Sarah Buckwalter on TLC's Hoarding: Buried Alive

Episode: “The Scariest Place on Earth”.
Tune in to TLC on Sunday, September 26th at 8:00pm to watch Sarah Buckwalter transform a hoarding disaster zone into
a clean, comfortable home.

Signs and Symptoms of Hoarding

People who hoard have a compulsion to store and hide away items that eventually take over their lives. This is known as OCHD (Obsessive Compulsive Hoarding Disorder).

Hoarding affects emotions, thoughts and behavior. The Mayo Clinic says, "People who hoard often don't see it as a problem, making treatment challenging."

In the homes of people who engage in compulsive hoarding, countertops, sinks, stoves, desks, stairways and virtually all other surfaces are usually stacked with stuff. And when there's no more room inside, the clutter may spread to the garage, vehicles and yard.

Signs and symptoms of hoarding may include:

• Cluttered living spaces
• Inability to discard items
• Keeping stacks of newspapers, magazines or junk mail
• Moving items from one pile to another, without discarding anything
• Acquiring unneeded or seemingly useless items, including trash
• Difficulty managing daily activities, including procrastination and trouble making decisions
• Difficulty organizing items
• Perfectionism
• Excessive attachment to possessions, and discomfort letting others touch or borrow possessions
• Limited or no social interactions

People who engage in hoarding typically collect items because they believe these items will be needed or have value in the future. A person also may hoard items that he or she feels have important emotional significance - serving as a reminder of happier times, for example, or representing beloved people or pets. People who hoard may report feeling safer when surrounded by the things they collect.

Sarah Buckwalter on TLC's Hoarding: Buried Alive

Tune in on Sunday, September 19th at 9:00pm EST to watch Sarah Buckwalter transform a hoarding disaster zone into a clean, comfortable home.

Just Get It Done!

Happy Monday! The fall weather seems to be here in Boston. Just like in spring-time, getting back to the fall routine and thinking about getting your house, yard and storage spaces ready to keep everything safe and warm for the upcoming seasons, fall seems to bring a renewed urge to get things done around the house. If you’re like most people, you have an on-going ‘unfinished project list’ (even if it’s not actually a list). Today’s time-saving tip is in the spirit of just getting things done...

Time-Saving Tip #9: If it’s only going to take a few minutes, just do it!

Sometimes we waste a lot of time thinking about what to do next - this applies at home and at work. Most of the time, we would feel a lot better (and get more done), if we just channelled our inner Nike and ‘just did it.’ Getting things done tends to build momentum. So open the pile of mail, take the trash out, put the donation items in your car, make that phone call. You get the idea. Those small household and work tasks can weigh us down when they start to multiply. Keep them at bay by keeping up with them. Try to schedule yourself 15-30 minutes daily just to tackle some of those little unfinished projects before they turn into permanent fixtures on your unfinished project list. I’ll admit, I’ve got a few of those on my list, so let’s all start a productive week and just get it done...whatever it is!

Bottom line: Tackle those small projects before they add up with just 15 minutes a day of ‘getting it done.’

Fall into Organization with a ‘Playbook’ for Your Team

Hopefully you enjoyed a relaxing and recharging holiday weekend spending time with family and friends. Now that school is back in session and work is in full swing after the summer vacation season, fall is the perfect time to get your household routines and family schedules in line.

Time-Saving Tip #8: Streamline your routine with a simple household binder.
All you need is a small binder- use a spare one you have around or try these eco-friendly binders from greenroom, available at Target - some sheet protectors or a 3-hole punch, and some dividers. Simply hole-punch (or slip into sheet protectors) all those important papers, schedules, pieces of information that might otherwise get lost in a pile on the kitchen counter. This might include extracurricular or daycare schedules, important contact info, including babysitters, tutors, and coaches, upcoming events, and more. You can even step it up a notch and include a family chore chart, a master calendar or extra features like lunch-box ideas so these tasks can easily be shared among family members or helpers. Use the dividers to separate types of information or create a section for each family member - you can customize your binder to meet your family’s needs.

