When the space around you is in disarray, your mind cannot be that far behind. New York Mothers have enough to deal with in their day to day lives, building an organized life can help ease your mind and might even provide you with some additional time in your day, to take care of you! "Organizational Guru" Nicole Smith offers advice on how to clear up the clutter and clear up your life.

Transcript of Interview with Nicole Smith

Sherrina:  Welcome back to New York Mother.com.  I’m Sherrina Navani.  Welcome to the Your Mind section of the site.  Today we are going to be talking to Nicole Smith from The Perfect Space.  Nicole, thank you for joining us today.  As you know, New York mothers run the gamut.  They have little ones.  They have children who are off to college.  In New York, we all know space is at a premium.  That being said, it is often hard to keep it organized.  Thank you so much for joining us today and for sharing with our viewers everything they need to know, not only to clear up the space around them, but to help them clear their minds, as well.  Let’s first talk a little bit about your company, The Perfect Space.  When did it start and how did it start?  Where did it stem from?

Nicole:  About seven years ago while I was in college, I started organizing as an extra-money job.  Once I graduated college, I moved to the city and needed an extra source of income here.  I started doing a little organizing here and there.  Then about a year ago, I started The Perfect Space.

Sherrina:  Wow!  So you are based in New York.

Nicole:  Yes, I am.

Sherrina:  Excellent.  Tell me, for a new mom or a mom who has little ones (and we all know that little ones come with a lot of little things that pile up, as I have in my home), what would you recommend a mother do with the toys, bottles, and clothes?  What tips or recommendations do you have for that mom?

Nicole:  I think that the first, most important thing for any mother is to always have a system in place ahead of time.  The more you can plan ahead, the easier every day is going to go.  If you have a little one (or even before they come), it is best to set up your nursery area, which can be a very small space here in the city.  Make sure that you have a specific place for each and every item that they are going to need and always leave about 10% of the space empty so that you can accommodate for the things that you are going to get once they are here.  I think that is Number One.

Sherrina:  With babies, it is often hard to plan in advance.

Nicole:  It’s definitely hard with babies.  You never know exactly when they are going to sleep or when they are going to want to eat.

Sherrina:  Exactly.

Nicole:  There are a lot of little accidents here and there, and you have to give them a bath all of a sudden.  Again, it’s best if you have an idea in your head of how you want things to go.  One easy tip is to prepare bottles in advance.  Whenever you make one, make a couple extra.  That way you will not be stuck with a screaming baby on your arm while trying to prepare a bottle at the same time.  Another tip is diaper bags:  each time you go out, as soon as you get back, restock.  It is easy then to just be ready to grab the bag and go out the door knowing that everything is in there that you may need at a moment’s notice.

Sherrina:  That’s a great point.  I often end up walking out the door, looking in my diaper bag, and realizing, “There are no diapers in the diaper bag.  There’s a lot of other crap in there that shouldn’t be in there, but there are no diapers.”  That’s a great point, so thank you for sharing that.

Nicole:  You’re welcome.

Sherrina:   Let’s talk about moms who have kids in elementary or summer school who tend to bring home a lot of friends who are always in the house, running around and doing this and doing that.  What recommendations would you give to those moms on how to organize their space?

Nicole:  Again, I say try to plan ahead as much as possible.  You can also start implementing things now while your children who are growing.  First of all, you need to set up with them a way to organize their toys and such.  Have a place for everything, and that way everything is always in its place when they are done using it.  If kids are coming over to play and having a great time, you could make sure that your child knows that “before we start playing with something else, we need to put the first thing away.”  That way you are not stuck with moms coming to get their little ones and leaving you with a mess of a dozen different toys that have been played with during the hour they have been there.

Sherrina:  Good point.

Nicole:  Yes, to put things away.  If it already has a place to go, it goes right back there and you don’t have to worry about overflowing toys boxes and shelves that are just completely cluttered with toys everywhere.

Sherrina:  And how about that mom whose child is off to college and now has too much space?  What you would recommend to organize that extra space they have just gotten?

