Posts Tagged ‘de-clutter’

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The Benefits of Striving for Order

April 16th, 2013

In a prior post I wrote about how getting organized can help you live a more fulfilling life. The book that inspired that post, The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity: A Simple Guide to Unlimited Abundance by Edwene Gaines, has some other organizing-related concepts that I think are worth sharing.

Order is heaven’s first law. Poet Alexander Pope first acknowledged this wisdom over 300 years ago, but it’s still meaningful today. Although it may sound insignificant, an orderly desk or an organized closet can have a huge impact on your disposition. We can never feel our best when surrounded by a mess. When your environment is orderly, it’s easier to feel calm, energetic and in control, and what’s more heavenly than feeling in control?

When we de-clutter our lives, we signal to the universe that we’re ready to handle more good. When our lives are cluttered and disorganized, it’s hard to dream of anything bigger than our current situation. Many of my clients contact me when they make this realization and decide they’re ready to make a significant, positive change in their life. Whether it’s finding a new job, inviting people over for the first time in years, or starting an exercise routine, they know that clearing the clutter will free up the physical and emotional space needed to begin their journey towards a new life.

We can achieve order in our lives with a habit of neatness. Although I’ve previously cautioned that neatening isn’t organizing, there is certainly something to be said for the power of neat surroundings. Whether it’s your closet, your workspace or even your car, a tidy environment frees up space in your brain and affords the serenity that a messy atmosphere doesn’t usually offer. Although I don’t believe the goal of organizing should focus on appearance, getting organized sure makes neatness a lot more achievable.

There are simple things you can do to start organizing your life today. Getting organized doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing endeavor. Take steps day by day towards cleaning out all the clutter in your life, and you’ll eventually reach your goal. Some ideas offered by Gaines include: tidy your house; balance your checkbook; file your paperwork; clean out your closet; and get your car washed. If those tasks sound too daunting, break them down into smaller steps and chip away at them, one item at a time.

Wishing you simplicity, harmony and freedom as you strive for order in your life,

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Posted in Goals, Simplicity

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Get Organized and Find Fulfillment

March 18th, 2013

I’ve previously written about how clearing the clutter from your life can help you be more prosperous. I’ve just finished reading another book that supports the same concept: The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity: A Simple Guide to Unlimited Abundance by Edwene Gaines. Ms. Gaines describes her own journey from poverty to prosperity and gives those of us who may feel guilty about doing so permission to live a life of abundance. While that abundant life may be rich in physical possessions, she indicates that it should also include fully using our talents and letting the light of our abilities shine for the world to see and benefit from.

One concept from the book in particular resonated with me is be who you really are. I spent 20 years in a variety of accounting and finance jobs before I realized that I wasn’t being who I really was. I was going through the motions of going to work every day with the knowledge that in the big scheme of things, my job was insignificant. My lack of fulfillment led me to do some soul-searching and I was lucky enough to discover a great outlet for my skills. My job as an organizing and productivity coach not only allows me to fully use my talents, but the fact that I get to help other people live a better life give me the fulfillment I was missing in my corporate jobs.

Many of my clients, especially those with ADHD, struggle to fit into the square hole that the world seems to offer them. They spend time and money building a life that reflects what they think the world wants them to be, rather than being who they really are. They may have a job that they don’t find fulfilling; or live in a home that doesn’t bring them joy or reflect who they are; or go to social events that make them feel like an actor in someone else’s play. As I help them with the process of de-cluttering and organizing their life, they often discover their authentic self and that allows us to create an environment that brings them joy.

For example, I recently coached a client on how to develop and practice time management skills in her workplace. We talked about how she was spending her time versus how she wanted to spend her time; what she was getting done versus what she wanted to get done; what she always seemed to make time for versus what she never seemed to have time for. As we sketched out how her work week would look, she realized that none of it would bring her joy. Even if she worked more efficiently, she wouldn’t find her job fulfilling. She eventually left that job and started her own business in a completely different field. When she thanked me for helping her make the most of her skills, she also expressed her desire to “encourage other adults like me that following passion and being happy is SO liberating.”

Does your life allow you to follow your true passion? Is your environment cluttered with possessions that don’t reflect who you are and who you want to become? Is your home or workplace filled with clutter that prevents you from moving forward on your journey to discover your true self? Are your days filled with activities that prevent you from achieving your greatest possibilities? These can be scary questions to ponder, but you can go through the process of getting organized at a pace that’s comfortable for you as you find the answers. As you work through your organizing challenges, you’ll move along the path towards living a fulfilling life that will let your light shine before the world. Good luck on your journey, and feel free to contact me if you’d like help along the way.

