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Measuring the Success of Operation Bedroom
Whoops! I completely forgot that I need an idea of what success looks like for this project. And this is super important. We can’t identify if something has worked if we don’t have an idea of what working looks like.
Why do we need to measure success?
We outlined the goals for operation bedroom. I want to have a space that no longer feels claustrophobic, overwhelming, and stressful. But it’s important to recognise that for this particular project, achieving the goals we outlined isn’t the appropriate measure for success. Sure, completing the decluttering and organising by Christmas is a win, but that doesn’t mean the experiment has actually worked.
When we’re working on a (semi) long-term project in this way, understanding whether it’s functional and can actually be maintained is just as important as finishing the practical job. If we don’t measure the success, we can’t really identify if the main goal has been achieved effectively.
For this project, we need to outline what success looks like before we start. This will give us the opportunity to reflect on our goals and ascertain whether we actually did it or not. So, let’s have a look at what success looks like for us in this project!
Operation Bedroom is Successful if…
- We can find the things we need
- Everything in the bedroom has a logical home
- Things can be put away easily without too much thinking involved
- Surfaces aren’t permanently covered in stuff
- The room no longer feels overwhelming and claustrophobic; it feels calm and inviting
- Babyproofing is solid and Phoenix can safely exist in the safe
- The system is easy to maintain without spending hours tidying
- When something isn’t working, we can reflect on the system and adapt, instead of blaming ourselves
- The room feels like somewhere we actually want to be
Notice how the goals don’t focus on aesthetics, they focus on functionality. We all want our spaces to look great, but they can’t look great if we don’t have the right system. Completing the great decluttering and organising plan will give us the (literal and metaphorical) space to improve the décor at some point in the future. But it really is no use trying to decorate a room that is cluttered and has zero functionality.
And this, right here, is our accountability and our roadmap. On days where we’re feeling demotivated, overwhelmed, and can’t figure out where to go, these success measures can be used to guide us. At the end of this blog series – hopefully by Christmas 2026 🤞🏻😂 – we can reflect on this post, and analyse whether we have achieved these measures of success. Then, maybe, later on down the line, we can revisit this again and see if it’s still working a year after completing the project.
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