Color is a simplifier, a natural organizer. In this blog, I’m happy to share with you how to use it to create order and as a result of having order, you’ll be available for more adventure in your life.
Note: 1) You don’t have to use the entire color palette 2) keep it consistent throughout categories 3) some items need to be the same color
Using Color In Your Closet
Let’s start with something super basic like hangers. They need to be the same color (please don’t argue with me on this), because it does make a difference.
If you joined us for the “Clothes Clean Out” challenge that I hosted on my Instagram during the beginning of quarantine, you know I swear by this and gave you tips on brands, and stores to get your hangers.
Here’s a before photo of a client that hired me to organize & style her closet.
You can see that in addition to the disorganization—the mix matched color hangers don’t help.
Now look at the after photo, (yes this is the same closet!) and you’ll notice how even though there’s color, there’s a distinct flow and the hangers being the same color enhances the flow instead of competes with it.
Using Color In Your Calendar
Simple is beautiful. Bold isn’t always loud. And a prettier calendar doesn’t mean you’ll have a greater chance of getting things done. I know this because I used to be that girl who spent anywhere from $40 – $100 on physically beautiful (sometimes custom) calendars/planners every year with the best intentions and lackluster actions. I get an inner cringe when saying this next statement… AND I NEVER USED THEM.
There’s a few reasons why, but it wasn’t until I bought a simple, basic day planner at Wal-Mart by accident (and yes, I said Wal-Mart— if you know me, you know I’d rather shop anywhere but there!) several years ago THAT CHANGED MY LIFE. I realized all the bells & whistles like glitter, stickers, etc. were a waste of my fucking time and causing clutter in my planning process.
After a couple years of using that planner consistently everyday, I began to realize that I didn’t want to “write” down certain activities everyday, and wanted to automate some of this process. So I went on the hunt for a digital planner and when I say I’ve tried almost every calendar and planner app in the Apple app store—I’m 100% serious, I’ve tried almost every planning, scheduling, to do list making app and I kept coming up short. Why? Same problem. Bells and whistles for dayyyys and while it looked pretty in theory, it drove me crazy in practicality.
It wasn’t until I found an app that I swear by — WEEK AGENDA. It is my favorite calendar/planner app of all time. (If you’d like to see more of a breakdown on this, check out my “How I Plan My Day Using Week Agenda” blog post here.) I could rave about it for dayyys, but to sum it up it keeps it simple without bells and whistles. It’s like using a physical agenda, except it’s digital and I can automate certain daily activities and not write them in everyday. It’s clean, clear, and clutter free. I also like the day/page view on how it looks on my iPhone.
“Ok, Melodee that’s great but where’s the color?”
Here’s the deal, what I love about the Week Agenda app is you can select different background options, which is a simple way to make your calendar more colorful without the bells and whistles. (I use the notebook background option, because I prefer to keep it as simple as possible.)
Also, I love using emoticons and you’ll notice on every activity on my schedule there’s an emoticon before it and that’s my simple way of adding color without making it clutterful or complicated. I’ve included a screenshot below for your review:
There’s many ways to use color to create order in your life, and I’d like you to keep in mind a few tips as you incorporate color.
- You don’t have to use the entire color palette.
- Be consistent with color especially when using it in your closet.
- Choose clarity over popularity.
I hope this helps! Thank you so much for sticking with me to the end!
Hi! I’m Melodee Forbes, and I help leaders declutter their calendar, so they can create more time for self care. I’d be happy to support you in decluttering your physical items and digital systems. You can start to create more self care by clicking here.
