Wiggle Room | Organization for Busy Moms!

Recently we’ve addressed organizing paper for grown-ups: mail, important documents, and tax paperwork.  But anyone with kids knows that the amount of paper that they generate can be just as great, and keeping it organized presents its own kind of challenge.

(This is one of those topics WAY too big to cover in a single blog post, and since most busy mom’s we know love Pinterest, be sure to follow our Organizing Kid’s School Work board)

The Problem: Too Much Paper

Despite the increased use of technology in schools these days, we’ve yet to observe any significant reduction in the amount of papers that kids bring home from school, and therein lies the clutter issue.  Little ones walk in the door, proud as can be of their artwork and other treasures, and what Mom doesn’t melt? But …

Some Easy Solutions…

One idea we’ve come across for organizing your kids’ schoolwork is labeling a plastic file box for each child, and putting all of their school work (and photos of bigger projects) into the box as soon as they bring it home. You’ll go through it at the end of the school year, and weed out the save-worthy from the recyclable.  So easy, so practical. 

I love this approach because revisiting the box will be a walk down memory lane, while time will determine what’s worth saving and what’s not. And as your kids age, they may enjoy participating in this project with you.

The Mommy Command Center

Another great idea comes from April Perry of Power of Moms:

We recommend clients modify the system April uses, and personalize it to their needs. Most often, we use one distinct basket per child. We also look to suggest a variety of different options for busy Mom’s to store that works for their personal lives to avoid a big basket of clutter on the kitchen counter (or laundry room!)

Although the April 15th tax deadline is never really a surprise, it can have a way of sneaking up on people.  Even if you’re the type of person that doesn’t really get going on your taxes until early April, you can still finish in time if you take time at the outset to get organized (bonus points if you put a system in place last year!)

Collect and Consolidate: “3 Piles”

The subject of organizing tax paperwork is a complex one, because everyone has a different situation:

• Are you an employer, an employee, self-employed, or some combination thereof?
• Do you need to factor in other things, such as charitable giving or investment-related income?
• Did you buy or sell a car or a house? Have a baby? Pay tuition?

 
Complex and varied situations means there’s no one size fits all scheme. However your situation breaks down, whether your preparing your taxes on your own, or with the help of a professional, you want ALL of the relevant papers ready and organized. As mentioned last week, we’re huge fans of using durable plastic accordion folders to keep everything organized.

Regardless of the specifics of your situation, everyone’s tax prep comes down to 3 major categories: income, expenses/deductions, and investments. Getting organized (& maximizing your refund!) means no hunting for a lost receipt or W-2 once you sit down to file.

Pile 1: Income

For some people, this is as simple as a single W-2 from an employer. But as the number of sources of income increase, so does the paper trail. Make sure to collect in this folder all W-2’s (pro-tip: helps to keep December’s paystub too to verify your W-2 is correct!) and 1099’s. 1099’s come in many flavors, so if you have interest bearing accounts (1099-INT or 1099-DIV) or miscellaneous income (1099-MISC) you’ll want to collect those hear as well.

Pile 2: Expenses & Deductions (AKA: receipts, receipts, receipts!)

As a general rule, having printed statements (pro-tip: electronic statements, aka downloaded transaction lists, are more easily sortable & searchable) for all bank accounts and credit cards used throughout the year goes into pile 2. Also, bills that tie back to potential deductions- life events (house purchase, baby, etc.), medical/dental bills, charitable giving, etc. While you’re sorting, you can put all these into a single pile, but once you’ve collected the master list of receipts, you’ll want to run through them again and sort into sub-piles by their type. Bonus points if you create folders for next year’s receipts now so you’ll be more organized come next Winter 🙂

Pile 3: Investments

Only you know if this applies to you or not, but if you make regular investments, you may have some 1099-B forms, or if you’re involved in a partnership or LLC, you may have some K-1’s. Keep in mind, these forms all have a corresponding copy at the IRS, so you’ll want to make sure you account for them in your tax prep!

With your piles in order, you’re ready to move onto filing, and with any luck, shopping for some reward to honor the refund hopefully on it’s way! After you’ve filed your taxes, there are a couple more steps:

• You can shred pay stubs, once you know that they match up with the W2 issued by your employer.

 

• The rest of the materials that you’ve used to prepare your taxes should be consolidated and put in a safe but out of the way place for 7 years, should you ever be audited.

