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Author: Darla PompilioClutter Organizing

Is Clutter Robbing You of the Life You Deserve?

I am talking about the clutter of mind, body and living space.  As women we go through multiple transitions in life:  marriage, children, career, illness, divorce and death of a spouse; it is often difficult to transition through theses major events with ease and grace. However becoming more organized can facilitate the adjustments that these major life changes demand.

What is the Cost of Clutter? Clutter can be expensive; the cost of clutter can be divided into 3 categories: financial, physical and emotional.

The financial cost of clutter can result in lost or displaced money and checks. Often mail accumulates and is not opened in a timely fashion. As a result, late fees can accrue, and often missing tax records can lead to financial penalties.

The physical cost of clutter includes the stress and anxiety experienced by the inability to locate items when they are needed; this fruitless searching can be frustrating and depleting to our physical resources and a huge waste of valuable time. Very often we experience confusion and a sense that we have lost control of our circumstances.

The question then arises: how do we regain that sense of control?  Organization is one way we can master control of our daily lives and navigate through many challenging transitions.  Often we feel that if we achieve a certain goal or arrive at a certain milestone, life will suddenly be better.  Although this can be true, it is often the journey itself that transforms us. This journey involves change which can be difficult and frightening.  Even though we know that change is the only constant in life, we still resist it!   We resist letting go of people, places and things that are no longer useful or necessary and serve mainly to clutter our thoughts and our lives.

De-clutter Your Mind, Body and Space

I propose three main organizational concepts that can be used to de-clutter your mind, your body and your space:

  1.  Create a schedule and make sure the entire family is informed and involved.  The most imperative tasks should be scheduled first and the remaining tasks in order of importance.
  2. Prepare a list; this is the fastest way to physically reduce stress. This list can be created on paper or computer; the objective is to get the tasks out of your head!! Then use the list!!
  3. To de-clutter space: sort, categorize and purge!!  For small jobs like a junk drawer, sort all the items into categories that are similar in order to determine how much of each category you own.  Then purge what you don’t want or need. The left over items will determine the type of storage container needed for proper organization.  For larger piles or stacks, like clothes, it’s best to simply sort items to keep and items to let go.  The goal is to quickly reduce the size of the “to keep pile” and then categorize the remaining items.

 Embrace the Journey

We can choose to embrace the journey or we can avoid it as the world moves forward.  Although we have gleaned much wisdom on our particular road, we may need guidance to embrace change, to clear our minds and to guide us through the journey.  It is most imperative that we are in control as we accommodate change with ease and grace.

Author: Anna SicalidesClothing Clutter Donating General Productivity Shopping

What Would Anna Say?

It’s always reassuring to know that my clients take my advice to heart. We joke that when I’m not around to help them get organized, they often ask themselves, “What would Anna say?”

What would I say? I ask a lot of questions that help me determine what’s going on beneath the surface. Then I can focus on the appropriate solution.

“What is good enough?” Perfectionism gets in the way of moving ahead. If you find a system that works for you even a little, go for it! You can always modify and improve as you go along. “Good enough” does not have to be 100%. One client has gained so much insight with this question that she has been able to accomplish more because she spends less time on the details that do not matter, more on what does matter.

“How does that define you?” If it doesn’t define you in a meaningful way, why do you keep it, take care of it, and devote valuable space to it? One client has been able to look at her life’s treasures and been able to really choose what defines her versus being defined by all of her belongings.

“How do you feel when… you are buying your 15th green long sleeve cotton tee shirt?” Increasing self-awareness is the first step in modifying or accepting behaviors. A client with eight of the same type of jacket was amazed when I asked this question — a huge Aha moment!

“Do you notice any patterns here?” What items do you end up donating? What’s hanging in your closet? Are there patterns of excess or waste? When reviewing the items that a client was donating, I asked her this question and the pattern was that most of the items came from a specific store, now she only goes to that store when she needs something basic at the last minute.

“Start anywhere.”  When a client doesn’t know where to start, I like to suggest that they just start somewhere, anywhere. You can start right to left, or left to right, sometimes starting with the floor might be the right solution.

“Start with the low hanging fruit.” Many times when looking at a room full of clutter, all you see is the clutter. A client used this approach when looking at her garage full of years of accumulates stuff. When she looked at the large items and the items on the surface, she was able to make immediate decisions. Once these items were removed the process became more manageable.

When we recognize habits that bog us down with extra “stuff” or cause chaos in our lives through disorganization, we are on our way to a more peaceful and productive life!

Author: Yasmin GoodmanChallenging Disorganization General Goal Setting Home Organizing Procrastination Productivity Project Management Time Management

Curious George Isn’t Just for Kids!

