|
|
|
Book Reviews
|
CLUTTER'S LAST STAND ,
2nd Edition: It's Time to De-Junk Your Life!
by Don Aslett.
This
is a funny, helpful and hopeful MUST READ for clutterbugs. As Don so
profoundly states, "Life doesn't begin at forty, sixty-five, twenty,
thirty, when you get married, when you get promoted, or when you have
grandkids--life truly begins when you discover how flexible and free
you are without clutter.
Where to Buy
Ôø‡
More
books Ôø‡
|
|
|
|
Unclutter
Your: Closet
Tame Your Closet
Reader's Digest Ask the Experts
Is Your Home This Organized? It Can Be
Personal Effects
Conquer Clutter
The
Why's and How's to Conquer Clutter
Addictive Shopper Bug
Becoming
a Professional Organizer
Unclutter Your Closet by Mervyn Kaufman
Making the most of available space
Whether yours is a wall closet on
walk-in, and
whether it's shared space or your own, you can reconfigure it to better
suit your needs. Some people arrange their clothing by color, others by
function. It doesn't matter how you organize, only that you do.
- If your closet has a solid door that swings open, use it for
over-the-door storage accessories. Add dowels or inexpensive towel
racks to hold scarves and necties.
- Use stick-on or screw-in hooks for
your
bathrobe and towels.
- By raising the closet rod from 5 to 6 feet, which may also require
rasing a shelf, you can double-hang some clothing: suits or shirts on
one rod, pants or blouses on the rod below it.
- If you store shoes in their original boxes, label the exposed end or
attach a photo. Or invest in transparent plastic shoe-bins. Your shoes
will stay dry and dust free.
- Zip sweaters into transparent plastic pouches. Or, stack them on open
shelves, maintaining order by using vinyl- or epoxy-coated steel
dividers.
Space-Saving
Accessories
In addition to hooks, over-the-door storage and transparent shoe and
sweater holders, try these closet storage aids, which are available at
most houseware stores.
- Canvas or plastic storage units suspended from hanger-style hooks can
hold folded blouses, shirts or sweaters. Some units are designed to
store shoes.
- Wire baskets on racks or shelves are great for folded garments you
want to see.
- Hanger units designed to hold multiple pairs of pants use vertical
instead of horizontal space.
- Clear, zippered plastic bags help keep folded out-of-season clothing
neatly stacked but easy to see.
- Hat racks can be mounted horizontally on vertically, depending on the
space and how you want to access your gear.
Storage Tips
The best way to manage clutter is to
reduce
it. Pare down the contents of your closet by finding other places to
stow your stuff - the attic, on a shelf in the guest room or under a
bed. Wherever you store, here are some ways to do it better:
- Launder or dry-clean whatever you plan to pack away - sweat and food
stains can attract moths. Plus, your clothing will be clean and
ready-to-wear when it's time to bring them out of storage.
- Whether you're storing shirts, blouses or sweaters, fold them neatly;
tuck tissue paper into shoulder and collar areas to hold the shape. If
you plan to store suits or jackets, use plastic covers from your dry
cleaner instead of tissue paper to soften the creases of folded
garments.
- Put mothballs or cedar chips into each storage container (both
discourage moths ut nothing is sure to work.)
- Store seasonal items in zippered bags, plastic containers or sheets
of plastic taped tightly to create a good seal.
Do's and Don'ts
- Do organize your closet so that belts,
neckties, scarves, handbags, shoes and sweaters are accessible.
- Don't stash sports gear and luggage with your wardrobe. Limit closet
contents to clothing.
- Don't place anything on the floor in a far corner or at the back of a
shelf. It's the same as giving it away; you'll never see it.
- Do ease your closet crunch by expanding your dresser space. Tuck a
small chest or trunk under a window or even at the foot of your bed for
storing things like scarves, shawls, T-shirst and gloves.
Getting Started
- Take stock; remove everything, sorting
as
you go.
- Arrange closet contents in separate piles: his, hers, hats, suits,
jackets, dresses, blouses, shoes - every category that applies.
- Examine each item. If it's something you haven't worn in the last two
years, consider giving it away. (Always be sure to check the pockets.)
- Weed out seasonal gear and anything else you can easily store
elsewhere.
- Clean the closet thoroughly, including corners where dust
accumulates. (This may be a good time to repaint the interior.)
