Loyalty's a fine thing, but taken to extremes it can create problems. If you feel the sort of allegiance to your stuff that usually comes with a marriage license, it can be hard to even think about letting something go.…
Category: How to declutter and get organized
Simple strategies to help you take your house from messy and cluttered to calm and organized. You can do this!
Can you donate parts of a set or a collection?
Absolutely. Feeling like you have to have all the parts of a collection can be a fast track to a cluttered house. Breaking up a set is a great way to keep only the things you love want and need.…
When your house is so messy you don’t know where to start
Twenty quick decluttering projects you can do right now When the mess is overwhelming, take 20 minutes to do a quick decluttering mini mission. You can do anything for 20 minutes! READ MORE >>> Decluttering motivation Set your timer for…
Read More When your house is so messy you don’t know where to start
Best places to donate
Congratulations! You've weighed the options and decided that you can let some things go. That's wonderful. Getting things out of your house is the next step in the decluttering process. But be careful, this step is going to trip you…
How to declutter and organize
The Joyful Method will show you how to declutter and organize without getting overwhelmed. The Joyful Method to declutter and organize Getting the organized home you deserve Many of us would like to get organized and know the first step…
How to handle your Amazon problem
Amazon in small doses is convenient, helpful and a great invention. But too much of a good thing leads to clutter, both in the things you impulse buy and the boxes that clutter comes in. Here's how to beat Prime…
Ask the organizer: beloved children’s books
"What does one do with the boxes of wonderful old books that your kids loved and enjoyed and that are SO hard to toss? Do I save them on the outside chance that there will be grandchildren one day? Or?"…
How to give yourself a fighting chance to get the garage decluttered and organized
It’s 95 degrees in the garage and it's dimly lit, dusty and dirty. But today's the day you're going to organize the garage so let's have at it. Grab the nearest box and open it. Take out the handful of…
Read More How to give yourself a fighting chance to get the garage decluttered and organized
Essential Effortlessness
Part of getting things done is figuring out what you need to do and how to do it as easily as possible. There are tons of books on productivity and many of us have whiled away many hours reading them,…
Five things I know you have too many of
My psychic powers are about as reliable as the magic 8 ball but I'll put good money that you have at least one of the following five things in your home. Maybe even more than one. Bed, Bath & Beyond…
Customized organizing for the way things really are saves you time and energy
Organizing for the way you actually live saves tons of time and exasperation. A furry example. It started when he was about eight. "He's a big dog, who knows how long he really has?" my husband said, tucking Baxter's doggy…
Read More Customized organizing for the way things really are saves you time and energy
Use your complaints to get organized. Wishes can come true!
Thinking ahead is at the heart of organizing and it's a skill that can be developed and enhanced no matter how scatter-brained you naturally are. You've been waiting all day for a callback from your doctor/the IRS/the person who said…
Read More Use your complaints to get organized. Wishes can come true!
Migraines suck and you can get through them: Three tips to ease your burden
Knowing I won't be able to do the dog walk tomorrow, I text my friend: "Massive mirage will gave to like tomorrow." Something feels off about that but I'm too far gone to make out the letters on my phone.…
Read More Migraines suck and you can get through them: Three tips to ease your burden
Bathroom decluttering
Decluttering the bathroom Nothing screams "declutter me!" like the counter in your bathroom. Lotions and potions jostle for your attention, all hoping today's the day you reach for them. Like the long line of hopefuls winding out from a casting…
Three games to help you declutter books
When - not if - you declutter your books, taking charge of the process will make it easier. Kindle readers can skip this post - although I see you, digital clutter - but for most of us, books are among…
Organized enough
There are no organizing police, but you'd be surprised how many of my clients worry there might be. Perhaps you too feel you aren't organized enough, that you're not doing it right. Often, that's because you grew up in a…
How many scissors do you have and where are they?
Were you raised in a full house where anything you could possibly want was somewhere if only that elusive spot could be located? We must have had at least twelve pairs of scissors, none of which were where they ought…
Decluttering magazines
In these covidest of times, have you put your stack(s) of magazines to good use? Made the collages? Created the vision boards? Read all the articles you've been meaning to? No? You're not alone. The magazines have languished since well…
Decluttering books
If ever there was a time to catch up on your backlog of unread books, this pandemic is it. Whether you're staying safe at home or working from home, time has opened up for most of us. No commuting, groceries…
Ask the organizer: A bad smell in the fridge
Dear Joyful Surroundings, There's an odor in my fridge. I've got a new box of baking soda in there but it doesn't seem to be working. Thanks for listening, M, Colorado Dear M, We have huge fridges these days, nothing…
Organizing your bedroom
Remember when you were a kid and your room (or the bit of the bedroom you staked out as your territory) was the only place you had to keep everything? The bed, which doubled as your couch, was squashed in…
Mindful decluttering
When it comes to decluttering, the focus is usually on how things look. Look at that bedroom!I can't see the bed!I don't see how all those clothes can possibly fit in the closet. But we have five senses and they…
Decluttering food
Do mealtimes routinely find you standing in front of your full pantry feeling like there's nothing to eat again? Let's play the eat it up challenge Looking at what's in your cupboards, write down a menu for tomorrow's meals. Sounds…
Fix the laundry blues
On good days, there are overflowing hampers stuffed with dirty clothes and teetering piles of folded clean laundry on every counter, waiting to be put away. On bad days it feels like there's a perpetual carpet of clothes on the…
Clutter math
Clutter isn't always sentimental stuff you're holding onto from the past. Sometimes it's perfectly useful everyday items you unwittingly have way too many of. Like eager Eagle Scouts, many of us are trying to win the world badge for preparedness.…
What’s behind your pantry problem?
If you don't have a pantry, it's tempting to think that having one will solve all your food storage problems. But until you take into account what a pantry means to each member of your family, you can containerize all…