Ready For Change

Change is hard. Believe me, I know. I don’t like change. I like things the way I like things. And even though I know that some changes are good for me it sometimes takes me a while to warm up to the idea and make that commitment to the change.

So I really do understand my clients’ fear of change and their hesitation in getting started in any new project. 

When a client initially contacts me they are usually at a point where they feel they need to make a change. They are tired of their disorganized home, office or life and want to be free of the clutter. They want a more organized life. They want to be able to have people come to their home without being embarrassed by the clutter. They want to be able to juggle their busy life without feeling overwhelmed and stressed out. They are ready for change.

Or so they think.

What happens most of the time after the initial phone conversation about the change that they are about to undertake is that they panic. Their mind starts going over all of the things that a change means and they get scared. Scared of change. And they step back and decide they are not ready to let someone else into their lives to help them make that change. 

And that’s O.K. Really it is. A person has to be ready for change. And when they are ready they will let you know. 

I get a lot of calls from family members saying that their mother or sister has severe chronic disorganization or hoarding problems and they want them to get help. And I when I tell them that the person must be ready for the change or it won’t work, they are not happy. But you can’t force change on a person. Any type of change. It won’t work.

The person might even initially agree to work with me and then back out at the last minute when they feel that their family member was forcing them to do something that they did not want to do.

You can’t force change on someone. You can plant the idea. You can be supportive. But you can’t make a person change.

A hard lesson to learn.

So when they are ready I will be too.

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

Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

Summer Schedules

Summer can be a fun time or a stressful time. For kids it's fun. For parents, especially parents that work and have kids it's not so much fun. With younger kids it's easy. There are a lot of different activities that the kids can go to and keep them busy and out of trouble. For kids that are over ten (10) there aren't many group activities and even though most ten year olds think they are "grown up", leaving a ten year old home alone all summer long never made me feel comfortable. A lot of people don't have the luxury of having family around to watch the kids or have the money for expensive "summer camps". So what is a parent to do?

Sit down with your kids and make a very detailed summer schedule. Plan your activities ...even things such as going to the library. Knowing exactly where your kids are will make you feel more secure.

If you have the flexibility of taking your kids to work, even for a few days over the summer, it's a great learning experience for them. And you can also get a lot of things done at your office that you never had time for, like organizing your stock room or office, putting together brochures or mailings or any variety of things.

If you can spread your vacation days out and take one day off a week you can plan mini vacations to the beach or the park for some "family time". Inexpensive and relaxing.

You can also offer to take your friends kids with you on these "outings" and they in turn can take your kids on their outings. This gives the kids fun things to look forward to and you not feeling guilty that you aren't taking them on a summer vacation or leaving them home alone bored all summer.

By making the kids responsible for coming up with ideas for their summer schedule you let them have some input into their summer and you teach them responsibility and scheduling.

Coordinating a successful summer for kids isn't easy. But by planning ahead and being organized you will be more relaxed and your kids have a lot of activities to look forward.

Have a fun and safe summer.....

Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

Mother's Day

Wishing all of the Mothers the very Happiest Mother's Day !

The End of the School Year

It's that time of year again. The end of the school year. An exciting time for kids but maybe not as much for parents. Along with having to re-arrange your schedule and come up with summer activities you also have to deal with all of the "stuff" that your kids bring home from school.

Projects, books, tons of papers and maybe even the tupperware that you were missing. So what are you going to do with all of that "stuff" ? Besides let it sit in the hallway for most of the summer?

Now is the time to start thinking about it. As soon as your kids come home from school (grade school, high school or even college) make them responsible for putting their things away. Go through their backpacks and throw out all of the "garbage" (you all know what I'm talking about). Take back your tupperware. Go through the clothes they bring home and donate the things that don't fit any longer or throw out the things that are beyond repair.

Keep a "few" of the special pictures that your kids made for you (take a digital picture of the rest) and toss the rest (you don't have the space to keep every single thing they made...really you don't).

If you have leftover school supplies make sure they are still good and that you will need them for the next school year. If your kids won't be able to use them give them to a parent that can or donate them.

