Articles for a more organized life

It’s easy for downsizing to feel negative, especially if it’s a forced process of getting rid of stuff due to a move. Even if it’s proactive (as in the practice of Swedish Death Cleaning) the focus on getting rid of things can maximize the sense of loss. It can feel completely overwhelming when you have a house full of things, and without a fixed timeline, the process can seem indefinite. However, downsizing can be a great thing to do for your own life, and the lives of others who may inherit your things, so it’s a worthwhile challenge, and there are practices that can help make it not just achievable, but even a positive experience. Here’s what I discuss with my clients, and I hope this helps you in your process!

Let’s face it, we’ve all got way too much going on. Our to do lists are endless. No matter how much we accomplish we feel like there is more to do, and we criticize ourselves for not getting enough done, or done well, or done fast enough. 

When I read articles about simple ways to get organized, and see them in my client’s homes, I have to laugh, as I anticipate ​​ a list of detailed and onerous sounding tasks that even I wouldn’t do. Check all the expiration dates on food items? Scan documents I want to keep? Not only does that sound like a burden, it’s not really solving the problem of things feeling like a mess. Most people I know feel overwhelmed when faced with the task of organizing, and are uncertain about how and where to start. So I wanted to share my top five tips for how to get started organizing that I hope are actually simple!

There’s at least one area in the home (sometimes ​​multiple!) where items just pile up and it’s impossible to keep clear. When I analyze these areas with clients, there are a variety of distinct (and legitimate!) reasons why the items are there. When you understand those reasons you can address the areas effectively. Here are the reasons I’ve found that items pile up, and what to do about them.

When labeling is a good thing – for getting and staying organized! As a professional organizer I’ve been surprised by how helpful it is to label containers or areas both while organizing (to build awareness about what you have and how to sort it), as well as at the end (to stay organized long-term). Here’s how I’ve seen the power of labels play out.

It’s that time of year when gifts are top of mind, so I thought I’d share some tips about what to do with gifts and gift-wrapping supplies

These are the words a client recently declared to me and I told her “You’re not alone. Papers are everyone’s nemesis. No one likes dealing with paper.“ If there isn’t a good system in place, paper piles up quickly and becomes overwhelming.

Wait a minute. I thought professional organizers would come in and tell you to get rid of everything so you can simplify and find peace. Isn’t that how you do it?

This pandemic is a time for new things. Whether it’s chosen or not, everyone is having new experiences in this unprecedented time. As someone who used to fly monthly for business and personal reasons, the pandemic changed my life a lot. All of a sudden I was home every day and thinking about how to learn and grow in new ways. What was something I could do that required me to do something new, but also to stay safe while the coronavirus raged on? It’s been learning to swim.

After the publication of the WSJ article about my career reboot in December 2020, a wide array of people approached me for career advice. In these conversations I learned more about career challenges people are facing, and shared my perspective on making career changes that has evolved from experience in guiding people in their career development in multiple roles.