Decluttering

Organizing the Garage in 5 Easy Steps

Did you know nearly 75% of people can’t put a car in their garage? I know, it’s shocking, isn’t it? I’m guessing that you had to have a garage to put the car in when you were house shopping. This is especially true of Canadians because clearing snow and ice off your car on cold, … Read more

How to Stay Organized During the Holiday Season

Everywhere I go right now, everyone asks, “So, are you all ready for Christmas?” instead of commenting on the weather. In whose mind is that a helpful question? Of course, I’m not “all ready.” I’m not sure I even know what “all ready” means. If I interpret it as having everything perfectly organized and having … Read more

Here Are Five Organizing Pitfalls to Avoid

Today I am sharing a few things clients have tried over the years. These are five organizing pitfalls to avoid because they don’t work. I’m telling you now so you can implement better solutions right from the start. If already have these problems, you can fix them right away. This will lead you to have … Read more

How to Get Organized at Home with Zones

As you declutter your home and create a plan to get organized and stay organized, it is a good idea to learn how to set up zones so that it is easy to put things back where they belong, and, more importantly, so you can find what you need. This process can take a lot … Read more

How to Sell Your Stuff and Declutter Your Life

My organizing clients ask me all the time about selling or donating items that they no longer want or need. I know it is difficult to accept that most of what you paid a lot of money for years ago is no longer valuable. There are exceptions to that for sure. Here are some helpful … Read more

The Six Best Ideas for Staging Your Home

I am not a professionally trained stager, but after 20 years of helping my clients move, I do know that decluttering your home is the first step to preparing it for sale. Even if you’re not selling, pretend you are staging and see how it feels. It will definitely be more open and inviting and … Read more

Planning Your Move to a New Home

Are you thinking of moving and getting super stressed about where to start? During my career as a Professional Organizer,  I have helped dozens of clients prepare for their move, unpack, and set up their new homes. With that experience in mind, here are four things you should consider when planning your move to a … Read more

How to Overcome Disagreements About Organizing at Home

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

What Are Your Clutter Hotspots Saying?

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

Make Time to Achieve Your Goals

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

Tips to Help You Get Organized for the Holidays

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

How Childhood Affects our Relationship with Stuff

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

The Pros and Cons of Changing Out Seasonal Clothing

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

Lessons from Combining Households

It’s done. The move is behind us.  Moving is one of the top three most stressful events in your life.  I don’t know how some people move over and over and over.  We are absolutely exhausted and don’t want to do it again any time soon, that’s for sure. There are so many moves in … Read more

Not Minimal Enough to Move

You would think that someone such as myself who is considered by all accounts to live a fairly minimal existence would very easily be able to pick up and move.  Well . . . much to my dismay that doesn’t appear to be the case.

Yes indeed, I am moving after just over three years of living in 600 square feet with one bedroom.  It has been a wonderful sanctuary and I am going to miss my little abode and the neighbourhood.  Again, just another life lesson to reinforce that things change.  Don’t get me wrong, I am very much looking forward to the move and to the brand spanking new place. However, it turns out even I have some excess clutter to deal with.  Who knew?

 A Few Easy Things to Let Go Of:

Body Pillow

Cane (from the broken foot)

Books (I’m never going to read them)

Extra Wine Glasses, Picture Frame

Cutting Board (I found it above the fridge, forgot it was there)

Boogie Board (I used it twice and I don’t really like the color)

 

Is it Worth Packing?

One piece of advice I always give to clients when they are decluttering is to consider whether they would keep what they have if they were moving.  When you are actually moving it’s a good idea to decide if it’s worth packing and moving everything you have.  Or can you let go of things you don’t really need and start in your new space with less.  It seems that I really dislike packing so I am highly motivated to keep a little less.

Can You Shift Energy?

I would also suggest that you consider the movement of energy and how it brings new and exciting opportunities into your life.  When I first started my business, I met a woman who was a Feng Shui practitioner and I think her work still affects me and how I work with clients to this day. One of the foundational principles of this practice is that shifting stuff can shift energy in your home and your life. Therefore, when you can let go of extraneous stuff, you are inviting new energy into your life. I am keeping that in mind as I go through closets, drawers, and bins and somehow that is making it easier to let go.

What Fits Comfortably in Your New Space?

The other thing to keep in mind is how you will make a home for everything you are keeping in your new space.  I believe the goal is to be comfortable in that space. Please consider if you want to fill every nook and cranny of your new home with furniture and belongings or if you want to have room to move, space to breathe, perhaps even a few empty spaces in case new things arrive in your life.  My approach has always been to let go of as much as I have to in order for everything I keep to fit comfortably in my new home with a little extra room if at all possible.

I must sign off now and get to work on living with less. There truly is freedom in that.