Spring Organizing Tips

Guest blogger, Stephanie Hanson is the Community Manager for George's Gorgeous Garages. George's provides custom garage storage and organization solutions for homeowners in the Lansing area. For more tips on organization visit their corporate blog.

The harsh cold and snow of winter is almost over. In just a few short months we will be transitioning to the new warmth and flowers that suggest that spring is in the air.

This time of year, many of us decide to let go of unwanted things and start new by participating in spring cleaning. With so much to do, sometimes spring cleaning takes longer than we would like it to.

Here are a list of tips you can use to make your spring cleaning more efficient:

Make A List: It’s called Spring cleaning for a reason. Realize that Spring cleaning means that you are going to be cleaning all those things that you’ve put off the rest of the year. Make a list or spreadsheet of every room of your house and all the things that need done in that room. Remember to include tasks that you don’t usually do like cleaning the baseboards, window treatments, and cleaning furniture. This list may be long, don’t let that scare you.

Give Yourself A Deadline: With so many things to do it’s easy to never actually get them done. Next to each project on your list write down a realistic deadline. If you’ll easily forget about when you are supposed to get something done, place the list somewhere you’ll see if frequently, like the fridge. If that’s still not enough, use reminders on your phone or through apps.

Get Help: It’s okay to say, “I can’t do this on my own.” Enlist the help of your children, spouse, friends, or professionals. Some of these people may be hesitant to help, especially children, but that’s okay. Realize that a big difference can be made between one person doing something and two people working together on it. 

Keep Track: Make sure that you mark off a project when it is completed. In addition, be sure to judge your progress to see how much more you have to do. Reward yourself when you have completed something.

Sit Back And Relax: When you’re done with your list make sure that you take it all in. Sit down and relax for a while. Realize this is a little victory. Celebrate.

Thanks Stephanie for these great Spring organizing tips.

Our crazy winter is finally coming to an end ... I hope!

What are you looking forward to doing this spring?

Gorgeous Disorder

Today's post comes from Debbie Stanley owner of Thoughts In Order Counseling and Consulting. She has worked with chronically disorganized and hoarding clients since 1997, originally as an industrial psychologist and professional organizer and now as a licensed counselor. Debbie practice includes in-office, in-home, telephone, and Skype counseling, coaching, and corporate consultation.

Here in Day Two of the deluge of tributes to Steve Jobs, I’ve found a photo that makes my heart sing:

Steve Jobs in home office Dec 2004 - photo by Diana Walker

If you didn’t know before his death, you’ve had ample opportunity now to learn that Steve Jobs was brilliant–so much so that to call him brilliant is becoming an awkward understatement.

Now, look at his home office. Notice the rafters and the brick walls … looks like it’s in the basement. Notice the furnishings… as basic as it gets. And the books, in their gorgeous disorder. And the piles of stuff on the desk, under the desk, on the floor…. Beauty.

I’m in the business of helping people to find clarity through organization. Why does this photo please me? Because it proves that genius can thrive in an imperfect environment. Some people already have clarity without spatial organization. To tidy up would not help (at best) and might interfere (at worst). For them, it is a truly fine mess.

Thanks to photographer Diana Walker and her willing subject, this is no longer just my opinion. If you are excellent at what you do, and you do it at a messy desk in a messy office (with which you’d be perfectly content, if not for the nagging), your boss and your family don’t have to take my word for it that you’re fine as you are. They can look at this photo and recalibrate their opinions.

That’s Steve Jobs in the picture. If it were a regular Joe, or even a regular genius, many (maybe most) people would see it as just another messy-office guy struggling to keep up. Maybe they would see a self-employed contractor or architect or web designer who has to work in his unfinished basement to save money, and whose work is inferior because he’s disorganized and stressed. They probably wouldn’t imagine that the guy is a billionaire whose work changed the world and the house above his head is a mansion. But they are.

Thanks, Steve Jobs, for putting a ding in this stereotype.
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Thank you Debbie for sharing your blog post.
You ROCK!!

Messy desk or clean desk ... It all depends on what works for YOU.