Wishing you simplicity, harmony and freedom,

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Posted in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Goals, Simplicity

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Routines Can Help You Simplify Your Life

January 15th, 2013

I always brush my teeth before I go to bed, exercise first thing in the morning, and wash the household towels on Fridays. These  routines help minimize my trips to the dentist, allow me to do some guilt- free snacking, and make sure my family’s towels are actually helping us stay clean rather than being a breeding ground for bacteria. Rather than wanting you to pity my boring life, I want to help you see that habits and routines, no matter how unexciting, can be the key to a stress-free life.

Charles Duhigg shares my passion for the mundane because he wrote a whole book on the subject of habits: The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business. According to Duhigg, habits, by their very definition, allow us to do things without thinking about them. That frees up our brains to work on the more complex problems in life. Unfortunately, habits can be good as well as bad (those that aren’t aligned with our current goals). For many of my clients, bad habits (or lack of any habit or routine) are the cause (at least in part) of their disorganization. I suggest you read Mr. Duhigg’s book to learn more about how you might be able to break your bad habits, but here are some habits or routines you might want to develop in order to create a more organized and stress-free life.

Don’t put things down, put them away. Yes, it’s often easier to just drop something near where it belongs rather than completely put it away. Often times it’s because we have a false impression of how much longer it will take to go the distance. Rather than lift the lid to put the dirty socks in the hamper, it’s easier to just plop them on top; instead of hanging up the jacket, it’s quicker to just drop it on the couch. But really, does it take more than five or 10 extra seconds to finish the job? Put mind over matter and put things where they belong. Make it as easy for yourself as possible – for example, maybe you can just remove the lid on the hamper. If the problem is that things don’t have a place where they belong, block out time to create an organizing plan for your problem areas. Of course you’re welcome to contact me if you’d like some help.

Always do something purposeful with every piece of information you encounter.  Whether it’s a piece of paper or an e-mail, make a decision about what next action you need to take and either take that action, or put the information in designated place until you’re able to act purposefully on it. Make a point of doing something to move it along on its journey.

De-clutter regularly. In your workplace, spending time at the end of each day cleaning off your desk and tidying up loose ends can be highly beneficial. Not only is there a psychic benefit of starting the next workday with a clean desk, but you’re also more likely to begin working on what you want to be working on rather than gravitating to whatever piece of paper happened to catch your eye. At home, spending five or 10 minutes in each room each evening putting things away will prevent things from getting out of control. Of course if your family helped create the clutter, it sure would be nice if they helped with the de-cluttering, too.

Before purchasing something, make sure you know where it will go. Otherwise it will become clutter. You’ll typically want to store things near where you use them and store similar things together. Store things that you use most frequently in easily-accessible places.

What habits or routines will you work on developing for your simpler, more stress-free life?

Wishing you simplicity, harmony and freedom,

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Posted in Home Organizing, Organizing Process, Paper Organizing, Simplicity, Workplace Organizing

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Clear the Clutter and Find Prosperity

August 14th, 2012

I recently read the book Great With Money by Melissa Burke and Ellen Rogin. With the goal of the book being to help readers create a prosperous mindset and a confident approach to money, you might expect it to focus on how to earn more and spend less. Well, it may surprise you to know that “clear your clutter” is the first step to prosperity described by the authors. Yup, clearing the clutter in your life is the first step towards prosperity.

Even without the benefit of seeing disorganized homes and offices on the level that I do, these authors wisely recognize that being surrounded by clutter can block you from achieving more in your life – your piles of paper and other stuff represent unfinished tasks and postponed decisions that can weigh you down. The clutter not only physically blocks you from accomplishing things, but the mental clutter it creates can prevent you from moving forward in your life. You’re too busy focusing on what you haven’t accomplished to be able to think about creating new accomplishments.

Sure, great achievers like Albert Einstein were famously buried in clutter. However, I’m guessing that because you’re reading a blog about organization, you sense is that being better organized would help you accomplish more. As Swiss philosopher Henri Frédéric Amiel stated, “Order is light, peace, inner freedom, self-determination: it is power. To conceive order, to return to order, to realize order in oneself, around oneself, by means of oneself, is well-being.”

Not only does clearing clutter and creating order create a physical and mental path towards prosperity, it can actually directly generate prosperity. While helping clients de-clutter their homes and offices, I’ve discovered money (I once found $3,500 cash that the owner had no idea existed tucked away in a book!), uncashed checks, unused gift cards, and uncashed savings bonds. I’ve found things clients knew were “here somewhere” and saved them the trouble of having to buy replacements. I’ve consigned clothing and household items to resale shops that have generated income, and donated items to charity which have generated tax deductions. I’ve unearthed financial documents, insurance forms, medical paperwork, etc. that had direct financial implications for the client.

