Simple strategies to help you take your house from messy and cluttered to calm and organized. You can do this!
Last time: The missing manual Sitting around the kitchen table for tea with a friend is one of life’s dearest pleasures. The kettle sings as you rummage around to find a piece of cake or a pack of cookies to…
Read More Decluttering: How to not get immediately overwhelmed
How much of your clutter are you keeping because it's worth a lot of money? I met with a vintage resaler this week because I'm always looking to find new options for you. Her pitch to me was that now…
You must hang your clothes by color. You must hang your clothes by size. You must hang your clothes by season. You must hang your clothes in outfits. You must hang your clothes by the occasion you'll wear them. You…
Read More Want a beautifully organized closet? Here are the rules you absolutely must follow
The exact decluttering principles I use with my organizing clients to help them successfully clear their messy homes. What is slow and steady decluttering? Slow and steady decluttering is the practice of tackling the clutter in your messy home gradually.…
Read More Slow and steady wins the decluttering and organizing race
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.…
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.…
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
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 can to trip you up.…
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…
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…
"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?"…
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
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,…
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…
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
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!
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
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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 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.…
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…