Get everyone involved in the binder - gathering information, deciding on what to call it, and most importantly, where it will live. If everyone in your house knows about the binder, you stand a fighting chance of being on the same page. Now wouldn’t that be nice?!

Bottom Line: Create a simple household binder as a place to store and organize your family’s activities and you’ll have your playbook prepped for a winning team!

Organizing Obstacles

Let’s face it: clutter happens. The cure for clutter requires knowing why it happened in the first place and coming up with solutions and prevention strategies tailored to your clutter causes. Real Simple has a great article, The Top 6 Excuses for Clutter, that walks through 6 common clutter causes and what to do about them.

The 6 major clutter culprits reviewed are:

1) Guilt - “My best friend gave this to me, so I feel guilty getting rid of it.”
2) Perceived Value - “I am planning to sell this someday.”
3) Saving for the Future - “I might need this someday.”
4) Donation Delay - “I want to make sure this will go to someone who really needs it.”
5) Out of Site, Out of Mind - “If I put this away, I’ll never remember to do it.”
6) Inertia - “I want to get organized, but I just don’t know where to begin.”

Check out the article for some great ideas for overcoming these barriers. I see all of these obstacles when I work with people, but I think number 3 is a big culprit. Accumulating stuff is so easy and it can be really challenging for people to get rid of items that they perceive to be useful and that they might need someday. This might be back-up items of things you already own (i.e. extra towels) or items for an activity that you used to do or would like to do (i.e. craft supplies).

While having extras of certain items that you do routinely use can make sense, the amount that makes sense largely depends on the storage space you have available and the likelihood of your using the extra items in the near future. For example, saving an extra microwave that you inherited from a friend when you have a relatively new one that works perfectly well doesn’t make much sense. Somebody else could probably use it more than you could, and your space could also be put to better use. Pick the one you like better and give the other to someone else. It is not doing anyone any good to have it sitting in your basement - and it is in fact doing harm by contributing to a cluttered home.

If you find yourself saving things for the future, and we all do, ask yourself these questions:

1) Could somebody else use this more than I can right now?
2) Do I value a clean, clutter-free space now more than the potential future use of this item?

Bottom Line: Doing a little soul-searching to figure out the root causes of your clutter will help you turn over a new leaf for a clutter-free future.

Closet Clutter: Less is More

I’m sure many of us have had the experience of having a closet full of clothes and feeling like we have nothing to wear! The truth is, clothes closets are a classic case of ‘less is more.’ Just like the refrigerator, we tend to glaze over when there is too much to choose from and everything is jumbled. And with the change of seasons just around the corner, Labor Day can be the perfect time to declutter your closet.

Time-Saving Tip #7: Streamline Your Closet
Reserving closet “real estate” only for in-season items you love and wear will save you time and stress on those busy mornings...which might be every morning! Here are some tips to help you stay in line:

1) Get rid of your ‘fat’ or ‘skinny’ clothes. Instead, focus on the items that make you look and feel your best now! If your weight changes, you will likely want to update your wardrobe with the latest styles.

2) Keep only the clothes that suit your current lifestyle and job. Similar to the weight issues, if your situation changes, you will likely want to refresh your closet with current trends.

3) Weed regularly! You’ve heard the rules, if you haven’t used it in a year, it’s time to move it along – donation, consignment, or swaps with friends are easy ways to do this. Review your closet twice a year (at the season changes) – if you went through an entire season and didn’t wear something, it’s time to go. This may seem scary at first for you savers out there, but you’ll be amazed at how much more enjoyable an uncluttered closet is.

4) Follow the “one in, one out” rule. Closets follow the basic laws of physics - stuff just doesn’t disappear and space can’t be magically created. To maintain order, the best policy is to discard something that has fallen off the favorites list when you get something new.

