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

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....   

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....   

Many Benefits of a Decluttered Home

Having a decluttered home has many benefits beyond the clutter being gone. You will have gained more space and more peace of mind. 

By starting with the basics - getting rid of any garbage (empty snack bags....) and then moving on to things that don't belong in the room, things that are broken or that you no longer use or no longer like - and you will immediately have created more space. Now take a step back and see what your room really looks like!

Clearing your clutter helps to lower your stress levels. When you are constantly searching for things that you can't find because it's hidden in all of the clutter - you tend to become stressed. 

Clearing your clutter - finding things that were "missing" so that you aren't buying something again that you already had - but couldn't find - saves you money. 

By having a home for everything - so that you can find things easily - saves you time. You aren't wasting your time searching for things.

A decluttered home takes time and the willingness of everyone in the home - to take part in the decluttering and organizing process. By having buy-in from everyone - there will be less pressure on one person doing it all and it will lead to a calmer home environment.

Our homes should be a place of calm - where you can relax. Coming into a cluttered home doesn't allow you to destress and relax. By removing the clutter you are improving your mental health.

Clutter distracts you from being fully present and being able to concentrate. 

By removing the clutter - you are making your cleaning routine easier. If you have less stuff to clean around and take care of - you will have time for other things - such as spending quality time with our family.

Start the decluttering process today. Make it a fun project - decide to purge 1 thing out of each room. Tomorrow - pick 2 things to purge out of each room. And so on....

See how many things you are actually able to purge in one week! 

You can do 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....   

The Effects of Clutter

The effects of clutter is not only about the physical stuff - the mess in our homes - but also about how it affects our mind, body and spirit.

Clutter causes stress! It cauases anxiety. It causes sleepless nights.

Clutter can take over your mind and stress you out.Clutter overwhelms a lot of my clients. It causes dissension among family members. One person wants a neat and clutter free home and another person doesn't see what all the fuss is about.

A clutter free space promotes a calm environment where you can think - you can create. 

An organized space frees up your time and your money. You aren't buying the same thing over and over again - because you didn't know that you had the item - or you can't find what you are looking for so you are buying the item over and over again!

An organized space promotes producitivity. Since you know where everything is - you spend less time having to search for things. You can access everything you need quickly - saving time. Your files are in order - your reports are done on time - your to-do list has all of the necessary tools that you need for your projects.... Your are prepared!

Having a clutter free and organized space gives you more time to spend with your family to do "fun things" - instead of complaining that the house is a mess! 

Start decluttering and organizing now - for a stress free and fun future!

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....   

Will You Be Contributing to Clutter this Holiday Season?

It's that time of year where everyone is busily shopping for holiday presents. There are sales everywhere. The stores are trying to entice you with lots of new gadgets and lots of shiny things. We just have to have the lastest and greatest. We have to keep up!

We have been inundated with ads. Sometimes multiple times a day by some companies.

Will you be able to resist or will you succumb to the holiday pressure to buy as much possible. Because we all know that the more presents you buy someone - the more you love them!  

And after everyone unwraps all the presents and the wrapping paper is thrown away - their interests in the item is short-lived. 

Don't get me wrong. I like to receive presents (sometimes). If it's something that is meaningful to me - and not only the gift giver. A lot of people tend to buy gifts that they think are nice (or would want themselves) - instead of giving a gift that is really meaningful to the person who would be receiving the gift. 

Some people don't know their friends as well as they think they do! 

So take a step back and really ask yourself a couple of questions before buying that gift:

Have you seen the person use or ask for (insert gift idea)?

Will this be something that the person has to display in their home and is there room for it?

Will you be offended if the person doesn't display the gift you thought would "fit in perfectly"?

Will you be offended if the person doesn't wear the gift you bought them (because it's really not their style)?

Are you buying a gift - any old gift - just to have something to give them - even though you don't know what to get them and don't want to go empty handed?

Gift giving is an art! You want to show people that you care about them - but forcing them to wear something or display something that does not fit into their own style - is setting them up to feel bad because they don't want to hurt your feelings.

Take a step back and really listen to their likes, wants and dreams. It's not how much you give or the size of the gift that matters. It's that you really paid attention to them.

Don't clutter up someone else's house with your ideas of "the perfect (insert item)". 

So what are some ideas that might not clutter up someone else's home?

An invitiation to lunch or dinner to catch up on their life

An invitation to a play that they've wanted to see

A gift certificate to the spa for a massage (my favorite!) or getting their nails done (if they do this)

A donation in their name to a charity that they support

A gift certificate to a class that they have been talking about

A gift basket of things that they like but would not buy for themselves (spa items, fruit or chocolate ...)