While it’s still somewhat early, take the time to prepare mentally and get your papers in order for taxes.  And if you haven’t been as proactive as you could have been this year, it’s the right time to start employing these strategies for next year, to make tax time as easy as possible.

(If you’re searching for a tax pro here’s some helpful tips)

Despite this digital world that we live in, papers (and what to do with them) remain a daily reality.  Having a system, as well as an exit strategy, (i.e., when to recycle), is key if you want to lead an un-paper-cluttered life.

What kind of system? Glad you asked…

Three Steps to an Uncluttered Life

Step 1: Control what comes in! Try as we might to minimize, paper is going to enter your home. The faster we can act on it, or get it into the hands of who needs to act on it, the less clutter we’ll create. Think of incoming mail like a game of hot potato!

Try a series of in-boxes to sort out important papers (bills, permission slips, etc.) from the less important ones (catalogs).  When you walk in the door, sort the mail immediately!

Depending on your space and aesthetic, you might like something minimalor if the volume of papers coming into the house is too great, a series of baskets might be more what you need. If you have a larger household with kids old enough to receive and take care of their own mail, a magazine-rack style sorter might be in order.

Step 2: Sort, sort, sort. When you have time to sort through your inboxes, be decisive. RSVP to invitations, add dates to your calendar, schedule appointments… whatever it is, do it. The key is, take action!

Step 3: File, file, file. Once you’ve acted, the final step is moving things to their proper place. Important things that need to be saved, collect in a “to file” bin. Weekly (or more often, if your schedule allows), take everything out of your “Papers to File” and file them. 

Personal correspondence can be tricky–I become attached to a pretty piece of stationary or a nice note from a friend.  If you do, too, that’s fine…but create a system.  I put mine on a bulletin board next to my desk for a few months, and when the board gets crowded I reevaluate.  If I’m still feeling sentimental, it gets transferred to a folder called (unsurprisingly) “Sentimental Things.”  I revisit this file every year or so and purge things as I see fit.

If you don’t have automatic bill pay set up (such a time saver!), check your Bills box Sundays, and pay the bills due that week.  Write the due-date at the top of the bill so it’s easy to find the right ones quickly.

Helpful Hints

I use a rainbow of colorful accordion folders to house all my papers.  If it’s worth keeping the papers, it’s worth keeping them organized and accessible.  These come in a variety of sizes, to accommodate different subjects.  Choose a 13-pocket folder for file types that need to be sorted month by month, and smaller ones for subjects that only need a pocket or two. Major topics, such as taxes (more on that next week), need their own folder.

I keep one folder for warranties, receipts, and instruction manuals (paper clipped together, of course) for all purchases with long-term or lifetime warranties. Another folder contains all of my health and health insurance related papers.  Other categories (smaller, housed in the “Miscellaneous But Important” file) include “Car Stuff” (Title, registration copy, EZ Pass account info) and “Documents Not To Lose” (record of jury duty).

If you’re a homeowner, keeping a folder with documentation of any home improvement projects or repairs, along with the relevant invoices (which typically contain the contact information of the person who performed the service), is incredibly useful.  Paint colors, tile brands, lighting fixture styles…you never know when something might break or need fixing.  Knowing who to call and what to buy makes the process easier.

Insurance, Investments, Retirement…all important topics with ample paperwork that should have appropriately sized and labeled folders, depending on your needs.

At the end of the day….

• Mail and other incoming papers should be sorted when you walk in the door
• Read your mail, and then recycle promptly or file weekly
• Durable accordion folders are easy to work with
• Label the outside of each one so you can quickly remember what’s inside, as well as the tabs inside
• Revisit them annually (or more, if necessary) and purge as necessary
• Keep them in a safe and secure spot.  The most important things, a metal cabinet is best, but file boxes or high shelves in an office work in a pinch.

If you have a different but effective way of storing your important papers, please share.  Also, if you’ve gone digital, let tell us about the pros and cons

Organization is Easier Before the Chaos!

Many joke that getting a puppy is practice for having a baby.  While you can’t really compare the life impact of bringing a baby into the world to welcoming a pet into your home, they do each require their own special kind of preparation & organization. 

Preparing your home for a puppy may even be more work, for one major reason- time before the chaos strikes! A puppy is still relatively small and will nap a lot, but is also mobile, and therefore immediately prone to getting into trouble!  Even the most organized home may need some “puppy proofing” adjustments.
 

