Mica Santayana-Canto ‘s Organizing System Will Change The Way You Live Into A Tidy Happily-Ever-After

Organizing a home is a great challenge in and of itself but it amplifies if you’re a parent because not only are you responsible for your own things, you also become a manager for your children’s stuff! At some point, every household has had the need to shift things around or throw them out in order to accommodate new things or to simply put some semblance of order in your space. After all, a cluttered space reflects a cluttered mind, and we should do our best to avoid both for overall better living.  What more nowadays when schooling in the time of a pandemic means having all the kids at home while they do online classes?  For many moms out there, this can be an organizing and decluttering challenge! Sharing tips and experiences may greatly help moms currently facing similar challenges, and so we had a chat with Mica Santayana-Canto, founder of organizing company Tidily Ever After, about the common challenges that moms would need an organizing S.O.S. for and how to fix them.

The Problems

Insufficient Planning  

We often start off with everything in the right place, until one or two haphazardly placed items turn into 10 or 20 until it’s too much to even count, and we find ourselves with a sense of spatial discord. Plan and purpose is key to Mica as she shares, “With my method of intentional organizing, the foundation of any space is proper planning rooted in the intent for the specific area.”   It’s easy enough to sort things and put them in labeled boxes, but if the layout of your space and the system hasn’t been designed well, then clutter can slowly creep in when life gets hectic, as we’re sure most moms can relate. Setting up a system and proper zones is the first thing she does for her clients before they tackle clutter. Make sure that your dedicated space is specifically tailored to what you’re dedicating it to.

Too Much Stuff  

This might seem obvious but this is the bulk of the challenge. Whilst there are those who would give defense to the concept of organized clutter, the fact of the matter is it still is clutter. Things tend to accumulate and build up over time. “Try to find time to declutter regularly instead of just a one-time go and eliminate unnecessary duplicates and excess,” Mica advises, “I’ve been professionally organizing homes for 2 years and more often than not, after we are finished decluttering, we don’t need additional organizing accessories.” That being said, you can re-use baskets, trays, bottles, baskets that you have at home and still get your space in order.   She also recommends having a “DONATE” bin where you can easily send your decluttered items. It’s a great practice because this way, nothing will be wasted and others can find a use for the things that you discard. Mica shares, “We do this at home and it’s great to get the kids involved. You’ll eventually get into the habit of asking yourself why you have an item in the first place and if it really should hold space in your home.”

The "In-between" Period

We have different needs in every stage of our lives. At some point, certain items become a necessity before you move on to the next. However, most of these transition items just end up eating space and remaining a potential need instead of an actual one. For moms who are planning on having their next baby or haven’t decided yet if they’re done having kids, a lot of these items are usually stored for safe-keeping. Some may be in-between their rental homes and their permanent homes and hold on to stuff as well. Mica stresses that it’s important to be aware that life is happening NOW, and rooting yourself in the present will benefit you and your family instead of organizing things once you eventually “settle down”.

Lack of Simplicity

The simpler things are, the higher the likelihood of them being maintained. We often hear the saying, “Less is more”, and this is particularly true whether it’s about your organizing system, your belongings, or your daily routine. Each and every single item that you own needs to be cleaned, maintained, repaired and kept. Mica’s rule of thumb is that you should have just the right amount of stuff that makes cleaning manageable. Any more than that will just create more organizing problems later on. It’s also easy to get caught up with Pinterest Boards of perfectly organized homes, but you don’t need perfection to find order in your life. Simplicity is prioritizing function over perfection: as long as your system of mismatched boxes and up-cycled bins work, that is all you need.

A Brilliant Solution

Get Your Own Fairytale (Organized) Ending

“With Tidily Ever After, I started out organizing clients’ homes but we have expanded into providing customized storage and space solutions, sometimes renovations, always with organized living in mind. We were supposed to launch something else this year but because of the pandemic, decided to launch Tidily Home (@tidilyhome) instead with my friend, IDr. Gelo del Mundo,” Mica says when asked about her motivations behind the creation of the brand.

She realized that not everyone has the time or needs to rework entire spaces so the intent for Tidily Home is to bring the Tidily Ever After touch to smaller areas of the home. They designed the caddy by first identifying the problem - to keep and organize all homeschooling items for this year. Next, they factored in the intended users, which in this case are moms and their kids. They also determined which items needed to be organized, and she also wanted to make sure that the caddy was versatile enough for older kids and adults as well. There are other things to consider like space limitations, so they tapped into maximizing the oft overlooked vertical space.

  With the consumers in mind, convenience, safety and maintenance were at the forefront. The caddy is easy to use as it was designed to have removable parts: a tray on top and smaller ones with adjustable inserts so they can be transferred to workstations. The wheels make it easier to move the caddy around. And since the product is a solid piece of furniture that comes in assembled, stability is ensured and accidents related to it toppling over and causing injury is very low. Last but not least, maintenance. How easy is it to clean? “I tested all my kids’ pens on the caddy and could still clean it with ease, as long as permanent markers are not used,” Mica cheerfully shares. It’s built to last and is customizable. Upgrades are available to suit your organizing needs.    

Multi-purpose

Aside from homeschooling purposes, clients have also purchased the caddy for a multitude of things. They have launched the Tidy Study Table and Chair which works great with the Multi-Function caddy, too. The focus is on bringing form and function to as many homes as possible by way of smart and stylish pieces so you can have your own Tidily Ever After.

Let’s take a look at all the possibilities!