What financial potential lies buried in your clutter? What could you achieve if only the mountains of paperwork and stuff disappeared? What steps towards de-cluttering and organizing your life can you take to start realizing more prosperity? I encourage you to take at least one step today to move you in the right direction. Good luck on your journey.

Wishing you simplicity, harmony and freedom,

 

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Posted in Life Lessons, Simplicity

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Lots of Choices Don’t Always Make Us Happier

November 17th, 2011

We’ve all heard the phrase “less is more” (in fact I’ve written about this concept previously), but how many of us actually practice that philosophy? It sure seems as though the world (or at least the United States) is going in the opposite direction – we’ve got supersized grocery stores with dozens of choices for each food category; enormous home-improvement stores with aisle after aisle of products; hundreds of television stations from which to choose; the list goes on and on. But do all these choices improve our quality of life?

The May 2011 issue of Real Simple Magazine included an interesting fact regarding choices: According to a 2008 study let by the University of Minnesota, “students faced with multiple choices had less physical stamina and were more likely to procrastinate.” As someone who is easily overwhelmed when I have lots of choices, I am not surprised by this information. When our local grocery store was being remodeled many years ago, I had to shop at the much larger grocery store down the street. I can still remember the near-panic feeling I had when I walked into the produce section – it was absolutely huge and I had no idea where to start looking for the garlic I needed. After searching for about 10 minutes (ok, maybe it was only 5, but it sure seemed like a long time) I finally found an employee who told me the garlic was with the tomatoes. Really – I would have put it near the onions! Hmm, maybe I should contact grocery stores as potential organizing clients.

But the point remains that too many choices can easily overwhelm us. The Real Simple article went on to quote Barry Schwartz, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania: “When it comes to choosing what to wear (not to mention making other life decisions), try to limit yourself  to fewer than 10 options.” Nancy Pipal, an image consultant who makes a living helping people create their perfect wardrobe, epitomizes this philosophy. Here are some pictures of her personal closet:

    

With only a few items in each clothing category from which to choose, Nancy has an easy time getting dressed. She loves each and every item and knows that they all fit her perfectly. There’s no need to try on five different outfits – every item is worth the space it takes up in her closet.

With Nancy as a real-life example of how owning less can simplify one’s life, what changes are you ready to make to simplify yours?

Wishing you simplicity, harmony and freedom,

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Posted in Life Lessons, Simplicity

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Own Less and Gain More

May 11th, 2011

Family sitting in living room smilingA recent Oprah episode included an interview with multimillionaire director Tom Shadyac, who decided to simplify his life by letting go of his mansion and many of his belongings. His former home had 17 bedrooms (although he wasn’t quite sure how many!) and 13 bathrooms. He downsized to a mobile home with three bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, and has never been happier. It was fascinating to hear him describe how freeing it was to let go of so many material things as he felt the weight of his former lifestyle lift off his shoulders.

I can certainly relate to his sense that the traditional measures of success – possessions and busy lifestyles – weigh us down. After all, I spend my days helping people pare down their belongings and simplify their schedules. I see first-hand how much time and energy people devote to shopping and caring for things, as well as working to pay for them, but they aren’t necessarily happier for owning them. I see their jam-packed schedules, filled with activities for themselves and their kids, although often just sitting quietly at home reading a book or enjoying their family would make them happier.

I know it’s not easy or realistic for most people to simplify their life to the extent Mr. Shadyac did, but I do know there are plenty of people who would like their life to be a bit less complicated. Years ago I read the book Your Money or Your Life, which presented the concept of viewing expenditures in terms of how much of one’s life energy would have to be expended to cover each expense. For example, how many hours would I have to work to earn enough money, after taxes, to buy a new pair of shoes? Before making the purchase, I’d be wise to determine if I was willing to work x number of hours to afford them.

Although I’ve never been one to strive for owning a lot of possessions, when I do shop for things other than groceries, I often ask myself if they’re worth the amount of life energy I’d have to expend to obtain them. I use this technique when contemplating expenditures on entertainment as well – is it worth it to me to work x number of hours to be able to attend a particular concert, play, sporting event, etc. I’ve certainly made some purchases that I’ve regretted, but overall I can say that my conscious consumption has made my life simpler and happier.

I’d love to hear if you’ve tried simplifying your life – how successful have you been? Are you happier than you otherwise would have been?