5) Store like with like. For most people this means sorting your closet by type of item – shirts with shirts, pants with pants, etc. Do what makes sense to you (some people like to sort by color) and maintain the system so you know where to find things and where to put them away. This will also help with regular weeding since you’ll be able to see items that may be redundant.

6) Try not to save clothes for sentimental reasons. Take a picture of the item or find a picture of yourself when you were wearing it to keep the memory alive. If you simply cannot get rid of an item but you are not wearing it, find another place to store it and reconsider your decision in 3-6 months.

Bottom Line: Maintain a clutter-free closet containing only items that you currently love and wear and you’ll have more morning time for the good stuff - coffee anyone?

Save Space with Creative Kitchen Basics

Kitchen cabinet clutter is a common problem and stems from the wide variety of appliances and gadgets supposedly designed to make our lives easier. Why cut an onion with a knife when you can chop it with the Slap ChopTM? Just ask anyone who’s recently registered for a wedding or purchased a gift from a wedding registry - you can fill your kitchen with things that seem like a great idea (think seasonal cookie cutters, waffle irons and apple slicers) at the time, but you don’t actually have space for or use. These specialized kitchen items can be great if you use them, love them and have the space for them, but let’s face it, most of us have things that don’t meet those criteria.

You can reclaim your kitchen cabinets by going back to basics. Clear out your cabinets (or one at a time if you don’t have time or space to do the whole kitchen), sort like with like and weed out the items you don’t use or love. Alternatively, you can take the opposite approach and set aside the items you use regularly, at least once a week. Allocate prime cabinet real estate for these items to make meal preparation easier. Then pick out the items that you use, but less frequently - like cake pans or a stand mixer - and store them in less accessible kitchen cabinets or additional storage space, like the pantry or basement. As for the rest - the items that you really don’t use - sell, give away or donate them. Whatever you do, get them out of your space ASAP.

If you are lacking some versatile kitchen basics, the good news is that there are a variety of nesting and multitasking items that provide more function in less space. One example I love is Nest 8 by Joseph Joseph. This set of fun-colored, dishwasher safe nesting kitchen basics includes 2 mixing bowls (large & small), 4 measuring cups, 1 colander, and 1 sieve. How neat is that?! Other great examples of kitchen basics are a great set of knives, sauce pans or pots with self-straining lids, and adjustable measuring spoons.

Bottom Line: Resist the temptation to fill your kitchen cabinets with lots of specialty gadgets and appliances and instead focus on making sure you have versatile space-saving basics.

Purge Your Pantry & Plan Your Meals

It’s a cool and rather gloomy (weather-wise) morning here in Boston, but we’re back with another time-saving tip. I chose one that makes me think about warm and comforting things - like home-cooked meals.

Time-Saving Tip #6: Purge your pantry and plan your meals.
Having a streamlined yet well-stocked pantry along with 15 minutes of weekly meal planning can save lots of time and stress, not to mention money and your waistline. Whether you’re cooking for one or have a houseful of picky eaters, following some simple strategies can ease meal-time stress and streamline your routine.

1) De-clutter your pantry and fridge. Having an over-stuffed pantry and fridge leads to wasted money and food and also makes it harder to decide what to cook or eat. Make time to pull everything out and give your pantry and fridge a quick cleaning. You will feel so much better with a clean, fresh, and pared down pantry. So get in there and toss these items right away: 1) anything expired and 2) anything your family does not like. When you put things back, remember to put like items together, so you can easily find what you need. To take things a step further, get rid of foods that don’t fit your health and wellness goals and put things that have been hanging around for a while (but are still good) ‘on probation’ - use ‘em or toss ‘em within the next month. Most of us live close enough to a store that we don’t need to stockpile weeks worth of food. And remember, it’s okay to run out of something - variety is the spice of life!

2) Decide when it makes sense for you to food shop. Try to pick a consistent day/time (or a couple days/times) and put it in your calendar just like an appointment. Pick a time when your store is less crowded and well-stocked. Ask a store clerk or manager if you’re not sure when the quiet times are. Having a routine will help structure both your shopping and your meals. And don’t forget to keep your re-usable shopping bags in your car so you don’t come home with a new supply of plastic bags every time you shop!