These tips are based on advice from the following experts:
- Christy Best, an authority on organization (www.clutterbug.net)
Tame Your Closet
And organize your stuff
by David Enscoe
Home Remodeling Magazine
Clutter is out, organization is in-
inside
America's homes. "Our frustration with clutter appears to be creating a
growing trend toward a 'place for everything and everything in its
place' movement," says Paula Erickson, consumer affairs manager for Ace
Hardware. Of all the areas of the house that seem to be the most
troublesome when it comes to clutter, closets top the list. One reason
may be that most closets are too small to hold the amount of things we
put in them. Another problem is the fact that closets have doors-
making it easy to hide the clutter.
The Origin of Clutter
Most experts will say that the problem
isn't
any of the above. If you really take a good look at your closets you
will see a lot of wasted space, especially at the top and bottom. And
doors can only hide the clutter temporarily- sooner or later you are
going to have to open the door and see the mess. According to Brian
Kinkaid, a home organization expert at Rubbermaid, the battle to
control clutter is won one step at a time and by having the right
attitude and the right tools to help you organize. "Clutter is usually
a result of disorganized space rather than insufficient space," he says.
Christy Best, a professional organizer who has her own website, www.clutterbug.net, says surplus
clothes and miscellaneous household items are the primary source of
closet clutter. "We wear twenty percent of our clothes eighty percent
of the time," she says. "That's a lot of clothing in our closets that
we're not going to wear. Add that to the stuff that ends up in the
closet because it just doesn't seem to fit anywhere else and you've got
a cluttered closet."
So What's the Solution?
First decide what you want to use the
closet
for- choose its function,this can be based on location. For example, a
closet located between a kitchen and bathroom that currently has
luggage, old clothes and boxes of photographs could be used instead to
store linens for both kitchen and bath. Or if your family is into
sports or gardening, designate a hall closet near the back door to
store sporting equipment and gardening supplies. After deciding on the
function of the closet, it's time to clean it out. Start by weeding out
the obvious items, things you haven't worn or used in over a year,
broken items that will never be repaired, and items don't fall under
the closet's function. Keep in mind that articles that are destined for
this particular closet are probably stored in other closets in other
parts of the house. Go around to the other closets and pull out any
articles that belong in the closet you are organizing. Do not attempt
to organize more than one closet at a time, this will cause chaos. Just
pull out the articles you need for this particular closet.
Kincaid suggests that if space is at a minimum, determine a second
location for off-season clothing and items, such as the attic or
basement. Store these items in a container that protects the contents
from moisture and dust, such as a Rubbermaid Roughtote.
Planning a System
- Before installing shelves, make a list
of
what will go in the closet.
- Figure out what storage accessories you will require, like hooks or
baskets
- Place drawers in the center so they don't interfere with folding
doors.
- Vinyl-coated and metal-wire products can be purchased at home center
stores or closet companies. Wire products provide ventilation and easy
viewing of the shelf's contents.
- When organizing your closets think creatively; furniture doesn't have
to be used as the manufacturer intended. Put a bookcase in the closet
instead of shelves. Use kitchen storage containers to hold socks,
gloves, or pet toys. Place a lazy Susan on the closet shelf; it's an
easy, convenient way to locate items.
- Shoes can be a messy problem in a closet. Try stacking them in the
boxes that they came in, then label them.
- Retail stores and catalogs specializing in storage products offer a
selection of modular closet furniture that is designed to mix and
match. These stacking units can help you to customize your closets to
your needs. Items include two-and three- compartment cubes with
drawers, vertical stackers and double-width shelves, available in a
variety of natural wood finishes.
Preventing Relapse
Once a closet has been uncluttered, the
problem becomes keeping clutter from returning. Installing a system of
shelves, drawers and pole at different heights will help. "The problem
with cluttered closets is that they have a single shelf and a single
pole," says Ginny Scott, director of learning and development for
California Closets, a franchise that designs and installs closet
organizing systems all over the world. "That's inadequate. Clothes come
in different lengths and we need different types of storage."
Changing Habits
Keeping clutter at bay requires a change
in
mind-set, according to Christy Best. "You can spend five thousand
dollars on new shelving but all the storage solutions in the world
won't help you if you don't get to the core of the problem: collecting
clutter."
Best says an effective tool in keeping a closet organized is a
donation box. The box can be stored in any room, she says, but it's
important that every member of the houshold knows about it and
contributes to it consistently. Make it a rule when something new comes
in a similar item goes out.
