Can You Get Rid of 800 Pounds of Stuff?

As I was reading my email I came across an email from a friend who sent me this article that she thought I might find interesting. Of course I did because it has to do with one of my favorite subjects - getting rid of clutter! It is from the Wall Street Journal Online and it describes the authors Spring Cleaning Journey in which she got rid of over 800 pounds worth of stuff in her home!! It is a very interesting and inspiring read! I hope you all enjoy it and it inspires you to get rid of the stuff in your home that is weighing you and your family down!

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704688604575125682574503828.html?mod=WSJ_article_RecentColumns#articleTabs%3Dinteractive

Places To Donate Items in MO

In this month's O Magazine, (Oprah's Mag) they discuss de-cluttering your life!! What a timely and great subject. As the days are getting longer, Yeah - it was not dark at 5:00pm yesterday here in St. Louis! This means that spring is on its way and spring is a great time to de-clutter your life.

So I ask you, what is holding you back from letting go of the stuff in your life that is taking over? Really think about this. Is it fear, overwhelm, procrastination (which comes from fear & overwhelm), loneliness or boredom? You are the only one who knows the answer to this and YOU are the only one who can decide to let it go! If you need some inspiration, take a look at this article from O Magazine http://www.oprah.com/home/The-10-Habits-of-Highly-Organized-People_1 These 10 Habits of Highly Organized People are things I teach to clients everyday. These habits really are not difficult changes to make in your life, but they will make a tremendous difference in your quality of life.

Once you have decided to let some of those things go, you need to know where to take them so someone else can get use out of them. If something is in horrible shape, please dispose of it in the most environmentally friendly way. It's not fair to the people who volunteer their time at these great charitable organizations to have to dispose of items that are of no use to anyone. But if the items you have decided to let go of are useful, then here is a list of places in MO that you can donate them to. http://www.oprah.com/home/Where-to-Get-Rid-of-Your-Stuff Once you click on Missouri, you must scroll down the page until you see the listings for Missouri. Also check out my own donation sites list at http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B6KTzsqtvHA1NzA4YTcyNGMtNWI1Mi00NGJiLWFlMmItZjZlOTI2M2IzOGM0&hl=en

Getting started may seem intimidating, but once you do, you will feel how freeing it can be to let go of what is holding you back. Here's to you letting go, lightening up and possibly growing up!

Re-Evaluating Your Space Needs

As I sit in my office today re-organizing some files and doing some general clean up, the thought popped into my head that I needed more space to make this office function better. And then I saw a story on Yahoo that made me rethink that. The story is from The New York Times and is about a man in Brooklyn that is living in a 178 square foot apartment. Eventhough the space is obviously very, very small, it is wonderfully organized and decorated. It is truly the epitome of making the most of the space you have. Not only is there a place for everything and everything in its place, but he has also managed to position all the furniture so that it has a feeling that there is a separate sleeping, living, working and eating area in the small apartment.

So if he can seem to manage all of his life possessions in an orderly fashion in such a small space, than I guess I need to re-evaluate how I am using the space in my office. See, even an organizer has days where she feels unorganized or challenged by her surroundings. I think the lesson of the day for me and my clients would be think creatively about how you are using the areas in your home. Have they reached their maximum potential? Probably not!! Bigger is not always better!

To read the full story and to see the awesome pictures of how he achieved this go to http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/garden/11location.html

11 Myths of Decluttering

I had this blog passed onto me from a friend and I could not have said it better!! I hope that you take the time to read it. It is not only so truthful but dead on correct about how people with clutter issues think!! There are times that I am working with people that I wish I could say it like this but I am guessing that if I was this harshly honest with them, I may not be invited back!! Hope you enjoyed this as much as I did! And thanks Biff for sharing it with me! www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/happinessproject/archive/2009/11/11/eleven-myths-of-de-cluttering.aspx

Freeing Up Time to Be More Productive

Research shows that Americans (with the exception of parents of young children) have about 40 hours more of free time each week than previous generations. According to Geoff Godbey, a professor of leisure studies at Penn State University and co-author of Time for Life, about 25 hours of free time come during weekdays, usually in 30 - 45 minute increments. But the typical American estimates his or her amount of weekly free time at 19 hours. Perhaps that is because we watch an average of 16 - 21 hours of TV a week.

So what do you think is the number one tip for freeing up time? You guessed it, turn off the TV!!! Think about this, how often do you sit down to watch one TV show and end up watching several hours worth? I know I do! I love TV, always have always will! So, I am going to challenge myself to see how productive I can be for an entire week by not turning the TV on in the morning and only sitting down to watch those shows in the evening that I truly enjoy.

