2021 UPDATE: Getting “derailed” is one thing. Here it implies a potential for getting back on track with a little focus, some encouragement, and a few tips from me. However, falling off the trestle bridge into the canyon below, before crashing and burning, is quite another thing! This article is about getting back on track organization- and productivity-wise after common life-changes (home, work, health, events, trips, relationships). It was not meant for a worldwide pandemic with severe health, social, and financial implications, accompanied by political and civic upheaval and global warming! In severe cases “back to basics” may mean focusing on eating, sleeping, and exercising enough to recover or maintain one’s health. And, in other cases, a consultation with a medical professional, financial advisor, realtor, or government agency is called for. Even so….eventually you will find yourself either stuck in the past, languishing in the present, or ready to get back on track to meet your future.
Archive for clutter-free
This is the view from my home office desk.
I think the key to being productive is to be comfortable and happy spending time in your office. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a corporate cubicle; a dedicated room at home with a door that closes; or another space you’ve carved out for yourself.
If you love your office, great! Carry on.
If you don’t, though, here are some tips and inspiration for decluttering your office and making it a place where you really enjoy spending time.
What are “holidays” and why are they so stressful? A holiday is any special occasion, all year round, which involves extra preparations; extra time, money and energy; and extra people, families in particular. Examples include birthdays, weddings, religious holidays, and secular holidays.
Holiday stress comes from having unrealistic expectations of yourself and others. Sometimes it’s the family getting together that contributes to the stress, and sometimes it’s the fact that you’re not getting together, or can’t, whatever the reason may be.
If you can relate to this definition, keep reading for some tips that will help you reduce holiday stress in four major areas of your life.
Mom’s crystal punch bowl, usually used for fruit, is being used here for pecans.
Have you inherited keepsakes you don’t know what to do with?
I can’t tell you how many of my clients have had a garage or storage unit full of stuff they inherited from a loved one. These items represent a mix of emotions – memories good and bad; guilt over secretly wanting to reclaim the space they occupy; fear that they will accidentally discard a priceless heirloom. They are paralyzed with indecision: Am I betraying my loved one if I part with this item? Will I forget them if I don’t keep all their stuff? (I promise you won’t!) How, and where, can I get rid of it? How, and where, can I keep it?
Don’t be afraid to ask for help!
Illness is stressful. The less you have to worry about, the more you can focus your energy on getting well. And getting organized will help you worry less.
This concept applies to any prolonged medical condition that results in decreased energy and mobility.
Here are some examples:
- recovery from a planned surgery
- an unplanned medical or health event
- a major illness
- a chronic condition
- depression
If you are not expecting to fully recover, getting organized will help you to enjoy your “new normal” to its fullest.
Are you and your spouse, or partner, or roommate, like Oscar and Felix, of The Odd Couple? (Are you old enough to know what I’m talking about?) Do you need Clutter Counseling? I am not a marriage counselor (or a psychic, or a magician), but I am sometimes called upon to mediate disputes as to what goes where in a home or other shared space.
It really helps to have an impartial professional to hear both sides of an issue and give a practical opinion that will work for everyone. Often my recommendation is something neither person has thought of before!
Do you enjoy house guests? Or avoid them?
Is your home guest-worthy?
Does the thought of having people over cause a small panic attack?
In New Mexico the holidays start with the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in October! Many of us host visitors during that time. Some of us have friends and family who visit during the summertime, or during the winter holidays.
Even if no one’s spending the night, we might host parties and other celebrations throughout the year.
Or….we avoid company altogether because we are embarrassed about our clutter and our imperfect homes.
My kitchen counter on better days.
← This is my kitchen counter. If you think it looks like THAT at all times — not a bit of clutter; complete with fresh fruit and flowers — you will either be disappointed, or relieved, to learn that it also looks like THIS on a regular basis →
How well are your organizing systems working for you?
In the introduction to this series I shared the following:
What is a system?
What 6 organizing systems do I think everyone needs?
What 5 questions can you ask yourself to see if your systems are still working for you, or if they need tweaking?
Now let’s take a closer look at each system…
(more…)
One way to de-stress the holidays is to give clutter-free gifts.
Can we all agree that the best gifts are fun to give, fun to get, and fit within our budgets? And the worst gifts just add clutter, guilt, and work to the recipient’s life in the form of having to store, clean, and maintain the gift? Sometimes the very best gifts are not even things. They are gift cards, memberships, subscriptions, experiences, services, and consumables.
Here are some of my favorite clutter-free gift ideas.
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