Wishing You A Wonderful Holiday Season

 

 

I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday Season. May your days be filled with joy and happiness. 

If you have not sent out any holiday cards yet - I encourage you to send real cards to your friends and family. For some of us - we look forward to getting real cards in the mail during the holidays and hearing from our friends and family that have moved away. Reach out and brighten someones day!

Less Clutter = Less Stress ^SM     in your home, your business and your life

Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com
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Visit our Life & Business Coaching website:  North By Northwest

*** check out the Products tab for self-paced workshops, planners and more....   

Is it just Clutter? Or is it more than that? Don't Let Hoarding Control Your Life

Are you tired of the clutter in your home and your life? Has anyone ever told you that you have issues with hoarding? Don't be embarrassed - it's more common than you think!

If you are ready to make a change in your life and want to live in a home that is less cluttered - where you can have family and friends over - there is help available! 

A Group to Address Hoarding Behavior

The Buried in Treasures Workshop is about more than clutter...

· Overcoming challenges 

· Increasing motivation 

· Reducing acquiring

· Prioritizing and celebrating choices

Clutterers, Collectors, Treasure Hunters,  Savers, Pack Rats

                             Unite and Support Each Other 

Is clutter getting in the way of how you want to live your life?

Are you feeling overwhelmed with too many possessions?

Are you embarrassed to have people over?

This program offers a 16-week course that is based on the book ‘Buried In Treasures’​.  Join us on this journey to learn what's behind your clutter and how to start living the life you deserve. A life that is  less - cluttered! 

​The Buried in Treasures group is for people who would like to learn tips on how to de-clutter and stop over-acquiring with people who know what it’s like. Each week we will have a discussion around a specific skill, followed by the completion of challenging and rewarding exercises. Individual progress, challenges, successes, and goals are also monitored throughout the sixteen weeks.

You can make changes to the way you live your life - with support and understanding from people that are going through the same thing. You are not alone! 

Participants are expected to commit to attending all the sessions as well as to participate actively.

A Buried in Treasures Group is forming  >>>

*** this will be a VIRTUAL CLASS - anyone - anywhere can participate in the class

Sessions start Wednesday, February 5, 2025

    Wednesday, February 5, 2025   -   6:00 pm – 8:00 pm   -  Mountain Time  

     Wednesday, February 5, 2025   -   9:00 am - 11:00 am  -  Mountain Time

This group offers a judgment-free environment for people ready to make a change in their life.

Early Registration required. Call or email for more information.

(440) 666 – 9326 or  kefconsulting@gmail.com

**** Class is on Zoom-  call / email for more information or to be put on a Waiting List for future classes

 **** ask about our condensed 8-week class "Getting Unburied and Moving Forward" which starts in March 2025

Happy Thanksgiving! to Your and Your Family!

  Have a great THANKSGIVING filled with lots of stuffing!

Wishing you and yours a very HAPPY THANKSGIVING !

Less Clutter = Less Stress ^SM     in your home, your business and your life

Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

Clearing Out Your Closets for Year End

As we head into the last couple of months of the year - it's time to start thinking about clearing out your closets of things that no longer serve you or your family. The holidays are coming and the kids will be getting new toys and maybe some new clothes. Your holiday shopping may have already started and you only have so much room in your home. 

When purging kids toys it's important to make them a part of the process. Kids (and teenagers) outgrow their toys and games. Let them help you declutter. It gives them ownership and power over their decisions. Frame it as "they are giving toys to kids that might not have toys or wish they could have a certain toy but can't afford it". Start teaching your kids about decluttering early in their life. Make donating a part of your decluttering and purging process. 

Go through your own closets and get rid of anything that no longer fits or you no longer like (or wear). 

Go through the drawers in your bathroom and clear out old makeup and lotions (yes - do they expire!).

Go through your kitchen cabinets and look at your spices and make sure they are still good. Since the holidays are coming up you want to make sure that you have fresh spices for all of the wonderful things you will be making for the holidays!

Go through your files and clear out any old papers or documents that you no longer need.

By doing a little bit at a time from now until the end of the year - you will have purged your entire home of things that no longer serve you - and that just take up valuable space.

Start clearing your clutter now and be ready to start the new year on a clutter free note!

Less Clutter = Less Stress ^SM     in your home, your business and your life

Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com
.

Visit our Life & Business Coaching website:  North By Northwest

*** check out the Products tab for self-paced workshops, planners and more....   

The Holidays are Just Around the Corner

It's never too early to start thinking about the upcoming holidays. They are rigth around the corner! By starting to plan early you can eliminate some of the stress. If you want to invite people over for the holidays - start sending out invitations before they make other plans.

