August 2024 - Organization Pending Newsroom - Upper Arlington, Ohio
Welcome to Organization Pending's Newsroom, August 2024: Summer Catch Up edition.
This month, catch up with Upper Arlington Updates and Company News, find a discussion on choosing the right home organizer for you, and why decluttering before organizing is essential. Check out this podcast episode on why subtraction is beneficial for our lives, and this one if you're also a new member of the teens-and-their-screens parenting generation.
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Busy, Overscheduled Summer?: Bring Subtraction to the Forefront
The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos teamed up with economist and host of the podcast Cautionary Tales, Tim Harford, to discuss The Happiness of Subtraction - "why we find subtraction so very hard, and tips for finding happiness by cutting down on our commitments. We often think adding more things to our lives will make us happier - more trips, more activities, more possessions. Sadly, our minds find it hard to comprehend that having less and doing less is usually a better option." Using stories of high-pressure cautionary situations to illustrate their points, Santos and Harford show that just like sometimes inaction is an appropriate course of action, subtraction from our overall lives can also serve to bring more happiness to our lives.
"When we're faced with a problem, most of us instinctively want to take action - we feel the need to do something, even in cases when we kind of know our actions will be ineffective, or even make stuff worse. [...] In times like this, [...] we need to pause, take our hands off the controls, and just let things be. This pause gives us the possibility of a new choice."
As a lover of stories, I especially appreciate the format of this episode and hearing the stories of innovation through subtraction - Santos and Harford take turns telling stories to show historical contexts of subtraction, and talk about studies showing our instinct to add things instead of subtracting.
Tune in around minute 27 for a current look at overscheduling ourselves - and our kids - and how the culture's push to stay busy and be the best can be detrimental to our family's health. Santos recommends being mindful of the opportunity costs of adding things in, and subtracting them - and avoiding the experience of regretting saying "yes", including an interesting way to add in gratitude for when you say "no".
Don't miss Harford's discussion of his book Messy at minute 24, and how it relates to home organization!
The Screen and Your Teen
Thinking about tech, devices, watches and phones was a hot topic this summer for us and our friends, making this Good Inside with Dr. Becky podcast episode especially relevant. Losing my Teen to the Screen was a discussion and q&a between Dr. Becky and her producer, Jesse Baker, talking about how you can tell your kid is ready for a phone, transparency and communication between you and your children about their devices and your role between them and their tech, how you set boundaries with technology when you already feel it's too late - and providing tips for how parents can approach the topic with their kids, parenting partners, and kids' friends' parents when it's needed.
"We're living in this world where a lot of us are giving our kids phones before they're really developmentally capable of using those phones well. [...] and they don't have the skills. If we're in this situation that's imperfect, part of my job is to teach my kid the skills."
I also appreciated their discussion of considering why you want your kid to have a phone, considering how you and your child handle conflict already, and how to discuss the why behind why they might choose their phone over a priority like homework. This episode helped change the way I addressed the discussion of a device with my parenting partners, and helped inform how to go about my research on the technology itself. I know we will be addressing texting and phone call etiquette, and implementing a few more of their suggestions as well.
How to Choose the Right Home Organizing Service for You
Were you meaning to get to some decluttering and home organization projects this summer, but time ran away from you, and you don't want to put these projects off any longer? You might feel overwhelmed by how many options you find when you start asking about “home organizers near me”, or you start looking into virtual home organizing services. Other than relying on your neighbors’ and search bar’s recommendations, here are a few other considerations to help you narrow down your list, and figure out what home organizing service, and which home organizer, is right for you.
In-Person Services vs Virtual Services
During the 2020 lockdown, virtual services in all industries boomed - how do you know if virtual home organizing is right for you? Shorter sessions with more scheduling flexibility can be an asset for a busy client on the go, and clients with limited time or mobility considerations. Virtual sessions are commonly discounted from in-person services, while still giving you the support and professional advice you’re wanting for your space, and letting you take full ownership of the decluttering and organizing process. In-person services are useful for areas of the home where technology is often affected - basements and garages - and most in-person services offer donation takeaway and resources. When you choose in-person services, Organization Pending clients also have the advantage of choosing Training Sessions to gain skills and receive personalized tips for their homes for long-term success, accomplishing 2-3 times more than they could without professional in-person support.
Single Organizer vs Team
Usually a team will have a lead organizer, with a few assistants. This group response lets clients enjoy quicker results, often with an option to “set it and go”, letting your space become organized without you, letting you make decluttering decisions after the session on your own time. Single organizers often have this option as well - however, most Organization Pending clients prefer Training Sessions, with a DIY approach. These educational working sessions allow clients to learn skills specific to their household’s needs, ensuring a personalized and long-term approach to their organizational systems. Many clients also enjoy the one-on-one connection they’re able to build with a single organizer, as many people who struggle with chronic disorganization benefit from having a professional work directly with them.
