Peace of Mind Organizing

R&R - practicing what I preach

18 June 2009

I encourage my clients (and Declutter Happy Hour participants) to be sure and take breaks and build in rewards when they’re working hard (on clutter or anything else).

I’ve had a busy few weeks and I’m ready for some rest and relaxation. And lucky for me, I’m getting some! Tomorrow I have an all-day strategic planning retreat for the board of NAPO St. Louis, of which I’m president. I expect to be pretty tired out after that.

But that’s okay because Saturday morning, I’m hopping in a mini-van with five girlfriends and we’re driving north to a resort community on Lake Michigan, the summer home of one of the friend’s parents. These are women I get together with monthly to do crafts. (And some I see some of them more frequently than that.)

So the plan is to hang out, enjoy some sun (with sunscreen of course) and water, eat, drink, and do crafts. (I’ll be working on knitting projects.) We return on Tuesday via Chicago and a visit to some fabric stores and, perhaps, the mecca known as IKEA.

Doesn’t that sound nice? I think it’s really important to build in some down time, especially for those of us who own businesses we’re passionate about.

So I probably won’t be blogging again until Wednesday. Have a great week!

Another 30-minute miracle

16 June 2009

Okay, “miracle” is completely overstating it. But I was amazed at my office’s transformation the other day when I set my timer and got to work for 30 minutes.

If you can stand another set of before and after pictures, here’s how my office looked before. (I’m cringing as I type this because it had gotten so cluttered, just in the course of my ignoring it while I was busy working.)

This is what happens when you don't put stuff away.

And here it is 30 minutes later after decluttering, tidying, and vacuuming.

Much better! Taking a few minutes to run the vacuum made a big difference.

Clearly, my poodle, Kirby, appreciated my effort.

It never ceases to amaze me what can be done in 30 minutes of focused effort. That’s why Shannon Wilkinson and I allow 30 minutes of decluttering in each of our Declutter Happy Hour sessions.

I love sharing the message that we don’t have to put aside a whole (or half) day to declutter a space. Grab the time you have and get started! Little and often is the way to go.

Music to declutter by

15 June 2009

In my newsletter, which goes out today, I mention the power of focus and how by setting a timer for a short period of time, I can get a lot done. (This is a refrain here on the blog too). I also mentioned that sometimes instead of (or in addition to) a timer, I’ll play a playlist of songs that ends after a set period of time.

So I decided today, at the risk revealing embarrassing personal information, to share what’s on my iTunes playlist called “Clean the office for 30 minutes.” Here it is:

• I’m No Angel, Gregg Allman
• It’s a New Day, will.i.am
• I Sing the Body Electric (from the Fame soundtrack), Eric Brockington
• Little Red Corvette, Prince
• Feeling Good, Michael Buble
• Fantasy, Earth Wind & Fire
• Borderline, Madonna

All these songs make me move and make me happy. And, together, they add up to 31.2 minutes.

How about you? Do you have songs you like to declutter by?

P.S. Don’t miss out on the $40 discount for the Declutter Happy Hour e-course—it expires on Wednesday!

My adventure with a professional organizer

12 June 2009

As I blogged about the other day, I hired professional organizer Karel Worley of Clearing Your Path, to come to my house and help my husband, Barry, and me declutter our basement.

We had four hours to spend on it yesterday. Barry was sure that wouldn’t be enough. In that time, we finished the decluttering, though Karel’s going to come back and help me put up some shelving and organize what’s left.

It was tremendous! First, a little background: we have a scary, yucky basement (as you’ll see in the photos below) and lots of room down there. We had a tendency to just dump stuff in the basement, rather than making a decision to get rid of it or store it properly. We also had stuff in the basement that was there when we bought the house in 1992. And, I think, some stuff that tenants put there when we were living in New York from 1997 to 2001.

So there was a lot to get rid of. And a lot of stuff that I feel Barry had resisted letting go of in the past. Okay, me too.

