Many of us want a tidier, more organized home, but sometimes the way we tackle organization actually makes things harder. In this episode we talk with a home-efficiency expert about shifting how we think about organizing so our spaces support calmer days, better partnerships, and more present parenting. She shares practical strategies—like treating a kitchen the way a medical team treats an operating room—and explains why closets, garages, and storage areas often become overwhelming. We also talk about how a surprise phone call and an uncertain weather forecast stalled progress on our duplex project, but we’re finding silver linings as we regroup. And yes, Sherry has fallen utterly in love with some fairies.

You can download the episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, or Spotify — or listen to the embedded player below. If you’re reading in a feed reader, you may need to click through to the post to see the player.

What’s New

• We posted a short video tour of our messy garage—packed with boxes and items waiting for transport to the duplex, including two Crate & Barrel sofas we ordered over a year ago. There’s also a little dining-room chaos in the clip.
• Bonus context: we bought these sofas back in November 2017 after scoring a great sale and loving the one we already had for our Richmond house. The pair here are in “Truffle,” chosen partly because that color was heavily discounted, while the one we kept is “Steel.”

• Other boxes in the garage hold practical items we’ll need at the duplex: window blinds, curtain rods and rings, toilet paper holders, shower rods, kitchen hardware, and a few rugs.
• We also dug up a throwback photo from the moving day eight years ago when a truck got stuck in a ditch—still one of those unforgettable moving-misadventure stories.

Stephanie Sikora, Life Made Simple

• If you want to go deeper with the methods we discussed, Stephanie’s book Simplified: A Real-Life Guide To Organizing Your Space And Saving Your Sanity offers clear steps and real-world strategies for sustainable organization.
• Her website, Life Made Simple, includes blog posts, online courses, and options for consultations if you want guided help making changes that actually stick.

We’re Digging

• Sherry has been reading a series of fantasy novels that she can’t stop recommending. The sequence starts with A Court of Thorns and Roses, followed by A Court of Mist and Fury and A Court of Wings and Ruin. She compares the tone to a mix of Game of Thrones and Hunger Games, but with compelling fairy characters.
• She’s already begun the first book in Sarah J. Maas’ other series, A Throne of Glass, and keeps finding new favorite passages to gush about.
• On a more practical note, we’ve been impressed with showerheads featuring H2Okinetic technology. They’ve made a noticeable difference for us. Many models come in multiple finishes and price points, so you can find something that fits your bathroom’s style.

If you’re trying to track down something we’ve featured in a past episode, we maintain a master list of all the items we’ve recommended and discussed. There’s also a Book Club page that collects every book we’ve mentioned across episodes, making it easy to find recommendations and related show notes.

A quick thank-you to our sponsor for this episode, Grove Collaborative. Their welcome gift includes a trio of Mrs. Meyers cleaners, walnut scrubber sponges, and a tin cleaning caddy—items that have become staples in our cleaning routine.

Thanks for listening—and for following along as we figure out better ways to live, organize, and create calm in our homes.

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