An Organized Home - Can You Envision It?

What vision do you have for your home? What do you want your home to look like - in your perfect world - with no limitations on time or money.

You do have a vision - right? If not, close your eyes and imagine your living room clutter free. There's nothing on the floor for you to trip over. The magazines are in the magazine basket. There are no dishes on the coffee table. There are no old take-out containers hidden behind the couch. There are no piles of books piled so high they might fall on your head as you pass through the living room. 

The room is serene and peaceful. Can you envision it?

So how does a room get that way? Well - you have to have a goal and a plan to make it happen. Don't say "it's never going to happen - so why bother". Bs positive!

Pick one area of your home and write down a step-by-step plan on how you are going to make it look the way you want.

Write down how long you think that it will take. 

Make a commitment to put X number of hours into the project each week. Figure out what the end date is based on your committed hours per week. 

Now pick a date and time each week that you will work on the project.

Next, make a list of anything that you will need for the project (garbage bags, boxes, tools....) and gather everything up.

On your organizing day - first pick up and discard all of the trash.

Decide which items in the room you want to discard (trash or donate or give away). 

Ask yourself a few basic questions: 

    *  Have I used the item in the last 6 months?

    *  Is the item in good shape (not broken or torn up....)?

    *  Do I really like the item?

(There are a lot of other questions that you can ask yourself - but this is a very basic list.)

Put those items into bags or boxes and when you are done with the allotted work time - put the bags/boxes into your car and take them to the donation center immediately (this guarantees that you will not pick through the bags and pull out things because you changed your mind about getting rid of it).

For each session - keep purging until all of the things that you want to get rid of - are gone.

Next - the organizing process. 

Come back later and we'll go over some basic organizing concepts!

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

Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com
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Old Habits Are Hard to Break - Accountability Is Key to Beating Procrastination

Beating procrastination can be hard. We do well for a few days, but then old habits set back in, or we get frustrated with our lack of apparent progress. Nothing goes fast enough. If you face a small setback at this point, it may be enough to stop working on what you wanted to accomplish in the first place. Thankfully, there’s something you can do to greatly improve your chances of success. Accountability. 

 

Track Your Progress 

Start by tracking what you do. You can do this via a simple habit tracker or by just using pencil and paper. Use a box for each day of the week, fill in what you want to accomplish each day, Check it off or fill it in when you do the task. Keep tracking it until it becomes a habit or until the project is completed.

For larger projects that you may or may not work on daily, it helps to write down your goal and then break it into milestones. Record your progress and how much closer you’re inching to each of your goals. 

 

Make Daily To-Do Lists 

Write out a list of everything you want to get done for the day. It’s helpful to do this the day before. Play around with how many items you put on that list. You don’t want it to overwhelm you, but you do want to challenge yourself to get more done. The list holds you accountable because you can see in black and white if you procrastinated or not. 

 

Tell Someone About Your Plans 

If there’s something you’ve been struggling to get done, tell someone else about your plans to finally tackle it. Call a friend, tell your spouse, or announce it on social media. Encourage the people you’re sharing with to check back with you on how you did. It may be the little extra push you need to stop procrastinating. 

 

Find An Accountability Buddy 

Last but not least, find someone else who’s procrastinating and start holding each other accountable. This could be as simple as checking in once in the morning to declare what you each want to get done, and then again at the end of the day to see what happened. Knowing someone else is right there with you can be super motivating. 

 

Give each of these procrastination beating strategies a try and see which ones give you the best results. Like anything else, procrastinating is a habit, and you can get out of it and turn yourself into the motivated and productive version of yourself you want to be. 

 

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

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What is Your Decluttering Goal?

With so many people still working from home the trend to declutter their home is still strong. Clutter causes stress. And stress causes people to say and do things they normally wouldn't say or do.

So - take a deep breathe before you yell at your family for the mess. Take a timeout before you decide to throw out everything that you own.

What is your decluttering goal?

You do have one - right?

Do you want your home to function better? A great goal - but break it down further.

Do you want to be able to find things? A great goal - but do you have a plan?

Do you want to downsize? A great goal - but by how much? What is your vision?

You need to start with a SMART Goal. 

