If you and your significant other don't see eye to eye about how messy your shared space is, Valentine's Day is a chance to make things better. Not with chocolates and flowers, although surely they won't hurt, but with a…
Category: Getting past organizing overwhelm
If you get overwhelmed when you try to declutter and organize, I’ve got your back. Gentle ideas and proven strategies to calm your brain and get you organizing again.
Logical brain, feeling brain: Who’s calling the shots?
When you're trying to get a handle on your clutter, it can be helpful to talk yourself through some of the reasons why you're keeping something. Do you use it? When was the last time you used it? How much…
Read More Logical brain, feeling brain: Who’s calling the shots?
Fiddly bits of paper are clutter: Here’s how to deal with them once and for all
Over the years, I've noticed that if a company wants me to keep buying from them, they'll offer me some kind of deal which involves me finding some scissors and clipping stuff. How many box tops have you snipped off…
Read More Fiddly bits of paper are clutter: Here’s how to deal with them once and for all
Getting unstuck when you’re midway through decluttering
In every decluttering and organizing project, there’s that moment when you’re done. Except you’re not done. Far from it. The boxes are still crammed full of papers. The floor is still covered in piles. The closets continue to look like…
Read More Getting unstuck when you’re midway through decluttering
10 ways to reward yourself for decluttering and organizing
The long-term rewards for decluttering are awesome. Who doesn't want to live in a beautiful organized space, where they can always find everything, and feel comfortable having people over at the drop of a hat? But decluttering is hard work.…
Read More 10 ways to reward yourself for decluttering and organizing
How to have a successful yard sale
Many basements are full of clutter waiting to be turned into riches at a yard sale. Here's how to have the best garage sale in town. How not to have a yard sale Some yard sales have the stench of…
When clutter is proof you’re loved
A surprising amount of the clutter that fills our homes falls into the category of evidence that we're loved. Here are the notes and letters all my friends from school sent me. I'm likable. I've kept every Valentine and birthday…
Clutter speaks out
Hello? It's me, your clutter. Listen, we need to talk. It's not like we really do much together anymore. I've been hanging out in the guest bedroom, and you haven't been in there for ages. To be honest, I've been…
Solving the decluttering puzzle
Living in a cluttered house is like sitting down to do a jigsaw puzzle. But you have three 1,500 piece puzzles mixed up in the box and only room on the table to do a 500 piece puzzle. Something's got…
What to do with sentimental clutter
Mementos and sentimental clutter can often trip you up when you try to declutter. What to do with all the precious personal tchotchkes that bring back so many memories? We feel so guilty. How could you ever think of getting…
I’m calling about my mom
God knows you've tried. You've coaxed, you've wheedled, you've threatened and yes, you've yelled. All for what? The clutter is still everywhere. Nothing has changed. You're worried about her safety and you're terrified that you're going to have to clear…
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
Who can help you get to the next level?
"Look at the puppy and call out the numbers using your peripheral vision." I'm sitting in the optometrist's office and she's going over the instructions for the first set of vision therapy exercises. My eyes throb and I want to…
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
What’s your excuse?
https://youtu.be/V4C7_rCmKHQ Klinger wanted to get out of the army, and you want to get out from under your clutter. But there are all sorts of perfectly good excuses for why that hasn't happened yet. Watch this two-minute clip as Lieutenant…
Tell me your worn stories
I call them memory clothes - bits and pieces of clothing that bring up such intense memories that seeing them takes you back in time. Emily Spivack, author of Worn Stories, calls them 'sartorial memoirs'. If you've ever kept a…
What is clutter?
Clutter's a slippery concept, because there's no generic checklist, no boxes to tick. You can't print out a list of things to declutter and know if you get rid of them, your home will be clutter free. You and you…
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…
Decluttering motivation
You want to declutter, but it can be so hard to find the motivation. Here are seven highly effective strategies to get you off the couch and happily decluttering. Strategy #1: Use music to energize you Some days you're just…
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…
‘I always ask, What hurts most?’
