Ayanna McMullen (Photo by Jay Paul)
Ayanna McMullen has always had a knack for organization. Though she didn’t know it then, when she was a child, her mother made her share a bedroom with a different sibling from time to time in hopes that Ayanna’s orderly tendencies would rub off on them. “I’ve always been the go-to to keep things straight,” she says. “I’ve always been in tune with spaces.”
Today, this former nonprofit program director with a master’s degree in public administration owns and operates Harmony Organizing.
“Most clients that I work with are people whose pain has become acute,” McMullen says, with situations such as caring for an elderly parent, a baby on the way or the realization that productivity is waning because of a chaotic life. “It can be something more abstract as well, like going through a spiritual transition and feeling the need to release things that no longer align with your personality,” she says.
When organizing, McMullen follows a set of ground rules for all spaces first championed by OG organizer Julie Morgenstern — “space” being the operative word that serves as a mnemonic device: Sort your stuff into categories; Purge what you don’t need; Assign a home to what you want; Containerize items appropriately; and Equalize (maintain your system).
McMullen takes a holistic approach to organizing as well. Beyond the physical aspect of managing stuff, every project also has a mental aspect: By creating an organized space, you free up brain capacity that is otherwise tasked with taking in that space’s information, even on a subconscious level. And every organizing decision has a spiritual component, too — an organized space should align with what you want to achieve in life, how you want to live and who you want to be.
But here’s the good news: Everyone is allowed to have a junk drawer. It’s all about balance, and balance is different for everyone; not everyone needs the same level of order. “Comparison to other people is a pitfall for people who are trying to get their lives in order,” McMullen says.
Here, McMullen offers tips and considerations for taming common hot spots in home management.
CREATE A ‘HEART-CENTERED KITCHEN’
Since the kitchen is undeniably the heart of the home, McMullen likes to help create what she calls a “heart-centered kitchen” — one that nourishes, heals and brings people together.
- Start with food. Pull everything out of the refrigerator and cabinets. Put back only the things that are going to nourish you. Toss things that have expired.
- Buy less, buy smarter. You may have to shop more often for fresh meat and produce, but you’ll likely have less waste, too, if you can see what’s in your fridge.
- Stash and stow. “Every heart-centered kitchen should have some clear counter space,” McMullen says. Store appliances you don’t use daily. If you walk into a kitchen with clear expanses of counter space, “You’ll feel like you have a fresh start.”
- Get uniform storage containers, and label them. “Labels work. You don’t have to identify [an item] every time you use it if it’s labeled,” McMullen says. But don’t go crazy; too many labels can produce information overload. She suggests labeling items behind closed doors, and labeling the edge of your shelves. Uniform storage containers are pleasing to the eye and soothing to the mind.
- Make your existing cabinets more functional. Install slide-out shelving for pots and pans. Place a tap light in deep cabinets or pantries; you won’t use what you can’t see.
BRING BALANCE TO THE BEDROOM
“The bedroom is the place where we like to rest and rejuvenate,” McMullen says. “Every organizing decision in this space should be made with that in mind.
- Create a bedroom where you want to spend time. According to McMullen, every bedroom needs a soothing color, comfortable bedding, organized drawers, and clothing and shoe storage. (For shoes, she likes clear boxes.) “For smaller spaces … go vertical [with storage], but not too vertical, or the space will feel like it’s closing in on you,” she says.
- Aim for as many clear surfaces as possible. “That’s [part of the reason] why you rest better on vacation. Your mind can detach from your surroundings.” Keep your bedside table clutter- and electronics-free.
- Keep work separate. If you use your bedroom as a workspace, incorporate a partition to distinguish the spaces you use for sleep and work, or use items that are easy to stow away at the end of the day (a file box, for example).
- Do a closet purge. Pull everything out, sort it, and group like with like. Make piles to donate, discard or gift. Be honest with yourself; if you haven’t worn items for more than six months, put them together in one section of your closet for new consideration. If you haven’t worn them after a short period, it’s time to toss.
- Stop shopping. And when you do shop, buy quality over quantity. Ask yourself with every purchase: Do I love this item? Does it speak to my character? Is it of quality? Am I really going to use this? Do I actually need this? “Sometimes you just need a pause [when shopping] to be mindful,” McMullen says.
MAKE SENSE OF MEMORABILIA
Memorabilia may be the trickiest of all to organize because of emotional attachment, according to McMullen. “We like to keep memorabilia because it sparks a memory of a special event, place, time or a person,” she says.
- Honor your feelings, respect your space. When curating memorabilia, ask yourself: Does it bring me joy? Does it help me live in the present by giving me an inspirational boost? Keep only those things that elicit a positive feeling.
- Do not keep other people’s memories. “People give you things because they valued it so much, and maybe you don’t, but you want to honor their memory,” McMullen says. Try to align the item with your life; for example, can an inherited piece be repurposed or reimagined into a use or look that fits your home? Get a second eye from a creative friend to help imagine the possibilities.
- Assess value. If an item doesn’t appeal to you, determine if it’s financially valuable or an investment piece. It might be worth selling or saving for future generations.
- Do a short-term save. Keep the kids’ macaroni art for a little while, but not until high school graduation, McMullen suggests. Birthday cards or notes with inspirational sayings make good bookmarks.
- Transform memorabilia into something new. Take pictures or videos of items you want to remember. Make a collage or a piece of art from items to recall positive memories.
HELP FOR HOME OFFICES
If the kitchen is the heart of the home, the workspace is the brain. “It’s where you get things done … where you plan and curate ideas, map out your future, keep important information,” McMullen says. “It’s probably the space where you are emitting the most brain power.”
- Create a sacred workspace that allows you to enjoy the work you’re doing. For McMullen to get in the zone, she needs music, a pleasantly scented environment, good lighting and something to drink or eat. “It’s signaling your body that it’s time to work, but we’re going to do it in a pleasant way,” she says. A plant and inspirational quotes or photos can add more positive energy.
- Keep office supplies accessible and tidy. Use the same SPACE methods that you’d use anywhere else in the home. If you have a pull-out keyboard drawer on your desk that you aren’t using, transform it into office supply storage with a flat cosmetic divider.
- Tackle that paper. Start by sorting it into categories: financial, medical, insurance, reference, ideas/projects and quick reference (like passwords). Then determine what’s “active” and “inactive.” Store papers you don’t need every day (business and financial information, medical records and the like). Create a current basket for active papers you use daily: idea and project files, quick reference material, mail — things you want to keep on your radar. “The current basket is a lifesaver for a lot of my clients,” McMullen says.
- Sync your system. Make sure files containing similar information have the same name across platforms, from paper to electronic. “This speaks to the kind of world we live in,” she says. “We’re going to get [information] auditorily, visually, physically ... so how do you maintain that? By syncing your system.”
- Manage your cords. McMullen likes cord management boxes from Blue Lounge.