By immediately dealing all of the things that the kids bring home from school you will not have to trip over it all summer and you can start your summer vacation with one less thing to worry about.

Have a great summer.

Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

Protecting Your Privacy - Identity Theft

Life is very complicated these days. We are inundated with so much mail....most of it unwanted. Credit card offers arrive on a daily basis for most of us. And most people just toss them right into the garbage. A very dangerous mistake.

As organizers we tell our clients to "open the mail next to the garbage can and throw the junk mail immediately away" . This is usually to prevent it from being piled on a table creating a mess. BUT, we also need to be very careful about what we are throwing away. Anything that has identifying information, such as your name, address, social security number, birth date should be shredded.

Identity theft is rampant and can cause a lot of damage. Damage that can take years and thousands of dollars to undo. The aggravation and emotional toll that it can have on you far outweighs the small amount of time it takes to shred anything with identifying information.

Get into the habit of putting anything with identifying information into a "shred box" and then shredding the information on a consistent basis.

Also, start paying attention to who is asking for your identifying information. Don't give out your social security number and birth date to everyone that asks for it. Just say "no". These days you can't get a quote for anything or any type of service without giving up this information....but that just opens you up to the possibility of identity theft. Keep a list of the places where you give out this information.

Protect yourself. Protect your identity.

Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

Organized and Clean - What's the Difference

A lot of people have this misconception that being organized and being clean is the same thing. It's not. You can have a clean house that is a cluttered mess. Or you can have an organized house that is filthy and dusty. One does not necessarily have to do with the other.

Organization is a state of mind. It's subjective. What's organized by some people's standards isn't necessarily organized by others.

But dirt...is dirt. It's sort of black and white. Mostly black. I'm sure that you have all seen the old fashioned white glove test. You can't argue with black dirt on a white glove.

Just because a space is organized doesn't mean it's clean. When you are sitting at a desk and you are wheezing because of all the dust bunnies on and under the desk...chances are it is not clean.

But when you get a manager that says "well, no one else has complained" ....obviously it must be clean and you are just too picky. Right? WRONG !

I'm sure that you have all seen the "Hoarders" shows. Those people live in their homes and they don't complain. So does that make it o.k. ? No, is the correct answer.

Just because everyone around you doesn't complain doesn't mean your office space is clean. It just means that they don't mind living and working in a dirty environment. That doesn't mean that you have to. And your manager should be ashamed of himself for subjecting you to a dirty working environment and for making you feel like you are the one that has the problem for speaking up.

It sort of reminds me of the story "The Emperor's Clothes". Everyone just went along with the program and no one wanted to rock the boat. Until a new person came to the palace and said "no, don't see the clothes....he isn't wearing any".

Taking a stand and saying that you want a clean and organized work environment is not easy. Especially when you are made to feel like there is something wrong with you for speaking up. But your health should come first. And people will eventually thank you for speaking up and creating a safer and cleaner work environment.

Remember....being Organized involves being Clean. They are not exclusive.

Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

Easter

Wishing you and your family a very happy Easter !

The Difference Between Chronic Disorganization and Hoarding

Hoarding is a hot topic. But a lot of people confuse clutter and disorganization with hoarding. I‘ve had some clients think they were hoarders when in reality they just had a cluttered and disorganized house.

So what is the difference? 

According to the dictionary, clutter is a “confused or disorganized state or collection”. 

A confused state? Yes, you can have clutter of the mind. But most people think of clutter as just “stuff”. A collection of random objects scattered all over the place. That’s a nice and simple definition. It could just be that you hadn’t bothered to pick up after yourself and have stuff everywhere. 

Then we get to a more serious and a more cluttered situation and we could end up with chronic disorganization.

Chronic Disorganization also has a definition:

• Chronic disorganization is having a past history of disorganization in which self-help efforts to change have failed
• an undermining of current quality of life due to disorganization
• the expectation of future disorganization.