3) Plan your meals. We have many clients who are over-run by saved recipes. Go through them with a critical view and put the ones you might actually make in a simple binder using sheet protectors. Use your recipes as a source of inspiration for your weekly planning. The day before your scheduled shopping trip, pick 2 or 3 dinners to make between now and your next shopping trip and write down the ingredients you’ll need on your shopping list. If you are clearing out a packed pantry, plan your meals based on ingredients you already have and only buy any extras you need. If you’re working from a streamlined pantry, you can still use what you have as a starting point. Also pick recipes/meals that share at least 1or 2 common ingredients. For example, if your dinner tonight calls for half a red bell pepper, plan a stir fry or fajitas for another night to use the rest of the pepper. Fill in the rest of your shopping list with any snacks and staples you are out of. If you shop more than once a week, remember - you don’t need to get it all on the first trip!

Bottom Line: Streamlining your pantry and your shopping routine will help save time and money and keep your food choices and stress levels in check.

Magic Productivity Boosters

It’s been a couple weeks – where does the time go?! On that note, we’re definitely due for another time-saving tip. Unlike other tips that focus on stream-lining your routine (i.e. automating your to-do’s when possible) or taking things off your list altogether, this tip focuses on doing more of two things that can actually boost your productivity…saving you time and reducing stress.

Time-Saving Tip #5: Get enough sleep and exercise!

While many people let these two important activities slide when times are busy, this can actually be counter-productive. Both sleep and exercise have so many benefits, from increasing energy and productivity levels to enhancing immunity (which helps prevent sick days) and even helping maintain a healthy weight. So next time you think about skimping on either one due to a tight schedule, realize you could be sabotaging yourself in the end. Aim to get at least 7 hours of sleep a night and 30 minutes of moderate-vigorous exercise on most days of the week. If you’re not there yet, work toward it by thinking of ways to make small changes. Can you shut down your computer half an hour earlier so you’re more likely to meet you bedtime goal? Can you walk to accomplish any of your daily errands if you can’t fit in a trip to the gym? A 15-20 minute walk at lunch time can do wonders for your afternoon productivity. Please share your tips (or challenges) for fitting in these magic productivity boosters!

Set Time Limits for Time-Wasters

Happy Monday! We’re back with another time-saving tip:

Set time limits for time-sucking activities like Facebook :), email, surfing the web and TV. And yes – this includes reading blogs, which I hate to say. Sure, there is a lot of valuable information out there (and even more not-so-valuable), but it can take hours out of your day if you try to view/read/absorb everything you want to. Focus on the activities and information sources you find most valuable and enjoyable and ditch the rest. I recently cut a few TV shows off the DVR that I realized were not improving my quality of life.

If you follow several blogs, I recommend using something like Google Reader to catch them all in one place for you – you’re less likely to get distracted by other links, etc. Also, if you get behind on reading, it’s ok to declare blog bankruptcy – mark all the accumulated posts as ‘read’ and start fresh with the new content – you can’t and don’t have to read and know everything!

It can also help to set a time limit – i.e. allow yourself 10 minutes to look at Facebook at lunch. You know how it goes - if you don’t set a limit, you could be sucked in for hours looking at pictures of a friend of a friend you don’t even know!

In addition to per session limits, having a set number of times for these activities helps too (i.e. only check your email 3 times per day). While you may think this isn’t realistic for your job, do what you can to set some limits so you can get other tasks done. If you don’t, you may find that you get to the end of the day and the only thing you can say you accomplished is email! One strategy is to tackle your toughest task for the day first, before you even open your email. Or try a 15 minute scan to catch the important stuff first thing, followed by completing a few key tasks. Then you can allow yourself a block of time (say 30 minutes) to respond to some of the less urgent messages.

Getting a handle on your electronic activities can be a great way to reclaim some valuable minutes, and for many people even hours, in your day. Try out these tips and let us know what you think!

