Prepping Your Home for [Blank]

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Prepping. Is that the same as organizing? Well, no. But if you prep or prepare your home for something, you and your home will be more organized as a result.

You can prep your home for guests or for an upcoming holiday event at your home. You can prep it for a move, even if you have no immediate plans for a move. Or you can prep your home for the inevitable occasion when your family members will have to sort through your stuff after you’re gone. Horrible thought, I know, and one that most people don’t want think about.

I’ve witnessed numerous times where family members have had to deal with the belongings of their deceased loved ones. And I’ve often thought to myself, “I bet they didn’t want anyone to see that!” and “I’m sure they didn’t plan to leave behind such an overwhelming undertaking for their children.”

That’s why I’ve made sure that, if anything were to happen to me, my stuff won’t be too overwhelming for someone else to deal with, embarrassing in any way, or the kind of stuff that might cause trouble for someone else.

I rest easier knowing that my home is prepped – for all of the reasons above.

In keeping my home prepped for unexpected guests, I don’t have the stress of handling last-minute work to get the place ready. And, since my last move, I make sure that I have just what I need and not more than I need. I’m pretty sure there are no more garage sales in my future!

My advice to my clients – and to the people I love – is to keep your home prepped and ready for anything by dealing with your stuff now rather than later. And that requires routine prepping. Think of it as organizing for the future.

There are many places where stuff gets stashed or tossed or placed and forgotten about. It’s just a matter of looking and sorting through those places every once in awhile. It might mean going through a desk drawer on one day and the linen closet on another day and so on until the amount of stuff in your home feels right to you.

Imagine the feeling of peace I have knowing that at any minute a guest could show up at my door, or that I have to leave town unexpectedly and get a house sitter, or that my landlord is selling the property and I have to move quickly (which happened), or even if something dreadful happened to me.

Prepping your home – for anything – will give you the confidence that you are ready for anything, and that your stuff won’t be a burden to anyone, including (and especially) you.

Cyndi Seidler is an organization lifestylist, specializing in helping individuals put order into their space and their lives – and transforming spaces into areas that smile back at them. She has been providing organizing and room makeover services to homes and businesses for 20 years, and was dubbed “Organizer to the Stars” by the media. To her clients, she is The Organizing Lady. She serves the northeast and west valleys of Los Angeles. Visit her website www.organizinglady.com

 

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