This means that you have been disorganized for many years. And it has started to affect your quality of life. You can’t find things. You are constantly late because you can’t find things. You are embarrassed by your mess. It’s a little more than just basic clutter.

A person can be organized in one area of his life but not in another. They can be organized at work but be disorganized at home. They can be organized by how they manage their time but not with how they manage their stuff.

Then we go up another level and get to “hoarding”.

What exactly is “hoarding”? According to “Frost & Hartl’s (’96) definition of clinical hoarding:

1) the acquisition of, and failure to discard, a large number of possessions that appear to be useless or of limited value

2) living spaces sufficiently cluttered so as to preclude activities for which those spaces were designated

3) significant distress of impairment in functioning caused by the hoarding

Some people have an obsessive need to acquire things. They tend to develop an emotional attachment to things that many of us would consider trash.

Family and friends of hoarders don’t always understand that “hoarding” is an “illness” and that the hoarder needs professional help. They sometimes feel that by just going in and cleaning out the house (sometimes even when the hoarder doesn’t know that they are going to do it) that everything will be “o.k.”. Once the mess is gone. Problem solved. But that can actually make it worse.

Hoarding is a complex issue. An issue that not even the mental health community can agree on. An issue that there might not be a cure for.

It’s a problem that many people won’t admit they have and one that might cost them their family or even their life.

A problem that is more common than you think.

Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

DE-CLUTTER YOUR LIFE

When you walk into a business that is organized and clutter free you have confidence that the person that runs the business knows what they are doing and are successful.

When you walk into a home that is organized and clutter free you feel a sense of calm and are happy to be there.

De-cluttering your home and your business is important because it allows you to function better, be more efficient and saves you time and money, but it also makes other people feel better and makes them want to associate with you.

If your business is cluttered or disorganized people will not want to do business with you. If your home is cluttered and disorganized you might be too embarrassed to have people over to your house, thus creating social isolation.

But there is also something called “life clutter”. You have too many things that take up time in your life. Too many activities. Either in your job or in your personal life. You are pulled in too many directions. But you can’t seem to let anything go.

Life clutter can be things such as being involved in too many business groups or too many extracurricular activities (yours and your kids). Yes, there are some business functions that you have to go to, but how many is too many? Are they taking away from your family? Will missing an after hours business function really hurt you? It can feel like that when you are young and just starting out, but as you get older you realize that family is more important and kids grow up too quickly.

What about kid’s activities? How many sports and other activities (piano lessons, swimming lessons, karate lessons….) does one child actually need? Or want? Do they want them or are you pushing them on your children because you didn’t get to do them as a child? Be honest.

If you never have time for your family and friends then your life is too cluttered. Friends are like the plants in your yard. They need to be nurtured. Take the time to nurture your relationships.

Decide what’s really important and let the rest go. Get rid of the life clutter and start living your life.

Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

SPRING CLEANING

Cleaning your home is not everyone’s idea of fun. But it is something that all of us have to do. In the spring we have a yearly ritual called “spring cleaning” that I am sure everyone is really looking forward to.

We drive ourselves crazy and clean the entire house from top to bottom in one or two days. We clean things that we have ignored all year long.

So…. let’s get started.

In the Kitchen:

Wash all of the appliances. Both outside and inside.

• Refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher, stove
• Wash the stove drip bowls in the dishwasher (or buy new ones)

Refrigerator

• Take down all of the magnets – throw out old ones that you really don’t need
• Remove all of the shelves in refrigerator and wash them
• Remove all of the bins in the refrigerator and wash them
• Defrost the freezer
• Put fresh baking soda in the freezer
• Clean under the refrigerator

Oven

• Clean your oven (self cleaning or with oven cleaner)
• Rinse the oven thoroughly after it has been cleaned

Shelves / Counters

• Take everything off of your shelves and counters and wash them thoroughly

Backsplash

• Wipe down your backsplash all around the kitchen

Floor

• Wash your kitchen floor with a good de-greaser

Living Room

• Clean drapes and curtains
• Wash your blinds (this can be done in the bathtub)
• Shampoo your carpets
• Wash throw rugs or air them out …outside
• Vacuum the entire house….pull out everything from the wall….
• Vacuum your couches (pull out the cushions and clean underneath them)
• Use furniture polish for an extra shine on your furniture
• Dust ceiling fans, fixtures and lampshades
• Wax your floors