Reader's Digest Ask the Experts
2500 Great Hints & Smart Tips from the Pros
Your Home Inside and Out
An uncluttered pantry not only makes
mealtime easier, but looks great and creates a feeling of serenity in
your home.
- Don't hang sweaters, which can sag and become damaged.
- Avoid hangers designed to hold more than one item since clothes can
become wrinkled.
- Check your clothes for dropped hems, missing buttons, and stains
before hanging them up.
Managing the Details
"The key to organization is
simplification," says Christy Best,
a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers with
her own website, www.clutterbug.net. "There seems to be a tendency to
hang on to excess things, because there was an initial monetary output.
But keeping these items won't make the money reappear!"
Best recommends keeping a donation box going at all times. When it's
full, drop it off at a donation station. "It's impossible to get
organized until items that aren't being used are cleared. Once that
process us underway, life becomes much simpler."
The Linen
Closet
Ronnie Essenberg tells you how to create order out of chaos in your
linen closet.
- Line shelves with easy-to-clean vinyl fabric or paper.
- Keep only frequently used towels, and sheets in the linen closet.
Recycle worn towels and sheets as rags.
- Fold sheets by set. Fold pillow cases, fitted and flat sheets
separately, then place the flat sheet and cases within the fitted sheet
so they can be pulled out as a unit.
- Stack sheets according to family member and towels according to the
bathroom in which they are used.
- When storing sheets, towels, or tablecloths, place the folded side
facing the door.
- Use the floor of the linen closet to store large, bulky items, or
smaller items in storage bins.
Smart Moves
Storing out-of-season clothing can help
you keep the chaos in check.
- Try to store clothes in a well-ventilated part of the house.
Overheated attics can cause clothes to discolor or hidden stains to
appear, while damp basements may cause mildew.
- Clean everything before storing it. Moths will attack food-stained
and dirty clothes first, and stains will set over time.
- Store folded items like sweaters in cedar chests or plastic bins. Use
mothballs, but don't let them touch clothing. Don't store clothes
directly on wood, which can discolor them.
- Suits, dresses, and skirts can be stored on rolling clothing racks.
- If you're short on storage space at home, find a dry cleaner who
offers box storage for your winter clothes over the summer.
Central Coast Living
Is Your Home
This Organized? It Can Be
Aromas woman
turns "simplifying" into full-time job.
by Dave
Nordstrand
The Salinas
Californian
Professional organizer Christy Best
of Aromas flies to South Dakota next week to clear the clutter from an
old family farmhouse.
Nothing in the house, not even bits of string, has been tossed for 100
years.
"This may be the mother of all jobs," says Best, a pioneer in her field.
Since 1995, Best - she calls her business Clutterbug.net - has swept
through, helping people in Monterey County and beyond get organized.
USA Today, Reader's Digest, Good Housekeeping and the New York Times
have interviewed her.
"Clutter is a national problem," Best said. "Everybody has too much
stuff."
The effort to clear the floor is important. Clutter can reduce
efficiency, increase stress and upset relationships.
Best has even noticed a clutter-depression link. "Many of my clients
are highly intelligent people with beautiful homes," she said.
"Yet they've manifested their depression in accumulating useless
material items, filling their homes to the bursting point."
"My function is to help people simplify their lives so they know where
all things are at all times."
Her clients - they include businesses - make a list of places they
can't seem to clear on their own, and she goes after those first.
The most important thing to remember is that getting organized doesn't
happen all at once, Best tells her clients.
It's more bit-by-bit.
Like losing weight, she said.
"Those items took years to accumulate. They're not going to disappear
overnight," she said.
She works in five-hour segments and can make "a huge dent" in the first
session.
In the 1950's, when Best was growing up, the assembly line turned out
far fewer goods than it does in 2004.
"We didn't have the out-of-control consumption," she said. "No
computers. No faxes. No answering machines."
Today, people have too many things, Best said. An industry has sprung
up to deal with the result. Stores offer product lines aimed at getting
people organized.
Best is a former editor. She developed her organizing skills getting a
newspaper out on deadline. One day, she saw a TV special on the
National Association of Professional Organizers and decided to get into
the business.
Many clients have collected so much clutter that they can't see the
floor. One Salinas-area client had not thrown a newspaper away in 30
years. Another kept a tidy closet, but scattered 5000 CD's about in
other rooms.
"Only 10 percent of people I work with can fit a vehicle in the
garage," Best said.
Many of the items can be of use to others, so Best carries a long list
of agencies accepting such goods.
