Tips & Tricks: November 2013


Calgon take me away?

Do you ever feel like you want to leave your home because you cannot stand the mess, the crowding, the complete overwhelm of so many things? You are not alone!

Read below for some ideas on how to make things better so you won’t have to leave home….and maybe you can even take a relaxing bath once the clothes and paraphenalia are out of the bathtub (are you wondering how I knew that)?

Turning Down the Volume [of stuff] in Your Home

Try a few of these strategies in the days leading up to the holidays and just maybe you CAN relax and enjoy the season IN your home this year.

1. Take a brutal look in your hall closet – if you have not used/worn/touched something in the last 12 months, either give it away or move it to a remote location in the house so it’s not taking up valuable space.
2. Take a brutal look in your master bedroom closet. Same routine – if you have things in there that you are not using regularly either give it away or move it to a remote location in the house (remote location can be a very hard to reach closet or shelf).
3. Look in the dining room and snoop in the various drawers and cabinets…if you have odds and ends from years gone by, remove them and replace with the things you will be using in the coming months.
4. Take a peek at your holiday decorations – you will be keeping ONLY the things you use/display this year. If it’s not used, then say goodbye! If you feel uncomfortable giving it away to strangers, make goodie bags for visitors to take with them – they can decide what to do with your not-needed-anymore-decorations if you can’t!
5. Look in your kitchen cabinets – let go of the items you never use (think bread maker, wok, rice cooker, wedding gifts still in the box). Then look at your countertops and see what might now fit IN the cabinets. You will smile when you walk into your kitchen when the counters are clear(er)!

This is just the tip of the iceberg, but see if you are willing to pick one of the above to try on your own. If you get stuck and feel overwhelmed and hopeless, please give me a call – I’d love to help you feel better.

Until we meet again, enjoy each day and even if you do 5 minutes of downsizing/decluttering, know that I will be SO proud of you! Progress, not perfection!

Too cute!

One of my beloved clients, Marnie, shared this photo with me – the good news is that her daughter DID accomplish her “one thing” for the day. This serves to reinforce the behavior of creating REALISTIexpectations for a day and following through to make it happen. Go, Iris!

From the Trenches

While visiting my friend, Anna, in Albuquerque last month, one of her dear friends showed me her color-coded bookshelf. I had never seen or heard of anything like this – what do you think? She said that she never has trouble finding books anymore and she always knows where to put the books back! Thanks, Karen for letting me share this with everyone.
bookshelf

“Integrating peace and order into your home.”

If you are feeling overwhelmed by the amount of stuff in your home or office, contact me. Together, we can transform your home or office into a happy, tidy place where you can feel at peace.

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