Write It Down

I’m always surprised when I meet with clients who don’t have a calendar or any form of to-do list – I would be lost without mine. Now I know not everyone is as fond of lists as say, a professional organizer, but today I’m going to try to sell you on the benefits of writing things down.

Time-Saving Tip #3: Write it down!

Keep a calendar and task list - whether electronic or good old pen(cil) and paper. It's next impossible to remember all the places you need to be and things you need to do. Worse - trying to do so wastes mental energy and time. Write a task or appointment down when it first comes up so you don't have sticky notes floating around you head!

I currently use Google Calendar to keep track of my schedule. I have more than one job in addition to personal calendar items and the beauty of Google is that you can share multiple calendars – so I can see all of my appointments in one place. The two small companies I work for also use Google Calendars for scheduling. To take it a step further, my husband and I use it to keep track of evening and weekend things that come up as well as major events, such as business trips. It’s so convenient to be able to capture everything that’s going on in one place.

As for to-do lists, I use a combination of the task list that’s part of Google Calendar and paper. I have a notebook for each job – I write down tasks that come up when I’m out and about and then transfer them to Google when I’m back in the office, which seems to work pretty well for me. For household tasks, we are starting to get some good routines in place – routines are great for stuff that has be done regularly because once they’re in place, you shouldn’t need to put that item on your to-do list.

That’s another tip about lists – don’t clutter up your to-do list with routine tasks that you will remember to do anyway (like check your email or eat lunch) – to-do lists are meant for things that you might otherwise forget.

Admittedly, there is an overwhelming array of information management systems (planners, calendars, notebooks, smart phones, online tools) out there. Pick the one you are drawn to, whether it’s a pretty planner or fancy phone, and stick with it. I see people run into trouble, myself included, when they don’t commit to system or don’t put things in one place. If you’re a note person who like to ‘jot things down,’ I recommend getting a spiral bound notebook (or whatever you like) and using that as home base for things you want to remember – there’s nothing worse than piles of scrap paper or partially filled notebooks or pads.

The bottom line is that having a system of some sort for keeping track of your appointments and tasks is better than trying to keep track of all of it in your head. If you’re stuck and don’t know where to begin, a session with a professional organizer could give you the boost you need.

Keys Please

Last week, we launched our Time-Saving Tips series because it seems that most of us never have enough of it! As Peter Walsh points out in his book, Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?, everyone is busy and some people have just figured out and learned to accept what he calls the ‘time paradox’:

"There's never enough time, and there's always more time."

And as my colleague adds, “there’s always next time.” Time is funny and in many ways, just accepting this paradox helps me feel better about the hectic pace of life, but I also refuse to believe that we don’t have control over our own time and schedule – at least to some extent. One thing we can do is do our best to control unnecessary time-wasters. Hence the time-saving tips! Enough paradox talk, here’s the next tip…

Time-Saving Tip: Put your keys in the same place...always! It's amazing how many minutes a day are lost looking for misplaced keys. A simple hook or bowl near the door is all you need. In the photo you will see that I also have a Post-It Pocket that I got as a free sample to hold mail that’s ready to go out the door. Ladies - keep your keys in the same pocket of your bag to avoid frantic digging. And keep spare copies of all your keys somewhere useful (i.e. don't keep your only spare house key in your house).

Trust me, I speak from experience on this one – I once dropped my keys in a storm drain – yes, really (being organized doesn’t mean clumsiness and accidents don’t happen). I was thrilled to have a spare copy of my condo key in my wallet. And in our condo I had copies of most of the rest of the keys on my key chain. We now have multiple copies of all keys – I have moved the house key from my wallet to a better spot that can be accessed without any possessions and a trusted neighbor also has a basic set. If you lose a key, be sure to get new copies made right away. Let us know your key tips or stories – I hope I’m not the only one who’s had a key disaster. Happy Monday!

