DIY Archives – Page 2 of 2 – Organized for Life and Beyond

This Photo Trick Cures Clutter Amnesia!

By Hazel Thornton on July 29, 2012 4 Comments

My friend Jane (well, one of them…I have more friends named Jane than anybody I know…) is de-cluttering this weekend and texting me periodically with her progress. She writes: “So glad you taught me the photo trick. If not, I would be crying with frustration rather than feeling pleased with my progress!”

The “trick” she refers to is not actually something I had even tried to teach her. But it’s something I do with every client, which she has picked up on and is doing for herself. So what, exactly, is “The Photo Trick”? (more…)

Categories : Inspiration & Motivation, Organize Your Mind

Tags : DIY, memory, S.P.A.C.E.

Home Staging to Stay, Not to Sell

By Hazel Thornton on October 26, 2011 4 Comments

Living Room AFTER: We removed the piano and wall unit, and rearranged furniture and artwork. Now it’s a great space for entertaining!

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.

Why wait until you are moving to stage your home?

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Categories : Inspiration & Motivation, Organize Your Home

Tags : DIY, home staging, redesign, wish list

How to Create Your Own Simple Filing System

By Hazel Thornton on October 18, 2011 No Comments

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: (more…)

Categories : Organize Your Office

Tags : Action File, clutter-free, DIY, filing, flow chart, mystery pile, office, organizing system, paper, S.P.A.C.E.

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

By Hazel Thornton on October 13, 2011 2 Comments

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!

Follow this simple system to create more SPACE in your life!

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Here is a brief summary of the S.P.A.C.E. organizing model (in my words): (more…)

Categories : Inspiration & Motivation, Organize Your Home, Organize Your Office

Tags : clutter-free, containerize, DIY, donate, flow chart, purge, S.P.A.C.E., sort

Mystery Piles & Action Files

By Hazel Thornton on October 8, 2011 19 Comments

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 time you touch it what ACTION needs to take place NEXT, you will just have to sift through the pile all over again later. Pretty soon you will end up with what I call a mystery pile. It keeps growing, and who knows what’s in there?

So, what is the easiest way to vanquish mystery piles – and the missed deadlines and opportunities they usually represent? By using an action file!

Use an action file to vanquish your mystery piles of paper!

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