Guess what? Being organized isn’t about the stuff. It’s about the empty spaces between the stuff which I call margin. Others refer to it as white space, breathing room, buffer or empty space. Regardless of the name, margin allows items to move in and out of spaces freely and stay organized. I strive to create margin every time I declutter a space.
When I create organize in a closet or cabinet, I spend a lot of time planning how the items will live and be stored in the space.I consider what items are used most often and create easy access to those.
No matter what space I’m working on, the key is to declutter first and organize second.
When you reduce the volume, spaces have a way of organizing themselves. Because it’s the margin in these spaces that’s the real game-changer, especially when it comes to staying organized.
Margin not only allows spaces to function better but also makes them more attractive. Did you know that the margin on a piece of written work is 37%? White space makes the paper easy to read and creates a beautiful document. Margin ensures the work is presented in an organized fashion. The same is true of physical spaces and their contents.
Here are 3 spaces where margin can make you more organized.
Clothing Closet
Is your clothing stuffed into your closet? Do you push clothes aside to find the shirt you’re looking for? No margin right?
What if your closet contained only your favorite clothes? And the items hung freely with fewer wrinkles. Space in a closet allows you to easily put away laundry and get ready quickly in the morning.
Start by looking at your closet and determine how much you need to remove in order to create margin. Set a goal to reduce a certain number of items or a percentage. Most closets require a 25-50% reduction in order to achieve this. And when you downsize your wardrobe, laundry is easier.
Dishes and Kitchenware
Are you constantly unstacking plates and bowls just to set the table for dinner? Or are you struggling to find a cabinet to store the Instapot?
Try this. Open up all the kitchen cabinets and step back to observe. Look for prime real estate for items you use most and store them accordingly. Remove the lesser-used items and rearrange until each cabinet has adequate margin.
As you declutter, consider how many dishes you own vs. how many people live in your home. We are a family of three and typically host 2-3 extra people. 6 dinner plates, 4 sandwich plates, and 4 bowls is plenty.
Next, stack plates and bowls separately with the heaviest ones on the bottom shelf. Practice removing and reshelving items to see how easy or difficult it is and make adjustments. Margin helps a kitchen function more efficiently and effectively.
Bookshelves
A bookshelf should be full right? But what if you left empty spaces instead? Blank spaces allow your eyes to rest. Too many books and decorations make a bookshelf feel heavy no matter how organized it is.
Start by reducing your book collection. Extra books on a shelf can feel like an unfinished task. When I reduced my book collection, I began reading more. I chose books that were interesting to me and borrowed them digitally from the library.
Decorations are dust collectors. When you’re deciding which decorations to keep, ask yourself, “Do I love it enough to dust it?” Donating more means dusting less!
So, which spaces in your home need more margin to improve function and add beauty?
I’m pretty good with this, but probably my shoe shelves. I wear a shoe size that is hard to find, so I tend to hold onto them. I agree that having some margin is really a wonderful thing. I say, “A storage system that is at capacity is about to fail.”
Margins! I usually refer to this as White Space. You are correct in that the eyes need to rest. I’d rather have plants as decoration in my home. They do take some work but I like the aesthetic that it brings into my home.
Excellent points! Margin, white space, buffer — it’s all about making enough room in your present to move into your future. I was always told to never fill any space more than 80% full, and I think that might even be generous. Without margin, it’s so hard to move things around without injuring the items or yourself!
Having less gives you the ability for those “margins.” For the physical stuff of life, I call it breathing room. For my calendar, I think of it as white space. But whatever you call it, the idea is to have space for calm, for quiet, and for the things you have or do to have the room they need. All of that translates into less stress.
This is great. Margin also allows room for change. If your closet is packed full, you won’t be able to bring home something new.
I always keep my bookcases full, only getting rid of books when I need the space for new ones. I never thought of actually leaving empty space! Let’s see if I have the guts to try it…
you can do it!