STYLE Savvy: Falling into Organization

Lisa Hess lists favorite fall organizing tasks and offers inspiration for getting a fresh start this season.

I have always loved this time of year: the time when we return to classrooms and learning and all things back-to-school. For one thing, back-to-school coincides with fall, which is my favorite season (even if my allergies protest). Second, it's a great excuse to freshen up our supplies of notebooks, writing implements, and all things stationery.  

But, perhaps best of all, the start of a new school year feels like a fresh start. We talk about spring cleaning but, personally, I feel more motivated to get my house in order in the fall. Here are a few of my favorite fall organizing tasks, inspired in no small part by the spend-free week I wrote about in my last Savvy post. 

Switch the closet from summer to fall.

Living in Central Pennsylvania, I find that this happens gradually because summer temperatures often persist well into the start of the school year. But, since I work in education, it also happens organically as I pull out clothes to wear to work, only to discover they no longer work. I often don't recognize that items that are too big, too small, too tired, or too blah are taking up space in my closet until I pull them out to wear to work and immediately discard them.

Making the donation box the next stop for those pieces I threw on the bed in frustration before leaving the house helps to ensure that my closet is up-to-date. Or, at the very least, it means I won't keep reaching for the same sub-par items because they'll no longer be there.  

Try something new. 

As a big fan of the one in/one out rule, I saw an opportunity in all of those discarded clothes. I've been subscribing to a clothing box for seven years (my present to myself when my daughter started college and I needed a little empty nesting pick-me-up) but, lately, the boxes have looked more like the donation pile than wardrobe staples. So I decided to try another service. I loved the first box (which I got to try with a $20 credit) and I could put a few new pieces into my closet guilt-free because I'd made room for them with all those clothes that went from closet to me to bed to donation box.

If you're not into clothing, you can try something else: a new hobby, a new class, a new hair style (or color), a new organizer ... the possibilities are limited by only your imagination and your budget. 

Unsubscribe. 

While you're weeding the closet, why not weed out your email inbox? When I did my spend-free week (actually closer to two), I don't know why I was so surprised that most of the incoming junk mail was an obstacle to modest spending (via an invitation to spend or donate money), but it was an eye-opener. I never want to miss a coupon or a sale but, if I don't need something, not buying it is cheaper than any sale. And, if I need it, I know where the store (or website) is.

Meanwhile, all of those emails are simply temptations that wear us down. The first one is easy enough to delete, but the more of them we see, the more likely it is that we'll click (and buy). If I unsubscribe, I don't see them, making me less likely to buy things I don't need.

Buy a little peace. 

As a rule, I don't set up notifications for apps. My phone dings, buzzes, and plays songs often enough as it is. But a long time ago, in the interest of being conscientious, I set up notifications for my work mail. They're visual, not auditory (they pop up on my Home Screen or Lock Screen), which makes them less distracting, but do you know what would make them even less distracting? Not having them at all.

So, in late August, I bit the bullet. I turned the notifications off, and I don't miss them at all. Now I check email on my own terms and, because I'm not distracted by newsletters, announcements, and junk mail, I do it less frequently and more efficiently. 

Click to tweet:
What will you do to organize your space, your life, or yourself this fall? #CatholicMom

In his book When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, Daniel Pink talks about opportunities for fresh starts. For me, I think the back-to-school fresh start is the best one of all.  

What will you do to organize your space, your life, or yourself this fall? 

Copyright 2023 Lisa Hess
Images: Canva