Wishing you simplicity, harmony and freedom,

Signature Sue

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Posted in Life Lessons

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Time Changes How Meaningful Things Are

April 27th, 2011

girl playing with dollhouseI was recently reminded of how, over time, the significance of our possessions can change as I was helping a client clean out her basement. She had lived in her house for 45 year, raised her family there, nursed her husband through a terminal illness there, and celebrated countless birthdays and holidays there. Her basement was filled with many relics of her fulfilling life – toys that had belonged to her kids, photographs of people she wasn’t sure she could identify, kitchenware that had belonged to her mother, travel information from trips taken long ago – many items that were useful and meaningful at one time, but now stood stacked, dusty and intimidating.

As I helped my client go through the boxes and piles, she had a variety of reactions to what was inside: from “Oh, I remember that!” to “Hmm, where did that come from?” She viewed each item she discovered in terms of what role it might play in her life now, rather than the role it had played in the past. After all, if she had lived without it for all this time and had relegated it to the depths of her basement, it couldn’t be that important to her.

I helped her try to figure out who the unidentified people might be in some of the photos, then put them aside for her to pass on to her late husband’s side of the family. I wondered along with her about when her mother might have used some of the serving pieces and household goods we uncovered, then put them in a pile for her kids to go through. I helped her move an old, tattered chalkboard to the curb for garbage day, recalling how her kids had played “teacher” with it. I took a dilapidated, kid’s-sized table and chair set to the curb as well, remembering the kids coloring and playing games at it. I added a broken doll house to the garbage pile as she recalled how surprised she had been that her daughters didn’t play with dolls, but did enjoy the doll house.

As we travelled down memory lane together, my mom and I shared some great memories, celebrated her rich life, and looked forward to the future – a future that includes a cleaned-out basement and the relief of knowing that she hasn’t burdened her kids with having to figure out what the stuff in those dirty old boxes is after she’s gone. Thanks, Mom.

What things are you holding onto that are or will become a burden to you or your family? Take some time now to decide what’s meaningful and let go of the rest.

Wishing you simplicity, harmony and freedom,

Signature Sue

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Posted in Home Organizing, Keepsakes, Seniors

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From Disastrous to Delightful in 15 Minutes

December 20th, 2010

I was recently doing a marathon baking session at my house when what to my wondering eyes should appear but a huge mess in my kitchen. As the pictures below show, there were pots and pans and all kinds of things all over the place.

Messy kitchen table

MessY kitchen counter

Some of you may be wondering what all the fuss is about, but that’s not the normal look of my kitchen. I feel a bit like Oprah when she bravely goes on TV without her makeup – after all, I’m supposed to be neat and orderly.  It just goes to show that things can occasionally get out of control for even the most organized among us. The trick is to have a regular system of getting things back in place. I wasn’t alarmed about my mess because I knew that in no time I could get the room whipped back into shape. After all, everything had a place where it belonged and all I had to do was put it there.

Just like I do with any organizing project, I picked a place to start (I chose the stove) and dug in to pick up an item, identify where it belonged, and put it there. Dirty spatula? – Dishwasher. Dirty cookie sheet? – washed, dried and put in cabinet. Bin of sugar? – Into the kitchen cabinet.  I just kept moving to my left – counter, sink, drainer, counter, kitchen table – until everything was put away.

Clean kitchen tableClean kitchen counter

You may think that it’s cheating to put things in the dishwasher because it’s not the permanent home of an item (although when I was first out of college, my roommate and I used the dishwasher to store our pots and pans, but that’s another story for another time). At any rate, I don’t view putting things in the dishwasher as cheating – after all, that’s where they belonged at the moment I picked them up.

Curious about how long it might take me to clean up my mess, and in anticipation of using my experience as material for this blog, I actually timed my kitchen clean up from start to finish.  In 14 minutes and 23 seconds, everything was where it belonged. Knowing that the timer was running, I was especially diligent and focused on being efficient in my endeavor. In what seemed like no time, the kitchen was back in shape and I was back to my usual question of who can I get to cook dinner for me?

The next time you’re feeling overwhelmed by your clutter, set a timer, pick a place to start, and just pick one item at a time to move along towards its home.

Wishing you simplicity, harmony and freedom,

Signature Sue

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Posted in Home Organizing, Organizing Process

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What Can You Do With 15 Minutes?

November 17th, 2010

15 minutesThe one challenge I hear most from my clients is that they don’t have enough time in their day. However, they typically take an “all or nothing” approach to getting things done. This is unrealistic, because most of us don’t have large chunks of time available to knock out big projects in one fell swoop. A more realistic approach is to chip away at large tasks in the small bits of time we do have available (see my prior blog posting on this topic). In order to do that, we have to break projects down into smaller components first. Then, when a small segment of time appears (such as when we’re waiting for the proverbial pot of water to boil) we can tackle one small task.