Nicole:  I would say that if you have an extra room because your child has left, you might consider having them make the decision even before they leave:  “You’re going into a new phase in your life and becoming an adult.  What sort of things are you ready to get rid of?” 

I would say definitely involve your child in that planning.  I remember going off to college and having my mother make a lot of those decisions without me.  I was just heartbroken to come home and find that I no longer had a room because it had become a guest bedroom, and my stuff was gone.  Make those decisions with your child before they leave or maybe on the first break that they have when they come home.  Get rid of all that extraneous stuff that is left over from their childhood that they no longer need or want, or you could put it into storage.  Put that room to a good use.  It could be a home office where you put a desk for yourself.  Make it into a beautiful guest bedroom or whatever you choose to do with it, but I think it is definitely important to involve that child.  Even though they are off to college for some time, they are going to be coming back.  They are certainly going to want a place to stay that still feels like they are involved in the family.

Sherrina:  That’s a very good point.  I consider myself a huge pack rat.  I am very sentimental about the things that I have, and I find it hard to get rid of things like my daughter’s clothes.  She literally wears something one time, and she is not able to wear it again next week.   They are in such good condition that I feel I can’t even give them away to anybody because I don’t know anyone who has a little girl like mine.  What would you recommend that I do with all those great clothes I have gotten that I just can’t get rid of?

Nicole:  I would say that if you are planning on having another child, it would definitely be great to keep them around.  You can put a bunch of things into storage.  There are a lot of storage options, especially here in the city, because space is so limited.  You can also do things like create little storage areas.  Maybe you have some benches or ottomans in her room that fold open and you can keep other things inside of those, older things that you are not necessarily using anymore but you just don’t want to get rid of.  Space saver bags are an option.  You can put a bunch of those into a closet on a shelf, and you can probably fit 40 outfits into just one of the small bags when you are talking about a small child.   That’s a great option, as well.  You will also find that once you start getting rid of a couple of those things that you are not so attached to that it becomes a really cathartic experience, and you can start letting go of more and more stuff.  You can let someone in the family borrow it for their child and then giving it back to you—gentle use required, of course!

Sherrina:  Which is hard with kids!

Nicole:  Right, but these are all options that you have, and I think they are all great options.

Sherrina:  Tell me a little bit more about The Perfect Space—more about your company, how it works.  How a mother would get in touch with you?

Nicole:  Okay.  I have a website.  It is www.theperfectspaceny.com  which shows you all the services that I offer, and there are a lot of services. 

Sherrina:  What are they?

Nicole:  I am an organizer and design guru.  I can go into in any space and assess with you what your trouble areas are.  Maybe you have a desk that is just completely cluttered and it is the bane of your existence.  Every day it is a struggle to find something else on that desk that you know that you saw there at one point.  We can sit down and discuss those problem areas, figure out your goals, and find a way to accommodate your needs so that your space functions efficiently for you on a daily basis.  That is going to create a sense of calm and empowerment for you as a mother so that you can stop worrying about all those other extraneous things and concentrate more on yourself and your family.

Sherrina:  Can you recommend some items a mom just should not live without?

Nicole:  Sure, most definitely.  First of all, I truly think that a mother should always have a sense of calm, empowerment, and control of everything in her life.  In order to those things a few items she should have with her would be:

• A calendar, planner, or Blackberry – something that allows you to keep in touch with your schedule and everyone else’s schedules so that you are not constantly saying, “When was Susie’s dress rehearsal again?  When does Bobbie have that baseball game?  I have yoga class at what time?” 

Sherrina:  We all have ‘mommy brain’ and you can’t remember all that.

Nicole:  It’s a great thing to have a calendar. 

• I’m a big on color coding.  It seems so silly, but if Susie is always in pink and Bobbie is always in blue and you are always in green, at least you know where each person needs to be instead of just having a long, crazy list of people’s activities that are not distinguishable.
• I think it’s a great thing for a mother to have one thing that always makes her feel on top of the world.  It might be your special sexy lip gloss that, when you put in on, you just know you are ‘it’ and in control.  Maybe it is a picture of your family that helps you realize, “This is what is important in my life and these are the things I need to concentrate on.  All this other stress is extraneous and will pass.”  It could be some special songs on your IPod that you can put on, forget about the world for a moment, and zone out.  It should be something that makes you feel great and puts you back on the right track.

