Reading time – 5 minutes  The quick declutter challenge is on week 6.  The other challenges were to declutter cosmetics, bedrooms, livingroom dining room and office quickly. It is said that we use 20% of things we own 80% of the time.  This leaves 80% of our stuff that we seldom use. For example, do you have a certain style of pens you like and don’t use the rest of the ones in your drawer? You receive lots of newsletters and only read 2 or 3 of them. Do eat the same thing for breakfast most days leaving cereals to go stale or fruit to rot? Look at your closet, are there clothes ..read more

Decluttering is an important process to help free up space and gain a feeling of control in your life reducing stress, anxiety and overwhelm.  Having only what you use, need and enjoy in your life gives you more time, energy and finances to create a life full of meaning, joy and new relationships. Let’s get started. As you move through your office looking for the 9 things on the list to declutter remember to make decisions quickly and move quickly around the room.   You might get distracted by clutter that is not on the list.  Make a note of other things you would like to o ..read more

The challenge started with cosmetics, continued with bedrooms, and then the dining room.  You can join the challenge anytime and do it in any order. Remember to work quickly for 10 – 30 minutes going around the space and collecting items you no longer need, use or love.  Use music to motivate you and a timer to help you stay on task. Donating and recycling Many items can be recycled, batteries, pens and markers, and printer cartridges at Staples.  Habitat for Humanity takes building supplies and old electronics for recycling.  Check with thrift stores in your area.  Th ..read more

I hope you found the tips for decluttering quickly in Quick Declutter Challenge 2 helpful. Don’t skip this challenge because you don’t have a dining room.  Many dining spaces have been turned into offices.  You probably have a table that collects clutter or a cupboard that collects too many candles, napkins and unused dishes.  It might be in the kitchen, a hallway or a dining room. When clutter is continually visible in a common space area people can start to feel anxious. In a book I am reading Limitless by Jim Kwik he says, “A Princeton study found that physical clutter compet ..read more

How did the quick declutter challenge 1 – cosmetics go?  Did you find it difficult to do it quickly? Did you spend a lot of time making decisions about what to keep and what to let go? Let’s start with question 1.  Set a timer.  A timer can help you to focus on the task because there is a deadline for you to stop. to start because you know you only have to do the task for a short time and then it is over. if you can see or hear the time clicking by, it builds a sense of urgency and importance Play Music Music can help people to focus by blocking out thoughts of other things o ..read more

For the next couple of months, I am going to challenge you to declutter quickly.  Too often you can get stuck in the decluttering step and give up.  I want you to declutter quickly so you see progress immediately.  Decluttering and organizing is not something you do once and it is over.  Sorry to break the bad news to you.  It is an ongoing process.  Learning how to declutter quickly makes light work staying organized. You do a little bit every day and soon it is much better.  Don’t get stuck in the perfection wheel.  That is where you keep working on on ..read more

I had  a number of questions submitted to me about how to create joy in your home.  Here are my answers.  I hope you enjoy them. Please send me more questions or place your thoughts in the comments about creating joy at home. How does tidying up a home help create joy? Tidying up so you can find what you want, when you want it, use it to accomplish your task and know where to put it away relieves, stress, tension and frustration.  It also uses less energy to complete your work, leaving more energy, physical and emotional, for other parts of your life.  Feeling less an ..read more

Reading time – 5 minutes Do you have a home or office that is creating anxiety and a feeling of stress and overwhelm? You know you want to change the situation. With a little knowledge, help and support you could start to feel happy in your home and organized in your office.  I have been offering virtual organizing sessions for 10 years, this may be the year for you to try it. Who would use virtual organizing services? For clients who: wish to do the “hands-on “organizing themselves are uncertain about someone coming into their home, want a cost-effective way to get organized need to ma ..read more

Getting over procrastination takes action. Of course that is easier said than done. Today I’m going to share a simple three-step process with you that will help you get started and get more done than you ever thought possible. Set a goal It all starts with a goal. You have to know what it is you want to accomplish. If you don’t know what your goal is, it’s hard to know what you should be doing first or what you should be doing right now to move in the right direction. So what do we do instead? Anything other than the work we know needs to get done. Your goal is simply to put what you know you ..read more

Reading time – 3 minutes Here are some tips for holiday planning to make a H A P P Y season. Holiday Decorating You may be feeling overwhelmed or disorganized by the number of items on display in your house.  Try putting the non-seasonal items away to reduce the number of items on display. Think about decorating with fewer items but larger size items.  This means there are fewer items to pack and unpack which will reduce the amount of time you need to prepare your home. Take advantage of using linens to cover tables or end tables and seasonal pillowcases to cover throw cushions to d ..read more