It can be so frustrating to want to be organized and try many different things to get organized but nothing seems to work. We are not all the same, we learn differently and we like different things. What will work for one person may not work for another. As a professional organizer I receive ... Views: 2217
In the summer are you frazzled and tired of your kids at the end of every day? Are you counting the days until school starts? Summer can be a time to help spark your creativity and your child’s creativity as well.
Hold a family meeting where kids can choose an activity they are interested in. ... Views: 1746
Are you tired of spinning your wheels when it comes to getting rid of clutter and it seems to take more time all the time. Try these 3 simple tips to lighten your load.
I remember when I worked in an office someone had the brainstorm that we as workers would every 15 minutes write down what ... Views: 1806
Awhile ago I saw a sign with these words: Simplify, Simplify, Simplify. Someone had crossed off the first two words. I had to chuckle. Just simplify.
In my role as a professional organizer I have been working with a woman who has had no less than 6 deaths of close family members (including a ... Views: 2164
Wouldn’t it be great to have a clutter control wand that was magic and you could wave it over your closet, drawers, shelf’s, filing cabinet, book cases and other places that were cluttered and it would whisk away the clutter so you didn’t have to deal with it? The problem with that is what you ... Views: 1178
When women find out that I am a professional organizer inevitably they ask if my home is organized. When I simply say yes then they ask me if all of my cupboards are organized. When I say yes they ask if my closets are organized. Again I say yes.
My home doesn’t look like a page out of a ... Views: 2506
Chill out this summer and get organized with these 8 easy tips. With a little planning ahead it is a snap to organize your home for summer fun.
In the days before freeways when I was a child my mother would load up the car with two kids and everything we would need for the summer and travel ... Views: 1911
As a professional organizer I frequently work with people who have been the victims of Internet fraud and I bet you probably know someone or have heard of someone who has also been a victim. Become proactive and protect your identify so you won’t become a statistic of Internet fraud.
We live in ... Views: 1480
As a professional organizer I work with women and seniors clearing clutter in their kitchens. This is a problem room for many people. Clearing clutter can be done pretty easy if it is done a little at a time and isn’t allowed to get out of control.
One great idea that works well in clearing ... Views: 983
We all have a lot of paper coming into our homes constantly; either from the mail, work paper, children’s paper and other sources. In order to conquer the paper problem that many of us experience in our homes and to reduce clutter we need to have a working filing system where we can find ... Views: 1536
Discover 9 rejuvenating tips on how to maximize your time and how to get rid of clutter.
Saturday was one of those days when I needed to work and I wanted time to do some fun stuff like quilting a quilt for my daughter. I set the timer and worked on work stuff one hour and then I did the fun ... Views: 1360
You have heard the saying, "Two things in life are certain: paying taxes and dying". Neither is pleasant to think about but if we don't want to leave our heirs with a lot of paper clutter and extra expense and headaches there are certain things we need to get in order.
One of the best and ... Views: 1482
It was summer, it was hot and we had an exchange student from France. We wanted to show her as many places as we could in our state and have her experience everything like hiking, camping and water sports. We have a reservoir about 45 minutes away where people water ski. We didn’t have a boat so ... Views: 1203
Excitement was in the air as gifts were being selected for Christmas giving. My 16 year old daughter who has always been into environmental issues and working on making the earth a better place decided this one year she wanted a special watch. The face of the watch was a sepia/gold color of the ... Views: 1306
I love watching the Olympics and the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver have been no exception. When one of the experienced cross country skiers fell and slipped into a ravine and hurt herself the commentator said he “just couldn’t write this stuff”. It was the first time I have ever seen such a fall. I ... Views: 2065
I have a friend who avoided going home after work because it was just too depressing. Her home was cluttered and disorganized in every room. She had fast food wrappers everywhere. Drinks had spilled on the couch and carpet that made a sticky mess. She couldn’t find her DVD’s because they were ... Views: 1129
It has been many years ago but I still remember it as though it was only last month. I was in the sixth grade and we were told by our teachers that we were going to sell magazine subscriptions. This excited me and I was raring to get out and start selling because of the promised prizes we could ... Views: 1406
It was a beautiful cold day outside. I know it is cold when my outdoor thermometer says it is 4 degrees. I thought it might be broken but when it warmed up to 6 degrees I knew it was working as the temperature had changed.
