How exciting it is to have your first home! How scary it is to have your first home!
When a child leaves the nest and “flies solo” for the first time, what does he need to know? Diane Quintana has an excellent book, Flying Solo: A Guide To Organizing Your Home When You Leave Your Parent’s Nest. In this book she covers organizing the move, space, kitchen, budget, papers, and time.
Should the child rent or buy? What might a landlord require? What utilities will he need to deal with? What is the basic amount of furniture he will need in order to be comfortable, and how will he fit the furniture into a small place?
Once the child has found the place, how does he arrange it? How does he go about moving what he already has? What room should he set up first?
Setting up a budget is crucial. Living within the budget is even more crucial. What are some ways to go about setting up the budget and keeping track of bills and personal spending?
Then there is the organization of all the paperwork that comes with living. Where does the daily influx of mail go? What kinds of files are needed? What has to be kept and what can be thrown away? Where does he keep all of this paperwork in a small home.
And probably the most important of all is the organization of time. Some things simply must be scheduled first – going to a job/and or school. Learning to prioritize what needs to be done and to be aware of how long it takes to do tasks takes work. Many people forget to schedule transition times. Also important are making long term plans and effectively using a calendar.
Diane covers all of this and more in her book. She also includes helpful checklists.
If you live in the Atlanta area and know someone getting ready to start off on their own, gather them up and bring them to our workshop July 20th at 10:00. The workshop will be held at SpaceMakers in Alpharetta, GA. Contact me (404-299- 5111 or jonda@timespaceorg.com) for more information or to register.
P.S. It is also a helpful workshop if you are thinking of moving or struggling with any of the above issues.
Jonda S. Beattie Professional Organizer
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