Let’s Go Room by Room to Get Organized

In the Entryway:

If your entry is a catchall for lots of shoes, bags, and more, you’ll want to rethink the area.  An all-encompassing unit would certainly do the trick, (provided the bins don’t have too much clearance on top for puppy noses to get into), but it’s an investment.  Ikea offers some less pricey options with slim profiles, good for smaller spaces, as does The Container Store.  If new furniture isn’t feasible, repurpose baskets or bins that keep shoes off the floor (and out of the pooch’s path!)

While we’re talking about the entry way, designate a spot for puppy essentials- leash, waste bags, and training treats.  They could be in a basket on a table or in a front closet or mud room, depending on set-up of your home.  Wherever they live, make sure they’re handy because when you’re in the house-training phase, accidents can happen quickly!

In the Kitchen:

New pet owners may be surprised to learn of how many foods that are bad for dogs.  Transfer items with harmful ingredients to pantry containers with lids that a puppy won’t open.  Oxo Good Grips Pop Top containers are great–durable AND they’re spatially economical, because they’re square, not round.  The Container Store also offer lots of options.

Rearrange your pantry so that the low shelves house impermeable or non-food items, such as canned goods or spare trash bags.  No need to tempt fate with boxes of spaghetti or bags of beans!

Transfer dry dog food into a plastic container with a screw top or locking latch top.  Nothing with a wimpy lid that could pop off if puppy manages to topple it!

If you keep cleaning chemicals under your sink, as many of us do, consolidate them into a sturdy plastic bin.  If the cupboard door is left open, they’ll be more protected- You definitely don’t want your puppy licking or chewing on anything and getting sick 🙁

Get a sturdy trash can with a lid; ditto for bathrooms.

In Family Areas:

As with very young children, small objects and toys are choking hazards for puppies.  Corral toys and other small items into baskets that are off the floor.

Keep puppy toys in a low but sturdy plastic bin (*not* a basket- too chewy!) so they’re accessible.

In the Bedroom:

In your own bedroom, keeping shoes in bins or in closed closets is key.  Likewise, keep purses and other accessories off the floor.  This may mean some closet reorganization, but at the end of the day, everything needs to fit and the door must close.

In Bathrooms:

Get into the habit of closing the toilet seat (a good habit, regardless!), so your new family member doesn’t try and drink out of the bowl!

Finally, All Around the House:

• Survey your shelves and move anything that might look like it’s good to chew on, like baskets or overhanging books, off the low shelves.
• If you have area rugs that can be rolled up, you’re likely better off doing so while your puppy is in the house-training phase (to save yourself from having to buy new ones once they’re house-trained!)
• Put electrical cords behind furniture or in boxes. This is key, as to someone who spends much time close to the ground, these cords can look mighty tasty.
• Use bitter apple spray on furniture legs to discourage chewing.
• Research your house plants, and make sure that yours are non-toxic.  Even if they’re safe, it’s a good idea to move them to higher ground in the short term.
• Walk around your house and identify any nooks and crevices that a puppy would like to cuddle in or under, and clean them out.  Make a mental note of these places, so you know where to look if your puppy is hiding.
• Screen low windows and consider adding dowel rods to prevent falls when windows are open.

Calling All Dog Owners

What did we miss? Experienced dog owners, please chime in and leave a comment if there’s some helpful hint, or something unique or unusual that you discovered as a first time pet owner!

A Major “Mini” Resolution

Happy New Year!  2014, a new year, fresh and ready to be filled with projects, adventures, and naturally a few resolutions.

Like many people, I have an organizational goal for 2014 (shocking, I know 😉 ), to pare down to the essentials to reduce excess in my life (& by doing so, reduce stress.) 

The Major Mini Problem

While unpacking after moving earlier this year, I noticed far too much of type one thing: mini toiletries! After a hotel stay I always keep the half-used bottles of shampoo and conditioner, figuring they’ll just get thrown out if I don’t.  But instead of finishing off the bottles at home, I’d “file” them away in the drawer of minis, in clearly labeled Ziplocks (hair, face, lotion, etc. -remember “like with like”?), with the idea I’ll use them again when I travel.  But then I get new stuff, and the stash grows.  So, my resolution is to use up all of these minis by the end of 2014, and attain a less-cluttered vanity in the process.