The business of clearing clutter seems rooted in the consumer society.
Best is always on a job or en route to one.
"I have a gruelling schedule," she said.
Reducing
Clutter
Starter tips
from Christy Best on how to create order out of chaos:
- Keep a
donation box going.
"We keep bringing things in without getting things out," Best said.
"It's simple math."
- Deal with
mail and paper daily.
"Don't put it in a stack to deal with later because it never will
happen," she said.
- Avoid
impulse buying.
Make sure you have a need for an item before you buy it.
- Consider
intangible presents, especially during holidays and birthdays.
A trip, for example as opposed to "25 more toys on the floor," Best
said.
-Stored family
memorabilia or archival paperwork should not be in the living or
working space.
Ten years worth of tax returns do not belong on the coffee table.
- Remember,
the garage is not a storage space.
Neither is the floor. "If an item doesn't have a home, then you need to
rethink having it," Best said.
Personal Effects
by Helaine R.
Freeman
Arkasas
Democrat-Gazette
Wednesday,
August 4, 2004
Survivors faced with decisions about disposing of a deceased loved
one's belongings needn't face the pain alone.
Inside the Colonial-style, two-story brick home in west Little Rock, it
looks as though the owner is merely preparing for a move.
The elegance of the green-and-burgundy-decorated living room is broken
by the intrusion of two oblong portable tables bearing pieces of cut
glass, ceramic pottery, dishes and figurines.
In the comfortable den, things are not as neat. Several women sort
through boxes, piles of clothing and other belongings. As they go
through the items, they price them.
Actually, it is a moving day - of sorts. The belongings in the recently
sold home are being prepared for an estate sale. The woman who lived in
the house died in February, only three months after her husband's
death. The family, currently struggling with the added hardship of
losing another loved one, has commissioned Nancy Franzke of Little Rock
to conduct the sale.
Franzke, who has been in the business 14 years, knows what will sell
best. The cut glass will be popular, she says.
"Another item that's very collectible is military clothing," she adds,
pointing out a brown leather bomber jacket. Other popular items: old
musical instruments, old toys.
Items such as these must be dealt with by the relatives of those who
have died.
Deciding what to do with the belongings left behind by a deceased loved
one - whether it's a much-worn blouse, a silver tea set, a French
Empire table, a shag rug or an automobile - can be an added challenge
in a time already weighed down by grief and stress.
"That is the most difficult thing - having to go back home and be faced
with (the deceased's) belongings and their clothing," says Christy
Best, a nationally recognized organizer based in California.
It's a situation that Bonnie Jacobsen, a professional organizer in
Little Rock, has seen many a baby boomer face.
"One of the heartbreaking things is, it really gets people stuck
because there's so much grief involved with it," says Jacobson, owner
of Let's Get Organized. "If the family has not started passing on some
of the treasures before the parents are gone, it's very very painful to
let go of the things after theyr'e gone.
Long Goodbyes
Many survivors make the mistake of taking the items from the home of
the deceased to their own homes, where they sit for a long time,
Jacobsen adds. "They end up with sort of layers of generations of
clutter and so it becomes a multilevel problem. They cannot make
decisions on any level - and then they get stuck in the pain and the
grief and the memories."
But while some struggle with clutter - or leave their loved one's home
intact, paying extra utility bills and worrying about the vacant home
being robbed - other survivors make the mistake of trying to get rid of
things too quickly.
"The temptation to get rid of everything stems, many believe, from that
illusion that if you can deal with and dispose of the possessions, you
will make quick business of disposing of the pain and hurt of grief,"
writes Eva Shaw in her 1994 book What to Do When a Loved One Dies: A
Practical and Compassionate Guide to Dealing with Death on Life's Terms
(Dickens Press, $18.95).
Sorting Stuff
of a Lifetime
Are you the survivor of a deceased relative who left no instructions or
provisions on how to dispose of his belongings?
-Don't try to
dispose of the items hastily.
"In my opinion, that causes psychological scarring," says Christy Best,
an nationally recognized organizer based in California. Give yourself
some time to grieve, and deal with the situation only when you're
ready. If it's a parent who has died, Best adds, "Don't let the
children start coming in and grabbing things."
Best's website, www.clutterbug.net,
gives numerous tips and advice on how to deal with too much stuff.
-Seek
objective professional help.