Dining Room

• Take all of your books & knick-knacks off of your hutch or bookshelf and dust each piece
• Dust the bookshelf / hutch
• Wash the chandelier (if the pieces come off they can be run through the dishwasher)

Bedroom

• Wash your mattress pad, blankets, quilts, pillows
• Turn over your mattress
• Dust ceiling fans & fixtures & lampshades
• Vacuum under the bed

Miscellaneous:

• Wash the windows throughout your entire house
• Clean attic & basement
• Scrub deck & patio
• Wash outdoor furniture
• Bring out your spring / summer clothes
• Clean out your car (move winter stuff to storage)
• Dryer – check lint filter…..so it doesn’t cause a fire - vacuum behind the dryer

If you don’t want to do all of this in one weekend….that’s O.K. Break it down into smaller projects over a couple of weeks. Once you have accomplished everything on the list your home will be clean and ready for spring.

Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

Why People Say They Won’t Hire a Professional Organizer

I get a lot of calls and emails from people that tell me that they need to get more organized…but then they never make that commitment to actually do it. Some of the reasons that I’ve encountered over the years are listed below:

1) You’ll make me get rid of everything and I don’t want to get rid of “everything”.

No, we won’t. A Professional Organizer will ask you about each item and will not force you to get rid of anything that you aren’t ready to get rid of. They might ask you why you want to keep it and might tell you why they think you should get rid of it, but they will never make you get rid of anything.

2) I’m too embarrassed to have you see my mess (even though I need you).

Don’t be. We’ve seen it all and your house probably isn’t as bad as you think. We are professionals and we are there to help you.

3) You will tell everyone what a mess I have and my personal business and you will judge me.

Never. As a Professional Organizer and a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers we have a Code of Ethics that we follow. We take it very seriously. Your privacy is always protected. And we never judge. There are a lot of reasons for disorganization and clutter and as a trained professional we understand those reasons.

4) You will think that I’m a horrible person for wanting to keep things that I should get rid of.

Never. You have every right to keep whatever you want. Everyone has a right to be sentimental about anything they want to be sentimental about. When you are ready to dispose of things you will. We never force you and we don’t judge you. You have to be ready to get rid of things.

5) I can’t afford all of those fancy organizing gadgets.

You don’t need them. There are a lot of different ways to get organized. And they don’t all involve spending money. A lot of organization has to do with simple utilizing your space correctly or more efficiently. We also find things at our clients’ homes such as baskets, plastic containers and other things that can be used. We can come up with all kinds of things to make a clients home more organized without having to spend a lot of money.

6) My spouse thinks that I should be able to organize our home by myself.

Well, if you called me then obviously you feel otherwise. You know your limitations. Your spouse just doesn’t want you to spend the money or he doesn’t understand what an organizer can do for you and how they can help you and can save you money.

7) I can get one of my friends (or my sister or mother) to help me.

Yes, you could. But you wouldn’t be friends for long. I’ve heard too many stories about friends and relatives just throwing things out or telling you to throw things out and everyone getting mad at each other. And all of your personal information won’t be personal for long. As Professional Organizers we are outsiders. We don’t judge. We don’t divulge personal information. We are trained professionals who also teach you how to organize as we go through the organizing process.

8) It’s too expensive.

Not as expensive as being disorganized. Buying things that you already have because you can’t find them or getting charged late fees because you forgot to pay your bills adds up to money being wasted. By having a Professional Organizer help you get your home and your life organized you will save time and money.

Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

SPRING AND YOUR GARDEN

Spring is right around the corner. It’s time to start thinking about your garden. At this point I can hear people asking “what does a garden have to do with organization?”.