Summer Used to Be a Slower Time of Year

I can't tell you how many times I've recently heard someone say, "Summer used to be a slower time of year." It seems that for many people, summer is busier than ever. That's why we thought we'd start a series of time-saving tips to help you stay calm, cool and collected this summer and all year-round. Please share your tips and challenges too!

Time-Saving Tip #1: Automate your to-do's when possible.

This might be anything from setting up automatic bill-paying or membership renewal to using pre-printed grocery lists and email reminders for recurring or infrequent tasks. Doing so helps you avoid re-inventing the wheel and also relieves the stress of needing to remember to take care of these tasks.

If you're worried about putting things like bill-paying on auto-pilot, a few simple steps can help keep this time and worry-saver from back-firing:

1. Maintain an account balance that's high enough to handle your automatic payments. If you're not able to establish a cushion, automatic payments may not be the best idea for you at this time.
2. Know how to log into your account on-line. This means saving your username and password (or a hint) in a safe place.
3. Sign up for email notifications when your monthly statement is ready. This email should be your trigger to log-in and review your statement. This might mean checking each transaction against your receipts (which you can save in a small accordion file or envelope) or simply doing a quick review for unfamiliar transactions.

Automating your to-do's can be a great way to reduce stress, save time and eliminate late fees from your life!

Getting Back On Track

With any luck, you spent the 4^th of July holiday weekend having fun with friends and family…perhaps at the beach or watching fireworks or a family cookout or maybe a little bit of everything. Most of us were not tackling our home project lists (but good for you if you did). While spending time relaxing and having fun is absolutely wonderful and worthwhile, it can be tough to hit the ground running and get back on track the following work week . Here are five things you can do to keep your weekends or vacations from setting you back when it comes to keeping on top of your home and schedule.

1. Unpack! I have to say this one first because for some reason, I am not a big fan of unpacking. But I force myself to just get it done – put the laundry in the hamper, put away the bags, unpack the cooler, hang the towels out to try. The longer it all sits there, the less fun it will be to deal with. And the worst danger is leaving it to be dealt with once your work week gets into high gear again – this is where overnight bags turn into full-blown, pile-starting clutter.
2. Open and process the mail. Mail is one of those things that needs to be dealt with on a very regular basis. If you’ve been away, it’s had a chance to build up for a few days. Do yourself a favor and get to it. Recycle or toss what you don’t need and take action on the rest – either put follow up items in your ‘in box’ or better yet, tackle them right away if they’ll only take a few minutes. Set aside any catalogs to browse while you catch up on the evening news or your favorite TV show – be sure to recycle them as soon as you’re done.
3. Schedule time for chores and errands. Chances are, your weekend fun may have bumped some of your regular chores and routine errands that keep life moving along smoothly. Don’t just assume you’ll fit them in somewhere, schedule them in to your upcoming week. Sure, you’ll be playing catch up and may feel a bit busier than usual, but planning when you’re going to take care of laundry, groceries, and the rest is the best way to avoid any last minute ‘emergencies.’
4. Upload your pictures right away. This is another one that I’m sometimes guilty of neglecting. But dealing with your digital photos regularly keeps them from building up to an insurmountable task. Transfer them to your computer, delete the less-than-great shots, and share them with family and friends. This can be a great way to remember the fun, thank your hosts and keep your camera clear and ready for the next event. Doing it right away while the details are fresh will also help you better file and label your photos.
5. Last but not least, get back to your healthy habits. Vacations and even weekends are notorious for relaxing your eating and exercise routine (if you even have one). But don’t waste time feeling guilty about the hot dogs or 48 hours of lounging, just get back into your better habits right away – you’ll feel better in a day or two. Weekends and vacations can also mean eating out more often – give your wallet and your waist a break by making healthy meals at home for the week.

Try out the tips above to make your transition back to the real world calm and chaos-free!

Strategies for a Stress-free Summer

With warm temperatures, no school, and family vacations, summer can be a wonderful chance to unwind and spend quality time with friends and family. But summer also has its organizational challenges thanks to less structured or at least different schedules. Here are some simple ideas for enjoying a less-stressed, more fun summer for the whole family.