For those of you out there who also love TV here are some tips to cut back on the number of hours you are watching TV and to be more productive:

• Try turning the TV on 30 minutes later than you usually do or turning it off 30 minutes earlier.
• Don't turn it on unless there is a specific show you want to see and turn it off when that show is over.
• Tape or Tivo your favorite shows and watch them when it is convenient. This allows you to fast forward through commercials!!
• Another way to save substantial time is to do things that only you can do and let go of the rest.
• If you can afford it get a professional to do the things you can not do or don't enjoy doing.
• Teach your kids how to do age appropriate chores!!
• If you own a business, hire an assistant to handle routine office tasks or give more responsibility (and pay) to your current employees.
• Remind yourself that you do NOT lose control when you delegate, you GAIN control of your time and life.
• Use small blocks of time to accomplish tasks rather than waiting for large amounts of uninterrupted time to take care of things.
• In 10 minutes you can organize a purse, wallet, a drawer, write an email or note or read a book to your child!
• In 5 minutes you can make a few phone calls, sort your mail, or empty the dishwasher.
• In 1 minute you can review your to-do list, make your bed, or stop and smell the roses!

So, go out and have a productive and relaxing day! Yes, both can be achieved in the same day! And if you are a parent of young children and you get a chance to watch a TV show of your choice not theirs, by all means take your chance!!! We all know you are not watching too much TV!!! Have a great weekend and enjoy the beautiful fall weather!!

Lesssons Learned From My November Newsletter

How Exciting!! Today I just published my company's first email newsletter!! I worked really hard to teach myself a new software program and I am really proud of myself!!! For those of you who know me, you would know that I know just enough about computers to be dangerous and that I get really frustrated when they do not do what I want them to do!! So, that is why I am so proud of myself for this accomplishment!
Not only did I set a goal and reach it, but I kept my cool and persevered through issues and technical difficulties until I reached that goal. What I learned from this experience is that by breaking this overall goal up into smaller chunks and doing it a little bit at a time, it was so much less stressful than trying to do it all at once. (I think I've heard this somewhere before? Oh yeah, that would have been from me telling the same think to my clients. Maybe I should take my own advice more often!!) I also learned that this is a great way for me to combat my own battle with perfectionism. Just as I strated to get frustrated with something, I took a break! And I could because I had given myself enough time to work on it!!
Here's to listening to me! I have to say "Good Job" to myself! Because when you are the owner of the business and the only employee, no one else is going to say it to you!!!

20 Ways to Say No

First off I have to say that I dedicate today's post to my friend Jennifer McChesney!!! She will know and understand why. We at times both need to learn 20 Ways to Say No and because of this she also knows why we are such great friends and understand each other so well! Thanks for always being such a great friend!

Today is one of those days where I need to take my own advice! I have a lot going on in my life right now and I am working on finding balance. In my last post, I talked about taking time out for yourself and how vacationing really does revive you. I stand by that post, but am having one of those days where life just comes at you and you have to deal.

But what I know is that some of my having to just deal with life is of my own doing! I tend to think (as most people do) that I am capable of doing more than can actually fit into the waking hours of one day. So I found a list that I feel we call all learn from, even me the Professional Organizer! This list is from a great book - Organizing Plain and Simple by Donna Smallin and the list in the book is from Ramona Creel of Organizng Online.

20 Ways to Say No:

1. I can't right now, but I can do it later.
2. I'm really not the most qualified person for the job.
3. I just don't have any room in my calendar right now.
4. I can't but let me give you the name of someone who can.
5. I have another commitment.
6. I am in the middle of several projects and can't spare the time.
7. I've had a few things come up and I need to deal with those first.
8. I would rather decline than do a mediocre job.
9. I'm focusing more on my personal and family life right now.
10. I'm focusing more on my career right now.
11. I'm don't really enjoy that kind of work.
12. I can't but I am happy to help out with another task.
13. I've learned in the past that this isn't my strong suit.
14. I'm sure you will do a wonderful job on your own.
15. I don't have any experience with that, so I can not help you.
16. I'm not comfortable with that.
17. I hate to split my attention among too many projects.
18. I'm committed to leaving some time for myself in my schedule.
19. I'm currently not taking on any new projects.
20. No.

And if these great "excuses" don't work, then the person you are dealing with may also suffer from too many committments not enough time! The important thing to remember is that you need to do what is best for you and your family and not what is best for everyone else. You can not be at your best if you are at someone elses best. So go out today and liberate yourself by telling someone no thanks, and not feeling guity about it!