*   Specific

*   Measurable

*   Achievable

*   Relevant

*   Time-bound

Coming up with a goal - a vision - for what you want your home to look like is the first step. The problem that most people have - is that they skip this step and just start purging. Knowing how you want your home and your space to look and function is crucial to your success.

What is your time-line for achieving your goal? Is it really achievable? If you can't physically accomplish your task by yourself - get help. If the time frame is not reasonable - change it. Decluttering is not supposed to stress you out - it is supposed to make you freer. 

Clearing your clutter helps to get rid of the "overwhelm" a lot of people experience when there is too much clutter. For a lot of people - it's very therapeutic and cathartic.

Is your goal going to accomplish what you really want out of your home and life? 

Don't rush into decluttering until you really know what your purpose is. 

Having an end goal - knowing why you have a goal - and having a realistic plan for getting there - will lead to your success!

Happy Decluttering!

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

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Tax Time is Almost Here - Do You Have Your Paperwork in Order?

It's getting close to Tax Time! I know that people are probably scrambling to get all of their documents ready to take to their accountant. But there are ways to make this time a lot less stressful - by being prepared ahead of time.

Start by having a folder dedicated to all things "tax related". 

During the year - anything that comes in that might in any way be tax related - any receipts or documents - put them into the tax folder.

That includes any banking or financial documents. Also - any mortgage or loan interest statements.

Tax deduction documents. Expense receipts. Donation receipts.  W2's.  1099's. Saving, investments or dividends. Any other income or losses.

And much more. Your account can provide a list of all of your needed documents.

What is helpful - is having a checklist that you can reuse every year - that lists all of the things that you are waiting for. When they come in - just check them off of your list! Keep a blank copy of this list in  your tax folder. If things change - you can always add or delete them from your list.

By having a system in place - and a place for your tax file - this time of year should be a lot less stressful!

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 Can You Use a Professional Organizer in Your Life

A lot of people think that you can only use a Professional Organizer to organize your kitchen or garage.

I love kitchens and pantries - my favorite! But there are so many more ways that you can use the services of a Professional Organizer!

Besides helping you organize all areas of your home or office, a Professional Organizer can help you declutter and organize your home as you age. As we get older our lives change. Kids grow up and move out. You will probably not be hosting big dinners anymore - so the need for a lot of the things that you used to use - is no longer there. Rearranging your kitchen so that the things that you use are at a lower level so that you don't have to reach, is also a good idea as you age.

Most people wait until they are a lot older (70 - 80's) to start downsizing, purging, decluttering. And that is too late. People don't realize how long the process actually takes. They also don't realize the emotions that come with purging your stuff. a lifetime of memories - and they all tend to come flooding back when you start the purging process. And the number one thing that I hear kids say most often to their family is "we don't want that stuff and we will throw it out after you die". A devastating thing for a parent to hear. Because everyone thinks that their stuff is valuable and everyone should care about it. But it's not - and they don't. A hard truth to hear.

Start the organizing and purging process earlier so that your kids don't have to be traumatized and stressed out by going through your belongings. They will thank you for it!

***

If you wanted to downsize to a smaller home, an Organizer can help you purge and downsize, decide what will fit into your new home, and help you unpack and set up your new home so that you can walk in and be settled in a short period of time. Wouldn't it be great to be able to find all of your things the day after your move - instead of looking at boxes for weeks?

 ***

Another way that a Professional Organizer can help you is by sorting, purging and organizing a home or estate after a parent dies. The amount of paperwork alone is overwhelming. If you can find it that is! Most people do not realize the amount of time it takes to find and gather up all of the documents that are needed in dividing an estate. Getting all of the financial paperwork together is a daunting task. Clearing out their clothes is really hard and very emotional. Finding places to donate items, taking them to donation sites or arranging for pick up of items is something that an Organizer can help you with. 

Getting through the process is not easy, but a Professional Organizer can make the entire process more efficient and less stressful.

***

Besides physical organization - a Professional Organizer can also help you organize your schedule and your life! Time Management is one of the most important things in our life - yet it's something that is usually overlooked. 

By working with a Professional Organizer on time management and scheduling - you can eliminate a lot of stress!

Feel free to reach out with any questions on more ways that a Professional Organizer can make your home and life run smoother!

Happy Organizing!

 

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....

