Peace of Mind Organizing

My strategies for packing light

1 May 2017

I’m in the middle of a fun ten-day trip. It’s bookended by a professional conference at the beginning, a wedding at the end and five days in New York City in the middle. I flew to Pittsburgh, took a train to New York, and will drive from there to Central Pennsylvania (for the wedding) and back before flying home from New York to St. Louis.

That’s a lot of back and forth and I didn’t want to be weighed down by luggage, particularly in the train portion of the trip (you could not check bags on the train I was on).I wanted to pack everything into a carry-on sized suitcase.

Packing light can be a bit of challenge when you need to dress nicely for a decent chunk of the trip. I’m proud say I’ve done it without a whole lot of effort. These are my strategies:

1. I planned everything I would wear each day. No extra just-in-case clothing.
2. I decided to wear the same thing every day while I’m in New York (more on that below).
3. I used packing cubes to pack more into the confines of the suitcase.
4. I can do a load of laundry midway through the trip.

My friend, Dacy Gillespie of mindful closet shared with me that she’d taken a long weekend trip without taking a single change of clothes. I was really inspired by that—I love the idea of not having to think about what I will wear! So I selected a pair of leggings (actually, I packed two pairs: one shorter and one longer) and a lightweight tunic from Athleta as my NYC uniform. I have a poncho if it’s cold and a scarf if I want to snazz it up. I have booties if I want to dress it up and sneakers if I want to be completely comfy and dress it down. I also have flats.

I so enjoy not having to think about what I’m going to wear! It’s absolutely liberating. It’s helpful that I feel great in this outfit and that it’s really comfortable.

As for the dressier clothes, I have two choices of clothes to wear at the wedding, both of which I wore at the conference.

For me, it’s all about making the decisions while I’m packing, rather than while I’m dressing. I know that overpacking just leads to stress for me. I love being really mobile with my suitcase. And I love not having to think much about what I’m going to wear because the choices are limited. (This is one reason I like Project 333 so much.)

I wonder if I’ll ever use a large suitcase again!

Special help for procrastinators

27 April 2017

Do you procrastinate on certain tasks? I used to be a dyed-in-the-wool procrastinator. When I was a freelance writer, I waited until the last minute to work on my magazine articles. Heck, I didn’t even start writing my very first book (in 1999) until the day after Thanksgiving and it was due on January 2! Take it from me, that’s nothing to be proud of.

Now, as an organizer, I’m less of a procrastinator, thank goodness. But there are still tasks I put off. Mostly business-related tasks that don’t have an immediate payoff, but are potentially important, like social-media management.

My friend, the life coach Shannon Wilkinson does an amazing job of helping folks with all sorts of things, including procrastination. She has just launched her new website and has offered a gift to all who visit it.

Shannon’s Less Angst More Action: The Anti-Procrastination Guide download is magical. She has you take a six-question quiz that identifies the source of your procrastination. (The choices are confidence, reward, enjoyment and distractibility.) Once that’s identified, she gives you a six-page guide and worksheet to overcome that particular type of procrastination.

I took the quiz and it turns out that my procrastination type is enjoyment. I have a hard time getting started on things I don’t like doing. (That seems perfectly natural to me.) This past weekend, I used Shannon’s worksheet to get in touch with the benefit of doing the task (in this case, social-media management) and the barrier vanished. It was unbelievable. I broke the task into ten-minute blocks and completed six blocks that day and another block the next day. And get this: it was enjoyable!

I haven’t read the other guides yet, but I encourage you to check it out. You may find yourself, like me, doing important things you’ve been putting off forever.

Worth repeating: Working with an organizing team

24 April 2017

I started leading organizing teams in 2008, but it was a relatively rare occurrence. By 2013, I’d renamed my team organizing service OPERATION: PEACE OF MIND and more than half my client appointments were teams. Now, I work almost exclusively by leading organizing teams. (And occasionally I send out teams that are led by experienced team members.) I find that the synergy of the team makes a team organizing session more than the sum of its parts. For those clients who can handle the fast pace, team organizing allows for swift and dramatic change. It’s rewarding for the client and for the organizers. I love it!

I originally wrote the post below five years ago and it’s more true now than ever.

When I started my organizing business in 2005, I exclusively worked one-on-one with clients. It’s intimate, fulfilling, valuable work. But it can be really slow. And that means progress is harder to see and it can become discouraging for the client.

A few years ago, I started to be approached by clients who had very large, whole-house decluttering jobs. I realized that bringing in more help was in order. And so every now and then I would put together an organizing team to effect quick change on giant projects.

In the last year or so I realized that it wasn’t just huge or overwhelming projects that could benefit from a team approach. As the long as the client can handle the hubbub and the faster pace of a team, there are many benefits, not the least of which is the visible results we see after a single session.

I don’t have employees. When I put together an organizing team, I use independent contractors, members of the St. Louis chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers. I call on organizers I know personally, thanks to NAPO St. Louis. I’m always on site supervising them and coordinating the efforts. I’m also typically the one working with the clients to guide decisions.

