As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I truly believe that the master bedroom sets the tone for the family. If you feel overwhelmed in your life, make it a priority to keep your bedroom as free from stress as possible. For the past few weeks we have been talking about clearing out the clutter in your master bedroom. This week we are going to focus on all that stuff that has somehow accumulated on top of the surfaces.

The best way to tackle this job is to box and banish the items. Grab a box, set your timer for 5 minutes, and clear off one surface area, dumping everything into that box. During this same five minutes take a microfiber dusting cloth and give the surface a thorough cleaning. Do not obsess over making it spotless as our main goal is to de-clutter. Now, set the timer for 5 more minutes and this time shop through your box and place back onto the surface area only the necessary items. Place the trash in the garbage can and leave the items in the box that need to go somewhere else. Before you attack another surface area you must put the remaining items that are left in the box away. Do not make the common mistake of “out of sight…out of mind” and just tucking this box away for another day. (more…)

When I go into a client’s home to completely overhaul and organize a closet, the average time is normally at least 3-4 hours, and that is with two of us working. It is quite understandable that a job like this can become very overwhelming and inevitably a major procrastination issue. How can you tackle this job in 10 minutes a day? You may not achieve perfection, and may need to spend additional time on this project one day this week where you have a little extra time, but 10 minutes a day can be quite (surprisingly) productive! (more…)

I have often heard that the heart of the home is the kitchen. Instead, I would like to suggest that the Master Bedroom is the true lifeblood of the home, which is why I found it imperative to start the “Around the House Overhaul” in the master bedroom. So often we focus our attention on the rooms in which everyone else sees, and put our own needs last. When your bedroom is clean and organized, you will sleep, love, and live more fulfilled. In turn you will be healthier and happier, which makes everything more manageable in life. (more…)

Has clutter caused you stress and sadness in your life? Please don’t feel ashamed about your situation. I do not follow the belief that clutter is simply caused by laziness. From my experience, my clients are mostly very creative people who actually have perfectionist issues. Often times they can’t get started because they don’t know the right way to go about doing the job. And when overbooked schedules are added to the mix, it can turn a difficult situation into a perceived impossibility.

The first step in the line of defense against clutter is to stop buying. It is like continually tossing logs onto a burning fire and expecting the fire to go out on its own. If there are particular stores that get you into trouble, stop going there. Many of my clients have dabbled a bit too much in retail therapy, and if this is a case with you, I would implore you to stay away from the places that get you into trouble. When shopping, make sure you have a list! Do not purchase things merely because they are on sale - I could probably clothe a small nation with all the unused/with price tag “clearance” items I have helped clear out of people’s homes. (more…)

The very first step in organizing a space should not be to purchase anything! Normally when I work with a client we rarely need to purchase a thing, and often times we could open up a box/organizing store of our own when we are finished. Purchasing containers and organizing supplies has become a national obsession of some kind. Now, I would not be in the organizing profession if I did not enjoy containers, boxes, files, and folders. I get as much joy as a kid in the candy store!

Do you want to get organized? There are no magic wands and no special secrets that only people with decoders can reveal. Clutter is simply the result of bringing more in then you purge. When organizing and de-cluttering, the true purpose is to create systems so that the clutter does not come back, not just to make a nice clean space. Although, the nice clean space is a true reward and delicious icing on the clutter free cake! (more…)

Whether your children keep their toys in their bedroom, family room or playroom, first I want you to come to terms with the size of the room. Although we may think that the smaller the room the more clutter there will be, that is not always the case. Often times more clutter accumulates in larger rooms, simply because it can! With smaller rooms it can appear more cluttered, but often will take far less time to keep it maintained.

The first step in any organizing project is to create a plan. What is working? What is not working? How much time do you have to finish the project? Do you have a budget? etc.

The next step is to minimize the amount of contents in the room. Decisions must be made as to what to keep, give-away, and toss. I recommend having an exit strategy; decide what you are going to do with purged items before beginning the process. Children are often better at getting rid of items than we give them credit. Whether it is for a thrift store, women & children’s crisis center or a local foster child, if you find a worthwhile cause, they will probably do a great job at letting go! If you are planning a yard sale, place price stickers right on the items and then box them up. Come yard sale day; all you will have to do is open up the box and collect your money! (more…)

Clutter is a result of bringing in more than we let go, and a good example of this is magazines! The general reason is that people are afraid to let go of a magazine because there was something of relevance inside; whether it be of inspiration (design, motivation articles, etc.) or information (recipe, tips, etc). What if you might need it someday, right? Not only is magazine clutter unsightly and a dust collector, but what inevitably happens is when you want to find the article that you saved the magazine for, you have to dig through all your saved magazines to find it! If the problem is that you don’t have time to read the magazines, it is time to stop subscribing! (more…)