I’m here to tell you, there’s something about working with a professional organizer that shifts the way you think about stuff. Barry was letting things go with abandon. It was wonderful. I let go of some big stuff, like the two file boxes full of files containing background material for each of the articles and books I’d written in the past when I was a freelance writer. It was absolutely liberating.

Here are a few of the benefits that I observed of working this with Karel versus trying to clean out the basment without her help:

• She kept the momentum going. Karel wasn’t still for a moment. When she wasn’t assisting us specifically, she’d work on her own to declutter obvious trash and organize what was left behind.

• She kept us focused. Knowing she was there for a set period of time, for example, stopped me from spending much time going through the box of photos I found from college and my 20s. I look forward to going through them later, though!

• She offered advice on what was appropriate for donation or sale (and what wasn’t), which was so helpful. I kept second guessing myself on that, though I usually have no trouble advising clients about that.

• She asked some powerful questions to guide my decisions about keeping or letting go of some more difficult items.

In addition, I noticed some things about myself, which really helped put me in my clients’ shoes. There were a few items, not sentimental items, but more like office supplies that I’d used in the past or might want to use again (or perhaps give to clients), that I’m sure I would have rooted for a client to get rid of. But when Karel asked me the same questions I’d ask a client, I resisted letting the stuff go. And mostly I kept it. But I kept so little, I’ll be able to organize and store it sensibly.

Also, I experienced something that I’d seen in clients, but never really understood. I had a couple of items that I didn’t want, but I didn’t want to donate them. Instead, I wanted to give them to someone I know. (I don’t have anyone in mind at the moment.) In other words, I wanted to be able to offer them to someone specific, not just give them to an anonymous person who could use them. In the past, when clients would express this, I didn’t really get it. Now I do.

I’m absolutely amazed we got as much done as we did in just four hours. and I know you’re dying to see before-and-after pictures. So here you go:

We had a tendency to keep computer and appliance boxes.

Boxes gone!

This was primarily my dumping ground.

We got rid of much of it and stored the rest on shelves elsewhere.

The stuff that’s not being recycled, donated, or shredded is being hauled away. (I’m planning to use NAPO St. Louis associate member, Junkman4Hire.com.)

Thank you, Karel, for your help. It was a wonderful experience!!

Have a Declutter Happy Hour any time you want

11 June 2009

At the end of March, life coach Shannon Wilkinson and I started offering a four-week telecourse called Declutter Happy Hour.

What’s really cool about Declutter Happy Hour is that we not only help you with the practical side of decluttering, offering solid info and advice and actual time to declutter during the audio portion, but we also have Shannon’s amazing NLP techniques, which help free you of your emotional barriers to decluttering. By the time you’ve gone through one of Shannon’s exercises, you’re raring to declutter. (Read my announcement of Declutter Happy Hour if you’re interested in learning more about the features and benefits.)

We did an April session and a May session of the live teleclass, and they were terrific. Then we looked at our calendars and realized we weren’t going to be able to offer another one until October at the earliest. That was unacceptable. So we decided to transform Declutter Happy Hour into a four-week e-course.

I’m really excited about this. Please (pretty please) go to our webpage to read all the details (including some great testimonials). I’ll give you the condensed version here.

When you purchase this very affordable electronic product, you get the following:

Core version

• Weekly link to a recording from the April Declutter Happy Hour teleclass
• Weekly tipsheet of organizing info from the class
• Weekly worksheet to help you maximize the benefit of Shannon’s magical NLP portion of the class that helps you free yourself of the emotional barriers to decluttering
• Daily emails from us offering advice, inspiration, motivation and help for four weeks

This core version is only $97. But if you buy it by June 17, we’ll give you $40 off. That’s only $57.

Premium version

With the premium version, you get all of the above PLUS

• Bonus audio set of four recordings from the May Declutter Happy Hour teleclass, which has added info on dealing with paper
• Bonus tipsheet on organizing your paper
• Priority email access to me and Shannon to give you the advice and support you need while you go through this process.