This is the perfect kind of day to stay inside and bake cookies, read ... Views: 1248
In the book Alice in Wonderland Alice falls down a hole. The first time I read this I felt so closed in I never finished reading the book. I know this is silly but that’s the way it was. Do you ever have fears about how to declutter your home and it seems silly but that is just the way it ... Views: 1461
I was a social service worker for 24 years. I worked in an office and commuted to work every day 18 miles one way. Totally out of the blue one day my supervisor came to me and asked if I would be willing to telecommute. This meant I wouldn't have to drive to work every day, I wouldn't have to ... Views: 1553
The sky was over cast and the day was cold. But I was warm inside the home of
a delightful, intelligent, interesting, busy mom who also has the role of
being a wife, counselor to her family, chef, and chauffer just to name a few
of her jobs that she does every day. Oh and she works as a ... Views: 1427
Do you find yourself nagging your spouse to get rid of clutter and to organize? Nagging doesn’t work and can drive a wedge between you. These 7 tips will help get your spouse organized without nagging.
As a professional organizer one question I am often asked is, “How do I get my husband to ... Views: 7278
I just love the UPS truck when it is parked in front of my home and not just zipping by. I always wail..."come back, leave me something". How about you? Doesn't your mind leap to the possibilities of what he (I have never had a she) is delivering to your door? This was the case yesterday when my ... Views: 1370
We all only have so many hours in the day to do everything we want to do. Have you ever said, “Where did the day go, I didn’t get anything done”? Here are 8 tips on how to get more done in a day and maybe you can push that snooze button one more time.
1. When you can, multi-task to save time. ... Views: 638
Do you consider yourself a failure when it comes to organizing? Do you feel like giving up (or have you given up) trying to clear clutter in your home? As soon as you get a space cleared on a book case or on top of a flat surface does someone in your home come along and fill it up?
Fill it up ... Views: 852
When I opened Google today there were these pretty little circles at the top of the screen and I clicked on it to find out what they were. I found out they are crop circles. These are patterns created by the flattening of crops such as wheat, barley, rye, or corn.
Many people think these ... Views: 1433
Summer is winding down—although you won’t know it by the unseasonably high temperatures outside but the calendar says it is. And State Fairs are blooming all over America. Fairs are so much fun. We just attended the first day of our state fair. We were eating our chicken in a pocket for lunch at ... Views: 807
An aunt visited us a few years ago just after we had our living room carpet replaced with blue carpeting. As we visited she said she didn’t like the color blue. I was amazed that anyone could not like the color blue. After all the sky is blue and the ocean is blue.
Now I have no room to talk ... Views: 1514
Let’s face it, there are some things that we don’t like to do either because we think they are hard or we don’t know where to begin or how to do them. A few years ago I was making one of my daughters her freedom quilt (this is a red, white and blue quilt I give them on their 21st birthday). I ... Views: 1300
Have you ever watched a television program where the people on a beautiful boat are deep sea fishing? They are all decked out in “boat attire” with their white shorts and colorful shirts holding very long fishing poles. When someone gets a bite the pole dips down into the ocean and everyone ... Views: 1223
Wouldn’t you love to have the paper contract for your child’s school? You would be rich. Our kids bring home so much paper every day from school and we wonder what should we keep and where do we put it all? Here are wonderful tips from a mother of five who is a professional organizer.
The ... Views: 1380
It was a typical work morning. I was sitting at my desk reading through a report and people were coming into the office greeting each other. I could hear Neil through the partition complaining that he was late to work because he had to help his wife find her keys. The thing is this was literally ... Views: 1463
Greek mythology is fascinating and the story of Pandora’s box is a spell binding myth.
