My preferred way for disposing of stuff that’s too good to throw away, such as the items in this photo, is to pass it on to friends or family, or to donate it to charity. Yes, I could possibly sell some of this stuff, like the nearly new purse, but selling it means I first need to identify a place to sell it such as a consignment shop, ebay, Craig’s list or a garage sale. Then I … Read More
I recently helped a client pack for a trip. She had previously felt unprepared for trips, having found herself either over packing and lugging a hopelessly heavy suitcase, or under packing and not having what she needed. We did two things to help ensure a better outcome for this trip. First, we created two packing lists. The first list was items she takes on a typical domestic vacation. The second included items she needs when traveling overseas. Using … Read More
Last time I shared my cluttered desk with you, along with the reasons it ended up being so cluttered. Today I want to share the steps for getting it back to ready. These aren’t the only possible steps that might help someone get their desk back to ready, but they are the steps I used and hopefully they might give you some ideas for steps you may want to take… I cleared everything off my desk – I … Read More
Marilyn Paul introduced me to the concept of “getting to ready” in her book, It’s Hard to Make a Difference When you Can’t Find Your Keys. In her book, she describes being organized as: “a dynamic between a state of readiness for action and taking action. It is the rhythm of taking action, creating the natural disorder that comes with taking action, restoring order with helpful habits and useful systems, and thus returning to readiness for action.” … Read More
I recently did a spot on closet organizing on WKYC’s Channel 3 News Today. One of the points I made was that so many people think they need a complete closet overhaul, including an expensive closet organizing system, in order to have an “organized closet.” Before calling the closet organizing company donate what you no longer wear and try new hangers and rearranging the contents of your closet. These two photos show the exact same closet contents. … Read More
Many people will be putting away their holiday decorations this weekend. Before you do though, I would encourage you to go around your house and take photos of any decorative displays you were particularly fond of and might want to recreate next year. Store these photos in a file called holiday decorating and next year’s decorating will be a snap. Happy New Year!
I recently took this picture of the unbelievable stacks of containers at Target. They were located right inside the entrance and people were snapping them up like their lives depended upon them. As a professional organizer I secretly hoped those individuals already knew what they planned to store in them and where the containers themselves were going to be stored. I sort of doubt it though, because so often I go into a client’s home and find stacks … Read More