Peace of Mind Organizing

Taking a day (or two) for planning

24 December 2020

Every year for the past decade or so, I take a day this time of year to reflect on the past year and plan the coming year. I call it my personal retreat. (Here’s the post I wrote in 2017 about my retreat). Before this year, I would go from place to place around town (coffee shops, the library, the botanical garden, the floatation tank) for various of my planning. It was solitary and it was fabulous.

This year is different, of course. Thanks to COVID-19, I’m not venturing away from home except when necessary. So it’s up to me to translate that practice to my home. I actually started last week. I took out my Power Sheets Intentional Goal Planner (which I also used last year) and started the process outlined there. I got through the reflection part and set my word of the year. (It’s ease.) I was about to start the part where I set interim goals and put together an action plan to achieve them when I had to stop.

So today is Day Two and I’m excited. I have plenty of rooms in my old house. So I think I’ll plan to move from room to room for different activities (after I finish things like blogging, genealogy research and yoga). Here are some of the things I’m planning for the day:

• Create interim goals and action plans in my Power Sheets
• Take the Clifton Strengths Assessment, which we will be discussing this in an upcoming episode of our podcast Getting to Good Enough.
• Reflect on systems and processes I might implement to make 2021 more full of ease
• Letter a pretty sign containing my Word of the Year for my bulletin board

I’m going to sprinkle the day with some rewards for focused activity (like watching this Vogue interview of Dan Levy and taking a short walk to a neighborhood restaurant to pick up the festive holiday dinner we ordered). And I plan to be kind to myself, upbeat and productive.

2020 is a year like no other. It might be tempting to shove it aside and not reflect on the good things that happened and the lessons learned in a year of unprecedented stress. Speaking for myself, there was much good that happened this year and much that I’m proud of. Taking the time to reflect on that and incorporate it into my planning for what I hope will be a less stressful and more normal new year feels like the right thing to do this year.

If you’re able and inclined, I encourage you to carve out some time and space before the end of the year to reflect and plan. It can be an enjoyable exercise that pays off in the future.

Worth repeating: Six things my puppy taught me

17 December 2020

Our standard poodle, Bix, joined our family as an eight-week-old puppy five years ago this week. I’ve been enjoying the puppy pictures that Facebook Memories has been presenting. And I enjoyed re-reading this post from five years ago. It seems like a lot of friends are getting puppies these days, so I thought it might be useful to run again. Bix has grown up into a beautiful, playful and very well behaved boy. He’s a keeper!

Happiness is a warm puppy

My thoughts are all wrapped in my dog these days. We brought our standard poodle puppy, Bix, home from the breeder two weeks ago. He’s now ten weeks old and commands most of our attention. Emails have gone unread and unwritten. Blogging has slowed way down. I feel behind in everything.

But I have a warm snuggly puppy and it’s worth all the effort. (That’s Bix in the photo at right snuggling with his dad.) This morning, as he and I had a quiet moment together on the couch, I jotted down a few things that this time with Bix has taught me. He’s not my first puppy, but he is my first puppy since I’ve become an organizer and blogger. I’m in the habit of turning everything into a blog post. So here you go.

Six things my new puppy has taught me to do

1. Be patient. Oh my goodness. I think of myself as a patient person. I can stand in silence for minutes as a client ponders whether to keep or donate an item. But Bix is taking my patience to a new level. It’s been pouring rain for days and Bix is still being house trained. Waiting in the rain for my dog to eliminate requires an exquisite amount of patience.
2. Be attentive. One has to pay attention to an unhousetrained puppy or one cleans up a lot of messes. Also, puppies chew stuff up. So when I’m with Bix I need to be focused. When I focus instead on my phone, I usually am sorry. (In fact yesterday I was focused on neither of them and he started chewing on my phone!)
3. Look for the positive. Puppies are a clean slate. They need to be taught which of their natural behaviors are desirable and which are not. I practice positive-reinforcement training so I have to stay attuned to those things he does so I can reward him for it. (I realize I should be applying this to my interactions with humans as well!)
4. Be prepared. When you have to be ready to take a puppy outside at a moment’s notice and it’s winter, you have to be prepared. That means my coat is at the ready, clicker and treats in pocket. I try to have a toy handy at all times to give to him when he tries to bite my fingers (and other body parts). And I always have a clicker and treats in my pocket for a quick training session or just to reinforce something great he’s doing. And, of course, I try to have my iPhone handy to capture the cute moments!
5. Prioritize. My husband, Barry, and I share puppy duties. (Barry works from home.) It seems like all I have are small snippets of time that I must make the most of while Bix sleeps or Barry is entertaining him. The fact is that all I really want to do is post pictures and videos of Bix on Facebook and read the admiring comments, but really I need to prioritize the things that are essential to keeping my business running (like communicating with clients and team members).
6. Stop and enjoy the little things. Puppies are young only once. And they’re outrageously cute. It’s easy to get frustrated but, really, there is so much to enjoy. Like snuggles. Like the sight of a puppy running toward you with a ball in his mouth. Like the first time he walks up the stairs by himself. This time with him is precious and I’m focusing on creating lasting memories.

