Where have I been and what have I been up to these past 3 months since the start of COVID in America? What does the future of home organization look like for me? Let’s find out.
Most of you probably have seen my last Thought post of coming back from London right at the start of the virus happenings in America, but here we are exactly 3 months later. Once returning home, my day job as an Engineer transferred to working from home. I ended up created my “office space” in the kitchen, a place I never thought I would end up working from.
March 2020 - Kitchen Table Office
It was also really interesting going to the grocery store to get basics as everyone was panic purchasing at the time. Everyone at this time was also afraid of everyone else breathing on each other it seemed. The beaches and boardwalks were closed. Gyms were closed. The only time I left my house was to go for afternoon runs.
Panic buying of paper products at Ralph’s in Pacific Beach
It took a few weeks for me to get into the swing of things being at home most of the time. I laid out some goals I wanted to achieve during this time.
Build a gym and maintain normal workouts. Weights were very difficult to acquire during this time but after enough persistence and Amazon pre-ordering I was able to build a full set of 10-35 pounds dumbbells with a bench.
Home Gym Setup
Roasting my own coffee beans - I’ve always been a fan of great coffee and usually purchased beans for the weekends from micro roasters from all over the place. I was going through coffee really fast at home now and wanted to find a way to reduce spending while getting great quality coffee still. I purchased a Popcorn roaster to start with. Most beginners go down this path - So far i’ve roasted around 10 pounds of beans from various sources since April. I love being able to consume something that I’ve made myself! Please reach out if you are interested in this hobby!
Home Coffee Roasting!
Roasted Beans
Playing guitar more frequently. I decided to re-arrange my music setup to have everything I needed in one corner of my home to allow playing music on any instrument or amplifier instant. I’ve somehow enjoyed playing Nickelback and Creed songs regardless of what others may think about them. It was a running joke to play their songs in our household but it really caught on. Just ask Justin or Natalie next time around.
Living Room Music Corner
Start bicycling again. I recently traded one of my road bikes for a gravel bike and have been riding the neighborhood and fiesta island multiple times a week. It’s been an enjoyable way of getting fresh air and exercise at the same time. Fiesta is closed to vehicle traffic for almost another month so I can do laps around it without worrying about cars trying to run me over.
2019 Giant Anyroad 1 Gravel Bike
The last thing that I’ve enjoyed doing was standard household maintenance. I cleaned my dryer vent out since laundry was taking longer times to dry. I don’t think it’s ever been cleaned in the 20+ years my condo has been around. Sometimes it’s the little things that give you enjoyment and satisfaction.
Dryer Vent Cleaning
I’ve done a lot of self-satisfying things, but where does Home Organization currently stand in my life? The entire industry was basically shut down during COVID so I really knew it wasn’t worth my efforts to put in much work if I couldn’t go into someone’s home at the time to help them declutter and store items. As the state of California slowly has been re-opening again, I’ve started back up doing sessions with existing trusted clients. Just this past weekend I was able to help a client re-organize an entire kitchen storage and pantry!
Konmari Kitchen Session Sample
I want to keep helping as many people as I can with their clutter moving forward - virtually or safely in person. I know it’ll take time for the industry to get rolling again but I’ll be ready for any twists or turns that come my way throughout the process.
Stay safe. Stay well.