Here are some of the advantages I have found to team organizing:

• We get a whole lot done. If I’m working one-on-one with a client, I not only guide the decisions, but implement them. When I’m working with a team, there’s someone to do the leg work and everything happens a whole lot faster. Also, the team members pre-sort items for the client before the keep/donate/toss decisions are made (in a decluttering situation), which makes the decision-making much easier. As a result, the client sees visible progress, which isn’t always the case after a one-on-one session.

• It’s economical. I charge less for the time of organizing team members than I charge for my own time. So bringing in a team is not only faster than working with me one-on-one, it’s less expensive.

• More minds are better than one. I populate my teams with smart and talented organizers. I’d be crazy not to tap into their considerable skills and knowledge on the job. While I’m working with the client, I frequently consult team members on the best way to approach or organize a space. So the client benefits from the cumulative knowledge of the group.

• It’s fun! All the organizers I use love working on teams. Doing work we love (sorting and organizing) alongside our colleagues practically makes us giddy. And that’s contagious. While it’s tiring for the client to make a lot of decisions in a short period of time, most confess to having fun while doing it during our team jobs. Time flies.

Here’s a before and after combo from a team job at the end of 2010. Two of the organizing team members worked in this kitchen while the client worked with me and other team members in another part of the house. The client gave basic parameters and was brought in to answer questions periodically. She was thrilled at the end of the day.

A cluttered kitchen before a team arrived to help.

Two organizers created this transformation as part of a team project.

This year, my goal is to help more clients this way. I’m hooked on the fun of the team approach and the quick results. If you have a big project that seems overwhelming, maybe I could bring in an organizing team to help you. Take a look at my Team Organizing page to read a few more details. Then feel free to give me a call or shoot me an email to discuss how a team might help you!

Bix's favorite thing: BarkBox

19 April 2017

My standard poodle, Bix, who is 18 months old, is a big-time player. He loves his toys with a fiery passion. Every night he instigates a game of fetch in the house and throughout the day he plays with his toys on his own. His very favorite fetch toy is an unassuming plush peanut.

Here he is with his peanut. (You can see the peanut shell in a shot further down.)

I tend to be sort of minimalist in my life, but I have a confession. Bix has an abundant collection of amazing toys. (Some might call it overabundant.) And he gets more every month. But here’s the thing: he plays with almost all of them. We keep the toys in a laundry basket from IKEA and he frequently digs around in it looking for a specific toy. So it’s hard to declutter them (though I think I could probably safely remove a few).

Why does he have so many? Because of BarkBox. It’s a subscription service for dogs that delivers a themed box of toys, treats and chews every month. The themes are so darned clever. They make the humans smile. And they make the poodle ecstatic.

This was the December BarkBox, which had a winter theme.

Bix seems to recognize the BarkBox box (or, more likely, he recognizes our reaction to the BarkBox box) and he sits down politely and waits for us to open it. Then he goes nuts playing with his new toys. It’s truly a joyous thing.

Here he is on BarkBox day with his new zombie cat. I think that was October.

One of the things I love about BarkBox is that almost all of the toys are made for them and therefore unique. And they are are so clever and cute (and funny!). They’re pretty durable. Bix enjoys de-squeakering toys and pulling out the stuffing (thankfully, he doesn’t eat the squeakers or the stuffing) and then he enjoys playing with the toy carcass. We have thrown away very few toys.

Here’s Bix surrounded by the toys he selected to play with that day.

Bix likes to take favorite toys to the windowsill where he watches the world from the back of the couch. Here are his rucksack and his Polaroid camera, from the travel-themed BarkBox, and (of course!) his peanut.

When you subscribe to Barkbox for at least three months, you can get a free extra month by using my subscription link. (And Bix gets a free month too!) I found that after my three-month subscription was up I could go month to month. You tell them the size of dog you have and whether there are any food allergies (for the treats). Bix has been a subscriber since he was eight weeks old, so he went from Medium (“Just Right” to a Large (“Big & Bold”) as he grew up. He’s now 60 pounds.

The declutterer in my wants to stop Bix’s subscription. But the dog mom in me doesn’t. It brings such joy to Bix. And the toys don’t take up that much room, right?

Again, if you have a dog and want to give it a try, you can use this link and you’ll get an extra month added to your subscription. And Bix will too!

My spring 2017 Project 333 collection

12 April 2017

When I decided to try out Project 333 in July of last year, I decided it would be a year-long experiment in trying to dress with less. This is my fourth quarter, so the year is almost up. I’m still loving it!

It took me a couple of weeks into the quarter to finalize the collection. That’s because my friend Shannon Wilkinson was visiting from April 5 to 11. I knew we would go thrift-store shopping, and we did. So I waited to make my selections. Once we’d shopped, I then had to figure out how to integrate the new stuff into the collection, which made the choices slightly harder than they were last quarter.

