Is my home organized?

The question I get most often from my clients…"is your home really organized"? The answer is Yes! Of course it has been a work in progress since I first started my business and I too had some areas to work on but I can honestly say, my home is organized. I do have decorative things but I know where everything is my home. I never have that feeling of, I need to pick up the house or I would hate it if someone just spontaneously dropped by. I feel good about my home…see photos as an example and no I didn't straighten things up for the pictures!

The better question is…do I have any areas of clutter in my life. The answer is Yes. I have 3 areas of clutter - my email spam folder, my phone that gets random calls all day long and lastly catalogs that come daily in the mail. Well I finally decided to practice what I preach and tackle these areas.

Email…if you are like me and you have purchased items on line well then you get lots of emails. The problem with that is those emails land in my spam folder along with emails from potential customers. In a nut shell, every day I have to weed through the junk mail for the possibility of finding a potential work email…aka I could be missing out on money in the bank! Thankfully there is any easy solution to this. For the past week I have sifted through each email to either unsubscribe (found at the bottom of each email) or to block any spam email. In just 5 days time, spending about 10 minutes each session, I have reduced the incoming mail by 90 percent! Now when I open this folder and I see a new notice, chances are that email means a new client!

Phone calls..this, like the email can also be tricky as not answering an unidentified number means I may not be getting a call from a potential client. I have now taken on answering those calls to say "take me off your list" or if it is a robot call to block the number. Thank you Blood Centers of the Pacific for being so diligent to reach out every week but seriously I don't have that much blood to donate…take me off your list, please!

Catalogs…the last of my challenge. I have not yet tackled it but starting today when those catalogs begin to arrive in the mail I can start taking my name off those lists as well. Besides reducing the amount of mail I can also say I am doing something for the environment!

Until next time, happy organizing.

cord
box

how I store my cords

top of dresser

t-shirt drawer

shared closet with husband

Can you believe it is September already?

For many of you, the changing of the calendar means the end of one season and the beginning of the next,. That also means the transition from summer to fall clothes. Take this opportunity to purge your clothes. As many of you know less stuff means less clutter. Go through your summer clothes and take out all of the clothes you did not wear. Ask yourself why you didn't wear it and with the answer decide if it can go.
Final step…donate the items that didn't make the keep list.

So long summer…I will miss you!

New York Times Article - Aging Parents with Stuff

Help your parents begin to get rid of their stuff!

This is a great read.

Andrea, it's not your stuff.

People often say to me that the reason purging stuff is easy for me is because…it's not my stuff. Ok, that's a fair statement. Of course I do purge items quite often but that topic is for another post. Let's get back to my original statement which is purging other people's stuff. Here is an easy assignment.

Your Kids
1. Their clothes
Do you have kids younger than the age of 12? Purge their stuff. Yep, I give you my permission. Go in their closets and dressers and take out all clothes that don't fit them. This is one of the easiest purging exercises in town. From here either donate the clothes or if there is a younger sibling pass those clothes on to that child.

2. Their toys
Now that the clothes are done and you are feeling so energized, how about you move on to the collection of stuffed animals and toys? Come on, you can do it. You and I both know the child has too much stuff. This is your opportunity to pass on toys to other kids that don't have them. Check out your local children's hospital to see if you can drop them off there.

Your Best Friend
Uh oh, where is Andrea taking me on this one? Have your best friend over to your house and take a couple hours to go through your clothes. Take every item out of your closet and one by one look at each item. Everything you and your friend say yes to, have your friend put back in the closet. Every item that is a no, goes in a donate bag. While your friend is putting your clothes back in your closet, have her organize them by category and if she is really nice by groupings of color. Having someone help you with the purging process makes it a lot easier.

Now do the same thing for your friend.

It sure is easy purging someone else's stuff.

When someone dies

What do you do with your loved one's belongings when that person dies?

I remember when my Dad died my Mom gave me his red and blue striped bathrobe. I loved that bathrobe and it reminded me of all the things I loved about him. There was something about seeing my Dad in that robe that gave me a sense of safety, of love, of happiness. I can picture him now wearing it and his smile that made me feel special.
So when my gave me the robe, I hung it on a hook where I could see it every day. On very cold nights I would occasionally put it on just to feel his presence. But as more time went by I kept thinking this robe needs a better home. It is something my Dad wore daily and so there should be someone else who would honor it with daily wear.
Then I thought about my brother Adam who lives in Florida. He has an outdoor shower,which due to the heat in Florida, he uses daily. So when his birthday rolled around in August, I packed up the robe and shipped it off to him. I knew my brother would absolutely flip for this gift and I was right. He said it was the best present he could ever receive. I like thinking about him wearing this robe to and from that outdoor shower and how much my Dad would approve…way more than a towel wrapped around Adam's waist. I mean really what would the neighbors think!
So how about you? Are you keeping some one's clothes because they remind you of that loved one? Are they sitting unused in a box, a closet, a drawer? Think about someone who just might enjoy wearing those clothes.
For me, I know my Dad is happy to see my brother wearing his robe.

Open the windows

Don't you love this time of year? Days are longer. The weather is hotter. I instantly want to shed the layers of clothing and feel the warmth of the sun on my skin. I think that my home feels that way too. 

It is time to open the windows, air out the closets and shed the layers of winter clutter. For some, this is not an easy task. The bedrooms feel full and the closets are stuffed to the brim.

Here are some of my quick easy tips:

1. If you have kids, go through their clothes and pull out all the clothes that are now too small and put them in a bag for donation. 

2. Sort through all the books your kids read over the year and decide which ones can now be donated to your library. Have your kids participate. They may surprise you and say they are ready to donate their books. Your attachment to a favorite book and their attachment may be very different. I also suggest while you are at the library for everyone to get a library card. 

3. Get a couple clear bins and sort through all of your holiday decorations by category - Christmas, Hanukkah, Halloween. Any ornaments you didn't use, put them in a bag for donation.

4. Go through your winter clothing and any clothes you didn't wear, it is time now to take them out of your closet and donate them. Think of it like you are pruning a tree of its dead leaves. You are creating space for new leaves to bloom.

5. Tackle that pile of clothes that need a button or stitch. If you don't have time, take them to your local dry cleaner. You may be surprised that its not that expensive and the task gets done! 

6. Get a vacuum/mop and thoroughly clean the closets.

7. Take the bags to a donation shop and collect your tax deductible receipt.

Sometimes just doing these simple steps will motivate you to tackle other cluttered areas of the home. 

Now go ahead an open the bedroom windows and open the closet doors and enjoy the cool breeze. 

Happy Summer.

Spring Cleaning by Jen Johnson

Looks like Spring is just around the corner so it is time freshen things up a bit. I just got this email from Jen Johnson who works for the Biggest Loser resorts. Here is her list to jump start that spring clean. (note number 7 - I must be on to something with the decluttering of the home.)

‎andrea‎, Spring Clean Your Life‎‎ by Jen Johnson Spring is the perfect time to clean and detox your life. Take a moment for yourself to remove all the extra stress and busywork that seems to consume your day-to-day. To get you started, we’ve provided 10 easy ways for you to spring clean your world!

1. Drink more water. 2. Eat more greens with every meal. 3. Make sleep a priority. 4. Check in on your goals. 5. Work out different parts of your body. 6. Stretch. 7. Declutter your home. 8. Organize your office space. 9. Love yourself. 10. Join us at The Biggest Loser Resort!