Organizing systems do not always work. I know that sounds strange coming from a Professional Organizer. Let me explain! Creating an organized space doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective. Here are some common mistakes to avoid. 

1. Not decluttering first

Organizing clutter is not organizing. In order to create order in a space, it is necessary to purge items that no longer serve you. Once you have done this, it is so much easier to give items a place to live. This is true for every area of your home. 

Purging makes organizing easy!

2. Buying before purging

The purchase of organizing accessories is more cost effective after the process of decluttering is complete. The goal is to have less to store. It’s also good to know what you have exactly in your home.  As you purchase bins, baskets, shelving, etc it should be matched to amount of items that will in or on them. 

Hold on the purchases!

3. Categories that are too specific

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Clutter is the kind of thing that accumulates over time. The problem is that we can put our clutter blinders on until it adds up. Unfortunately, there is no easy way around decluttering. With some awareness you are better apt to spot clutter before it gets to the point of overwhelm. Tackling this from another angle, how can we know when it is time to declutter before it gets really bad?

1. When you are not able to find what you’re looking for in 15 minutes or less. Hide and seek with your “things” is just not fun, is it? A good organizing system is one that makes you more functional and finding things quickly will definitely enhance your living space.
2. No room in your closet. This is an absolute clutter wake up call. It is widely known that we only wear 20% of what we own 80% of the time. Best practice is to get rid of 2 items when purchasing one.
3. Having difficulty putting things away because there is nowhere to put them. Realistically, it is necessary to understand...

Organizing your inside is equally as important as tackling the outside. So much of what people carry with him manifests itself as physical, mental and emotional clutter. It is one reason I try to help my clients get to the route of their clutter. This is the best way to be aware and work through the emotion, thoughts or words that hinder the full organizing journey. In this edition we will focus on mentally decluttering. All tasks (good, bad or otherwise) can weigh you down especially if they are connected to big emotion.

The brain can become fatigued with the plethora of things we hang onto. Decision making can become a real chore, shutting down the necessity in making a decision. Feeling stuck is one of the biggest side effects of mental clutter. Stimulus from so many different people, places or things make it necessary to declutter.

The goal of mentally decluttering is personal for you. I am not a Professional Therapist and if you feel you need more support for your mental state...

Sometimes in life we need motivation to do unpleasant tasks. Decluttering is the task of discussion in this blog. The procrastination bug keeps us from doing this type of thing on a regular basis. There are some situations that can really get the motivation factor from 0-10 pretty quickly. 

1. Having a flood or construction type work being done on your home. I can think of many of my clients that have been motivated by this situation. A few were related to home renovations while others dealt with flooding in their basements. I will say that flooding is one of the best motivators to get people to let go of their stuff. Once it gets wet, mold becomes a concern as well as fragility of the item because it was so wet. Purging comes with much ease. When this type of situation occurs you are most likely caught by surprise. A couple of things to think about is the need for remediation, the clean up of the water and proper drying out along with any necessary mold treatment. It is highly...

As a Professional Organizer, I’ve had the honor of working with hundreds and hundreds of clients on their declutter journeys. What I have learned starting with myself is that clutter is more than stuff in your living spaces or closets. It comes from within. There are three areas to focus on: mind, body and soul. The goal is to be better today than yesterday.

Mind

Distracted? Feeling like you’re in a fog? Can’t remember anything? Time to declutter your mind. Here are 5 practices you may need to implement in your life today. One at a time is ideal until you have mastered each practice.

• Get quality sleep
• Eat well
• Move the body to help your mind
• Silence is golden- spend a little time each day without any distraction.
• Write it down-do not expect your brain to remember the billions of thoughts that run through it on the daily.

Body

Lacking in physical stamina? Identify which of these below you could implement in your daily life today. Try to pick one at a time.

1. Take...

I just became a grandma for the third time, and it got me thinking about ways to be better organized with all of the items that come with having a newborn. I have come up with a list of items that would be perfect for grandma, the nursery, or for gifts.

A Diaper Caddy Organizer that can be used in the nursery or in the car or at grandma’s house. It’s portable! This means you can store them in multiple convenient areas of the home. The cost of Mr. Pen-Baby diaper caddy organizer is under $15!

How about a little Storage Organization for the Kitchen? How fast the countertop can be taken over with baby bottles, pacifiers, cups or baby food containers. This organizer from mDesign is made from BPA free plastic, is adjustable with a removable tray. The dimensions are 8.33” D x 11” W x 4.2” H.

Onto the baby’s room..

Hanging Diaper Caddy Organizer, 3 in 1 Diaper Stacker for changing table or baby crib. There are many options with this system to customize it...

Maybe you’ve tried to figure out why you struggle with organization? Have you wondered why you just can’t maintain your organizing system? This is all based on your organizing style and your organizing system. They may not be compatible.

If you’ve wondered why it is easier for some people to be organized than others, read on.

It really comes down to how your brain works. I won’t get into the science of this but I do want to help you know why you are or are not organized. 

There are two hemispheres of the brain and many of us are dominant in one hemisphere over the other. This means we utilize the one hemisphere predominantly over the opposite hemisphere. Balanced living actually utilizes both parts of the brain equally. 

See which one resonates more with you:

1. Left brain dominant
   • Analyzes - Disciplined -Structured
   • Punctual -Processes through words
   • Detail oriented -Logical
2. Right brain dominant
   • Artistic -Driven by senses...

It’s hard to know where to start organize when you are overwhelmed. This is definitely an area that is not taught in school. Many of us do not have parents that modeled this behavior for us either. So how do we begin?

1. Pick one area or room. It’s ambitious to say the whole house is disorganized and that is what you want to conquer. The best way to ensure success is to pick one room or space at a time. I would suggest this space is now your “why”. Why do you want to declutter and get organized? This could be a kitchen counter or the entire kitchen. The choice is yours. 
2. Take a “before” picture. It will feel uncomfortable or even embarrassing. At the end of the session, it’s good to see how much you accomplished.
3. Remove obvious trash from the area. This makes things look much better! Sounds simple but it can have a big impact on a room. 
4. Empty the area if you have the space to temporarily store the items removed. This can get pretty...

My organizing journey began with small projects that took no more than 15 minutes. Now, I love to organize! However, I know that the organizing system and accessories have to be simple or I am less likely to maintain it. Maybe you can relate? This blog takes you back to my beginning. I have found that most of the time it’s the little things in life that make the most difference. My hope is to inspire you to start your organizing journey today.

This blog contains affiliate links which may bring in a little money to help keep the blog going at no extra cost to you. Please note that I will only share products that I use and believe in.

The very first area that I organized was my kitchen island because it had become piled high with paper. This was the drop zone for the mail and anything the kids brought home from school. I cannot even begin to tell you what this looked like, maybe you have a space like this so you know what I am talking about? Maybe this type of clutter is...

Challenges are really motivating. There is something about them that gets the adrenaline pumping! So, I am challenging you to jumpstart your organizing with five small projects done over five days. Are you up for it? I know you are. Remember, you are only competing with yourself unless you challenge a friend by sharing this blog. 

Here are the Steps to Being Successful in This Challenge:

1. Pick 5 days to set aside 15 minutes and put it on your calendar (paper or phone). You are NOT available to anyone during this time. If you have to get a babysitter, do it. NOTE: If you need to do five weekends in a row, that would work too. I don’t want you to lose your momentum so the preferred way is to get in five sessions in one week. 
2. Identify which five spaces you going to organize, think small! Don’t discount the power of small projects, they are powerful in terms of accomplishment. Your brain doesn’t know if you completed a small project or...