The decorations and cooking supplies are already out in the stores. The holidays will be starting soon.  There are a lot of things to think about and a lot of things to get organized.

Yes, “Organized“, “Stress Free” and “Thanksgiving” can be used in the same sentence.

It all starts with the word “organized”. Don’t let it scare you. Embrace it. By being organized and planning ahead you can actually enjoy a holiday.

Start by deciding on what you want your holiday to be like.

• Do you really want to serve a sit down dinner for twenty (20) people? 
• Or would a buffet be acceptable for you?

If you really want a fancy sit down dinner party but twenty (20) people is too much for you to handle then cut the guest list down.
If you really want all twenty (20) people there then maybe you should consider a buffet.

You can make Thanksgiving as simple or as complicated as you want - it all depends on how organized you are willing to be.

A good way to keep the stress levels down is to divide and conquer.

Enlist your family for help. Don’t take “no” for an answer. This is your holiday too and you have a right to enjoy it.

And we all know that old saying “if Mom isn’t happy, no one is happy”.

Start at least two (2) weeks before Thanksgiving.

Decide on the type of gathering (formal or informal), the size of the guest list and the menu.

Don’t attempt to make something new for dinner or try out a new dessert that day. It could turn out to be a disaster and that would cause you more stress. If you really want to try a new dish - test it out prior to Thanksgiving.

Menu: Do you really want to serve cranberry relish and sweet potato’s even if you don’t like them and you only serve them because “they are always served at Thanksgiving”?

Make up your own menu (yes, it is radical). Serve something different. Serve something you like!

If you are having a small Thanksgiving dinner don’t feel obligated to serve Turkey.  How about  stuffed Cornish Hen? Or duck? Or stuffed chicken? The possibilities are endless.

Start new traditions! It’s not easy to buck the system but once you make up your mind that you deserve to be happy and stress free on a Holiday you will wonder why you waited so long.

Remember, the whole point of a Holiday is family and friends and spending “quality” time together. Everything does not have to be perfect. Be thankful for what you have and not for what you don’t.

By starting early and making lists and getting as much done ahead of time as possible you will avoid a lot of stress.

Once you have your menu planned work backwards and make up a timetable to what needs to be done. For example: if you want your dinner to be served at 6 p.m., what time do you have to put the turkey into the oven? What time do the potato’s and vegetables need to be started? Just make a list and put it on your refrigerator door so that you don’t have to second guess yourself and aren’t panicking at the last minute.

When your family or guests start to arrive your mind and attention will be elsewhere - so a list can help you stay on track. Don’t leave anything to chance.

A few days before Thanksgiving:
* Shop for all of the essentials, including as much of the food as can be purchased ahead of time
* Make sure that you have enough spices and things that you will need for the food (and rarely buy)
* Do any of the baking or make any desserts that can be made ahead of time
* Thaw the turkey (the size will determine how many days it takes to thaw in the refrigerator)
* Buy the wine or any beverages

The day before Thanksgiving:
* Buy any last minute items at the grocery store
* Chop anything that can be chopped ahead of time (vegetables, bread for stuffing…but do not stuff the turkey ahead of time) and put them in plastic bags so that you will be all ready to go the next day
* Make sure you have enough ice
* Prepare any of the food items that can be made ahead of time
* Make your family aware of exactly what you need them to help you with on Thanksgiving.
* Having assigned tasks for your kids and spouse ahead of time takes away some of the stress of what’s expected of them the next day.

The night before Thanksgiving:
* Set the table and get out all of your platters and serving dishes.
* Make sure that you have enough dishes and silverware. If you don’t, now is the time to call one of your guests and ask to borrow something. Don’t wait until the last minute to find out that you broke the gravy boat last Thanksgiving and never replaced it. 

Thanksgiving Day:
* Wake up early so that you can have some “you” time to have coffee and relax before
the day starts (it will get stressful enough later, so the morning might be the only time you have)
* Read over your lists and timetable
* Gather all of your food and cooking utensils, pots and pans ....
* Measure out everything that you can ahead of time and set it aside
* Follow your time table and start making the food according to the schedule
* Once the food comes out of the oven let it rest a while (you can cover it with foil)
* Start cutting the meat and plating the food
* Have family members start their assigned tasks (setting out and serving food, pouring the drinks…)

ENJOY your meal…… sit and talk…..

