Simplify for less stress 03/06/2011
No matter what the season life can bring many events and suprises our way. When life gets to be too much lets not let it make us feel frazzled and overwhemed. Here are some simple tips to simply have more fun and less stress.
If you need a little help to organize and decutter your home or your calendar so that you can focus more energies towards what is truly important, call anytime, I will be happy to help. 1 Comment When Life was Simple 02/21/2011
 My Fiancé' and I were chatting recently about clutter. The topic comes up alot in my home as it is a passion of mine. Anyways, we came to the conclusion that 'stuff' makes you feel old sometimes. The stuff we gather tends to own us, not the other way around. When we hold on to clutter, it holds us down, makes us feel overwhelmed, crowded, stressed out. Letting it go however is a great way to simplify things, feel lighter and feel younger. Imagine when you were a kid. You didn't have all this "stuff" you do now. Your job was to run and play and have fun. Enjoying your moments as they came. Go ahead, tame that paper tiger, let go of some clutter, free up some space and time, and be a kid again! Don't know where to begin? 10/03/2010
 If you catch yourself saying 'I don't know where to start.' or 'I don't know what to do with any of this' try these 3 tips... 1. Spread things out a little so you are not stuck seeing the forest rather than the trees. 2. Start with items that you know what do with. Put them away immediately. 3. Pick items up one by one and force yourself to look at them. Once you have put away the items you know what to do with you may see categories emerging. If items don't have a home or don't fit in current location keep gathering them up in their 'like' groups. After you have your categories of stuff sorted out you will be in a better position to gauge what else can get tossed, donated or recycled, and where the keepers should be kept. Keeping Clutter Away for Good! 09/07/2010
1. Handle paper only once. And if that is not possible, at least try to move it one step closer to completion every time you do pick it up. 2. Make decisions now. Don’t put things down ‘for now’. Commit yourself to decide what to do with each piece of paper immediately. 3. Clear out your in-box for 15 minutes each day. Don’t turn your ‘in-box’, into a ‘procrastinator tray’. 4. Sort by Category. Mail and e-mail should be sorted into categories. Try sorting ‘by Priority’, ‘by Action’ or ‘by Date’ 5. Write notes in the right place. Numerous scraps of paper and notes will only serve to frustrate you. Choose one place to keep notes, and if they pertain to a client folder or project, put the notes in the proper file as soon as possible. 6. Get real about what you can read. Limit subscriptions, clip articles out if you want to keep it and recycle the rest of the periodical right away. Be realistic about how much you can actually read too. 7. Purge papers regularly. Twice a year purges will do wonders to keep the volume down. Take time to thin out files that contain unimportant notes, drafts and other non-essential information. 8. Keep file systems logical and easy to use. Creating a Dewey Decimal coded system or trying to develop some mythical ‘Perfect’ system is an urge you should resist.  Sure, you can tie shoe laces... Once you learned how, that is. I am certain that there was once a day when you didn't even know what shoe laces were, let alone how to tie the silly things. Yet, chances are now that you have mastered this skill. Right?! The same thing can go for organizing. It's about learning the steps and then practicing them. Eventually it becomes second nature. The first step; Recognizing that tying shoe laces is a good idea. How can you find any motivation to getting organized, when you are not familiar with what it feels like or even what it looks like to be better organized? In the same way we have to trip and fall a few times before we figure out that we better tie those darn pieces of string, sometimes it takes a painfully embarrassing missed appointment or missing valuable documentation for an important project, to make us think, 'Hmmm, maybe I could be better organized?" So, if you can relate to this. If you think maybe life and work could be easier for you, if you were more organized. If you want to explore this and find out what you can do to make things run a little smoother, professional organizers like me are here to help. And if you know someone that could be more organized, try sharing this blog with them. Everyone is welcome to go to my 'Home' page and sign up for Tidy Times too. Everyone that does will get my free gifts sent to get them too. Find out how you are doing with your organizational skills! Visit my 'Residential' and 'Business' links above for free copies of the 'Personal Assessment' & 'Workplace Assessment' It Cost Too Much to Let-Go! 06/27/2010
 In my latest presentation to the Roaring Women's Group of Vancouver I shared a lot of information on common obstacles to getting and staying organized. What I didn't have enough time to cover was the 'Barriers' we come across when faced with the prospect of having to 'Let Go'. Obstacles and Barriers do cover some common ground, yet Barriers are more focused on the fears we have. Rather than going into details on the dozen of barriers that can be faced, today I will talk about one important barrier. That barrier that involves us hanging onto unwise purchases we regret. You'll know you've hit this barrier if you say something like: "I can't toss this, it cost me too much!" When you catch yourself saying this, it should be a sign that you need to seriously consider letting this item go! Why, may you ask? Because holding onto to something only because it cost too much is like holding onto crashing stocks. We fear that if we get rid of the object which we now regret buying, that we will make this loss ‘real’. It is 'real' already. Hanging onto this object of ‘regret’ however does nothing more than to remind us of our mistake. Ask yourself. Can someone else make use of this? Can I donate it and get a tax deduction? Can a sell it? Make the choice to free yourself from clutter that only serves to make you feel bad and make more room for 'happy' in your world instead. Is your home a 20 hour or a 200 hour home? 06/13/2010