Wrap Up the School Year in Style - Before you get too far into summer, be sure to wrap up the previous school year so you're not tripping over it all season long. Empty the school bags, get rid of stuff that's seen better days and store school supplies you can use again. Work with your child to review school and art work from the year - pick out the special stuff and store it in a flat box or a fun binder with plastic sleeves. Last but not least, take a rainy afternoon to review your digital photos from the year - clean them up by deleting less-than-great shots and labeling what's left. You can also take this a step further by creating a photo book with the highlights from the year.

Stay Organized with a Summer Fun Binder - While summer schedules are different, there's still a lot going on. Make your life easier by stowing all the reference materials you need such as camp schedules, babysitter contact info, party invitations, tickets and trip itineraries in a fun binder with plastic sheet protectors. If you have lots going on, you might want to use dividers to separate items by person or type of activity. This is also a great place to store ideas for fun rain or shine outings.

Gear Up for Fun in the Sun - If you haven't done so already, make sure your children's summer clothes are now front and center in their closets and drawers. Take stock of any additional items they need and be sure to donate what no longer fits. Stow warmer weather clothing in clear, labeled bins under the bed or other storage space in your home. Do yourself a favor and donate items that aren't likely to be used next season.

Warning: Summer Fun Zone – Summer comes with lots of gear - outdoor toys, beach supplies and camp equipment. To make things easy, clear the off-season gear out and set up a summer fun zone in your entry way, garage or other easy in-and-out location. Use large tubs or baskets to store items like balls and frisbees. A set of drawers or a bench with baskets can be good for smaller items like sunscreen, bug repellent, and flip-flops. Keep must-haves like helmets on easy-to-reach hooks. Get a head-start on packing for upcoming trips or camp by keeping a tote bag or bin to collect items you know you'll need or want.

Rainy Day Fun Indoors - Keeping your indoor toys and spaces under control can keep a rainy day inside from turning into chaos. Check out our Organizing Tips for Kids for a little help in this department. If you need to get out of the house, check your summer fun binder for indoor activity ideas and schedules.

Would you strip down for a better life?

A couple of weeks ago, I caught an episode of Oprah during which famed organizing expert Peter Walsh guided a ‘plugged in’ family of four through his Stripped Down program in hopes of leading them from disconnected (from each other) and disorganized to calm, cool and connected.

In order to strip down, the family agreed to the following rules for one week:

1. No cell phones or texting
2. No electronics
3. Prepare and eat healthy meals together
4. Clean and organize their home (previously covered in laundry and clutter)
5. Hug and tell each family member something they love about them (every day)

While the first two may seem extreme, the point of the above rules was to get the family’s home and routines back into shape and more importantly to re-connect with each other rather than simply living together like ships in the night. I was immediately intrigued by the program and the obvious results. With Peter by their side to help them dig out from their piles and dig into the family dynamics, it was very clear that everyone, from the parents to the 5 year old and even the fifteen year old son benefited individually and as a family. At the end of the process, they tweaked the extreme rules to be slightly more manageable in the long term, while still effective. The revised rules looked something like this:

1. No cell phones or texting between 6:00 and 9:00 pm
2. No TV before school or during meals
3. Sunday breakfast and 3 dinners together, plus a weekly meal plan
4. Saturday morning clean up and family help with the laundry
5. Keeping up with the daily sentiments, plus a weekly family night and regular date night for the parents

Would you be willing to make similar stripped down changes if it would improve your family relationships, decrease stress, and keep your home in better shape? Sign me up!

Of course, the connection between a clean, organized home and a healthy, happy family life is no surprise to me and probably not to you. As Peter and Oprah pointed out, if your home is a place you love, that will carry through to your relationships – not to mention alleviating mess and chore-related tension. Whip your home into shape one space at a time, starting with the hot spots that cause the most stress. Make it a family affair so everyone is invested in the process and the results. If you’re overwhelmed, you can always call in the professionals to help you put a plan in place and see it all the way through – we’re here to help!

