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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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