Prometheus was a Titan who was a champion of human-kind and was known for his wily intelligence. He stole the secret of fire from the God Zeus and gave it to mortals. But the theft of fire angered Zeus and ... Views: 1143
Does the thought of de-cluttering your home, closet, a drawer or any space in your home make you uncomfortable? Perhaps you feel tired, sad or ashamed so you feel which stands in your way of de-cluttering your home. If you said yes to any of these questions perhaps you are hanging on to beliefs ... Views: 1862
If you are traveling by car here are a few organizing tips to get your car ready before leaving and other trip ideas to make traveling pleasant and safe:I was driving to Colorado for a week to do some organizing. The car tires looked low so I went to a shop to have the tire pressure checked. I ... Views: 809
Traveling to foreign countries can be a lot of fun and a great cultural experience. With research and planning the trip can be double the fun and less hassle. You will come home with great experiences to put in your memory bank and to share with friends and family.
Things to know before you ... Views: 884
My aunt was married for the first time when she was 42 years old. She married Uncle Fred who treated her like a queen but they were only married for five years before he died. A year later she married a neighbor man whose wife had died at the same time as Uncle Fred.
They were happy together ... Views: 1406
We were out and about in the car the other day buying supplies to make the cutest bags that will we are giving for gifts. We wanted to check with some other stores before driving all over town to see if they had the supplies we needed. Fortunately I had my planner with me that includes my ... Views: 1189
“T’was the night before Christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The children were nestled all snug in their beds while visions of sugar plums danced in their heads”. Ahh… such sweet dreams. When you have guests coming to stay at your home during the ... Views: 1313
My friend's daughter is a ballet dancer. She had surgery on her tendon on her right ankle and then when it was almost healed she fell down the stairs and hurt her other ankle. This put her out of commission for several weeks and she wasn't able to try out for "So You Think You Can Dance' which ... Views: 852
Every December it is with great anticipation that we watch the mail for our invitation to the open house at the governor’s mansion. Our mailman becomes our new best friend for a few weeks as he delivers Christmas cards and packages. But we only get one invitation where we get to dress up and ... Views: 1366
Let’s face it; holidays can be a pain in the neck. I know there are those out there who love everything about the holidays, the hustle and bustle, the frantic preparations, sleepless nights, meal preparation, shopping and tucking gifts away only to forget where they are hidden. But some of us ... Views: 1569
I remember when computers were becoming really popular and we all thought they would take care of our paper work pile ups. A man working next to me said he thought they would create more paperwork nightmares. From my observations this has become true.
I have 9 tips on how to declutter paper ... Views: 1017
I heard a commercial on television asking “how will you be remembered”. I started thinking about that and things I remember about certain people in my life.
From the time I was about 6 years old until I was 12 we would pick raspberries every hot summer in my uncle’s berry patch. The adults ... Views: 1356
When you are busy getting tasks done but you don’t get it all done are you hard on yourself, thinking you are a failure? Stop being so hard on yourself and start using a planner to help you accomplish more that you want to do guilt free.
I lift weights at the gym 5 days a week. My gym ... Views: 1525
As a child I loved dolls. I had endless tea parties with them sitting with me around the kitchen table. I dressed and re-dressed them in the clothes my mother made for them. She was an expert seamstress and I had wonderful outfits for each doll. I never remember my mother staying up until 2:00 ... Views: 1208
Are you thinking about downsizing to move to a smaller home? You can downsize even if you don’t plan on moving. Reducing the amount of possessions on a regular basis will help avoid the physical exertion and emotional trauma of doing it all at once.
Are you living in a home that has become ... Views: 2060
My $35,000 turkey started out as a bargain. My daughter was shopping and she called to tell me the store had turkeys for 40 cents a pound. Wow! What a savings. Last year I paid 89 cents a pound so this sale would save me big bucks. Now, we only have a fridge with a freezer on top and I thought ... Views: 1168
One of my goals in life was never to quilt. All of that changed one beautiful rainy day at Cape Mears Lighthouse in Oregon. I bought a package with 12 lighthouse quilt blocks in their lovely tincy- tiny gift shop. I love lighthouses so these called out to me. I planned on asking my friend who ... Views: 1776
Children are a lot of work! For the last week I have been taking care of my grandchildren who are visiting from out of state. What a delight they have been and what a challenge it is to keep up with them. My 3 ½ year old grandson said to me “grandma, I love you”. I told him I loved him too and ... Views: 834