Aesthetic-Forward vs Upcycled-Forward
We’ve all seen the pictures of organized homes that make us say, “I wish!” Aesthetic-forward organizing does leave a lasting impression with beautiful pictures, and many people find a single look helps maintain visual order for open shelving or large storage areas - but some find the upkeep difficult, or feel pressure to always maintain a picture-perfect look. While we all appreciate a single, comprehensive look to our homes, many Organization Pending clients emphasize functionality over aesthetics, searching for the most sustainable and budget-friendly options - often already available to them in their homes after decluttering.
Declutter Before Organizing
Decluttering is essential to the home organizing process. Decluttering allows you to assess each item in the home, considering the current and future use of the item - deciding what to let go of, and what should stay. The decluttering process also allows you to rehome items that have gone astray so you can organize all the items in that category together in the end.
That Hoarder talks about the importance of finding focus while you're working on decluttering in her recent podcast episode - Don't know where to start? 31 things you can dehoard today, discussing "31 tasks to tackle hoarding, including specific items and areas, reevaluating hobbies, downsizing belongings for practicality", and more.
Start in around minute five for 31 "nudges", or categories to consider for decluttering - including some of my favorites - empty boxes, shopping bags, receipts, and mail. That Hoarder also discusses the importance of digital peace and making sure to unsubscribe or turn off notifications to dehoard your digital space as well. As I tell Organization Pending clients, we're not just decluttering your home, we're also creating space for the people and the things you love most - we're creating the space for you to display items that spark joy.
Looking for decluttering resources? Bookmark Organization Pending's Community Recommendations page for local Decluttering and Donation resources, including recycling and disposal resources!
Upper Arlington Updates
Over the summer, Upper Arlington Public Library introduced their latest collection in the UA Archives, Diversity in UA. Visit this online collection to view in-depth interviews that "amplify and preserve the voices of individuals from diverse and underrepresented groups in Upper Arlington. The project's goal is to present a variety of experiences, inspiring empathy and promoting a shared sense of humanity within our community. Among the interviewees are one of the first Black students to attend school in Upper Arlington, the first person of color elected to the Upper Arlington School Board, the first openly LGBTQ+ Upper Arlington City Council member, and Upper Arlington's first Black City Council President and Mayor."
Along with the American flag retirement box available at the Tremont Branch of Upper Arlington Public Library, you can now drop off your flags for proper disposal at Fire Station 72 on Reed Road in the lobby, Monday - Friday, 8am-5pm.
Did you hear that SWACO (the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio) expanded its Columbus Household Hazardous Waste drop-off hours in July? Stop by to recycle batteries, flammables, reactives like pool chemicals, smoke detectors, toxics like fluorescent light bulbs or lawn chemicals, and much more.
Upper Arlington's Homes of History Event is happening through the end of August! There are over 250 100 year-old homes in Upper Arlington, indicated with a "Homes of History" celebration sign outside the home - you may have seen these black and gold oval signs around town. These homes were all built by 1924, and retain much of the original front exterior façade. Visit the Upper Arlington Historical Society's Homes of History page for a map of participating addresses, places to find physical maps, and learn a little bit about UA architecture and daily life in 1924 with newspaper clippings!
Company News
Organization Pending's Owner/Operator Tabi (they/them) was happy to meet so many community members at Rainbow UA Pride 2024 in June! Along with popular candy choices, Tabi offered home organizing tips and a giveaway with several lucky winners, discussing potential upcoming home organizing projects with everyone who stopped by to say "happy pride!".
Congratulations to all the giveaway winners, and thank you to Rainbow UA and their team of volunteers for creating this family-friendly space for all in the Upper Arlington community. A special shout-out to their team of teen volunteers who helped everyone set up quickly!
As part of a commitment to give back to the community, this year also marked Organization Pending's second year as a Rainbow UA Pride sponsor, and Tabi encourages interested readers to contact Rainbow UA about getting involved as a volunteer or sponsor for Rainbow UA Pride 2025!
"Let's work together to create a future where fashion is both beautiful and sustainable." If you missed International Nonbinary People's Day on July 14, stop by Columbus Fashion Academy's blog post, Celebrating International Nonbinary People's Day: Honoring Tabi of Organization Pending and Their Impact on Fashion Sustainability, to learn more about how Organization Pending's clients are supporting local creativity and sustainable fashion education!