How to exercise your simplicity muscle

By |2023-09-04T10:39:09-04:00April 14th, 2014|Categories: Clutter Control, Home Page|Tags: , , , |

What, you didn’t know you had a simplicity muscle? It’s true! Don’t ask me to locate it, but it’s probably in the noggin. It’s the muscle that allows us to break down the most complicated projects into the simplest, manageable tasks. Professional organizers and minimalists have this muscle toned like a professional athlete’s leg muscles. Athletes may be naturally athletic, but most of their results come from exercising. You may not be naturally organized, but you can certainly exercise your simplicity muscle. Here’s how.

A New Theory on Tossing Old Clutter

By |2014-03-31T19:08:33-04:00March 31st, 2014|Categories: Clutter Control, Home Page|Tags: , , , |

There are a lot of reasons for why it is hard to toss our excess stuff, that I have discussed in this blog. For example, there’s clutter from the past that holds sentimental value and there’s clutter for the future that we might need “someday.” Today, however, I want to share a new theory on why we keep clutter, that I don’t believe has ever been addressed before. I call it the check register theory. Here it is.

Organizing Social Media For Action

By |2014-03-24T19:08:11-04:00March 24th, 2014|Categories: Home Page, Systems|Tags: , , |

A while back I wrote a guest post on my friend, Brian Bish’s blog about organizing social media. Most of what I addressed was how Brian got my social media more organized through Hootsuite. This was great for establishing a manageable, weekly foundation, but I discovered I wasn’t good at the next and most important step: social interaction. Again, I needed a simple, manageable plan, so I had Brian return this morning to help me with one. What struck me is how much his advice for effective social media is the same as the advice I give for staying organized. Here are some examples.

Product Review: Sharpie Products

By |2014-03-17T17:53:58-04:00March 17th, 2014|Categories: Home Page, Product Reviews|Tags: , , , , , , |

I have been a fan of Sharpie products for years. Every one of my team’s project boxes have black Retractable Sharpies in them, so we never loose a cap. My clients love them! Today, however I am looking at three new products from Sharpie: the Premium Pen, the Neon Permanent Markers, and the Metallic Permanent Marker

Organizing Fairy Dust

By |2014-03-11T11:58:13-04:00March 10th, 2014|Categories: Clutter Control, Home Page, Systems|Tags: , , |

In my last blog post, I gave some examples of the science of organizing. I explained that what we do is not magic, it’s science. This time, I thought it would be fun to look at some of the magical ideas I have encountered over the years about organizing and professional organizers. I call these ideas organizing fairy dust.

The Science of Organizing

By |2023-09-04T10:40:27-04:00March 2nd, 2014|Categories: Clutter Control, Home Page|

Because my organizing team is able to consistently deliver such excellent results, many of our clients credit us with working magic. But it’s not magic, it’s not luck, and it’s not talent. It’s science.

Thinking Inside the Box

By |2014-02-24T17:30:22-05:00February 24th, 2014|Categories: Clutter Control, Home Page|Tags: , , |

Thinking outside the box, of course, means thinking creatively outside of conventional constraints. I’d like to make a case for thinking inside the box. I’m not referring to a conceptual box, but an actual physical box. To be creative, you definitely want to think outside the conceptual box, but, to get organized, let’s get back to the box.

“I’m Too Creative To Be Organized!”

By |2014-02-18T07:19:45-05:00February 18th, 2014|Categories: Clutter Control, Home Page|Tags: , |

There are a lot of legitimate mental barriers to being organized, but being creative is not one of them. Sorry, I’m not buying it. Why do I say this? I say this because I’m creative. In fact, I am more naturally creative than I am organized. I’m not bragging. Put a spreadsheet in front of me and I’m an idiot. Back to creativity.

What Your Time Management System May Be Missing

By |2014-02-11T07:07:24-05:00February 11th, 2014|Categories: Home Page, Time Management|Tags: , , |

If the conclusion you are drawing from the combination of this title and this photo, is that your Time Management System is missing Post-It notes, then go ahead and laugh. There’s a little more to it than that, but I stand by my Post-It’s. There are a lot of time management systems out there, both paper and digital, but I have found that NONE of them facilitate prioritizing, especially sudden RE-prioritizing.

“You Wouldn’t Believe How Much I Have Already Thrown Out!”

By |2023-09-04T10:29:41-04:00February 3rd, 2014|Categories: Clutter Control, Home Page, Paper Management|Tags: , , |

I’m in my tenth year as a professional organizer and clients have told me this statement more than any other. You wouldn't believe how many times people have told me, “You wouldn't believe how much I have already thrown out!” First, I would. Second, it’s roughly the equivalent of a smoker telling me, “you wouldn’t believe how many times I quit smoking.” It’s irrelevant. Unless you analyze the reasons for the bad habit and develop a realistic plan for maintaining a good one, the bad habit will most likely return. Here are 7 tips to make your next decluttering efforts really count.

Do You Need a Clutter Broker?

By |2023-09-04T10:30:49-04:00January 7th, 2014|Categories: Clutter Control, Home Page|Tags: , , |

I’ve just come to the realization that the job my team of organizers and I do is that of a clutter broker. What do I mean by this? Just as there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all mortgage, there’s no thing as a one-size-fits-all clutter solution. A mortgage broker has the job of brokering the right mortgage to suit your needs and a professional organizer has the job of brokering the right balance of keep, toss, donate, and sell. Here’s how.

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