"The bottom line... is that you don't have to do it alone." says Dana
Estill, a mental health therapist in Asheville, N.C. But the help
doesn't have to come from a therapist. Bonnie Jacobson, a professional
organizer in Little Rockm works with bereaved clients to establish what
type of value a possession may have for them - monetery, sentimental,
historic - to help them pare down the belongings.
-Don't sort through the things alone.
Ask for help from no more than one or two close friends.
-Sort the
items into three piles of things, labeling them Pile A, Pile B, and
Pile C.
Place into Pile A the things you definitely want to keep. Pile B should
contain the things you feel you can stand to donate or dispose of. Pile
C should be the "I don't know" pile. And that might be all you do,"
Estill says. "You don't have to do anything else with those piles."
After the sorting is over, reward yourself in some way.
-Resist the
temptation to throw out items you think are junk.
Old newspapers, documents, letters and notes may provide genealogical
information and insights about the deceased's life.
-Make memories
space-efficient.
Smaller keepsake items can be organized into a shadowbox or collage, or
be photographed before disposal. Fabric items can be remade into a
quilt.
-Don't keep
things out of a sense of obligation.
If the deceased was an avid reader with a book collection you do not
wish to keep, consider donating the books to your local library. Donate
old military photographs or other historic memorabilia to a museum.
- Donate to a
charitable organization that was important to the diseased.
Give clothing or other possessions to that organization, or sell them
and donate the proceeds.
-Share with
the friends of the deceased.
Best recalls an instance in which a teenage girl died in an accident.
Afterward, the girl's friends were allowed to go through her
possessions and choose a memento. That's good for adults, too, she
says. "Maybe his best friend played golf with him and maybe his best
friend would like a golf club."
-Use your
loved one's possessions to honor them or your relationship with them.
Estill tells of taking the bars from her father's police uniform and
giving one of them to a friend who had exhibited bravery.
-Helaine R. Freeman
Conquer Clutter
Woman's
Day
February 1,
2002
Laundry
District
Make Way for
Storage
Even the tiniest laundry area has room for a small shelf above the
washer for detergents, stain removers, and softener sheets, says Ronnie
Eisenberg, coauther of Organize Yourself! Or store supplies in an
organizer that slides between the washer and dryer.
Install a
retractable clothesline.
Keep a bin full of hangers nearby so you can hang tops and slacks as
soon as they come out of the washer or dryer. Molded-plastic
shape-savers let you hang lightweight sweaters, instead of drying them
flat.
Be a
matchmaker.
Collect mateless socks and homeless buttons in a plastic basket or
shoebox. Regularly sort through your findings for sock that match and
the button that goes on your favorite blouse.
Establish a
giveaway bin.
Toss clothes that no longer fit anyone in your family in a recycle bin,
rather than leaving them to clutter up your laundry room or take up
precious space in drawers or closets, suggests Christy Best, founder of www.clutterbug.net.
Pack up the items and give them to someone who can use them.
Your Child's
Closet
Make it easy.
Place a large open laundry basket in the closet for dirty laundry,
rather than a hamper with a lid or a drawstring bag. "It needs to be
easy to see and easy to aim at," says Shannon McDonald, a professional
organizer in Alexandria, Virginia.
Hang it up.
Install a tension rod at your child's eye level. Install hooks or pegs
on the side walls inside closets for belts, bathrobes and tote bags.
Hang a shoebag or jewelry organizer on the back of the door for small
toys.
Sort and stack.
Use plastic bins or copier-paper boxes to hold blocks, train sets, doll
clothes. Label with a black marker or affix pictures to the outside to
show what's inside, or assign colors according to function, i.e., blue
for building toys, yellow for puzzles, red for dolls.
Enlist their
help.
When your child gets a new art set or game, ask him to help you
determine where the item should be stored. The next time he takes it
out to play, he'll be more likely to put it back where it belongs.
Hooray!
Bathroom Basics
Contain and conceal.
Use slide-out bins to organize bath and cleaning products under the
sink. Attach a skirt with self-adhesive fasteners to create a storage
area beneath a pedestal sink. Keep first aid supplies in a plastic
toolbox so you can take it to the scene of a cut or scrape.
Hang up
appliances.
Attach books or a cup holder to the vanity for blow dryers and curling
irons, suggests Deniece Schofield, author of Confessions of an
Organized Homemaker. You might also hang a vegetable basket from the
ceiling or attach hooks or a strip of pegs to the back of the door.
Get a grip on
doodads.