Yasmin and Curious George

Kids May Have Curious George, But Adults Now Have Curious Accountability!

Like Curious George, who stimulates children’s natural curiosity about the world around them, Curious Accountability offers adults a new perspective for tasks associated with getting organized; one where they embark on an exciting journey of self discovery and realized goals. This methodology turns the act of getting organized into a skill building activity. Personal ‘aha’ moments promote longer lasting effects for those who want to get organized and remain organized over time.

At the National Association of Professional Organizers conference in New Orleans last month, Casey Moore and Cameron Gott introduced the concept of Curious Accountability. They defined this concept as “a positive evaluation process based on respect and trust that focuses solely on learning from actions (or inaction). The learning in turn, raises the awareness necessary for developing new skills and tools and achieving goals. Applied consistently over time, Curious Accountability increases self-knowledge and resilience and fosters effective behavior change”.

The word accountability, for many, has a negative connotation — answering to another or a feeling of being punished. In this Curious Accountability model, the focus is on learning and self discovery. Whether the task was accomplished or not, isn’t important. What is important is what the person learns from the process of doing or not doing the task.

Curious Accountability requires a contextual shift in one’s thinking to bring unwanted habits that promote disorganization into the lime light without the usual cloak of shame and blame. If we apply the same kind of curiosity, inquiry, and learning a scientist brings to their fieldwork — or Curious George brings to his daily adventures — we can free ourselves of the ever present good, bad, right or wrong rating systems we apply to our actions and efforts. We can, instead, view our actions, results, and even the “no results” through the filter of learning and exploration. Over time, we are left better problem solvers, in action, and moving towards our goals with more joy, confidence, and ease.

In this learning-focused approach, one might ask themselves at the end of a task or project (accomplished or not):

What did I learn?
What is the value of this learning to the task or overall goal?
What hurdles or “obstacles to overcome” did I discover?

Questions like these are good for illuminating what is important to us moving forward in our organizing endeavors. Should you “get stuck” in this new model, the role of the professional organizer, practiced in this technique, is to be an/a:

Active Listener – listening for the client’s goals and aspirations — long and short term
Cheerleader — keeping the person on track
Mirror – reflecting (not judging) how effective their actions are
Reminder for Self Awareness – let client’s experience inform their next actions
Involved Learner – redefine success

A professional organizer can summarize the learning as it relates to your over all goal or project leaving you ready, prepared, and empowered for your next week of Curious Accountability.

Kids may have Curious George to reveal the magic of curiosity, but adults now have Curious Accountability to propel them forward toward their goals with greater ease.

Author: Darla DeMorrowChallenging Disorganization Clutter General Goal Setting Organizing Productivity

Three People Walk Into A Bar at the NAPO Conference

NAPO 2013 Darla w Tolin

A neuroscientist, a professional organizer, and a mom walk into a bar… Sounds like the start of a joke, but it describes a bit of the National Association of Professional Organizers conference in New Orleans this year. You didn’t get to attend? That’s ok, because you can easily find a recap or two of the conference.

Probably the most important thing, though, is one simple idea. It’s the reason you landed on this page and are reading this article. Dr. Ari Tuckman talked about it. Dr. David Tolin talked about it. Dr. Kelly McGonigal talked about it. All of these folks, by the way, are great practitioners to follow in the world of organizing and productivity.

We don’t organize because we want to organize, but to live a more full life and do stuff we enjoy. It’s way more than labeling.

What every single professional organizer and productivity consultant in NAPO will agree on is that we want our clients and potential clients (that may be you) to want something more than pretty boxes and bins. Whatever your goal is, we want to help you get it.

• We want you to be out in your garden — not doing boring filing tasks.
• We want you doing more community building—not working on a boring operations manual at work.
• We want you spending more time with your family—not worried about email piling up.

Kevin Garton, from the NEAT Company, made a point as he talked about scanning technologies. His most prized accomplishment wasn’t reducing piles of paper to bits and bytes. His most valued scan was a handwritten note from his young daughter, that he had scanned to his cloud and could re-read it anytime, anywhere he wanted.

What do you want more than your clutter, piles, and paper messes? What part of your life do you want to be spending more time on, enjoying more, and sharing more with loved ones? Are you ready to let a professional organizer show you some supportive strategies to enjoy those things more? Because the most important things in life end up not being things, but if you’re a mom (or a dad), the neuroscientist and the professional organizer didn’t have to tell you that.