Shannon left yesterday and in just 15 minutes this morning, I had it all narrowed down. There was less overlap than usual between the last collection, probably because of the change in season. Only eight items overlapped, including a dress and a jacket I purchased in February. (When I brought them home, I took out two items from the 3rd quarter collection.)

Here’s what I ended up with:

• 7 pairs of pants (including 3 pairs of jeans and 2 pairs of leggings)
• 2 ponchos
• 1 shawl
• 2 scarves
• 2 jackets
• 6 dresses or tunics
• 3 long-sleeved tops
• 2 short-sleeved tops
• 1 shell
• 1 pair of black flats
• 1 pair of ankle boots
• 1 pair of sandals
• 1 pair of casual shoes
• 1 necklace
• 2 pairs of earrings

Here’s a photo of items that live in the closet:

I did fudge a little, in that I didn’t put away a few new dressy tops that I don’t know if I’ll wear this quarter. But I have a some special occasions this quarter (like my 27th wedding anniversary tomorrow and my husband’s birthday and a wedding next month) and I wanted to give myself some flexibility on what to wear. Oh, yes, and I’m also going to Chicago next week to see Hamilton!

As a reminder, my collection includes clothes, shoes and accessories that I wear out of the house to client appointments (but not team organizing appointments, to which I wear work-out clothing) and social events and just going about life. It does not include dog-walking clothes, exercise clothes, pajamas or underwear.

I am still loving how easy it is to get dressed every morning, thanks to the limited number of options. I spend virtually no time choosing what I am going to wear. Nobody notices that I wear the same things over and over. And my collection only includes items that are comfortable and enjoy wearing.

I suspect I’ll keep going with Project 333 after my year is up, though I might be inclined to loosen the rules a little more. If you’re intrigued, I encourage you to give it a try!

The Happiness Project Mini Posters Coloring Book: Pure joy

3 April 2017

I love Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project. She’s a fantastic communicator with amazing ideas. I’ve heard her speak and I love the positivity of her message.

When I learned that she was creating a coloring book, The Happiness Project Mini Posters: A Coloring Book rushed to pre-order on Amazon. Then I forgot about it. What a joy it was to receive it in the mail last week!

This is no ordinary coloring book. She has created 20 mini-posters, each hand lettered with a great, positive quotation (most from Gretchen, some from others). Each sheet is small (7 × 9 inches) and printed on sturdy art board that is easy to pull out of the book. They really are suitable for framing. The level of detail in the coloring is exactly what I like.

Really, it’s this adult colorer’s dream come true.

Here are my first two colored sheets. (I used Faber-Castel Pitt Artist Brush Pens.) I can’t wait to do more!

I think I’m going to do this one next. I think I’ll use Sharpies:

If you like coloring, I strongly urge you to check it out!

Worth repeating: Improving my jewelry storage

27 March 2017

In 2014, I made a huge improvement in how I store my jewelry and I blogged about it, complete with before and after pictures. I’m still using this system, though I have a very limited selection of jewelry, now that I’m doing Project 333. Unlike my clothes, I have not packed away my jewelry. So I still select my earrings (from the few pairs in the collection) from that jewelry box and pluck the one necklace I wear from the rack. I wanted to share this post again, because this system has worked well for me and stood the test of time!

I don’t have a ton of jewelry, but I have my share. I wear earrings virtually day and on some days I also wear necklaces or bracelets. As a result, how well my jewelry is organized really has an impact on my daily life.

For years, I’ve limped along in this regard. I’ve tried lots of different jewelry boxes and sometimes had several different jewelry boxes littering the top of my dresser.

Most recently (probably two years ago), I came up on this solution, which worked pretty well for awhile.

I kept my earrings in the little four-section swivel organizer. I divided them into three categories that worked for me (colored, metal, dressy) and used the bottom section for brooches. I kept necklaces on a tree-themed jewelry stand.

That still left bracelets to be stored and they sat on the bureau in this little inappropriate tray. (The cream-colored box contains my grandmother’s pearls.)

It worked for awhile, but usability issues soon formed. I found I had trouble finding the earrings I wanted, especially in the morning when my husband was still sleeping. He’s a light sleeper and I knew that my pushing around the earrings trying to find mates was disturbing him. I also usually had trouble finding the necklace I was looking for.

I’m delighted to report that I’ve a solution that I think is going to work really well this time. I purchased three jewelry stacker boxes at the Container Store, after seeing them at a client’s house.

In the top section, I keep the earrings I wear most often, plus the brooches (which I actually don’t wear very often).

In the tray beneath that are earrings.

And in the bottom, deep section are bracelets and watches.

For the necklaces, I mounted this tie rack on the wall next to the bureau. Now the necklaces are separated (one per peg), so I can easily find them.

Before this month’s jewelry reorganization, this is how my bureau looked on a good day (this is an after picture from a post on decluttering my bureau top):

This morning, I took this photo. (I moved my grandmother’s pearls, which I rarely wear, as well as the little plastic containers of shoe- and clothing-related accessories, inside the bureau.) I’ve literally never had such a clear bureau top, and this makes me very happy!