Place combs and brushes in a basket on top of the toilet tank. Slip
ponytail elastics on a rod-style paper towel holder; clip barretts on a
strip of ribbon. Keep cosmetics in a bag or organize them in a desk
caddie. Schofield suggests making a "bouquet" of makeup brushes in a
small vase.
Use cleanup
caddies.
Still short on bathroom storage? Give each child a handled plastic
basket for storing personal supplies such as brushes and combs,
favorite shampoos and other odds and ends. Kids can keep their caddies
in their bedrooms and carry them to the bathroom when they need to wash
up.
Help for Pack
Rats
Having trouble parting with old clothes, books, videos, pots and pans?
1. Seal items in a box, date it, and store in the basement or garage.
If you haven't unsealed the box and used the contents in one year, it's
probably safe to say goodbye.
2. Remind yourself that you can always find books in the library,
videos at the rental store and magazine articles on the Internet.
3. Instead of forcing yourself to part with all of your children's baby
clothes, hold onto one adorable outfit or pair of booties as a keepsake.
4. Give clutter to friends, relatives or charity. Knowing that someone
needs that old skillet more than you do makes it easier to let go.
The
Why's and How's to Conquer Clutter
Clutter-Freeing
Yourself from the Chaos
By Just Loves
Books,
published July 25, 2005
Recently, the Dr. Phil Show and Oprah each did a program on people
whose homes are overflowing with clutter. Interesting topic, the
producers thought. What they didn't expect, however, was the flood of
calls and e-mails saying, "That's me. I live like that." One reason for
the surprise is that people who have a problem with clutter usually are
ashamed and live behind closed doors, not letting anyone in to "see
their mess." Many times, they feel they are alone in battling the
clutter and wonder if something is wrong with them. Clutter is defined
as "anything in our lives we do not use or love." Being a clutterer
should not be confused with being a "hoarder". Hoarding is a
psychiatric condition that affects less than one percent of the
population. A hoarder obsesses over things, feels fearful about their
possessions, and may even have difficulty parting with the things in
their trash bins. Cluttering, on the other hand, affect millions of
people. People collect clutter without much thought, but could make the
changes needed to conquer it themselves if motivated. Living in a
cluttered environment is not just a problem affecting our physical
environment. Clutter drains your energy, affects your efficiency, and
adds to your stress. In most cases, being a clutterer means spending
hard-earned money for things we do not need or want, except in the
moment. It also means that we could be paying a mortgage for a 2000
square foot house, but because of our "stuff", only be able to use a
portion of it as space for daily living. Clutter affects our social
lives, our self-esteem, and our happiness. It also makes cleaning much
more time consuming. Clutter can also mean not being able to locate the
things we need. Stephanie Roberts, author of Clutter Free Forever!
states emphatically that "clutter is disempowering." There are as many
reasons for cluttering as there are people. However professionals agree
that there are some common causes. Depression, anxiety, or the need to
control can all be causes.
Christy Best,
Professional Organizer and author of "Clutter-Depression
Connection" believes that "possessions, like fat, insulate us from the
outside world, building a wall of junk which we can hide behind. Our
clutter becomes an insular mechanism for shielding ourselves from
pain." Mike Nelson, founder of Clutterless Recovery Groups believes
that "clutter is more than a problem with our physical environment." He
further states that "clutter is about our emotions and psychology, not
just organizing skills" and "changing our outside without changing our
inside is a waste of time." Clearing the clutter from our homes and
offices is not a one-time event, but a daily practice. Professional
organizers, however, do offer some suggestions:
TENS WAYS TO FREE YOURSELF FROM CLUTTER
1) Get motivated. Make a list of your top five life priorities.
Then beside each one, list the ways that coping with clutter interferes
with that priority. Do you want to advance in your career, but being
able to not find what you need means you miss deadlines? If one of your
priorities is spending more time with extended family, are you avoiding
asking the parents over because you don't want them to see your home?
Take a good hard look at the way clutter is affecting you personally
and professionally.
2) Give yourself time. Don't expect to conquer your clutter problem
overnight. Building clutter took time and clearing it will, too. Set a
time limit each day to devote to de-cluttering. It's much easier to
think of spending an hour or two cleaning out one closet than to face
spending the entire day on the whole house or office.
3) Use small blocks of time. If you're stuck on hold with your
dentist's receptionist, clean out the junk drawer in the kitchen while
you're waiting. Got fifteen minutes before you have to leave for an
appointment? Sort through a file drawer. These small amounts of time
that would ordinarily be wasted can be used to give you a feeling of
accomplishment.