Scenes From a Professional Organizer's Home: My Office

Things have been busy in Organizing Boston land, but I’m happy to report that I’m back to blogging and thought I’d jump back in with another ‘scene’ from my home. I’ll admit, I’d been avoiding showing you my office, mainly because I don’t see it as ‘finished.’ Since transitioning to working from home, I’ve made do with office stuff we already owned, rather than doing a complete office makeover, both for time and financial reasons. But the reality is, I’m using it, there are many things I like about it, and bottom line, it doesn’t have to be perfect. I can always make aesthetic and functional upgrades along the way, which I plan to do. Hopefully this inspires you to ditch the all or nothing attitude when it comes to organizing too! Here are some of my office keys to success:

Location, location, location! My office is actually a corner of the main room in our house right next to the sliding doors to our balcony. It is a space I like to be in, which is really important if you plan on getting anything done. If you don’t like your home office space, get creative and see where else you could set up shop. Otherwise, you will just do your work elsewhere (or not at all), creating extra work in shifting supplies back and forth.

A place for everything. While I’ve had to get creative (i.e. using the keyboard trays of the desks as shelves to store things), for the most part, everything as a home. This is essential to preventing the dreaded piles from growing on your desk, which then makes work challenging and uninviting. Also key to preventing pile-ups is taking 5 minutes to clear your desk top and put everything away at the end of the day. Mornings are much better when there’s a clear space to put your cup of coffee!

Form and function. Another office key to success is a comfortable chair and technology set-up. If you aren’t comfortable or there are barriers to efficiency, you’re going to be much less productive and probably won’t enjoy spending time in your office (and yes, this is possible!). While I didn’t embark on an office overhaul, I did invest in a new chair that I love – the Bungee Office Chair available at The Container Store. I also bought a wireless mouse to complement my laptop. If I end up spending more time at my computer than I currently do, I may consider a monitor and full keyboard, but this is working for now.

While I’m happily working away in my current set-up, there are definitely some improvements I plan to make. I think a new desk is in my future – for aesthetic and functional reasons - along with some wall shelving and/or additional free-standing shelves (I don’t have too many books, but I am at max capacity now, so I’d like to have a little room to grow). I also plan to get rid of my older laptop (still sitting on my desk). Let me know if you have any ideas for me and I will keep you posted on my progress this summer!

Making Time (and Space) for What Matters

As we approach this long weekend, many people are looking forward to spending time with family and friends. This, along with reflecting on the service and sacrifice so many have given to this country, makes me think about what really matters. If you haven’t recently done so, I highly recommend taking time to actually write down what matters most in your life. Who are the people and what are the activities on this list? I’m guessing that your Blackberry, sitting in traffic, and watching a marathon of The Hills are not on your list, but I’m not judging if they are. Rather, the lists are more likely to include things like spending more quality time with family and friends, walking your dog, doing something you enjoy for a living, cooking healthy meals at home, or helping others.

Often, when people are looking to get organized, it is because one or more aspect of their lives feels out of control and prevents them focusing on what matters most. If this is the case for you, the first step is really to make that list. I wrote my list in a journal and refer to it regularly to keep myself on track. This exercise can be a key component in being able to clear the junk from your house and your schedule and keep it from creeping back in because it allows you to ask the question “Does this (item/activity) support what matters most to me?” Every item in your home and on your schedule is something that you have to manage. If you don’t have time and space to waste, make sure what’s taking up your real estate is worth it. Do you have piles of old magazines? Think about why they are (still) there and whether they are really contributing to the life you want to lead. Or are they instead taking up space and adding to your to-do list (“Read 50 magazines cover to cover and absorb all useful info”)? Are you constantly on-line and/or checking your email from the time you get up to the time you go to bed? Ask yourself the same question and see if you can tweak (or drastically change) your routine to free some time for a quality phone call with an old friend or an afternoon at the park with your kids (no Blackberry allowed).