The premium version is $127. But, like the core version, we’ll give you $40 off if you buy it by June 17. All that for $87.

If you sign up by June 17, the e-course will commence on June 18. If you buy it on June 18 or after, it’ll start up immediately.

One more thing. We’re offering a very limited number of VIP add-on opportunities. For an additional $127, you can buy an hour on the phone one-on-one with each of us. That’s a huge bargain.

I love working with clients one on one. But I know that my fee is out of reach for lots of folks. That’s one reason I’m so excited to be offering the Declutter Happy Hour e-course. For a very small investment, you benefit from my organizing expertise, plus the amazing emotional help that Shannon offers. It’s a unique opportunity. Jump on it now to save a bundle!

Being company ready

10 June 2009

This morning, I read this wonderful Unclutterer blog post, in which Erin Doland wrote about how she didn’t freak out when she learned her in-laws were coming for an overnight stay that day. Since she’s embraced an uncluttered lifestyle, the unexpected visit didn’t mean any scrambling.

That’s the ideal, isn’t it? As I read it, I realized that I’m almost there. That’s huge. I don’t have a lot of clutter issues, per se, because I have a large house and most things have a designated home. My problem tends to be a mess problem, in that I’m not great about putting stuff away. Well, there’s also a dirt and cat-hair problem, because I hate cleaning with a fiery passion. And I don’t want to spring for a regular housecleaner.

A month ago, I made a commitment to vacuum and dust something at least once a week, except when I’m out of town. I’ve been able to keep that commitment. (Somehow in recent years I’ve acquired the skill of creating new habits by making commitments. It started with my clean desk.)

So this morning, when I read the Unclutterer post, I decided to put it to the test. I have a lunch date today with a client who has moved away from St. Louis. (I adore her. I blogged about her last year.) When she lived here, I saw her with great regularity. I knew every nook and cranny of her home. But she’s never been to my home. So I decided to invite her to come here to check out my house and then go to a nearby restaurant.

I’m thrilled to be able to do that. And I’m also thrilled to not have to scramble to make it ready for her. I am going to vacuum the front stairs, which needs it something fierce. And I tidied up my office a bit. But I’d cleaned it on Sunday, so that didn’t take much effort. Full disclosure: our bedroom’s going to be off limits because it sort of looks like the closet exploded.

To me, this is really the benefit of creating habits and routines to keep the house presentable (a lot of credit goes to my husband, who’s been keeping the kitchen clean). It’s taken me a long time to get here. And it’s a great place to be.

Why does decluttering feel so hard?

5 June 2009

When it comes decluttering, which is usually the the first step of getting organized, getting started is often the hardest part.

Emotions play into it, of course. It’s often scary or overwhelming to even think about tackling a big decluttering job. Back in March, I wrote a blog post that contained a poll on the emotional barriers to getting organized. I asked “What emotions get in your way of getting organized?” Of the 69 responses, the largest proportion was “Overwhelm” followed by “Avoidance.”

I’m facing this right now in my life. My husband and I have a big, scary, “Silence of the Lambs”-style basement in our 101-year-old home. In the eight years we’ve been back in this house, we’ve only added stuff to it. There’s been very little subtracting.

I know having an ugly and cluttered basement is probably psychically bag for me. I’m sure it’s terrible feng shui. But it’s not a project I could tackle on my own, since many (though certainly not all) of the things down there were put there by my husband. We talk about cleaning it out and organizing what’s left, but we never get around to doing it, since pretty much any other activity is more attractive.

So we’re doing what I encourage you to do if you’re faced with such a challenge. We’re hiring a professional organizer. Karel Worley, of Clearing Your Path here in St. Louis, is coming over on Thursday and the three of us are spending the day in the basement. I’m actually excited about getting started, primarily because I want it over with.

I’ll report back after Thursday’s basement session. I’m really anxious for the experience of working with an organizer, particularly in tandem with my husband!