back up supplies

with the invention of the super store, we (the american culture) have been a culture of stocking up on extra supplies - tooth paste, paper towels, light bulbs...you get the idea. i am recently finding however that this back up stock is placed all around the home. so when it comes time to look for a replacement, sometimes you can't find it. or when you are at the store and thinking "do i need more shampoo", you just can't remember if you need it.
solution - pick one place and store all of your backs up there. make it a place that you can see regularly. if you are going to have a mini store then have it in one place and keep it organized to category type.

collections

i come across from people that have what i call "collectibles". you know that one specific item that you collect many different versions - barbies, stuffed animals, comic books, hats, etc. not being a collector myself i didn't really get it but hey who am i to judge?
my rules for collectibles - either you use them (i.e. golf hats, golf balls) or you must display them in a pretty fashion. you must also set a limit on the amount you have of them.  see photo.

one more thing - if you are going to collect items because they are "going to be worth something some day" then those items should not just be tossed in a brown box. fyi, that brown box eventually breaks down and along with it your "valuable item". if you are going down this road then you must be meticulous about the items. store them in a clear plastic container with a detailed list as to what you are saving. have as much information about each item so that when it is time to one day sell the items you have all the necessary information - all historical data. basically i am saying if you are going to do this, then do it correctly.

shopping 101

the longer i work as a professional organizer, the more i realize there are similar patterns in most of my clients. with the increased presence of the internet, shopping from home seems to have increased exponentially.  sure there were always those who shopped from catalogs but now well you know, those internet folks have made it super easy to press "buy". many sites even offer free shipping both ways - knowing the buyer is thinking, well i can always return it if i don't like it.  brilliant. what's the trend?

the return component in this scenario doesn't always happen. not all items we buy on line are what we want - clothing sizes vary between companies so not everything fits. images can be different on line than in person. the purchase was made compulsively and in sometimes sobriety was not present! so now you have something(s) that you don't want.  i am finding that many people do not go through the process of return it! this is also true for items purchased at stores (aka target, ikea, walmart). i have heard all the excuses in the book but the bottom line, it just doesn't go back.

have you ever noticed at the supermarket, when someone just leaves a shopping cart randomly in the parking lot and then later on 5 more cars are also left at that spot? it is the law of attraction. when one item is not reruned...yep, many more are added.

today's rule - if something does not work for you, RETURN IT.  you get your money back (aka less debt) and you decrease the amount of clutter in your home. 

try it. it takes practice but if you get in the habit of it, well you just might take an extra second before you make that next random purchase. 

spring fit

so the winter holidays (all the way through february!) were fun and i can say i had my fare share of cakes, and sweet and treats. and with that the pounds added on. i really noticed it when i bought a pair of white corduroy pants on line and when they arrived well, let's just say i could put them on but the picture was not pretty. i have since then upped the ante on my work outs - yoga, running and some weight training. the results - ka bam...the pants fit. for my taste i want a little more wiggle room but to must people, they would say they look like the fit.
i feel like a snake who has shed a big layer of skin. feels so good.
truly the hard work is paying off...but for now i have to stop typing...my arms are killing me!

sappy saturday

"Andrea is a blessing with great character! She helped purge my apartment with great consideration for those things that have special meaning, and pushed on on things that it was time to go. I feel a great sense of relief at letting things go that I am no longer using and taking up both physical and mental space. If I hadn't committed to my appointment with her I would still be sitting in my apartment with packed drawers and closets. Thanks Andrea, I couldn't have done it without you!!!"

one of my clients just wrote that review on yelp. gosh, how nice is that? i am so thankful that i have found something that can have significant impact on a person's life. it is incredibly rewarding. 

lesson learned

yesterday i was scheduled to help a woman de-clutter her paper work. typically i will meet the person first, assess the situation and then set up a date to start work. for some reason this did not happen.  when i attempted to call kelly, her voice mail was full. all of our communication was done via text. to make a long story short, i broke some of my own rules and agreed to start work yesterday with out prior consultation. her home was located in a low income housing neighborhood in sf.  her apartment building was very unusual looking with minimal windows and what looked like to be uninhabited. this definitely gave me a pause for thought. hmmm...is this a good idea. always in the back of my head is the thought of safety. it doesn't matter what the place looks like or where it is located. i am going into a stranger's home so i need to be careful. now this location really made me question my judgement. but my inner voice said that i had made the appointment and i should at least make the attempt to meet her. after much internal debate of whether or not i should bring my purse with me or leave it under my car seat, i got out of the car and headed to her front door. there was an intercom system to call the client and i rang up twice -no response - ended up leaving messages indicating i was at the front door.- huh...was this a sign i shouldn't be here? but before i could say "i'm outta here",  a very tan fit lady arrived at the door with a big smile. phew...relief. no murder today. we ended up working all morning together and made great progress de-cluttering her place. in fact, she actually turned out to be a mirror image of myself had i chosen not to get my life in order many years ago (that's another story for another day).
after our session i had time for thought about my own prejudice against people who are poor. yes, there can be a level of crime that is higher than where i live. yes, i should always be cautious of my surroundings. and yes, i need to take a look how i see people and judge them. this a self work in progress.