In conversations with friends and experiences with clients, I know I’m not alone. Keeping hotel “minis”, and eventually ending up with a bigger-than-intended stash, is a common issue.  So, what to do about it? 

To achieve my resolution I am ignoring my full-sized products and putting out the minis, one bottle at a time, until I’ve reduced the stash to just one of everything, which will live in my travel kit, ready to go at a moment’s notice.

If you have a stash of mini toiletries that has grown unwieldy, (particularly full ones) and this tortoise-like approach isn’t for you, here are a couple other ideas:

• One friend whose brother is serving in Afghanistan right now sent over her stash of full mini bottles in a care package. You can send care packages in flat rate boxes through the USPS.  Find out more about shipping restrictions.  If you don’t have any connections to anyone in the military, but this idea appeals to you, find a soldier through Any Soldier Inc. (or its affiliates, Any Marine, Any Sailor, Any Airman, and Any Coast Guard).

• A client whose hotel toiletry collection had grown out of hand donated them to Boston Children’s Hospital, where parents are often staying overnight in high-stress situations, and giving little thought to planning their own personal hygiene! Children’s was near and dear to our client’s heart, but you can get creative!

What are your New Year’s Resolutions (organizational or otherwise)?  Leave a comment and let us know!  If that resolution falls into the “tackle that closet” or “deal with my kids’ cluttered playroom” category, we’re always here to help!

Making Guests Feel At Home… In Your Home

You’ve attended the kids’ holiday concert at school, your spouse’s office party, and spent countless hours shopping & prepping for this joyous season. While hosting out of town relatives or friends make the holidays even more special, if you’re not prepared, it can also add a ton of stress to an already insanely busy time of year.  With that in mind, here’s a few Wiggle Room tips for making your house guests feel welcome and comfortable during their stay:

Get the guest room ready, and don’t forget the little touches:

Make the bed with clean sheets.  An extra blanket at the foot of the bed will make them feel cozy and comfortable, and an extra set of pillows in the closet or in an under bed box is a nice touch, too.  Add a few books and current magazines on the nightstand for before bed reading.

Test the air mattress:

If your extra bed is an air mattress, don’t wait until your guests are at the door to blow it up.  Test it ahead of time and keep it inflated overnight to make sure there aren’t any slow leaks– all too common with air mattresses!

Have a suitcase stand handy:

A luggage rack actually keeps me more organized when I’m living out of a suitcase!  It’s an
inexpensive addition to your guest room, and particularly nice for older guests who might have trouble reaching their suitcase if it’s on the floor.

Make some room in the closet:

The guest room closet is a great asset for off-season storage most of the year, but as an out-of-the-way space, it is also a prime candidate for clutter and disorder.  Make sure that there’s enough room for your guests to hang their clothes, or make space in another closet that’s easy for them to access.  (And if those closets need some serious help, it’s not too late to book an appointment with Wiggle Room!)

Make a toiletries basket:

Gather all those hotel mini bottles and dentist office freebies you’ve accumulated and display them in a basket for your guests to use.  Have shampoo, conditioner, soap, lotion, toothpaste, and a toothbrush, along with a clean washcloth or bath poof.

Set out spare towels:
Using ones that are a different color than your own lets guests know which towels are theirs.

Stock the kitchen:

Nothing makes me feel more welcome than when my host knows what I like for breakfast, and stocks the fridge (nor guiltier when they’ve bought every imaginable food item, for me, when I just want a banana 😉 ).  Find out what your guests like, then have plenty of it on hand.  Ditto for afternoon snacks.

Make a spare key:

Hide it if your fam is arriving when you’ll be out of the house.  If they’ll be coming and going on their own during their visit, a spare key will simplify logistics!

Create a list of important phone numbers:

While this type of list is great to have all year round, a list of important numbers is especially useful for guests, should anything go awry while you’re out.  Along with the police, fire department, and nearest hospital, include numbers for your plumber and handyman.  The locations and hours of the nearest grocery store and pharmacy will be appreciated by guests that aren’t familiar with the neighborhood, especially if they’re staying in your house without you!

Write down household instructions:

My grandmother always left post-it notes for how to work the TV and VCR.  In this age of increasingly complex electronics, this practice is more important than ever!  Writing down instructions for the TV/remote(s), WiFi, alarm system, etc., will make things easier for you and your guests.
 