After the meal:

Some people like to leave the dishes and the mess until the next day. And sometimes I wish I could too, but its worse the next day when you get up and walk into a mess. I’d rather get it done and over with.

Make quick work of it (or as much as will fit into the dishwasher) and then sit and relax and spend time with your family.

Remember, a Holiday is supposed to be enjoyable. If it’s not, figure out why it isn’t and change it. Skip the big complicated meal, the fancy desserts and the good china and make it as simple as you are able to handle.

Start your own tradition….and make it about family!

Happy Holiday !

Less Clutter = Less Stress ^SM     in your home, your business and your life

Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com
.

Visit our Life & Business Coaching website:  North By Northwest

*** check out the Products tab for self-paced workshops, planners and more....   

Scheduling and Consistency

Most people have good intentions when they say that they are going to declutter and organize their home. Unfortunately, a lot of people just don't follow through. 

The key to their success lies in scheduling their intentions to declutter or organize. Just saying that "you are going to do it this week..." doesn't work. You have to actually schedule it - on your calendar (paper or phone).  Writing things down has a real affect on making things a reality. By running your home like a business - scheduling regular cleaning days or laundry days or paying your bills on certain days - makes your home run more smoothly. You know exactly when things are going to happen and things won't fall through the cracks.

Flexibility should be added into the mix - because we don't want anyone to be stressed out - but by knowing when things are going to get done - there is a better chance that it will actually happen.

The other part of the equation is consistency. Decluttering or organizing is not a one-and-done deal. It is something that should happen on a regular basis. That doesn't mean that you have to declutter/purge or organize something every single day - but you should have some type of a system in place where you might do a big declutter of (for example) your closets once or twice a year. 

If you are working on a big project - you might want to work on it 30 or 60 minutes a day - a couple of times a week. Even with only 15 minutes a day you will accomplish something. If you only work on a decluttering project (like purging/organizing a drawer) for 15 minutes - but do it at least 4x a week - that's 1 hour of decluttering/organizing! It all adds up!

Start small by establishing some consistent habits - such as taking anything out of the living room that doesn't belong there when you are getting ready to go to bed. Take your snack dishes or cups to the kitchen and put them into the dishwasher. Put the magazines back into the magazine rack. Your room will automatically look better. 

By putting things back where they go (after you have established their homes) - the amount of time that you will have to spend cleaning is greatly reduced.

Organization doesn't have to be stressful if you have a system in place. Just take it one step at a time.

Less Clutter = Less Stress ^SM     in your home, your business and your life

Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com
.

Visit our Life & Business Coaching website:  North By Northwest

*** check out the Products tab for self-paced workshops, planners and more....   

Pass It On - NOT !

Parents (especially Mom's) have a tendency to hold onto things to "pass on" to their children. They are the "keeper of the memories" - the "keeper of the heirlooms". And they want to "pass it on" to the next generation.

Unfortunately, most of todays children don't want their parents "stuff". They don't want to be burdened with furniture or dishes or knick-knacks. They have their own stuff and their own style.

Yet - they don't kow how to say "no" - "no thank you!".  They don't want to hurt your feelings. So for some of them - they have a basement or attic or garage full of stuff they don't want, won't use and yet won't throw away.

Children expect us to keep all of their drawings and things they made for us - when they were childen. But when they are older - most of them don't even remember making it and they wonder why we even kept it!

Some very brave children have told their parents that they don't want their stuff and that they will get rid of it (toss it in the dumpster) when they die. Hear that gasp of horror???? Their parents are stunned and hurt that their kids don't appreciate their "stuff" which is sooooo special. But it's not special to the children. They have their own stuff, their own taste, their own lives. They don't have room for more.

We should not expect (or in some cases, demand) that our children will take (and cherish) our stuff.

So, if you have family heirlooms or keepsakes or things that you think your childen (or family members) will want after you pass on - ASK THEM!!! If they say "no - don't like it - don't need it - don't have room for it...." - RESPECT their wishes. Let it go to another family member or friend that will appreciate it. But ask them also.

Each person's home is a reflection of them - not of you. By not taking or keeping all of the stuff you give them doesn't mean that they don't love or care about you. They can still keep the memories without keeping the physical stuff.

Ask your children or family members before you unload your home into theirs. They will appreciate it!

Less Clutter = Less Stress ^SM     in your home, your business and your life

Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com
.

Visit our Life & Business Coaching website:  North By Northwest

*** check out the Products tab for self-paced workshops, planners and more....