Me?
 I will admit, I'm pretty much in the middle on desk organization.
... and I'm cool with it.

How do you feel about your desk?

Does Your Home Need a Gastric Bypass?

Today's post comes from guest blogger, Cynthia Gentit, owner of Eat that Elephant Organizing, who shares some insight on getting organized around your home.

If your house was a person, how would you rank it?

A.) Slim & Trim
B.) Needs to lose a few pounds
C.) Gastric bypass is the only answer

Now consider that an average 3 bedroom home in the U. S. (that would be B. in the list above) has 350,000 items in it. If we put that into pounds would you be surprised to know that the belongings from an average 4 bedroom home weigh 8,000 – 9,000 lbs.? If you’re an over-consumer that scale easily tops 11,000 lbs and that’s five and a half tons of stuff!

Fortunately there are less painful ways to whip your home into shape than gastric bypass. The National Association of Professional Organizers, Southeast Michigan Chapter (NAPO-MI) wants to help you get your house in shape. Follow these steps:

1. Exercise – Do a little research on the donation venues available in your area. Did you know old electronics can be recycled at no charge at your local Best Buy store? This often includes items like vacuum cleaners and fans. If you have large items like furniture and good working appliances, charities such as the Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity ReStores offer pick up services.

2. Shed some pounds – Have anything you want to give away for free? List it on Freecycle.org, an organization dedicated to reducing landfill waste, and someone is sure to pick it up. Old newspapers, magazines and paper can be taken to any school with a green & yellow Paper Retriever dumpster in their parking lot.

3. Reduce your intake – The next time you’re in the store contemplating a purchase, ask yourself: where will this live when I get it home? Who will care for it? How will I use it? If you don’t have a clear answer for at least two of these questions walk away and reconsider the purchase later. Nine times out of ten, you won’t go back.

4. Change your habits – Make a permanent spot for a donation box or bin in your home. Let every family member know where it is. When you come across an item you could donate put it in the bin and take it to your favorite charity when the bin is full. And by the way, take your kids with you and let them see you lead by example.

Thank you Cynthia for sharing your post and giving us some great tips on trimming down our homes and living a more organized life.

Now, consider Cynthia's advice.  If your home is not making you happy, you have the power to change it.  You can do it!

How do you rank YOUR home?

Clutter Road - Hoarder or Not?

Today's post comes from guest blogger, Melanie Dennis, owner of Neat Streak Professional Organizing, who shares some insight on hoarding.

Tell someone you are a Professional Organizer and they will tell you they need you or someone they know does. They will tell you they have seen the shows-Hoarders, Hoarders-Buried Alive, and the Oprah episodes featuring people with mountains of clutter, and living conditions that are not safe or sanitary. They will ask if I heard the story of hoarder who died and were not found for days because of the clutter. What is good about all this awareness is that people who need and want help can more easily find resources to get it.

I get emails and calls from people who are worried that they have clutter and might be a hoarder. They have watched an episode and worry that they might be going down that road. Hoarding is one of those things that runs a spectrum from mild to very severe. In mild cases, the clutter has grown because organizing systems have not been put into place or those in place have not been maintained. They may have been organized, but now the clutter has grown, things have not been put away, and they are simply too overwhelmed to know where to begin. Perhaps they have been ill or taking care of someone who was, or been too busy to take on a project. They know something is wrong and are emotionally ready for change. The prognosis for these people is often good.

More serious situations may result from an accumulation of possessions way beyond what is normal- where rooms cease to function for their intended purpose, other people may be prevented from entering and repairs can't be done. The person may lack the ability to discern categories or even what is trash and what is not, they may have a profound sense responsibility to not be wasteful, or compulsive urges to acquire things. Some other reasons we see for hoarding are OCD, depression, ADHD, perfectionism, grief, compulsive shopping, mental illness, or a cognitive disorders. Researchers believe that there may also be a genetic component. Often the choice to declutter is not the hoarder's idea. They may have run out of options. Collaborative therapy- using professional organizers, community resources, cleaning specialists and mental health professionals working in accord can be helpful in improving the safety and quality of life for these people. The NSGCD has established the Clutter Hoarding Scale to help professionals have a common language with which to describe what is being seen. The primary focus in helping hoarders is to improve the safety of the home.