The answer, “everything!”. As a huge gardener I am always excited to start planning my garden. Don’t get me wrong, I love winter and snow. But a garden is the ultimate answer for stress. You can dig in dirt, get all dirty and covered from head to toe…and it’s o.k.

You plant seeds and watch them grow all spring and summer and you are so proud. Just as if you had given birth to a baby! But before you can even think about planting your seeds you have a lot of work to do.

First, it is very important that you wait until the ground thaws and is dry. Then, it is important that you check your soil and get a soil test to check the pH levels. You can check with your garden center or a county extension office for these tests. Then you will need to add the correct materials to your soil to correct any imbalances.

You will also need to clean up any leftover debris from old plants. Pull them out of your gardens and compost them.

Next, you can prune your fruit trees and any other trees and bushes.

Then, spray your fruit trees.

Now is also the time to plant your cold weather crops, like broccoli. And you can start your other seeds indoors.

Add mulch as needed and edge your yard for a new fresh look.

Spring is here….and soon our garden duties will be in full swing.

By being organized and planning ahead you can have the best yard and garden in your neighborhood.

Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

St. Patrick's Day

Wishing all of you a safe and Happy St. Patrick's Day !

WHY BEING A PERFECTIONIST HURTS YOU

A very interesting phenomenon that a lot of people don’t know about is that some disorganized people consider themselves “perfectionists”. And I admit that at first I was surprised by this also. Clutter, mess and perfectionism?

But what happens is that some disorganized people who are self proclaimed perfectionist feel that they can’t do a good job or won’t get it done in time or it won’t be “perfect”, so they don’t start (their project).

So their room is a cluttered mess because they might start to clean it and never see their progress so they get disgusted with themselves and stop.

They made progress and an outsider (or a professional organizer) can see the progress, but they can’t . So they beat themselves up over what they consider their failure and never finish.

They are their worst enemy! By breaking a project down into smaller projects they will be able to see their progress and will continue and eventually their “big project” will be done. Not everything in life has to be perfect. If you are afraid to start something because you know it won’t be perfect, you might never do anything.

Self confidence is obviously a factor here. These self proclaimed “perfectionists” have little or no self confidence.

Everything in life does not need to be “perfect”. There should be order. Order brings calm. Calm reduces stress. But being a perfectionist for these people causes stress. And that’s not good.

Sometimes you just have to do the best you can and be proud of the fact that you tried your hardest. For everything else….call a professional. We are all good at different things. We can’t all be good at everything. I admit that I’m not good at most things except for being organized.

Give yourself a break. Do what you are good at and be proud of the fact that you can admit when you are not good at something.

Remember: Less Clutter = Less Stress (sm) in your home, your business and your life.

Happy Organizing !

Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

Fat Tuesday

As in the tradition of FAT TUESDAY it's a day to eat donuts
(or Paczki) and not feel guilty !

Enjoy... and get ready for the start of the Lenten season.

ORGANIZING – A TEAM EFFORT

I get a lot of calls from potential clients who say that their spouse is tired of the disorganization and they just want to throw everything in the trash.

Or they are neat but their spouse isn’t and how do they get them to be more organized? Or their entire family does nothing in the house and they have to do it all.

So what can I do to help them? Honestly, not much. I can organize their homes and teach the willing family members the how’s and why’s of organization, but unless everyone is on board and gets with the program – nothing is going to change.

I can’t wave my magic wand and make everything better. I can give them solutions to their problems, but if they don’t take my advice, there is nothing I can do.

Just like a therapist or lawyer or doctor – if they tell you something and you choose not to listen to their expert advice, you will still have the same issues that you started with.

A family has to be willing to work together. Partners have to help each other and stand by each other. Parents have to set boundaries for their kids. In a family, it has to be a team effort. Everyone needs to have a clearly defined set of responsibilities and everyone has to do their part.

If not, instead of a calm and clutter free house you will have chaos, clutter and a big mess.

The first step to having an organized house is to have everyone in the house work as a team. That’s what family is all about. A lot of people have forgotten that.

Remember: Less Clutter = Less Stress (sm) in your home, your business and your life.

Happy Organizing !

Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com