Sign up for Yoga with Adriene's next 30-day yoga journey!

14 December 2020

I’m a gigantic fan of Adriene Mishler, the amazing woman behind Yoga with Adriene. I started doing her free YouTube videos two years ago, on December 12, 2018. ( Just five days later, I blogged about how I got past my barriers and got started in my post Starting yoga where I am.) I’ve written a number of posts about how great this yoga practice is for me. (Here’s one of my favorites: Nine things I love about Yoga with Adriene.)

I was really excited yesterday when Adriene announced her next 30-day yoga journey. She does this every January. It’s a 30-day practice, one video released per day, created around a theme. I loved January 2020’s Home practice so much I did the whole thing twice (or was it three times?). The 2021 theme is Breath. That’s something we can all benefit from focusing on and I’m sure it will be hugely beneficial during this time of transition.

One of the things I love about the 30-day yoga journeys is that I don’t have to make a choice about which yoga practice to do. (When I’m not doing a 30-day program, I feel free to pick and choose among Adriene’s vast library of videos.)

I’m proud to say that I’ve developed an ingrained daily at-home yoga practice. I haven’t missed a day since April 1, 2020. Being home so much has helped me find time and, perhaps more importantly, find the time of day that’s best for me. (I do it after I’m spent some time at the computer in the morning and before I walk Bix.)

I’m very excited about the upcoming 30-day journey. Whether you’re new to yoga or an experienced yogi (or anything in between), I encourage you to check it out and sign up! Like all her videos, it’s free of charge.

P.S. In case you’re interested, here’s a wonderful profile of Adriene that appeared in the New York Times several weeks ago.

Find me on Rd.com and Porch.com!

10 December 2020

Last month, my organizing advice appeared in two articles in the same week. The first was on Readers Digest’s website, in an article called 12 Things Professional Organizers Declutter Every Day. I was specifically asked about things I do in my own home, so this is truly real-life advice. (I talked about laundry, email, kitchen countertop and desktop.) My friends and colleagues Ellen Delap and Kathy Vines also contributed to this piece.

In addition, I was part of a round up of professional organizers on Porch.com in an article called, Home Organization: Tips from Professional Organizers. This time some 40 professional organizers provided tips on 40 different organizing challenges. My contribution was my answer to the question “What are the best apps to help you get organized?” This robust article is chock full of information. Ellen and Kathy are included in that story, along with a lot of other great organizers.

I urge you to give them a read. There’s so much great information shared in the articles!

One dress, one hundred days

7 December 2020

Last week my friend and podcast co-host, Shannon Wilkinson told me about Wool& and their 100-day challenge. Wool& sells simple wool-blend dresses and they have challenged customers to wear one of their dresses for 100 days in a row. After 100 straight days of (photo-documented) dress wearing, you receive a $100 gift card for another dress. (You can read more about the challenge here.)

When Shannon told me about this, I got really excited. I love limiting my choices and really enjoyed the Project 333 challenge I undertook a few years back, where I kept only 33 garments in my closet for three months. But that had fallen by the wayside and I found getting dressed during this pandemic to be, to say the least, uninspiring.

So I ordered the Rowena swing dress from Wool&, in black. I was thrilled when it arrived a few days later, because it’s as comfortable as I hoped it would be.