Sherrina:  You are not only organizing the space around you, you are organizing your mind, and you are getting into the zone.  That is very important. 

Nicole:  That’s right.

Sherrina:  A lot of our mothers not only live in New York, they work in New York.  Working adds on additional stress that a lot of us could do without.  Unfortunately, we need to work and pay those bills.  How do you organize your work life and your home life so you can manage both correctly?

Nicole:  I think that’s really a big deal, especially for New York mothers—the working, the functioning of the family and how to do it all.  Again, my biggest thing is to have that system in place at home so that everything runs smoothly.  Planning ahead is the number one tip for any mother or anyone.  Do as much as you can ahead of time. 

I advocate for family meal plans—scheduling out a monthly menu.  You can and sit down with the family and say, “What sort of meals do we want to have this month?”  It could be planned out for each day or you could say, “This week we are going to eat these sorts of things.”  Prep as much as you can in advance, and when Monday, comes you know you are having such-and-such and this part of is already set to go. 

Delegate.  If you children are old enough to help you out in the kitchen, allow that.  It is quality family time, it gets things done more quickly, and it makes them feel more involved.  They are more likely to eat something that they were involved in making.

Sherrina:  And it is cheaper than hiring a cook!

Nicole:  Definitely!  If you can afford such services, though, there are some great websites that offer at-home chefs.  Dishes (www.dishestogo.com )is one of them.  They can come in and prepare meals for you for the entire week so that it is all done and ready to just pop in the microwave or oven to reheat.  They are relatively affordable.  It is a great service to use if you have the money to do it.  (She said Dishes Dishes here, but I looked on the internet and I think she means Dishes to Go)

Sherrina:  That’s good to know, because I burn everything!

Nicole:  Yes, if you are not such a great cook and you have the money to hire out, I would suggest Dishes.  They also do menus specific to each family.  If your family has special needs—such as allergies or if you are vegetarian--they will totally accommodate you.

Something else to save time on is shopping.  Most stores nowadays offer online sites and services.  They will also deliver straight to your home.  Instead of taking the little ones to the grocery story, having a crying baby and another child pulling stuff the shelf, and then waiting in line, all of which is very stressful for you, with just a couple of clicks on the internet you can have it delivered to you in your set time when you are ready for it to come.   Maybe the kids are already in bed and you can unload the boxes and get it all done.  Fresh Direct is a great company to do that, and there are also many other stores that offer that service.

Sherrina:  I find that you don’t shop as much if you are shopping online.  You tend to purchase just the things that you need.

Nicole:  Exactly, so it is more affordable in the long run.

Sherrina:  That’s great.  What did we do during the internet?  I can’t remember.  There was no New York Mother before the internet.  Nicole, you have been just a wealth of information.  Is there any other information that you want to share with our New York moms?

Nicole:  Again I want to stress that having a system in place is just the most important thing.  A couple of other time-saving tips would be to get the clothes for each member of your family ready the night before.  Plan what you are going to wear so that in the morning you are not looking for everyone’s sock, shirts, etc., causing you to be all stressed out before you even leave the door to start your day.  Do as much as you can ahead of time to prep and plan, and you can live a stress-free life on a daily basis.

Sherrina:  I guess I could do it when I’m listening to the evening news and weather report.  I could just pull out my clothes at that point. 

Nicole:  Exactly.

Sherrina:  And there are laundry services out there, too, right?

Nicole:  Right.  Pick up, drop off—they will do it all for you.

Sherrina:  I love being in New York.

Nicole:  Yes!

Sherrina:  Thank you again.  For you moms out there, it is called The Perfect Space.  It is www.theperfectspaceny.com.   Nicole, thank you so much for joining us today.

Nicole:  I appreciate being here.

Sherrina:  For New York Mother, I’m Sherrina Navani.