4) Label three boxes "Keep", "Give Away", and "Throw Away". When
sorting remember the definition of clutter, "things we don't love or
use." If it's not something you love and would be upset to part with,
or something that has been used in the past year, out it goes. Even if
you feel the item is "still good" and "could be useful", if you're not
using it, pass it along to someone who will. Don't get side-tracked if
you come across your old high school yearbook or misplaced photo album.
Stick with the task at hand.
5) Be ruthless. Remember your goal to live a happier, more efficient
life. Make a quick decision about each item and move on.
6) Remove immediately. Once you've decided which items to throw away,
bag them and take them to the trash can immediately. If you have items
to be donated, take them or arrange pick-up as soon as you finish
sorting. Procrastinating is not freeing you from the clutter.
7) Get your family involved. If you live with other people, chances are
they contributed to the clutter problem. Get them involved in the
sorting/purging process.
8) Stop buying. You can't clear out the clutter if you're constantly
bringing more in. Avoid impulse buying. Ask yourself if the item is
something you really need and will use. Also ask yourself where you
plan to put the item once you bring it home. Many people find it useful
to follow the "one in, one out" rule. If you buy new books, donate old
ones to the library. If your child gets new toys for his birthday,
donate old ones to charity.
9) Deal with things in the moment. Beginning now, put things away as
soon as you finish using them. Sort through mail instead of piling it
on the kitchen counter. If you finish eating take-out food, throw away
all the boxes, napkins, and drink containers. Clear off your desk
before leaving the office each day.
10) Ask for help. If your clutter seems totally overwhelming to you,
Professional Organizers are available. Check the yellow pages in your
local telephone directory. Organizers usually charge by the hour, give
free estimates, and can accomplish a great deal in a short amount of
time. If you can't afford to hire someone, enlist the help of a friend
or family member to help. There are also online support groups if you
need some extra motivation. Most people who clear the clutter from
their lives are surprised at just how free they feel. Their lives are
so much simpler and run more smoothly. By creating a peaceful, serene
environment, most find they feel peaceful and serene. Anne Morrow
Lindbergh, in her book Gift of the Sea, said "for the most part, we who
could choose simplicity, choose complication." Begin today to free
yourself from the complication of clutter.
Addictive Shopper Bug
"We all get bitten by the shopping bug now and then. We just have to
have the lastest fashion or coolest new electronic gadget. Our
material-based society encourages us to open our wallet and empty it in
the mall. It's a difficult pressure to resist. Some people simply can't.
Recently I've had a streak of clients whom I would classify as
compulsive shoppers. They shop to feel good, not because they need more
stuff. Their homes are littered with unopened packages and multiples of
the same item. What's worse, many of these people really can't afford
to buy the things they're buying. Some of my clients are drowning in
debt, yet continue to shop until they drop.
I see this evidenced all the time in my work. I see rooms full of
electronic equipment and software still sitting in their boxes. I've
seen garages stacked with unopened purchases. I helped one client
remove the clothes off her bedroom floor-- it took four hours. Who can
wear that many clothes, and how could that time be better spent?
Compulsive shopping manifests itself in the kitchen as well. One woman
I know had an entire pantry full of canned green beans.
Then, when people become buried underneath a mountain of stuff, they go
out and buy mass quantities of organizing tools, plastic bins and
filing cabinets and closet organizing components and the like. Or they
hire me. So the irony here is they're spending even more money to get a
handle on the stuff that put them into debt to begin with. And
interestingly enough, some of these people aren't connecting the dots.
They don't make the connection that their shopping habit has dissolved
their home into disarray and buried them in debt.
So how do you know if you're addicted to shopping? If you can say yes
to most of the following questions, you could be a compulsive shopper:
Do you buy things simply because it feels to good to buy them?
Do you buy things just because they're on sale?
Do you make purchases based on packaging?
Do you own new items that are still in their boxes?
Do you buy clothing and shoes you never wear?
Do you buy duplicates of items because you can't find the originals?
Do you buy things for your familyfriends, knowing they're unneeded?
Has shopping sunk you into debt?
Compulsive shopping is a real psychological condition that should be
treated by a professional therapist. If you think you might be a
shop-a-holic, please seek out therapy. However, here are some simple
tips that I think everyone should follow on every shopping trip, be it
a quickie to the corner convenience store or a trek to the mall:
Don't shop when you're feeling anxious, depressed or powerless.
If you're shopping for pleasure or to pass time, find another activity.
