Are you thinking of moving and getting super stressed about where to start? Working as a Professional Organizer for so many years, I have helped dozens of our busy clients prepare for their next move and unpack, organize and set up their new home. With that experience in mind, here are 4 things you should … Read more
The BIG Downsize, Season 4 takes you down memory lane and on a new downsizing journey when professional organizer, Jane Veldhoven takes on a new client with too much stuff and visits clients from previous seasons. Jane also tackles her own downsizing challenge when she and her boyfriend decide to move in together. The five-part … Read more
In Nova Scotia, we have just spent the last four months or so hunkering down and for some of us that means we collect stuff. After all, it’s only natural to squirrel away our belongings during the long winter months. But now it’s Spring and I’m not sure about you, but I’m feeling the urge … Read more
Have you ever had that feeling that some rooms you enter just don’t ‘feel right’? That is usually due to energy being out of balance. There should be a perfect balance of light and dark, known as Yin and Yang. Read more about it . . . I would like you to think about the … Read more
Who knew there was so much to know about lighting. What does that have to do with organizing and design you might ask? A lot actually. Proper thought and planning and choosing the right lighting can make or break your space. You know how much I love lists, so here goes. Below are ten tips … Read more
Do you have ongoing disagreements with your partner about the level of organization or lack thereof in your household? We all have different expectations for how tidy our home should be. These expectations can often be a result of the environment in which we were raised. Was it cluttered or tidy? If you grew up … Read more
In the winter do you normally hunker down and wait for spring before you tackle any major decluttering projects? I wonder if you drag yourself up off the sofa and take a look around the house for some of those ‘clutter hotspots’ and work to banish them once and for all. Before you do that … Read more
It suddenly occurred to me as I was putting away a few things in my own home that not everyone is a fan of putting stuff away. I mean, really, why put something away if you are just going to use it again? How do you know whether to put something away or leave it … Read more
Each new year gives us yet another chance for a fresh start. Maybe now is the time to ask yourself how you can live the next year in the best possible way. What goals can you set to help you have a happy and successful year? And more importantly, how can you make time to … Read more
Here are some ideas I put together to help you get organized before the Holidays season and stay organized afterwards too. I created a Holiday Checklist which allows you to check off all the things you may need to do to be ready for this busy time of year. If you want me to send … Read more
Perfectionism can be a blessing and a curse. As a recovering perfectionist, I speak from experience. When perfectionists do something, they do it really, really well. Once they start something, they complete it but perhaps it takes them a little or a lot longer than others. Perfectionists hold themselves and others to very high standards … Read more
At some point in my 20 years of working as a Professional Organizer I began to notice just how much your childhood experiences with ‘stuff’ can affect your success or lack thereof with managing stuff in adulthood. It’s not an unusual phenomenon but it may be difficult to change your behavior and relationship with stuff … Read more
I was recently working with a client changing out seasonal clothing. We packed away summer clothing and brought winter wear out of storage. It got me thinking about the pros and cons of this bi-annual to quarterly process and how it might be simplified. The Benefits It’s an opportunity to take inventory and determine what … Read more
Trying to find just the right bin, basket, container or shelving unit for organizing a clients’ space can be so time consuming. Even after 20 years of helping my clients find just the right solution, it is still a challenge. It is so important to spend the time to find just the right product so … Read more
If you have set up a home office over the past year or so you probably thought that once you had purged all the unnecessary stuff and set up your new space with all that nice new furniture, you could sit back and relax because your organizing project was done. You might be surprised to … Read more
Can you believe it’s time to send your children back to school once again? Now, now, don’t get that excited, they might notice. Parenting experts suggest that at this time of year the most important thing to do for your children is to get them back on a regular schedule a few days before school … Read more
Most of us are faced with dealing with other people’s stuff at some point in our lifetime. It could be our parents’ stuff if they have to move to a senior care residence. It could be other family member’s stuff if they sadly pass away. I have had discussions with many of my clients over … Read more
In my last blog post about kitchen design one of the things I shared is not to be afraid of adding a little color or a lot of color. Well, I must tell you I saw some fabulous color while on vacation in Prince Edward Island last week. At the suggestion of my dad’s girlfriend … Read more
I have just finished reading the most fascinating book simply entitled The Kitchen by John Ota. The book is a series of stories about the authors’ tour of kitchens across Canada and America not only in search of design ideas but also to fulfill his love of cooking. As an architect he has a keen … Read more
One piece of advice I always give anyone who is planning to organize and/or redesign a space is, “store and organize things the way you use them”. Think about the things you use most often and store them in the most accessible spot. The goal is to find what you need and put it away … Read more