“Wait…don’t you organize closets, and kitchens, and offices and such?” Yes, I do… but my interest in organizing for illness, death, emergencies, keepsakes, downsizing, inventories, family history, photos, and legacies is nothing new. On this page I have gathered together all of my related blog posts, and a number of other resources, to help you navigate this sometimes uncomfortable territory.
Links are to Org4life blog posts, services, and products, unless otherwise noted.
Topics:
- Start a conversation with your family
- Declutter, downsize & organize your (or your loved ones’) stuff
- Preserve your family history
- Organize your photos
- Organize your estate paperwork
- Create a will (or two)
- Plan to age & die with dignity (including obituaries and funerals)
- What to do when someone else dies
- A combination of all of the above topics
Start a conversation with your family
Talking about death won’t kill you, LOL!
Organizing for Your Legacy — A legacy is anything you leave behind. Tangible or intangible. Good or bad. What will your legacy be?
Kicking the Bucket List (a short book review)
Dad’s Kick-the-Bucket Flow Chart – My Dad has since moved to Albuquerque, where one of my brothers and I live. So, these are outdated instructions. But the message is the same: Let your loved ones know what you want.
Declutter, downsize & organize your (or your loved ones’) stuff
Downsizing and Keeping Your Family Legacy — I was invited to participate in this panel discussion at the 2018 Before I Die New Mexico Festival.
9 Things to Know About the Next Big Decluttering Craze: Swedish Death Cleaning — Sparefoot.com
Don’t Toss My Memories in the Trash — book by Vickie Dellaquila
The Downsizing Decision Matrix + Your Personal Inventory
Keepsakes: Legacy or Liability? – What are you leaving behind? What have you been left?
Who’s Afraid of Their Storage Unit?
What is Your Clutter Costing You?
Organized Charitable Giving — This is related to dying in that my personal way of honoring loved ones is to donate money to their favorite charity. But charitable giving can also be part of your estate plan.
6 Ways Boomers Can Get Rid of the Things They (& Their Children) Don’t Need — mariashriver.com
The Keepsake Clutter Flow Chart – 11-page e-workbook module
The Clutter Flow Chart Collection and Go With The Flow! The Clutter-Clearing Tool Kit for an Organized Life
Emergency Preparedness Resource Roundup — In this case the emergency is that you died and people need to know where to find things.
Preserve your family history
Top 10 Reasons Why Genealogy is for Everybody!
Family History Research — Org4life service
The Gift of an Organized Family Tree — blog article about the Org4life family history research service
Puzzling Out Your Family History — blog article about the pleasures and pitfalls of doing genealogy research
The Ancestry Clutter Flow Chart (and companion article)
How to organize your family tree at any budget
Mother’s Day — Gifts I Got from Mom
Mom’s Boxes Part 2: Panning for gold
Mom’s Boxes Part 3: Trip down memory lane
Mom’s Boxes Part 4: Grandma’s Lawn Chairs
Mom’s Boxes Part 5: The Old Man of the Mountains
Mom’s Boxes Part 6: Sometimes organizers need help too!
Mom’s Boxes Part 7: Sharing family history with my family
Organize your photos
Save Your Photos! — This FREE guide will help you find and gather; sort and organize; archive and backup; maintain, celebrate, and share your favorite photos!
Have you seen Hazel Thornton’s Photo Clutter Flow Chart? — APPO Endorsement
The Photo Clutter Flow Chart – 11-page e-workbook module
The mystery of family resemblances: Who you think you look like?
Organize your estate paperwork
Organizing Your Estate Paperwork – blog post by Heather Ahern
CBDataSystems – paid tool
Everplans – free tool
LifeinCase — document organization systems
The Vital Records PortaVault — paid paper system from securitaonline.com
Planning Your Estate: Helping Your Family Find Important Documents – free from SafelyFiled.com
Touching the Future – Guide and Workbook for Estate Planning and Charitable Giving – free from redcrosslegacy.org
Exit Stage Right – products, services, resources
Create a will (or two)
Make Your Will: A Quick Checklist – free from nolo.com
Do You Have a Virtual Will? – Who will check your email (and close your Facebook account) when you die?
Virtual Estate Planning — blog post by Heather Ahern
Creating Your Digital Estate Plan — PDF by Judith Kolberg
Your Digital Afterlife — book by Evan Carroll and John Romano
The Digital Beyond — blog by Evan Carroll and John Romano
Plan to age & die with dignity (including obituaries and funerals)
Planning my own virtual funeral — who’s with me?
We Remember — memory pages by Ancestry
The Conversation Starter Kit – free download from The Conversation Project
Good to Go: A Guide to Preparing for the End of Life – book by Jo Myers
Five Wishes — living will from agingwithdignity.org
POLST (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) — program available in many states.
A Graceful Farewell – book by Maggie Watson
Reasons to Plan Your Own Funeral or Memorial Service — everplans.com
The GroundSwell Project – founders of Dying to Know Day in Australia
What to do when someone else dies
After a Death Occurs: A Checklist – free from legalvoice.org
What to Do When Someone Dies: Estate Administration – free from exitstageright.com
The Boomer Burden: Dealing with Your Parents’ Lifetime Accumulation of Stuff – book by Julie Hall
The Executor’s Guide: Settling a Loved One’s Estate or Trust – book by Mary Randolph, J.D.
You Went to a Funeral and Then You Went Home
A combination of all of the above topics
Organizing for Your Legacy — February 2018 Professional Organizers Blog Carnival
