Hazel Thornton

Being Organized Isn’t Easy

By Hazel Thornton | January 18, 2012 |

Yes, you heard me right. Getting, being, and staying organized isn’t easy, not if “easy” means “requiring no effort”. When did I ever say that?! Being organized means living your life by design, not by default. It does takes some time and effort. 

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How to Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals

By Hazel Thornton | December 16, 2011 |

S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym that’s often used in the corporate world (where I spent over 20 years) for business project management.  But you can use it too! 

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Home Staging to Stay, Not to Sell

By Hazel Thornton | October 26, 2011 |

  Why wait until you are moving to stage your home? When a house is on the market, the seller usually goes to great lengths to make it as attractive and as comfortable as possible…for the next owner, that is.

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How to Create Your Own Simple Filing System

By Hazel Thornton | October 18, 2011 |

No two people are alike, and no two filing systems need to be either.  Create your own unique filing system using the S.P.A.C.E.* method:

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How to Create More S.P.A.C.E. in Your Life

By Hazel Thornton | October 13, 2011 |

S.P.A.C.E. is the system I use to organize anything and everything — a room, a closet, a junk drawer, a calendar — you name it! This acronym was coined by Julie Morgenstern, whose book Organizing From The Inside Out is such an industry classic that I often find copies of it in my clients’ homes!…

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Mystery Piles & Action Files

By Hazel Thornton | October 8, 2011 |

Have you ever heard the organizing rule, “Touch each piece of paper only once”?  (a.k.a. OHIO — Only Handle it Once) Well, it’s a myth. But the kernel of truth inside the myth is this: If you sift through a pile of mail, or other type of papers, and if you don’t decide the first…

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Is it Clutter?

By Hazel Thornton | September 29, 2011 |

This is the companion article to The Original Clutter Flow Chart. It answers these questions: What is Clutter?  Why can’t I part with my clutter?  What should I do with my clutter?  What if, despite my best intentions, I am still living with clutter?

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Back-to-School Tips from Facebook Fans

By Hazel Thornton | August 31, 2011 |

Ahhh, Back-to-School….one of my favorite times of year as a kid! New school supplies (yes, of course, all lined up and containerized) … the smell of freshly sharpened pencils… the endless possibilities of blank notebook paper… reuniting with friends from other neighborhoods… dressing up like a ham for the school play…oh wait, that was Scout, in To…

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Give Yourself Permission!

By Hazel Thornton | August 20, 2011 |

For the most part, my job is pretty much as you’d expect:  I help people declutter their homes, offices, and schedules; recommend organizing systems and products; rearrange furniture, accessories and artwork; stuff like that. But there have only been a few clients who haven’t needed my permission to do one thing or another. 

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Are You Living a Balanced Life?

By Hazel Thornton | August 5, 2011 |

It’s popular these days to claim that a balanced life is impossible to achieve. So why try? I agree that it’s a waste of energy to strive for a perfect balance between your work life and personal life. And it’s certainly not going to be balanced every day, or every week. To the extent that…

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