I am happy to have worked on a team helping a Central Ohio gentleman for an episode of A&E's Hoarders. I saw the whole story unfold. Not all the little successes during the 16 plus hours filming nor the hours of aftercare that the show provides can make it to the one hour finished result. Thanks to those who film and produce the episodes and all the brave people who have put themselves out there. You have helped countless others--hoarders and not.

Melanie Dennis is a Certified Professional Organizer® and the owner of Neat Streak Professional Organizing in Columbus, Ohio.

Thank you Melanie for allowing me to share your article.

How have organizing programs helped you to get organized?

It's the Season For Organizing

Today's post comes from guest blogger, Melanie Dennis who shares some insight in dealing with all our possesions.

It started the day after Christmas. The ads in my paper were pushing shelves, bins, totes, and organizers of every shape and color. The message is clear- You got stuff. You need stuff to store your stuff. The time is now when you are stuck inside with your stuff. There was National Clean off Your Desk Day this week, "GO" (Get Organized) Month from the National Association of Professional Organizers, Oprah has Peter Walsh organizing again, and A&E will spotlight another Hoarder so we see how bad it can get. There is no doubt about it-Organized is better. Organized students get better grades. Organized bill payers have better credit ratings. Organized workers get better jobs. Do we need to be reminded that we have so much that we can't find what we need? Apparently so.

There has never been a time in history when a society has had so many possessions. We could not have learned from the past how to deal with too much. I watch old westerns (my guilty pleasure) and think how hard it would be to narrow down my possessions to fit in a covered wagon or to carry my possessions like a refugee on the news. This is, of course, extreme but many of us have developed unhealthy and fearful relationships with our stuff. I have heard clients say that a teddy bear would feel lonely or rejected if we tossed it. People feel they're stuck for eternity with a cheese plate because "It was a gift". They worry that tossing something owned by one's parents is disrespectful to the past even if it costs them the use of a garage or basement. They hang on to checks written in the last century in fear that the government will come beating on their door requesting proof of a "Save the Children" donation. The good news is that with the help of a professional organizer, asking the right questions, they were able to re-frame their thinking. The gift was not meant to weigh them down, the IRS has rules about what you need to keep and for how long, and their parents would rather they stayed warm in their garage.

We need reminders and support as we learn to deal with the stuff in our life. We need reminders to bless others when we have more than we need. We need guides to help us make rules for ourselves about what to keep, for how long, or what to do when we inherit a household. Remember- no product will completely make you organized. You have to first re-frame your thinking. The goal for each year is just to get better.

Melanie Dennis is a Certified Professional Organizer® and the owner of Neat Streak Professional Organizing in Columbus, Ohio.

Thank you Melanie for allowing me to share your post.

What is your guilty pleasure?

Feng Shui Magic

Feng Shui and organizing are good partners because they both are about feeling better about your surroundings. Ann Bingley Gallops, a Feng Shui expert in fabulous New York City recently posted on her blog, The Joy of Chi, this fabulous exercise for kick starting the energy in your space. With her permission, here is Ann's Feng Shui trick:

The Magic of 27 Things
Do you occasionally feel absolutely stuck, like you don’t know what to do next or how to get out of your own way?

Feng Shui has a simple yet surprisingly effective method for getting you unstuck: just go around your space and move 27 things.

You can pick each thing up and put it down in place, or move things around, or best of all pick up 27 pieces of clutter and move them into the trash.

I just used this strategy to get myself going on a logy-feeling Monday.

I began by just picking things up and putting them back down, but before I knew it was on a roll, putting things away, throwing things out, and easily touching 27 items in no time flat.

It was fun to count to 27 (a powerful Yang number in Feng Shui) and when I was done I felt really refreshed — my Chi energy was moving.

Start picking up some items around your space and stir up some new found energy. Let us know how you felt when you reached item #27.

How's the energy in your space feeling?