.ORGANIZE YOUR LIFE

Have a Garage Sale…If You Must

By Hazel Thornton | June 3, 2013 |

Love ’em or hate ’em, garage sales (yard sales, tag sales, whatever you call them) are here to stay. Here’s why I hate ’em:

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Clear Your Mind and Get it All Done… Sooner or Later

By Hazel Thornton | May 21, 2013 |

I know how to get stuff done, and I can teach you how, too. I have tools and systems for all the stages of workflow (collect, process, organize, review and do). I have an inbox and project lists which I clear and review weekly. I say no to activities that don’t support my goals and…

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Clearing Mental Clutter

By Hazel Thornton | May 17, 2013 |

Clutter comes in many forms. If you are worried about something, but aren’t doing anything about it — or can’t do anything about it — it’s mental clutter. For any persistent, worrisome thought, ask yourself: Can you do something about it? If you think so, or if you don’t think so, or if you’re not…

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Just 10 More Minutes

By Hazel Thornton | April 9, 2013 |

It’s really easy to say to oneself, at quitting time (or bed time), “I’ll just do this one last thing…just 10 more minutes.”  But it – whatever it is — never actually takes only 10 more minutes, does it? Sometimes it takes 15 minutes, or 37 minutes, or 2.5 more hours. And even then, usually,…

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3 Steps to Falling in Love with Your Home Office

By Hazel Thornton | February 16, 2013 |

How does your home office make you feel? If you have the sort of business where you have clients in, are you embarrassed to let them see it? One of my organizing and redesign clients said, about her cluttered, drab room, “I feel like I’m going to prison every morning.” Oh no, that’s terrible! Depending…

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In Praise of Clear Plastic Shoe Boxes

By Hazel Thornton | February 9, 2013 |

One of my favorite organizing supplies is the clear plastic shoe box. I could probably count 20 uses for them in my own home. Oddly enough, only one of them (a larger boot-size box) contains actual out-of-season shoes. Mine are more likely to contain office supplies, light bulbs, small tools, vitamins, and such.  I use…

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How to Live and Work by Design, not by Default

By Hazel Thornton | January 14, 2013 |

Living and working BY DEFAULT means choosing the easiest path, either by unconsciously resorting to bad habits, or by maintaining the status quo. Sometimes we seek to avoid the conflict that can come with making a change. Sometimes we feel we have no choice in the matter. But I’m with Henry Ford, who said, “Whether you think…

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Does Progress Equal Happiness?

By Hazel Thornton | December 30, 2012 |

Last year I decided I wanted a mantra/slogan/motto/theme. Something that I could fall back on to keep me motivated and — dare I say it? — happy. As a fan of Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project (book and blog), I know that many things can contribute to one’s happiness, from kittens and rainbows and enjoyable…

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How to Organize Your Kitchen for Health and Weight Loss Success

By Hazel Thornton | November 7, 2012 |

We all know how to lose weight. Eat less and move more…right? And we all know that fresh produce and whole grains are healthier than fried foods and sugary desserts…right? I’m not here to tell you what to eat. But I do want to share some tips for organizing your fridge and pantry to set…

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Are Your Bookshelves Full of Friends? Or Strangers and Houseguests?

By Hazel Thornton | September 8, 2012 |

“Friends, Acquaintances and Strangers” is a popular method of de-cluttering, introduced by Judith Kolberg in her book Conquering Chronic Disorganization. This game can be played with any category of clutter, but I most often use it with clients whose bookshelves are overflowing. (Not to mention their floors and other surfaces.) Readers are loath to part…

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Hazel's Books

Book cover: What's a Photo Without the Story? How to Create Your Family Legacy

What’s a Photo Without the Story? How to Create Your Family Legacy

Cover of "Go With the Flow! (The Clutter Flow Chart Workbook)"

Go With the Flow! (The Clutter Flow Chart Workbook)

Cover of "Hung Jury: The Diary of a Menendez Juror"

Hung Jury: The Diary of a Menendez Juror

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