Author: Barb BermanClutter Document Management Filing General Home Office Paper Productivity Project Management Tax Prep Time Management

Tax Season is Over – Now, What Should I Do With All My Papers?

filing-systemFor most of us, tax season is over, and we can now breathe a sigh of relief for another year. If you plan to shred or recycle large quantities of paper, now is the perfect time to do so.

With a little bit of planning, you can get your paperwork in order without too much angst.

Here are 4 tips to help you:

1.  Make room for new materials by going through your filing cabinets (or wherever you keep your files).  Shred taxes and the back-up documentation older than 7 years, old bills, old insurance policies, old bank statements, or anything old that has personal identifiable information on it.  Recycle old newspaper and magazine articles, defunct travel brochures, etc.

2.  Review your filing system to determine if the way you have your files set up works well for you.  If not, for example, change the names of the files, or change the placement of the files.

3.  Set up new files for the New Year if you have not done so yet, labeling them with meaningful names, so they are easily retrievable.

4.  Check to see if your township is holding a free shred event.  Many towns do so right after tax season to help their residents dispose of their paperwork that has personal identifiable information on it.

Since organizing is an ongoing process, files will have to be tweaked and paperwork will have to be shredded or recycled periodically.  Remember, you can also get a lot of information on-line.  However, if you follow these few steps, your system will be in order for the rest of 2013, and paperwork that has to be filed will have a home.

 Now is the time to Go from Bedlam to Brilliance!

Author: Adriane WeinbergCloset Clothing Clutter General Home Organizing Wardrobe Management

Quick Closet Makeover!

Closet - Adriane Weinbery

 

Ouch! What just fell on my head? Maybe it’s time to organize your clothes closet! To start the process, label containers Donate, Recycle, Homeless (for anything that doesn’t belong in the closet) and Unsure (use this one sparingly). Use a garbage bag for trash.

Follow these 13 easy tips:

1.  Have a specific objective (for example — be able to store clothing and accessories without overcrowding so you can quickly put things away).

2.  Plan the space and assign homes for your things.

3.  Pick a corner of the closet to start decluttering. If there is too much stuff to   access the closet, start with what’s in front of you.

4.  Grab the first item and decide where it goes, either in one of the containers or   in its home in the closet. Continue with things on the floor, shelves, and hanging on the rod until your objective is met.

5.  Eliminate everything that is not worn (for whatever reason), torn (mend it), stained (clean it), doesn’t fit (donate it) or beyond repair (toss it). If clothes are too small and only if it’s very likely you will fit into and wear them again, store them in a labeled bin. Otherwise they are just daily negative reinforcement. To save space, pack the too-small things in labeled bins and store them elsewhere.

6.  Group similar items (short tops, long tops pants, suits) in an order that makes   sense to you. To create a rainbow effect, group by color.

7.  If it’s clutter, it goes. I define clutter as anything that is not useful or enjoyable and takes up space without serving any real purpose.

8.  To contain groups of items, use organizing products for shoes, sweaters,   handbags and so on. See Scarf Organizer (below).

9. Decluttering is just a first step. To be organized, it’s crucial to create and follow   systems, habits and rules to live by (as I call them) that work for you.

10.  Use vertical space above the rod for storage, raise the rod for more accessible   floor storage, and see the Closet Rod Doubler (below) to double hanging space.

11.   Do not take back anything you removed! Take out the trash, bring donations to your favorite charity and get your tax-deductible receipt, and distribute things in the Homeless box.

12.   Maintenance is the key to long-term success so immediately return things to their homes.

13.   Reward yourself with a special treat for a job well done!

Need more space for hanging clothes? No problem. The closet rod doubler (shown) simply hangs from the main rod, instantly doubling that hanging space. It’s super-easy to install; no tools are necessary. Both height and width are adjustable. This one sells for $19.99 at The Container Store.

Click on (or copy and paste the link in your browser): http://www.containerstore.com/shop?productId=10015612&N=&Ns=p_sort_default|0&Ntt=closet+doubler.

Closet Rod Doubler

Closet Rod Doubler

Scarf Organizer

Scarf Organizer

Scarves are in vogue this spring. If you are unhappy with how yours are stored, this scarf organizer makes it simple and colorful to look at. Organize them by designer, color, size, or material. Try this product for jewelry and belts and, for the guys’ ties. You can buy this one for $5.99 at The Container Store. Click on (or copy and paste the link in your browser): http://www.containerstore.com/shop?productId=10000136&N=&Ns=p_sort_default|0&Ntt=scarf+organizer.

Now that it’s so simple to find things and return them where they belong — and everything looks great too — maybe you’ll be motivated to organize the rest of your closets!