Organizing Basics
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When I started working as a Professional Organizer, I didn’t have a step-by-step process for working with my clients. I quickly learned that it is as important to teach my clients organizing skills as it is to organize with them. It is similar to the adage Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. …
Read MoreI agree and I disagree, Marie
You would have to be living under a rock (or a mountain of clothing) to have not heard about the new Netflix series, Tidying Up With Marie Kondo. As a certified professional organizer, I was intrigued by Kondo’s book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing. And, my clients…
Read MoreDecrease Clutter – 6 Strategies to Stop Accumulating
Marie Kondo has been all over the media helping people to release what doesn’t “spark joy”. Here are 6 strategies to keep clutter from returning to your home after you have Konmari’d it. 1. Play the waiting game. When you’re tempted to buy something on a whim, wait 24 hours. The typical impulse purchase seems…
Read MoreGet Rid of 100 Things Challenge
Getting organized is one of the top two new years’ resolutions. Getting started on that resolution is often a block. If it is for you, I invite you to take the Get Rid of 100 Things Challenge. It will get you started gently and quickly and much easier than taking on an entire room or…
Read More10 Organizing Practices to Keep You Organized in the New Year
Getting organized is often the easy part. Staying organized is challenging for many people because it requires a change in your behaviors to create new habits that support your organizing systems. Here are our top 10 organizing practices to keep you organized. 1. One in—one out When something new comes into your home, something must leave.…
Read MoreTop 6 Excuses for Keeping Stuff
Excuse #1: “I might need it someday.” Look at each item as though you were packing it (or not) for a move. Does it still have a purpose in your life today? Ask yourself, “If I were to move this item, where would it live in my home?” Why isn’t it living there in your…
Read More20 Questions to Ask About Your Stuff
Do you struggle with letting go of your stuff? Here are 20 questions you can ask yourself about your stuff that might help you decide to let go: Practical Questions 1. Is it useful or beautiful to you? 2. Is it a duplicate? 3. Is this the best place for it? 4. When’s the last…
Read More5 Steps to Organizing – A process to get you organized and keep you organized
Step 1 – Strategize Make a plan for your home. This is the first step in the organizing process. Use a spiral notebook to capture thoughts, ideas, and solutions for each room in your home. Assess the causes of the disorder so that lasting change can be achieved. Walk through your home to discover how…
Read More10 Organizing Basic Principles
Why don’t I know how to organize? During sessions with clients I often hear them say to me, “Anne, I feel like I should know how to organize. Why do other people know how and I don’t?” A simple and often complete answer is, “You don’t know what you don’t know because you haven’t been taught.”…
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