Filled Up and Overflowing - what to do when life events, chronic disorganization, or hoarding go overboard, is a compassionate, practical read that I wish had been available when I was starting out as an organizer. I'm thrilled we have…
Chronic disorganization case study: Jason’s story
“Want to give me the tour?” I asked as Jason stood in front of me, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. I’d seen photographs of his house already and we’d talked about his organizing goals but I…
The importance of clutter
Sometimes clutter is vital and that’s why you’re keeping it. You may genuinely think the reason you don't declutter is because it's overwhelming. And that may be true. But it's worth considering if there's something else going on too. READ…
How will I know when I’m organized?
If clutter has been a long-standing problem for you, it can be tough to figure out when you're done. How will you know when you're Organized with a capital O? Organized You're Organized when you can use each room for…
How to stop organizing overwhelm
In theory, decluttering and organizing are simple. You select what you still need and let the rest go. Find homes for everything you've kept and move on with your life. The reality, as we know, is somewhat different. Because although…
What does chronically disorganized mean?
The Institute for Challenging Disorganization defines chronic disorganization as disorganization that persists over the long haul, often making your quality of life worse, and is a constant in your life no matter what you try to do to fix it…
What are you doing instead of decluttering?
Everyone wants to be organized but no one wants to declutter because it's overwhelming. You take one look at the guest room and you just want to close the door and make it all go away. You cede the space…
Getting unstuck
Twenty minutes decluttering a day is the slow and steady way to lasting change but sometimes it feels like you're spinning your wheels. When you start to wonder if it's worth it, check in with yourself and see if you're…
How to organize even when you’re sad
When the world stops making sense, it's hard to concentrate on everyday tasks like decluttering. There's a giant feeling of 'why bother?' hanging over everything and a feeling of terrible impotence. Anger turns inward to depression. So, the closet is…
Organizing rules for recovering perfectionists
Which organizing rules are you trying very hard to follow? Do they help you or do they trip you up? Check out the new rules for coping with clutter without sending yourself over the edge. O.H.I.O. is old school I…
Honest labeling
If you're feeling overwhelmed by the clutter, consider easing into the organizing mindset by grabbing a sharpie and some blank labels. Take a look in the boxes and start making honest labels. “Wedding china I’ve never used but feel guilty…
Can’t get organized? Call in a Pro
If you're like most people, you assume everyone else finds organizing easy. So when you look around at the clutter covering your floors (and the counters and the beds), you start getting mad with yourself. Organizing's easy, you should be…
Get your guilt-free gift pass
How much of your clutter was given to you? Drawers full of unworn clothing in colors and styles that someone else picked out - pink fuzzy sweaters for people who love wearing sweats and a t-shirt. Athletic gear for people…
Decluttering with a goal in mind
If decluttering your whole house seems way too overwhelming, consider trying to declutter your way towards something you want to access. It would take days to deal with everything that's in the room right now, but you really want to…
Body doubling
Do you get overwhelmed when you try to declutter and organize yourself, yet find yourself effortlessly sorting, purging and categorizing when someone helps you? It's frustrating, isn't it? Why can't you just do it yourself? Take advantage of a body…
Hopes and dreams or clutter?
As you look around at the clutter that fills your space, do you feel confused and puzzled about why it's even there? Consider the idea that everything you have represents a dream. It's not just a bunch of grocery coupons,…
You vs. stuff: Who wins?
You are as important as your stuff. It sounds obvious, but few of us live that way. When you look around, does it look like you live there or does it look like you happen to share space with a…
Living with a packrat
Are you what FlyLady calls a "Born Organized" person? Do decluttering and organizing come naturally to you, so that although stuff comes in, you swiftly find a place for it and move other stuff out so that your place always…
Therapy can be the missing piece
Are you just too busy to get organized or is there more to it? I had a client whose garage was completely full. The first time we met, he was quite unable to decide what to keep and what to let…
Clutter free gift guide
If you’ve ever asked yourself what you can give that won’t just be shoved in the back of a cupboard or hastily regifted, this list of clutter free gifts ideas will totally change the way you think about gift giving. Give…