Leave your credit cards and checkbook at home.
{Christy lists several other good, practical suggestions and elaborates
on all, including the three above.}
Remember that by buying lots of stuff, you're not only depleting your
own financial resources to feed the corporate monster (and make someone
else rich), but you're depleting the Earth's resources as well. If you
think of it in those terms, it might be easier to leave stuff on the
shelf.
Most importantly, keep in mind that stuff cannot possibly make us
happy. Quite the contrary, I have found. Too much stuff bogs down our
minds, space and time, while simplicity frees us up to pursue the
worthwhile things in life, be it family, career, athletic or creative
endeavors, or simply getting lost in a good book. Keep it simple, and
enjoy life.
All the Best,
Christy Best
Professional Organizer
Member NAPO
Founder, Clutterbug.net LLC
Ask
the Business Coach
Joyce K. Reynolds is an expert Business Coach who works with CEOs, Sr.
Execs, entrepreneurs and countless others providing knowledge,
solutions, motivation and support that assist her clientele in
successfully meeting workplace challenges. Find out more about Joyce's
coaching practice.
Becoming a
Professional Organizer
Question: I need help figuring our my career path. I have a bachelor's
degree in Journalism, and worked a couple of years towards a master's
in Geology. It has been a few years now, and I still haven't gone back
to finish my masters degree. After several deaths in my family, I
reevaluated my life and decided that I don't really want to work
full-time - I want to be home for my children and my husband. I would
prefer a job with an easy-going environment, and one where I don't have
to sit at a desk all day. I have considered becoming a professional
organizer, but don't know where to begin. Also, is it possible to
apprentice with an established professional organizer to see if this is
what I'd really like to do? Thanks for your help.
Sherry
Answer: As
the workplace continues to take some interesting turns, you are
certainly not alone in deciding that you'd like to forgo a full-time
career to be home for your husband and children. Initially, when
considering a career downshift, it's helpful to look at possible
adaptations of your current profession which would supply easy carry
over of skills, expertise and credentials. It is also beneficial to
make note of all the things you really enjoy doing versus things you
never want to do again and evaluate these in light of your resume to
see what directions emerge. As it appears you are no longer interested
in pursuing either your former interests in journalism or geology, it
will be even more important to see if such an overview supports your
newly identified interest in professional organizing.
Generally speaking, professional organizers help too-busy - or simply
disorganized - people who require being led into a more methodical way
of life. Guiding people through this kind of change requires a touch of
diplomacy and a little letting-go psychology to go along with
organizing skills. You can begin to determine whether or not you're
adaptable to this profession by studying your past positions and the
skills they required. If they match up handily, you can feel confident
to continue your pursuit of this profession.
Keeping in mind that you stipulated that you - "would prefer a job with
an easy-going environment, and one where you don't have to sit at a
desk all day" - you'll want to determine whether or not professional
organizing fits successfully into the category of a low key, part-time
job. In any event, be clear that making a go of even a part-time
business (or any service profession) will, at least in the beginning,
require a lot of time, effort, marketing and dedication. You must,
therefore, establish exactly what you are willing to invest in this
kind of startup effort.
If you decide to proceed, one of the most important things you'll need
to do is develop a program that will support your ability to deliver on
your promise to help your clients get better organized. This includes
putting into place organizational tools that will assist you in this
effort. Expert Christy Best says about the profession, "Professional
Organizers provide information, products and assistance to help others
organize to meet their needs. A professional organizer should guide,
encourage and educate clients about basic principles of organizing by
offering support, focus and direction’ĶWhile being organized yourself is
a definite asset, simply doing what works for you may be too limiting
for the client. The critical skill that a professional organizer must
have is the ability to create customized organizing solutions that work
for the client."
Best also indicates that "public awareness of the organizing industry
is increasing and stimulating the demand for organizers"; that many
organizers "bill between 20-40 hours per week; and 42% said they had a
gross income of $30,000 and above." So it would seem there is good
potential in this field depending on the amount of income you need to
derive from whatever work you elect to do.
Another website to visit which will give you some answers regarding
your startup question is:
http://www.organized-living.com/apprentice.html re: "Apprenticeship
Program For Professional Organizers Want to Get started as a pro?"
Finally, take a look at this state-by-state directory:
http://www.clutterbug.net/directory/ You'll not only see the variety of
ways people in this profession describe themselves, you can also find
out if there's someone in your area to connect with along the lines of
an internship.
|
|
|