Instant results! Done in no time! Faster than ever! Push button technology! Get it now! Western culture's way has us all believing that we can have anything done in a 'snap'. It will be 'easy' and all we need to do is push a button and our problems are solved. Yes, it's true that our microwaves, digital cameras, remote controls and other 'push-button' technology has made some things easy, and given us back a little extra time. So why do we still hear "I don't have enough time!"? Perhaps we do have enough time, if we just stopped and organized it a little better. When I have the honor of looking into an office or home that someone wants to have organized, I can approximately estimate how long it will take. A couple of important variables are the expectations about what the final results will look like, and of course what we find along the way, which may require more attention. I have been in 20 hour homes and I have been in 200 hour homes and I can tell you that in either case one thing is constant. One hour is one hour and in one hour you can do only one hour worth of work. No instant fixes, no 'push-button' solutions and no modern technology can change this fact. You can of course have the help of extra hands to help make this go faster. If you or someone you know has a space that is aching to be reclaimed, can you guess how many hours it could take? What I do know is this; if there is a mess, it didn't get there overnight and it won't disappear overnight either. Besides, what's the rush? Oh yes, those instant results we are used to. Actually, when it comes to some projects that I have been hired to work on, I really wish sometimes I could be locked in, given free reign and allowed to 'have-at-it!". Of course this may in fact lead to a burn out so doing work in intervals is fine and gets the work done over time regardless. With this is mind, lets now consider how frustrating it may be for someone faced with a 200 hour home. If they come to the realization that they could work diligently for hours and not 'see' the difference, how disheartening this could be for them. What is an important thing to remember, however, when faced with this prospect, is that just because the first portion of work won't be 'noticed', does not mean it is wasted time. For example, if you had 10 pounds to lose and lost 5 pounds, it would show right away. Just like 5 hours on a 10 hour kitchen. Yet if you had a goal to lose 100 pounds, 5 pounds would not show right away. On a 200 hour home this could mean you’ll need to put in 40 hours to start 'seeing' the difference and enjoy the benefits increased organization brings. Remember; a pound is a pound, an hour is an hour, and it will 'show' in time. Starting and working through the process, one step at a time, is what will make the difference. Many of the wonderful people that have allowed me to come into their homes and offices are talented, intelligent people that have just let things go for a while. That same 'while' is just waiting for things to change direction, that's all. As inspired to write about this today, I must pay homage to two wonderful ladies, Pam Young and Peggy Jones, also known as the "Slob Sisters'. Their book "Get Your Act Together: A 7-day get-organized program for the overworked, overbooked and overwhelmed" is an informative, insightful, entertaining and practical guide to help anyone get organized. There are many professional organizing gurus that offer expertise, their systems and even their personal experiences to help improve the state of our lives and our homes. These two wonderful ladies are in that category! With Warmest Regards, Michelle Say Goodbye Teddy. I'll Miss You. 05/20/2010
Talking about letting go is exciting to me. As an organizer I see many people hold on to things because they just can't seem to let go and today I hope I can help inspire a little release. A couple of big reasons for not being able to let go of clutter is a feeling of insecurity and also sentimentality. Afraid to forget the past, people will hold to kids’ clothes, toys and artwork. Afraid of what the future holds, they will hold onto anything that ‘may be useful one day.’ I say trust your memory, let go of trying to control the future. There will always be 'stuff', that you can be sure of.  So what can I offer as testimony? Well, on July 17th I am scheduled to give a talk to the local ‘Roaring Women’s’ group in Coquitlam. At this meeting I am going to let go of a Teddy I have held onto for 10 years, and attached to it, two very special pins from my first solo motorcycle tour! It is a hard thing to do, to let this go, yet I have my memory and I have photo’s, the Teddy goes. Clear the Inside Clutter! 04/26/2010
It is my pleasure this week to include this insightful contribution from Regina at ‘Veracis Wellness Inc.’ Enjoy… “Your outer world is a reflection of your inner world. Most people tidy their physical space first which creates an environment for inner contemplation. Nothing is more frustrating than trying to meditate with the nagging reminder of all the cleaning that still needs to be done, or opening you eyes to clutter!” Clear the clutter externally to experience inner calm. Be gentle with yourself, beginning with one area at a time. The same is true for your inner self. Every time you bring order and cleanliness into your surroundings, give yourself a few minutes to reflect on the clutter you’ve let go on the inside. The way you think and act today is different from who you were yesterday. The satisfaction you experience when things are in order will relate to your inner happiness. Be in the moment, smile and enjoy the freedom to touch truth from within. Light, Laughter & Love, Regina Kaiser To learn more about Veracis Wellness Inc. Call Regina at 604.461.5511, email regina@veraciswellness.com or visit www.veraciswellness.com today. Remember, Nobodys Perfect 04/20/2010
 Do you know anyone that is embarrassed by their clutter? In the course of my work I have met with many people that have at least some degree of shyness when it comes to any clutter that they are struggling with. It is only natural for people to have those feelings when they sense they are lacking some organizing skills. Yet, let me tell you, there is no need to be embarrassed about clutter. First of all, there is not one person I have met that is great at everything. I mean really, if someone you met was perfect, it would probably be annoying to be around them, wouldn't it? Clutter is more common than you think and in a society where we are encouraged to buy more than we need, where we are bombarded with paper, information, ideas and offers, who can keep up? Today I will just leave you with the thought that as an organizer, I get it! After all, I too have to keep my stuff, my papers and my tasks in order and minimized. Even I have to 'catch up' and 'let-go' from time to time. So if you or anyone you know is struggling with or embarrassed by clutter, know that it's ok, we can't all do everything purrrrfectly. 'Do what you do best, let others help with the rest!" |  CategoriesAll ArchivesJanuary 2012 |
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