people often ask me how do i get an organizing session started. it is simple, i get the space organized first! that means getting rid of anything you don't need, use or want. then it is time to put every item in the room, place where it is going to live. at that point, the real organizing begins. i work to make a space function so that the individual can maintain. for instance, i work with many artists. artists are visual people. if i put everything in tubs, bins or containers they just don't "see" their belongings and the space gets out of control. artists need to see what they have. so i work to make a space that they see their belongings but at the same time is organized in a way that is visually attractive the eye to me that. is the super fun part, it feels like i am putting a rubik's cube together. sometimes i have to take two steps back in order to move forward. anyway, that is a quick and easy description of the life of a professional organizer. happy saturday. 

gratitude

i usually wait until sunday to express gratitude but this morning i am over come by feeling thankful. it is 7:41, husband is still sleeping and i am sitting in the living room watching the sun rise. i am drinking a cup of coffee, eating breakfast and am enjoying the peace and relaxation before i go to my 8:30 exercise class. yes, it is a word day but i am managing to get in a class before i start work. at this moment - this very present moment - i can only be grateful. i was given a good hand of cards at the start of this life and so i must acknowledge that and say thank you. i hope that today i can share with others a little something that he/she may need to have a better moment, a better day and hopefully a better life.
thank you.

drama free zone

on a rare occasion, i have been in relation/contact with individuals that carry a negative demeanor. and in being connected with these particular individuals i have by mere association been impacted by their drama. well with the beauty of age can also once in a while come wisdom. so thankfully now i can usually see ahead to the patterns of people and am learning to remove myself before the drama hits. i have a close friend that does not always make the best decisions and as a result can live a dramatic life with negative impact. i can be her friend but i no longer am surprised by the dramas of her life and usually can anticipate the results before they come to her. for a long time i wanted to help but i have learned it is best just to be supportive and continue on with my own path. now i wouldn't say she is negative per se but i do hold on to my own oxygen when we are in the same room.

my mirror...not yours

recently someone shared that a friend of mine had the chance to be supportive of me and instead took the opposite path. felt like a stab to my heart. in my mind, i know it actually has nothing to do with me but the hurt was real. 

this photo is such a good reminder...how i see my self is the most important. and what i see looks pretty good. 

cheers. 

hello monday

i love this letter to monday. that is how i am taking on today. the sun is out and i am going to make it a great day. as i write this i am lying in bed, drinking my coffee and thinking about what is ahead of me. i have an exercise class, followed by working with a client (aka money in the bank) and a teaching yoga gig. all in all this looks like a promising day. oh and i have food ready for dinner tonight when i get home.
all in all this is looking like a wonderful day. i am choosing it to be a great day.
hope this finds you off to a great start as well.
cheers!

we love the free

yesterday i was talking with one of the trainers from the exercise place i am going to. he and his wife are expecting a baby and as a thank you for all that he does to help me, i offered an organizing session. you know lots come with baby! we talked about how people love to give things to expectant parents and he shared with me that he has a difficult time saying no to free things.
then this morning after leaving yoga, i drove along the embarcadero to get on the highway and passed the ballpark. it was about 8 am and the line out the stadium went down the block. now i know the game  does not start until mid-day. hmmm. yep, i thought it must be a give away day. the dj on the radio then confirmed that yes, in fact to day was bobble head day...buster posey to be exact. stadium is giving away 40,000 bobble heads and these people are lining up hours early for them. selfishly i thought, i will be in business forever. people just take something because it is free. imagine a family of 4, going to see a baseball game and they will be leaving with 4 bobble heads along with any other souvenirs they acquire. there's nothing like getting something free to spark that feeling of wanting to buy more.
my advice if you want to downscale...before you take the free item - think about why do you want it, where will it
go and what the heck will you do with it. no good answers...here's mine - STOP WITH THE FREE!
happy saturday!

wow...time has gone by

so every day i have a strict routine of posting to my...
blog on my organizing website
organizing group page on fb
yoga group page on fb
yoga event page on fb and wait there is one more thing...
yes, this blog.
this was my original place to write about organizing ideas, my tips on life, what i am experiencing, etc. well as we can clearly see i have forgotten about this page. the last post, if you could call it that, was sunday. the amazing thing about habits formed is that they have to be repeated over and over until it they actually stick. i am always at my best if i follow a strict routine. i do that with my diet, my exercise routine, my eating habits, where i keep my keys!
originally my intent with the blog was just to start writing. voila this blog was born. i have several friends that are wonderfully creative in regards to writing. that is not my forte and is an on going process to get me to do it.
from there i realized i wanted to really grow my businesses. i have been advised from people smarter then me that i needed to jump into the land of social media. that meant adding a blog to my website www.andreawait.com as well as adding a variety of pages to facebook. one of those pages is also attached to my twitter account. i am all over the place. what i have found...these daily habits work! who knew? on facebook i have picked up organizing clients as well as guests for my yoga retreat. on my organizing website i have picked up followers who make comments and share the site with others. these daily habits work.
my newest habit i am working on is in the realm of fitness. it is still at the grassroots level but let's just say exercise can be habit forming! i have always tracked when i take yoga and now i have added trx classes.  i am working out the scheduling of those classes to meet with my work schedule - what times work best with parking, crowds and my ability to function at work which can be physically challenging.
some people like to live life just winging it. not me. i am a schedule gal who lives by the calendar.
it only took me almost 48 years to figure it out.