It is always hard for me to receive phone calls from people who feel like they have failed. They feel defeated by the piles and disorder around them and the inability to change it. One of the most common statements I hear, “I am an organized person but I can’t seem to get organized!”
Because of a desire to find the ultimate organizing solution, or use the best organizing technique, they end up doing nothing at all. I generally call this perfection paralysis. Continue reading
{Photo Credit: maidbrigade.com}
Research suggests that most people understand the correlation between decluttering and an improved mental state. Studies have proven that organizing will help you feel better. Yet in a recent poll by Huffington Post, 47% of Americans worry about the organization of their home. In another study 1 out of 4 people say they feel disorganized at work. So why do we stress over something we know will reduce stress?
I believe the difficulty doesn’t come from Continue reading
Weeds entangled, deprived of nutrients, in a cold and hostile environment yet this beauty can still shine. I believe so many times we let our circumstances determine how we respond. Yet, imagine if we could react like this flower. Letting growth occur in those discouraging times. Imagine how beautiful we could shine if instead of refusing change, we grow with it.
Let’s hear it for the sunshine!
Disclaimer: This photo was taken after an afternoon of weeding, and believe me, a lot of growth occurred.
{Photo Credit: sheknows.com}
Want a quick way to force yourself to organize a space? Continue reading
I love this commercial, showcasing life in reverse for amazing Olympic athletes. Don’t you wish you had this ability to see what steps you might need to take to get you where you want to be? Continue reading
I’ve recently had several conversations about the circumstances for hiring a professional organizer and found that Jessika Toothman’s article answers most of the big questions; what a professional offers, why the need, and how you would profit from their services.
At the very end of the article Jessika notes that she did not even know that professional organizing was a career but after researching this article she found that many people could benefit from the services an organizer offers.
Check out some of the benefits she lists …
{Benefits at Home}
“Professional organizers can help around the home in loads of ways. They can:
{Photo credit: nosybynature.tumblr.com}
Motivational quotes are everywhere; on facebook, blogs, twitter, etc. I’m always looking for good quotes on planning and preparation but most are not necessarily helpful. This one above is cute but who wants to come up with 26 different plans and then have to execute them? Continue reading
{Photo credit: Wikipedia}
It isn’t what you need that will help you get organized, it’s what you need to do that will transform your space.
I get asked all the time about my favorite organizing products but I really don’t have that many ‘must haves’. I do however have products that I think tend to inhibit organization.
Merriam-Webster defines organization as the act or process of organizing or of being organized. I agree but tend to think that this is a rather simplistic take on what it means to organize. Therefore I have come up with a definition for organization that I believe encompasses the reason, purpose, and result of organizing: knowing what you have, where you have it, and why. Continue reading
One of the reasons I loved college, was on the first day of class every professor would hand out a syllabus. A nice organized page which contained a brief description of the class, the professors information including office hours, materials needed, and assignment descriptions with deadlines. The entire class, all on one page. Who doesn’t love that type of organization!?
If you could organize any space at home or the office, what would you choose? If you didn’t have to worry about money, time, or your energy level what room would you choose? And please feel free to insert your own answer if it’s not listed.
This will help me post based upon what you want to see organized, thank you for participating!
{This poll will remain open until Sunday April 7th}
Today is a new day. Even if yesterday was a total failure and you have piles everywhere, with mounting bills and screaming kids, today is a new day. And even if you don’t realize it, I’m thinking about your day as well.
You are the reason I will crawl into the back corner of your scary basement to remove the last little area of clutter. You are worth the effort and energy Continue reading
I love seeing before and after images of organizing and decorating projects. There is something in the revitalization of space that brings me joy. It’s even better than buying something new, this process of refreshing the old. I can remember the times that I would organize my room as a child and I wouldn’t want to take out anything afterwards because I didn’t want to disturb the space.