A gift certificate for a car wash (a great gift to get the dirt & snow off their car)

A gift certificate to the movies (with popcorn of course)

A gift certificate for free babysitting so that they can go out and do whatever they want

There are a lot of ideas that don't leave clutter in your home. I'm sure that you can come up with some more!

Happy Holidays!

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....   

Hoarding – Everyone’s Concern

Hoarding is a complex mental health issue. It can also be a safety issue. Intervention needs to take place at several levels. Hoarding cleanup can be extremely costly for property owners and local governments. Hoarding can cause a variety of complications, including:

·        * Unsanitary conditions that pose a health risk

·        * Increased risk of falls

·        *  An inability to perform daily tasks, such as bathing and cooking

·        *  Untreated medical or psychological conditions

·        *  Family conflicts

·        *  Loneliness and social isolation

·         * Fire hazards

Some Signs of Hoarding:

·         * Extreme collection and storage of items in the home and yard

·         * Accumulation of combustible materials (newspapers, magazines, and rubbish)

·         * Blocked exits (doors & windows)

·       *   Narrow pathway in the home

·         * Rotting food and/or used food containers

·        *  Insect infestations

·         * Long-term neglect of home maintenance

·      *    Non-working utilities, such as heat, running water, refrigeration

Fire Safety

Know the fire-safety risks and how you can keep yourself and first responders safe.

Risks: 

Personal items can crowd cooking equipment, making it unsafe to cook.

Personal items can crowd heating equipment, putting you at risk of having a fire.

Difficulties for firefighters:

Blocked windows and doors make it difficult for firefighters to get into your home to fight the fire and search for occupants.

Piles of belongings make it difficult for firefighters to move through your home quickly.

Important:

Always keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet away from cooking and heating equipment.

Keep doorways and windows clear for escape in case there is a fire. This will also prevent injuries from falling over excessive personal items.

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....   

How Much Is Enough ?

 

How much stuff do we really need? How much is enough?

Do we really need 50 pairs of jeans? Or 50 pairs of shoes? Or 100 shirts? Or every new toy that comes on the market?

How many toys can a child play with at once? How many of their toys do kids actually even play with - once the novelty wears off?

What percentage of your clothes do you actually wear? Be honest! Most people only wear about 20 % of their clothes. A lot of people have clothes in their closet that still have the tags on them. Or if the tags are off the clothes - they still haven't worn them.

For a lot of people it's the "thrill of the hunt" - the "high of the buy". And then they quickly forget about their purchase.

Look around your home. What percentage of the things in your home do you actually use - on a consistent basis?

How much of the stuff is just "taking up space"?

Try going from room to room - and quickly look at the items in the room - and if you haven't used the item in a long time (or don't even remember having it) - maybe it's time to move it into the "donate" box (everyone has one - right?).

You might be surprised how quickly that box fills up!

Before you take out your credit card and buy more "stuff" - take a step back and think "do I really need this" and "do I have a specific place to put this". If the answer is "not really" - put that credit card back in your wallet and walk out of that store!

Having too much stuff in your home doesn't create a sense of calm. Your home should feel peaceful.

Clutter is noisy - so don't add more clutter to your home! Enough is enough.

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....   

Getting Unburied and Moving Forward - a Clutter Class

New 8 week class – “Getting Unburied and Moving Forward” –  a class for people with chronic disorganization and hoarding issues.

We have created a new condensed 8 week version of the "Buried in Treasures" class for people that don’t want to commit to a 16-week class.

 

The class covers the most important information that is in the 16-week “Buried in Treasures” class plus has expanded information on time and paper management.

 

In the 8-week “Getting Unburied and Moving Forward” class – we will cover:

 

·         Understanding the complexities of hoarding issues

·         What’s stopping you from working on your clutter problem

·         How to reduce acquiring and start decluttering

·         How your goals and values play an important part in your success

·         How to make categories that work

·         Learning the organizing process

·         Paper and time management

·         Putting it all together and moving forward

 

Let this be the start of your journey to the life you want to be living….

“Getting Unburied and Moving Forward” – a Virtual Class

 

Sessions start: Wednesday, June 21, 2023  -  6:30 pm – 8:00 pm  -  Mountain Time – USA

or

                           Wednesday, June 21, 2023  -  9:00 am – 10:30 am  -  Mountain Time – USA

 

(The fee for the 8-week class is $ 240 US)

 

Anyone – anywhere – can take the class! Class is held on Zoom.