Then I went through my closet and removed everything that I couldn’t wear with the Rowena dress, though I did keep a few things out in case I became desperate to wear something else. Everything else went into bins in the basement. And I also went through the basement bins (there are three of them, established during my Project 333 time), and pulled out a few things that go with the dress.

Here’s what my closet looks like now.

So now I get to play with ponchos and scarves and feel a little creative without having to give it too much thought. Today is Day 4 and I am loving it! I will also be creative in wearing sweaters and shirts over the dress so it looks like a skirt.

I’m taking pictures every day, just in case I end up wearing it for 100 days and need proof. Here are a couple of photos to show what it looks like on me and how I’m wearing it. I promise not to bore you with 100 photos!

Day One, with burgundy cashmere/wool shawl and leggings:

Day One

Day Four, with a short, brown sleeved poncho, my hand-knit cowl and fleece-lined leggings:

Day Four

It seems a little ironic that I’m going to be getting away from the monotony of pandemic dressing by wearing the same dress every day. But I think that’s how it will work out. It’s so nice to feel excited about getting dressed again!

November tiny projects challenge: Day 5

3 December 2020

Okay, I realize it’s December, but I didn’t manage to finish my five tiny projects in November. Today is my fifth and final tiny project of this challenge. It’s the top drawer of the desk we call our household desk. I declutter it every decade or so. And today when I opened it I realized it was ripe for a tiny project challenge.

At the risk of embarrassing myself, here’s the before picture, taken at 3:41 pm.

You’d never know it, but there’s a drawer organizer hiding underneath all that stuff.

I emptied the drawer, sorting as I went along. (That’s my modus operandi.) The abundance of dried-out rubber bands went straight to the trash, as did icky paper clips and so forth. I had a handful of items I put aside for donation and a few (like business cards and a bunch of sticky notes) I brought downstairs where they are more appropriately stored in my office. I can’t seem to let go of expired passports, so I moved my collection of four passports into a different drawer in the household desk.

Only 25 minutes later, I was finished. Once again, I’m bowled over by the benefits of focusing on a tiny space for 30 minutes or less. Here’s the after shot:

I hope this series inspires you to take a little time out to declutter and organize a tiny corner of your space. Do it a few more times and you can truly make life a little easier—and more beautiful.

November tiny projects challenge: Day 4

30 November 2020

Today I put together a hospital go-bag for my husband, Barry. Twice this fall (once in October and once in November), I had to call an ambulance because he was experiencing a heart-related emergency. (A congenital heart condition is giving him problems.) The first time, I didn’t know what to bring with me and the first three days of his five-day hospital stay I was bringing in more stuff. The second time, I had a better sense of what he needed, but I still had to gather it up.

So when he got home from the hospital a couple of weeks ago, together we created a list of items to keep in a bag that I can grab on my way to the emergency room, should this come up again. I’m hoping that this will have the same effect as bringing along an umbrella when it’s threatening to rain: I won’t need it. (In fact, I created a similar bag for my dad several years ago and he hasn’t been hospitalized since!)

I put the list in Evernote, divided into two sections: (1) Things to keep in the bag and (2) Things to put in the bag. The latter category is for stuff he doesn’t have extras of, like noise-canceling headphones and reading glasses.

Today, I gathered the stuff up that will live in the bag and set it on the table. Here’s a picture. Pretty simple stuff like socks and underwear, soap, shampoo, and the all-important iPhone charger (with an extra-long cord).

I selected a colorful, distinctive Trader Joe’s bag to pack the stuff in. It will probably live in the corner of our bedroom. I printed out the checklist and attached it with a binder clip to the outside of the bag, so I’ll know exactly what’s packed inside the bag and what needs to be added.

I also clipped my hospital parking pass to the bag, so I wouldn’t misplace it. I was able to purchase a pass for five exits of the Barnes-Jewish Hospital parking garage for $20. I found out about that pass only after paying $15 to park the first day of the last stay, since I hung out with Barry in the ER for seven hours. Knowing exactly where that parking pass is and knowing it’s attached to the go-bag gave me instant stress relief.

Coming up with the list took a few minutes, but I did it right after getting home from the hospital. Gathering up the stuff and putting it in the bag took a few more minutes. It’s a tiny project that already gives me peace of mind!