From our families to yours, have a happy & healthy holiday season!

Everyone Can Use Some Wiggle Room

The holiday season is upon us!  It can be a  fun time of year (parties! presents!) but also stressful and time consuming (parties! presents!).  Sometimes finding the right gift for a loved one or family member is easy, but often it can be a challenge.  What do you give the person that has EVERYTHING?  How about giving the gift of organization…

A Wiggle Room gift certificate can be a creative and thoughtful way to help bring order to the lives of busy moms and dads, overworked professionals, friends or relatives that are moving (or have recently), or might be expecting a new child- really, just about anyone!

If you’ve used Wiggle Room’s services yourself, you’re familiar with our process, but if not, here’s a bit more about what “giving” a gift of Wiggle Room looks like:

The Wiggle Room Experience

Wiggle Room’s goal is to create systems that simplify clients’ lives.  Home organization is such a personal service, we must take time to establish a relationship with each of our clients, starting with our free 30-minute face-to-face assessment.

We do an in-home assessment, and create a plan for working together.  Each client and space is different; the size of the space, the current state of “things”, and the client’s goals are all factors in determining how much time a project will take. We aim to use what you have around the house so you’re not spending lots of money on supplies too.

While our services are available hourly, we also offer two (money saving!) packages.  These offer some guidance in figuring out what size gift is appropriate for the lucky recipient.

A Mini-Makeover ($265 for 4 hrs):

• Includes up to 4 hours of hands-on organizing
• Perfect for smaller spaces, like overwhelming toy closets, overflowing kitchen cabinets or bathrooms
• Helpful for busy people that want a push to get started on a larger organizing sweep through their homes

A Complete Makeover ($499 for 8 hours):

• Includes up to 8 hours of hands-on organizing
• Perfect for entire rooms, like kitchens or home offices, or kid’s playrooms or bedrooms (especially those where you can no longer see the floor!)
• Helpful for people that need an organizational system, tailored to their needs, and strive to turn kids into allies against clutter

To read more, check out the “Organization Packages” on our website.  And don’t just take our word for it- listen to those whose lives have been impacted through some professional organizational help!

If the gift of Wiggle Room sounds like just the right thing for someone on your list this year, do not hesitate to contact Wiggle Room!  We’d love to take the time to speak with you and tailor a gift package that suits your recipient’s needs perfectly!

A Tale of Two Closets

This week’s featured makeover shows off a project we see all too often- the extra closet… with oh so much potential, but currently the bane of our organizational existence!

This hallway closet in question serves a family of four, Mom & Dad, and their 2 adorable young sons. As is often the case with shared spaces, it seemed that each family member saw the closet serving a different purpose… and weren’t shy about utilizing it the way they saw fit! Certainly not overnight, but rather in time, this wonderful extra closet turned into ground zero for cleaning supplies, tools, sports equipment, packing peanuts, assorted toys, art supplies, cycling gear, holiday items & artifacts… you get the idea, and I’m sure you can relate. In the absence of a clear system- not only for “what belongs”, but where it belongs– a “system” of chaos emerges, and nobody seems to get what they need from the space 🙁

The challenge was on, to design an organizational system catering to everyone’s needs, and in a way that’s easy for everyone to follow (even little ones are often great helpers once they know how!)

Rolling Up Our Sleeves

As always, the first order of business was to “get sorted”. The challenge in this case was how much stuff crammed atop the closet’s high wire shelves. Coupled with the floor being crowded with an assortment of items that made stepping into the closet nearly impossible, you can imagine our trepidation as we gently starting pulling things out. It looked as though if we moved one thing wrong, we may cause an avalanche down on top of us!

Not to be deterred, we got each and every thing off those shelves & off that floor, and found an ideal closet space awaiting us!

With the closet emptied, we arranged all it’s contents on the kitchen table. Next step, I started grouping items (“like with like”). As I did this, our client started spotting items she didn’t need to live in the closet. 

With all the contents sorted, it was easy to find new, more suitable homes, for a lot of what had accumulated in the closet.

• Spare electrical parts and infrequently used household sprays moved to the garage, though collected in a bins rather than loose.
• Expired art supplies, like dried out paints were trashed while the good supplies moved into the kids’ art cabinet (a project we had tackled in September).
• Out-of-season sports equipment, along with other infrequently used stuff headed off to the basement.