 

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

 

Early Registration and acceptance into the group is required. Email for more information - kefconsulting@gmail.com

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....   

Things to Declutter Right Now!

Decluttering isn't always about getting rid of "big items". Most of us have a lot of small items, items with missing parts, items without their pair, items that we longer use, items that are expired or past their prime. Item that we haven't used in a long time or that we even knew we had.

Take a look at this list to see if you have any of these items that you can get rid of now. Turn it into a game with your family - "whomever finds the most items that they can get rid of - wins a prize".

Make clutter disappear! It's easy! Do you really want to keep old candy or broken dishes or cat toys when you no longer have a cat???

Join us in this clutter challenge - and make your clutter disappear! 

Things to Declutter Right Now

Appliances that are rarely or never used

Batteries that are deal

Books that you will never read or won't read again

Boxes - stuff in them that you never open

Calendars - Old

Candy that is old

Cards - get rid of them after a few weeks

Cat litter - no cat

Cat toys

Cleaning supplies that you never use

Clothes - from kids

Clothes that are stained or worn out or never worn

Coffee mugs - how many do you really need

Containers that are empty

Cookbooks that you never use

Costumes - halloween

Coupons that are expired

Craft projects that you will never finish

Crayons that are bits and pieces

Dishes - old

Earrings without a partner

Electronics that are broken

Fabric Softener

Flowers - dead

Food containers without lids

Food that is expired

Fruit - moldy

Games or puzzles that are missing pieces

Garden hoses - old

Gifts that you will never use

Glasses - old prescription

Gloves without a partner

Holiday decorations that are in excess

Jewelry that you will never wear

Junk Mail

Legos

Linens that are worn out

Magazines/newspapers - Old

Mail - old

Makeup - Old

Maps - to places you will never go

Medicine that is expxired

Menus - old or takeout

Nail polish - dried out

Notesbooks - college or old

Paint - old or that you will never use

Paperwork that should be recycled

Pencils shorter than 3 inches

Pens that no longer work

Perfume

Plants that are dead

Plastic bags

Receipts that are old for things you don't have

Receipts that are old for things you don't need for taxes

Snacks that are old

Socks with holes or missing a partner

Spices or seasonings you never use

Sunblock that is expired

Tags from clothing that you have cut off

Takeout sauces or packets

Textbooks - old college

Toothbrushes - older than 4 months

Towels that are torn or worn out

Toys that your kids have outgrown

T-shirts - old

TV cabinet - old

Underwear - with holes or stretecher out elastic

Unidentifiable  anything

Vases

Washer / Dryer - old or broken

Wok - electric

 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.... 

 

Clutter - It's more than just Stuff. Letting Go of Whatever is Cluttering Your Life.

Clutter comes in many forms. It's not just about "stuff" or "possessions". There are many types of clutter. Most people only think about clutter in terms of physical clutter. But there is so much more.

Types of Clutter:

• Physical Clutter:           things that you have
• Paper Clutter:               piles of paper everywhere
• Digital Clutter:             emails & internet
• Time Clutter:                things that you do
• Brain Clutter:                things that you think about
• Relationship Clutter:    people in your life that are not good for you
• Emotional Clutter:        things that you burden yourself with

What are some things that are cluttering your life?

  

Stress  -  Work  -  To Many Things On Your To Do List   -  Guilt  -  Worrying  -  Clothes  -  Stuff  -  Obligations  -  Noise  -  Regrets  -  Jealousy  -  Failure  -  Bad Relationships  -  Paper  -  Commitments ...

Take some time to think about all of the things that are cluttering your life and try to decide what you can let go of. 

Pick one thing in each category that is cluttering your life and let it go. 

It's not easy - but if you continue to let these things clutter your life - you won't have time for the good things in your life. Or the new things in your life. 

Things and people - come and go out of our life. That doesn't mean that we didn't care about them. As we grow we all develop new and different interests. With work and family - we don't always have time for some of the activities or hobbies that we enjoyed when we were younger. Our focus changes as we age. It's not a bad thing. But we need to let go of some of the material things that are cluttering our lives to make room for our current life. And sometimes we also need to let go of  relationships that are no longer in our best interest.

Learn to embrace your current life without the clutter of a life that no longer serves in your best interest.

There are many different types of clutter. Look at each type of clutter and start letting go of some of the things that no longer make you feel fulfilled. You deserve to be happy and clutter free.

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....