| April 2010 |
Dear Sue,
I'm excited to be celebrating the 10th anniversary of starting my business! It has been such a joy and privilege to help the thousands of clients who have trusted me to help them organize and simplify their lives over these 10 years. Within the next month, I'll be announcing how you can join my anniversary celebration, so stay tuned. Meanwhile, enjoy this month's tips on how to organize your bedroom.
Wishing you simplicity, harmony and freedom from disorganization,  Sue Becker, CPO-CD®, ADD Specialist | |
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Quote of the Month
"A well-spent day brings happy sleep...."
~ Leonardo Da Vinci
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Now Available!
10% off during the month of April
Frustrated because you just can't seem to organize some key areas of your life?
This eBook will take you by the hand and walk you step by easy step through the process of turning "frustrated and frazzled" into "organized and in control."
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Enter discount code "April" at checkout to receive your 10% discount |
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Upcoming Events
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April 20, 2010
7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Find It Fast!: Techniques for Organizing Your Home
PACES South
Palos Health & Fitness Center (in conference room)
15430 West Avenue
Orland Park, IL 60462 | |
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Organize Your Bedroom for a Good Night's Sleep |
 Is your bedroom calm and serene, a place where you can relax and get a restful night's sleep? Or is it a chaotic place filled with clutter, clothes, papers and the like? If your bedroom is anything but restful, consider spending some time de-cluttering and organizing it so it becomes a sanctuary to replenish your mind and soul. In addition, organizing your bedroom will make getting dressed each day a simple endeavor rather than a frantic hunt for matching shoes!
Pare down your clothing. Go through your closet, dresser and other piles of clothing and pare down what you don't or won't wear. Be realistic - do you keep passing over a particular shirt or pair of pants because another one is more comfortable or fits better? If so, move it on to a new home - either elsewhere in your home, or to a charity. Once you've moved out what you don't wear, there will be more room to put away the clothes that previously sat in piles because there was no place to put them.You can find more tips on organizing your closet in my eBook Get Organized, Take Control of Your Life: 5 Simple Steps to Discover Freedom. Remove the clutter. It's hard to sleep when piles of laundry, paper, and other assorted clutter is "staring" at you. I wonder how many people who suffer from sleep disturbances would get a more restful sleep simply by removing these stress-inducing items. An easy solution is to stop yourself from bringing anything into your bedroom unless you put it away right away. In addition, if it doesn't support the activities you do in your bedroom (sleep, read, get dressed, insert your own fun activity here) it shouldn't be in there. Find another place to store such items - your sleep and your health are too important to ignore this guideline.
Be creative with storage. Consider vertical storage (e.g., hooks on the wall) and under-bed storage (for out of season clothes, seldom worn shoes, extra bedding) for items that won't fit anywhere else. Maybe a nightstand, lingerie cabinet or bookcase can give you the functional storage you need without taking up much space.
Diminish the impact of your work life. If there's no other place but your bedroom to work, use furniture to hide your computer and paperwork from sight when you're finished working. A roll-top desk, hide-away-desk or a secretary-style desk can all serve this purpose. If these aren't an option for you, consider covering your desk and computer with a beautiful piece of fabric to take the "work" out of your slumber.
Corral your reading pile. Keep only the books and magazines that you're currently reading in your bedroom, and only those items that you'll actually read there. Get a beautiful container, or use one of your furniture pieces, to attractively store your reading material. Refer to my prior tips to Pare Down That Reading Pile.
Sustain the serenity. Once you've turned your muddled mess into a serene sanctuary, you'll want to be sure to keep it that way. Get a hamper - and use it! Be sure clothes are coming out (i.e., getting laundered) at a faster rate than they're going in. Make your bed every morning - this simple 2-minute task will quickly transform the look and feel of your room. When you bring in your clean laundry, put it away right away - when your closet and dresser are pared down, it should take no more than 5 minutes to quickly and easily put things away. Since your bedroom is the first thing you see in the morning and the last thing you see at night, be sure to tidy it up frequently so you can start and end your day calm and relaxed.
Pleasant dreams!
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Success of the Month
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Puzzle Enthusiast Moves from the Couch to the Bedroom
 The Situation: An avid crossword puzzle enthusiast, Chris saved the daily newspaper because she wanted to pull out each day's puzzle for her future enjoyment. Her good intentions got out of hand, however, and over time her bedroom became cluttered with piles of papers waiting for her attention. It got so bad that she could no longer even see her bed, so she resorted to sleeping on the couch. When the maintenance person from her apartment complex needed to access her bedroom to make some repairs, she knew the job of clearing space was bigger than she could tackle on her own.
The Solution: Chris and I meticulously went through each newspaper and pulled out the crossword puzzles. We put them all into boxes and put the rest of the newspaper in a recycling pile, which we eventually drove to a recycling collection bin (which took many trips in my minivan). I helped Chris see that the approximately 2,500 puzzles we had "rescued" would take her almost 7 years to complete if she did one a day. She promised to stop her newspaper subscription and make a point of catching up on her backlog. Meanwhile, she was able to start sleeping in her unearthed bed.
The Outcome: Chris has struggled to stop bringing in more newspapers and puzzles. I suggested that her challenges might be bigger than she can overcome on her own and that she might benefit from some therapeutic help. She subsequently started seeing a therapist, and has made further progress by having me help her de-clutter and organize her office at work. She's making progress on her goal of stopping more papers from entering her home. | | |
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Want to use this article in your e-zine or website?
You're welcome to share this article. When you do, please include this complete blurb with it:  Internationally known professional organizer, author and speaker Sue Becker is the founder and owner of From Pile to Smiles®. Sue's company helps business and residential clients live more stress-free and harmonious lives by removing obstacles such as clutter, disorganized paperwork, and poor time management. To learn more about how to discover the freedom of an organized home and office and sign up for more FREE tips like these, visit http://www.PilesToSmiles.com or call 630-724-1111.
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www.PilesToSmiles.com, P.O. Box 903, Downers Grove, IL 60515-0903, 630-724-1111 Copyright 2010 Sue Becker, All Rights Reserved Worldwide |
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