This quote says it all: “Don’t let the past steal your present.“ As a professional organizer and interior decorator, I often see homes stuck in the past, rather than becoming beautiful, welcoming spaces that reflect and support homeowners’ present lives. What Are You Holding Onto? A lot of us hold onto items from the past. Sometimes … Read more
As a professional organizer, I help clients make sense of the physical clutter in their lives. However, tackling basic estate organizing tasks is just as important, and it should be part of your organized life. Estate planning isn’t just for older people – no one knows when their last day might be. That’s why it’s … Read more
Making lists is incredibly beneficial, especially during busy times like the holiday season. Here’s why lists are an essential organizing tool. Making Lists Provide Clarity and Focus Writing down tasks clears your mind and reduces the chance of missing important details. It also allows you to focus on one task at a time, so you … Read more
If you have tried to fly anywhere over the last few years, I’m sure you have experienced some unexpected delays or cancellations. Therefore, our story will not be a huge surprise to you. In preparing for our trip to Italy, there were a few things we did right and a few we did wrong. I … Read more
Home renovations can become complex endeavours, no matter how simple they seem – even a small renovation project can be complicated. It might appear straightforward, but as one of my clients recently discovered, managing a bedroom closet makeover requires a lot of work to coordinate the schedules of multiple trades. For this very reason, most … Read more
Over the years, I’ve provided plenty of tips on kitchen renovations, but I’ve never shared the actual process that starts months before the demolition and rebuilding begins. Of course, the design work and choosing finishes take time. However, there’s more. In this post, I’m talking about the months of sorting, decluttering, and organizing you need … Read more
Struggling with clutter, disorganization, and chaos in your home can be overwhelming – especially when you have no idea where and how to start organizing. Sometimes, being overwhelmed leads to inertia, procrastination, or complete avoidance of the problem. Besides, you can always find something more interesting to do than decluttering your house. Right? However, eventually, … Read more
Are you struggling to have a cleaner, more organized, and beautifully decorated home? Maybe you keep moving things around, trying to achieve a cohesive, uncluttered look, and it doesn’t seem to work. And you feel the harder you try, the worse it gets. For over 20 years, I’ve helped clients turn messy, chaotic spaces into … Read more
Do you find yourself checking email, surfing the internet, and scanning social media to avoid working on other, probably more important, things? Technology is a wonderful procrastination tool, and that phone you can’t stop looking at all day is undoubtedly the culprit. It’s time to reduce overwhelm from technology! Do You Have Smartphone-itis? It’s everywhere, … Read more
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
If you want to accomplish your tasks and goals, organize your time using a calendar system. It can be an electronic calendar on your phone, tablet, or laptop. A shareable calendar (e.g., Google Calendar) can be beneficial if you are trying to coordinate your schedule with family members. You can also choose old-fashioned paper, such … Read more
The start of a new year can be a great time to recommit to having a more organized, functional, and beautiful home. Many of my clients avoid a much-needed decluttering, renovation, or redecorating project because there is just too much confusion in their homes. They feel their life, in general, is chaotic, and they don’t … Read more
This is it: we’re in the holiday homestretch, and with only a few weeks to go, we’re down to the wire! Have I made you a bit nervous yet? Not to worry! These seven steps to an organized Christmas will help you accomplish most of the tasks on your to-do list. 1. Cards Send your … Read more
It’s the time of year (again) to create a plan for celebrating the holiday season. You will likely find it challenging to decide on your priorities over the next few weeks, and I hope this post will help. As usual, I emphasize the importance of simplification. I know you’re tired of hearing about it, but … Read more
It might seem counterintuitive but, in my experience, one of the main reasons most people struggle with disorganization is that they have trouble managing time. Here’s the thing. You can’t really manage time; you can only use it wisely to accomplish the most important things that you need to and want to do. And if … Read more
Having worked on dozens of renovations with clients over the last 20 years, I can share with you these ten things to do before you start a renovation that should help you avoid the pitfalls and bring your project to completion on time and within your budget. The key components of any renovation project are … Read more
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
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
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 for the holidays and stay organized afterward. I also created a Holiday Checklist so you can check off what you might need to do to prepare for this busy time of year. Declutter Kids’ Stuff It’s a really good idea to go through … Read more