Like many of you, I’m often challenged by a nonstop schedule. However, when I put my mind to it, I’m amazed at how much I can get accomplished in even just 15 minutes. Two key concepts help me capitalize on these 15 minute time oases. The first is setting a timer: I set it for 15 minutes and challenge myself to be as focused as I can to get as much done as possible before the timer goes off. The second is keeping a list of quick tasks so that when a small chunk of time does become available, I can refer to the list and get something purposeful accomplished.

For example, I used to struggle with finding time to write my blog or my monthly newsletter until I adopted the strategy of taking advantage of small chunks of time. I might spend the first five-minute chunk determining what topic to write about and coming up with the title. Then I chip away at each step: writing each sentence, editing, finding an appropriate photograph, spell checking, etc. until before I know it the article is ready to go.

You can apply the same technique to your organizing projects. You may not have a block of the several hours it will take to organize a particular room, but if you spend 15 minutes a day on it, over a period of time the room will be organized. And that’s certainly a better outcome than not even starting because you don’t have one block of multiple hours available.

 Here are some ideas of what you might be able to accomplish in 15 minutes:

Laundry: Empty the dryer, fold all items and put them in baskets according to their owner; sort dirty clothes and put a load into the washer; put away a laundry basket of clothes.

Mail: Go through the day’s mail and decide on the next action you need to take on each item.

Planning:  Schedule your day, week, or vacation.

Energizing:  Take a walk around the block; do some yoga or stretching; lift some weights; meditate; go to bed earlier than normal.

Reading: I never seem to make time for this, so I’ve started setting aside 15 minutes at the end of my day to read a chapter of a book, a magazine article, or scan a few pages of the newspaper.

Writing:  Send off a long neglected thank you note; prepare the week’s grocery list; send a quick note to let someone know you’re thinking of them.

Calling: Make that phone call you’ve been avoiding.

Connecting: Spend time with a child, family member or friend.

De-cluttering: Clean off a kitchen counter or table (or a portion of it); clean out a drawer; clean off a bookshelf; clean out your purse, wallet or briefcase.

There are plenty of other things you can do in 15 minutes. Go ahead, set the timer, and let me know what you’ve discovered you can accomplish.

Wishing you simplicity, harmony and freedom,

Signature Sue

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Posted in Organizing Process, Time Management

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Small Steps Can Lead to Big Results

September 29th, 2010

Baby StepsDoes the thought of getting organized leave you overwhelmed and uncertain how to get started? The concept of kaizen can take you from that feeling of overwhelm to one of being in control and on the path towards accomplishment. Kaizen is a term that was coined in Japan as it began to rebuild itself after World War II – it’s the concept of small steps and continuous improvement. Kaizen is based on the premise that we can overcome initial resistance to change by patiently trusting that small steps will lead us to success.

The idea of kaizen is that even the most seemingly trivial steps that one might dismiss as insignificant are indeed significant as they lead towards accomplishing a goal. The very fact that the steps are small helps block the fear that often accompanies change, even positive change. Rather than our brain telling us to hold back on doing something because of the fear it associates with a departure from our normal behaviors and routine, the little steps of kaizen help mask the change and bypass the fear we might otherwise feel. 

So what does this all mean when it comes to getting organized? When you’re facing the prospect of getting organized and don’t know where to begin, taking any small action that gets you started will help you get unstuck and lead to other small (or maybe bigger) steps that will keep you moving forward. To figure out what small step to take, ask yourself questions to give you insight into the right move to make. For example, “What’s one small thing I can do to de-clutter this room?” or “What can I do for five minutes every day that will help me reclaim my office space?”

In order to be successful in getting started with kaizen, follow these tips from the Life Excellence Newsletter

  • Think of how to do it, not why it cannot be done
  • Do not make excuses. Start by questioning current practices.
    Making excuses for not doing something is easy.
  • Wisdom is brought out when faced with hardship

If you find that your best efforts at taking small steps still lead you to resistance to change, revisit and scale back the size of your steps so you can sidestep that opposition and move forward. Remember, the goal is to make the steps so tiny and seemingly insignificant that you barely notice that any effort is necessary. These small steps provide an acceptable alternative to failure.

In her book It’s Hard to Make a Difference When You Can’t Find Your Keys, Marilyn Paul wisely says, “Small steps actually taken lead to more progress than great steps that never happen.”

Here’s to your small steps actually taken,

Signature Sue

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Posted in Causes of Disorganization, Organizing Challenges, Organizing Process

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