Closet Before
This is still something I need to watch for as a professional organizer, that I don’t let the process of organizing distract me from the purpose of organizing. The end goal is not Continue reading
Chiral patterns formed by Paenibacillus dendritiformis grown on minimal media. Photo Credit: Microbial Modus
As a Professional Organizer who goes into the deep dark recesses of your fridge, basement, or other moldy area, I get to see lovely pinks, greys, and even soft velvety blacks in various stages of bacterial/fungal growth. This may cause some of you who read during lunch to stop reading this blog however, it leads me to the question “What growth are you cultivating?” Continue reading
The Art of Organizing, to quote Fort Minor, “is ten percent luck, twenty percent skill, fifteen percent concentrated power of will, five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain, and a hundred percent reason to remember the name!” Organizing as a profession is as complex as the Biltmore is large. Imagine telling someone that the things they equate with life are really the things that impede them from enjoying life. That’s why I believe in order to be an organizer you also need to be a… Continue reading
Yesterday’s post on Things Organized Neatly is an exact representation of how a collection can become something to be celebrated instead of considered clutter. Instead of boxing up these instruments, Continue reading
Recently I have been studying the process of decision-making, specifically when emotions are involved. It’s not necessarily light reading but it is fascinating trying to figure out why some people will keep a waded up tissue or hundreds of pairs of flip flops. And in both of those specific cases I know they wanted to be able to move on without those items but couldn’t let go. So how do we as professional organizers give them the tools needed to break free from these distractions? Continue reading
I had the opportunity to spend some time with some wonderful ladies yesterday and I felt so refreshed and thankful all because I took 2 hours out of my day to eat a meal. It made me grateful for where I am right now and to quote Ferris Bueller Continue reading
Often with clients, I will hear “I used to be so organized” or “I don’t know when it got so disorganized”. This is very common and mostly caused by a change that has occurred; a marriage, a child, a new job, no job, a divorce, a disease, all cases of change that make your old way of doing things obsolete. For example, I was hoping to file my business taxes this afternoon while my toddler napped. However, I have some documents in my office upstairs which just happens to be past her bedroom. There is no way that I will risk waking her up by walking past her door. Therefore I need to change the way I previously managed my office space in order for me to stay organized.
If your situation is not as easily fixed or there just isn’t time to organize here are some steps I would recommend so that you don’t get caught in a situation where you can’t find anything or you feel overwhelmed by the clutter. Continue reading
Craft Hutch – Organized, Functioning
One of the hardest things for me to learn is that organization is not about perfection, that is why I came up with the definition Know what you have, Know where you have it, and Know why you have it. This reminds me to step back and access what the end goal is, to be organized or to be perfect. Some may argue that you can have both and I have worked with several clients and their substantial staff so that they could have a perfectly organized home. However, for those without a house manager, daily housekeeper, and personal assistant, I want to make sure you know you can be organized too, without having the extra help. I find that when people start the organizing process they expect perfection. However, perfection is almost impossible to maintain if you actually utilize your space. That is why so many people become discouraged in the organizing process if they can’t get it perfect why start at all? The piles form and it becomes more and more difficult to even get started.
Here are my thoughts on how to move past perfection paralysis. Continue reading
Even on WordPress they allow for uncategorization, however in organizing there is no miscellaneous. One of the biggest areas where I find miscellaneous is in the kitchen, specifically the ubiquitous junk drawer. This drawer tends to house the most unlikely items, I have even found a cat (who had been lost for three days) in one of my clients “junk drawers”. The easiest way to keep from having a miscellaneous is to Know what you have, Know where you have it, and Know why you have it. In order to demonstrate this in reality, I am including a picture of my kitchen office supply drawer for reference. Items are sorted via bins which makes it very easy to see what is in this drawer and where it belongs. I know it doesn’t look like it came out of Southern Living or Real Simple but that is because I actually use this drawer. One of the reasons I created this blog was to show that you can have organization without perfection. So many people get hung up on making it perfect that they don’t make it easy to maintain or even useable, allowing items to pile up and making an even bigger issue. I would love to answer any questions you might have on this subject of miscellaneous categorization or any other organizing question, so feel free to comment or ask questions!
Kitchen Office Supply Drawer
Contents: Continue reading
Recently, I have had numerous conversations regarding organizing, specifically that people want to get organized but don’t know where to start. My first thought to this type of statement is just GET STARTED. most of the energy and effort put into thinking about organizing could be eliminated if words became action. But where to start. My overall organizing strategy is Know what you have, Know where you have it, and Know why you have it. So if you find yourself looking for important documents and can’t seem to find that 1099 needed for your tax return then I would say start with your filing system. If getting out the door on time is an issue then maybe start with organizing your clothing system or your kitchen. My other piece of advice is not to be afraid of this process, I haven’t met anyone yet who hasn’t loved the end result. Just make sure that you know what end result you are looking for… to KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE, KNOW WHERE YOU HAVE IT, AND KNOW WHY YOU HAVE IT.
Organize Professionally 