The A-To-Z Of Getting Organized: Z Is For Zero-Sum
When your life is really cluttered and chaotic and overwhelmed, everything feels out of alignment — your gears aren’t meshing, your daily routines are out of whack, and you’ve lost all sense of control...
View ArticleThe Yearly File Purge
Each year, you are given the perfect opportunity to clean out your household paperwork and start fresh with a new filing system — it’s called tax time and it’s approaching faster than you might...
View ArticleSpring Cleaning Your File Cabinet
Spring cleaning isn’t just for home — and it isn’t just for spring, either! Your filing system needs an occasional deep-clean, just like your kitchen cabinets and closets. So let’s get to it! Clear Out...
View ArticleHow Much Is Disorganization Costing You?
We’ve all heard that we should try to be more organized, but do you actually know why? It’s not because a tidy room looks nicer — it’s because disorganization disrupts your life and robs you of...
View ArticleHow Letting Go Of A Waffle Iron Can Save Your Life
Some people have an awfully hard time letting something go on the first go-round. They vacillate, back and forth, trying to decide if they will regret the decision. So I want to talk to you a bit about...
View ArticleAsking The Hard Questions About Your Stuff
Why would I need it? (try to come up with one occasion when you would need that particular item again — what would have to happen in your life for it to be useful, relevant, and valuable to you) Where...
View ArticleThe Keepers
Cleaning out can seem overwhelming — especially if it’s been a while since you’ve done it. But following this very simple process will help you sort and separate your belongings into manageable piles!...
View ArticleAttracting The Right Kind Of Yard Sale Shoppers
Does the idea of setting up your wares in the front yard and spending a weekend selling unwanted items make you break out in cold sweats? Garage sales don’t have to be so painful — not if you plan...
View ArticleWhen The Thrift Stores Don’t Want Your Give-Aways
Donating Office Items Some thrift stores simply can’t take office furniture, business electronics, and computer equipment — but there is no reason for these items to end up littering the landscape as...
View ArticleDoing A Rough Sort
keep, get rid of, not sure So the first step of any re-organizing effort is to group like with like. Don’t be too nit-picky at first — just start off with a broad sort by location (a stack of garage...
View ArticleFinding A System That Works
Of course, the first step in getting organized is finding the right system — whether your goal is a more manageable in-box, a garage that will hold your car, or less time spent running errands, you...
View ArticleThe 80/20 Rule
Have you ever watched a child (let’s call this one “Johnny”) who’s been plopped down in a room full of toys? You’d think little Johnny would be in hog heaven — hopping from plaything to plaything all...
View ArticleHoarding Or Not?
All during the clean-out of my mother’s house after she died, my sister continually referred to her as a “hoarder.” As a Professional Organizer, I’ve worked with clients who faced serious hoarding...
View ArticleWhere Is All This “Stuff” Coming From?
Let’s face it, we love our stuff! We are a society of consumers. That’s one of the benefits of living in a prosperous capitalistic country — we have a lot of disposable income and a wide variety of...
View ArticleIs It Collecting Or Hoarding?
An organizer friend of mine recently posted a quote by Nate Berkus (you may know him better as Oprah’s “style guy”) that started a lengthy conversation about hoarding. Since this seems to be such a...
View ArticleSimplicity: Radically Practicing What I Preach
When I hit the road as a full-time RVer, I thought it would be an interesting sociological experiment for a Professional Organizer — to see how simply I could live, how little “stuff” I could own and...
View ArticleAs Published In Getting Organized Magazine —Consignment Tips Checklist
It’s much easier to let go of stuff that serves no purpose in your life (especially when said “stuff” originally cost you a lot of dough) if you can recoup some of that lost investment. Let’s face it —...
View ArticleAs Published In Getting Organized Magazine —Online Auctions 101
Every so often while cleaning out, you’re bound to come across an item that’s just too good to toss in the “donate” box or chuck onto your lawn at the next yard sale — something of real value, for...
View ArticleAs Published In Getting Organized Magazine —Clutter Control In 7 Easy Steps
Some folks treat decluttering like the organizational equivalent of having a root canal, behaving as if the sheer act of making decisions about their stuff is causing them physical pain — but clearing...
View ArticleAs Published In Getting Organized Magazine —10 Signs Clutter Has Taken Over...
Sometimes when you’re not paying close enough attention, life can creep in on you from all sides. You bring home some junk from your mom’s house, you forget to open the mail for a week, you agree to a...
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