After we purged or relocated the bulk of the closet’s contents, the pile of things to return to the closet was actually quite small. All in all, we needed just 5 different clear bins to get the closet back in shape.  

Order Restored

We took a step back to assess, and it was shocking how much room was still leftover, and better yet, how much light now filled the space!  With all the extra space we set out to uncover items lurking down in the basement or otherwise out of the way that could use a closer home due to frequent use. We made room for a stash of paper towels, Kleenex, and toilet paper up from the basement storage so that fewer trips downstairs were necessary. 

One remaining order of business- purchase and install clips (similar to this 5-Position Wall Organizer) to hold the mops and brooms flush against the empty right wall for easy access.

With two people, the closet overhaul took less than 2 hours! While we wrapped up, our relieved client admitted what we hear all too often- it was the kind of project she never would’ve found time to have tackle solo.

If you’re looking for a little help getting a hall closet under control, you know how to find us! And who knows, you just may be our next featured makeover!

It’s hard to narrow the act of organizing down to one sentence.  Each space and challenge is as unique as the person to whom it belongs.  However, after years of working with busy Moms, one key mantra has emerged:

“Like With Like.”

It’s quite simple, probably even obvious to some, but after peering into many closets, drawers, cabinets, and desks, we can assure you that it’s not always so.

One Mantra, Many Spaces

“Like with like” comes into play in just about every space we encounter.  In organizing a child’s playroom, it means storing all the blocks in one bin, storing doll clothes with dolls, keeping all the craft materials in one area, (and often breaks down farther than that).  In a pantry makeover it means keeping all your bottles of oil together, perhaps next to the vinegars, keeping cereal in one place, and canned veggies in another.  When you keep like with like in terms of food, you eliminate the frantic opening of cupboards at supper times when you’re thinking “Gah, I KNOW I have canned tomatoes SOMEWHERE.” 

In a recent bathroom organization project (which technically was little more than surveying the contents of the drawers, sorting it, and moving it around) I discovered that the client had 12 unopened tubes of toothpaste, 6 new cans of shaving cream, and no fewer than 35 bars of soap, scattered across 6 drawers and 4 cupboards.  Stashing commonly used products is practical, but we want to make sure it’s judicious— not because too much clutter is hiding what you already own.  After the reorganization, top drawers held items used every day, while the bottom drawers housed the (plentiful) spares.  Each type of product was stored together, so when the client opens any drawer it’s immediately obvious what they have and what they might need.

Try It Yourself!

If you’ve been meaning to organize a portion of your home, whether large or small, but haven’t been able to figure out how to go about it, give our “like with like” mantra a whirl.  Pull everything out, sort it, and then put it back “like with like”.  Be sure to keep commonly used items easy to access!  Once like items are stored together— whether Tonka toys, towels, or toothpaste, you’ll be on your way to easier and more streamlined storage solutions.

Getting started

It’s ironic.  One week into launching a blog that inspires to help people get more organized, and the biggest challenge is to organize my own thoughts!  It turns out organizing “stuff” and organizing thoughts are two entirely different beasts.  Go figure. 😉  At some point, as with all projects, you have stop thinking about it and dive in, or else it’ll never happen!

Getting more organized is kind of the same way.  It’s a commitment—of time and of energy—and for those reasons (& more) it becomes all too easy to put off starting.

Life Changes

Often a big life change, such as moving, is the catalyst for starting an organizing project.  Fitting your life into new a space— perhaps with more room, maybe with less—means that one has to adopt new systems that suit your lifestyle within the changing space.  And of course, the physical act of moving all that STUFF can definitely inspire you to take a good hard look at what it all is (& hopefully purge a few things!)

Welcoming a baby is another life change that often inspires an organizational kickstart.  Instead of changing spaces, the challenge becomes how to reconfigure an existing space to fit another (little) person who comes into the world with a whole host of more STUFF!

Regardless of the impetus, organizing is about optimizing your space and using it to its best advantage.  At the end of the day, an organization project should make your space easier and more enjoyable to use.  Whether you’re considering tackling a space on your own or seeking professional help, remember that step one is committing to it and diving in.  (You can totally do it!)  Once you’re engaged, yes, it’ll take some time and energy, but see it through and an improved space is never too far away.

Your future self will thank you for it!