates, etc, etc.
There's programs out there that can do it for you. There's also companies that will do it for you. But here, I just want you to have that reminder that digital photos even though they're the out of sight out of mind a little bit because they are digital, so you're not really seeing them pile up, they do pile up. And at some point, I think that you will find more peace knowing that they're organized in some way shape, or form maybe in a folder so that you can pass it down to whoever you need to. And so that they're not just in this one big cluster of photos, where you're probably are also saving screenshots and you're saving documents. And now it's just all a big mumbo jumbo. So this is an area of troubles where I would just make sure that you do a check in with yourself and make sure that your digital photos have a rhyme or reason so that you can easily find them. Okay, going in on number nine is we're talking all about cords and cables. This is a trouble spot that has also been on the list for a long time. But it's becoming more of a trend because we are going cordless for more. And you know there's technology is just advancing so fast, that people are letting go with their old technology. But now there's all these cords and cables and you got a new phone and now you have the old cords or the old phone etc. so tangled in identified cords and cables make it really difficult to connect devices when you need them.
And it's just create an unsightly mess, right just in general. So make sure that you're checking in on your chords. What I see a lot is when we so when we help clients is that they'll have a whole bin of all the old chords. And although yes, maybe you might need one one day. There are other ways that you can access these old chords, you can rent them from a library, there might be some other the original company that made them may have something available to you if you were ever to need it. So just know that there you will have access to those old cords in some shape or form. It just doesn't have to be in your possession. So do check in with your unsorted cords and cables. Those also tend to weigh a lot. Once you start to accumulate a lot of them kind of like books, different weight levels, but still so just do a check in there because They can get heavy and they can just start to accumulate, you know, bins and bins that could be freeing up some space for you. So do a check in with that.
Okay, number 10. And our last one for today in a trend that we're seeing as a trouble spot that keeps growing is the digital bookmarks or saves. And you probably didn't think about this or you didn't think that this was something that I would talk about, I have a feeling because we including myself, we we love to save things, or we save the tabs, we have like the 100 tabs open. Or maybe we save a post on a social media platform to quote unquote, read later or Pinterest page, you know, cumulating a vast number of bookmarks in web browsers or platforms, without the proper categorization or structure will make it really hard to find it later on. But most importantly, it may be occupying some precious area on your computer or digital devices. I mean, how many times have you tried to save something or download something or go to a website or your turn your computer on and it says memory, you know, it's taking up too much memory, you have limited memory free up some space, right? It's probably because you have too many tabs open. And you're you know, it's just occupying some of that space in your work browsers. So check it on that you may be having unneeded headaches when you could just be clearing your cache or clearing all those saved but unused bookmarks.
So that is our list of 10 things that I have seen the up on the uprise of trends that people are struggling with in the organizing and productivity space. Just like I'm doing this half year check in with all of you and to celebrate our half year of our first year of the podcast. I would love to hear about your Admitted check in let me know if you checked all of these to just make sure you're doing a little bit of decluttering you don't have to go all in and that way later on. You don't have to do this like big project of trying to let go of so much stuff all at once. When you do it little by little it really helps you in the long run. Thank you for listening to the organized and productive Podcast with your organized Flamingo. If you enjoyed today's episode, I would love it if you'd leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast player. It helps with letting people know that we're here. For full show notes and resources head on over to the organized flamingo.com/podcast Happy organizing.