Organization Saves You Time and Money

Getting Organized for the New Year is one of the biggest New Years Resolutions that people make.

Unfortunately, it usually falls into the same fate as "getting in shape or losing weight". It doesn't happen.

Everyone has good intentions but there is always an excuse:

• I don't have the time
• I don't know where to start
• It's too overwhelming
• No one in the family really cares - so why bother
• I have other things I would rather do.....
  

But being organized is not only about organization - it's about reducing your stress, getting to work or school on time, being able to find things, saving time and money....and so much more.

If you aren't organized you might spend time looking for things because you have no idea where you put your keys, purse, checkbook....therefore you might be late for work or school.

You can't find your keys, purse, checkbook....and you are now late....so you become frazzled, stressed and start yelling at everyone.

You might buy multiple sets of (insert whatever you keep buying over and over again....) because you didn't realize you already had it - or you can't find it. So you are losing money buying something that you already had.

Disorganization causes stress and a lot of tension in a family - especially if everyone is not on the same page as to how organized your home should be. Everyone has different organization styles and different levels of tolerance for disorganization.

Getting on the same page with your family about organizing style is really important.

So - have a meeting to decide what you want your home to look like. Break down who is in charge of what area of the home. Give everyone a detailed list of how the organizing project is going to be put into action. Set a realistic deadline of when you think the project will be completed. Set up a schedule of when your project will start and when it will be worked on.

That is a very simplified outline - but it's a start. Having the rest of the families input and participation is half the battle. The other half is actually getting everyone to do their part. 

What - you expected a miracle? 😊

Not everyone has organizational skills. Everyone has their own talents. And not everyone has the patience to organize.

Sometimes - the quickest way to get things done - is to hire a Professional Organizer! They have the expertise to look at a space and determine the best options for your space. They are efficient and will work without complaining! Professional Organizers love organizing - probably unlike your family.

And some Professional Organizers will even work with you remotely and give you all of their expertise and advice in a virtual session that is a fraction of the time and expense of an in-home session. They give you a plan and you can implement it yourself - saving you money. 

In person - or virtual - a Professional Organizer is a great investment in your home and life!

Happy Organizing!

  

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....

Starting 2022 with some Organizing Ideas

Starting 2022 Organized & Clutter Free

 

January – New Habits & Things to Do

 

# # 1·            Make 4 Goals that are Measurable & Achievable.

·                    Add them to your January calendar.

·                    Each week give yourself an estimated percentage complete

                 for each goal.

·         Seeing concrete results often helps you achieve goals sooner.

# 2

·         Transfer all appointments and ongoing tasks to your 2018 calendar or planner. Don’t forget Birthday reminders, bill payments and anniversaries.

# 3 

·         Schedule ‘Me time’ for yourself at least once every week. Stick to it

# 4

·         Make a repair and cleaning walkthrough list, from floor to ceiling.

·         Are you making the best use of space?

·         Do the carpets need deep cleaning or the chandeliers dusting?

# 5

·         Do an End-of-Year accounting to see how much you spent on the holidays.

·         Use it to save and prepare for next year's holiday season.

# 6

·         It’s time to pack away the last remnants of the holidays.

·         Store your platters and other serving dishes that you only use for special occasions. Be sure they are in good condition.

# 7  

·         Get in the habit of having a notebook or grocery list near your fridge or pantry to list items as you run out of them.

·         This will make grocery shopping far easier.

# 8

·         Take some time to consider that your value does not come from stuff.

·         Once we let go we can stop hoarding and start de-cluttering.

# 9

·         Take a look at your home management / bill paying station.

·         Is it functional for what you need to do to make your life run smoother?

·         Do you have enough stamps, envelopes and other office supplies?

·         If not, add these to the shopping list so that you can stock up and be prepared.

# 10

·         Set a declutter appointment on your calendar – to declutter a room or a closet.

·         Do you have the right containers & needed supplies?  If not, add it to your list.

# 11

·         Disinfect your cleaning utensils. When was the last time you replaced your toilet brushes, sponges and wiping clothes that you use?

·         If it’s been a while, add them to your shopping list.

# 12

·         Clean out and organize your purse. Containerize.

·         Keep a coupon bag in your purse – with coupons that are not expired.

 

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....