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Did you think virtual organizing was about using online tools and technologies to get organized? Working at a task solving your organizing dilemmas on your own by listening to videos?
Organizing can be done remotely, via video conferencing, email, phone calls, or other forms of communication with a Professional Organizer. Instead of having an organizer physically come to your location, we work virtually to get organized, set goals, manage projects, and keep track of important information.
Why is it important to work with a virtual organizer?
Some people might think if the Professional Organizer is not in your home doing the work with you why not work alone? There are many benefits to having the expertise of a Professional Organizer available remotely.
- Increased productivity: A virtual organizer can help you set goals and prioritize your tasks, which can help you get more done in less time.
- Reduced stress: Receiving advice, steps and guidance that you can use immediately to organize your home or office with the organizer online with you, will provide a sense of control and reduce feelings of overwhelm. If you run into a stumbling a block, no need to procrastinate, the virtual organizer is there to help.
- Improved time management: A virtual organizer can help you manage your time more effectively by creating schedules and routines that are tailored to your needs. Imagine having your week, month or year in front of you to manage busy times of the year, know when all your household tasks are completed each week and by whom, plan fun parties and stop double booking your commitments. While working online with you a virtual organizer can prompt you to think about items you may have forgotten or never even considered scheduling.
- Better decision making: Some people are afraid to make decisions. They fear making the wrong decision or making a decision that will hurt someone’s feelings. They may not have built their confidence that they are good at making decisions. Working with a virtual organizer gives you someone to talk with about what to keep, what to do next, and how to allocate your resources. When you’re organized, you’re better able to make informed decisions about what tasks to prioritize, what items to keep and what goals to set for the future.
- Enhanced focus: A virtual organizer can help you stay focused on your goals by providing accountability and guidance. If you start procrastinating, your online organizer will notice and keep you heading toward your goal. The accountability and guidance can be at the time you are working or during scheduled mini organizing sessions.
- Virtual: It’s a convenient and cost-effective option for people who want to get organized but can’t meet with an organizer in person. It is a good option for those who prefer a more flexible and self-directed approach to organizing. You can work on your own schedule to suit your personality and lifestyle.
Virtual organizing is the process of organizing and managing your space and time with an actual live human offering you support and knowledge. Virtual organizing is a great way to stay on top of your tasks and responsibilities and make the most of your time and resources.
How to Get Started with Virtual Organizing
Determine your goals and priorities:
Virtual organizers can virtually organize anything. Everyone’s goals are different. You may want to have a room/ space organized so it functions better. You may need help with time management, scheduling or building routines that help to get the many tasks in a home or office completed quickly and on time without expending a lot of energy thinking about them.
Establish a routine and stick to it:
Scheduling time to work on your priorities is the only way they will move forward. Why am I writing this? Talking and planning about your project are important, the work actually has to happen too. Setting time aside helps you to be accountable and prevents procrastination.
Communicate with your virtual organizer regularly:
Meeting with your virtual organizer on a regular basis will help to get the tasks completed. Meetings can take many forms, including an email, text, phone call, 30 minute mini session or longer sessions while you are working on your task. Don’t think it is a one time conversation to get information and then you are on your own to struggle through the project. Most people are more successful if they use all the services and support the virtual organizer offers.
Track your progress and make adjustments as needed:
No plan is perfect. As you move forward on your project it is important to evaluate the progress and plan. You may need to adjust the length of time you schedule for working. Some people do better with many short sessions and others like one longer one. The length of the session may vary depending on the project and not only your style. A virtual organizer can offer suggestions, encouragement and information so you continue to complete your project successfully.
Tips for Successful Virtual Organizing
Stay motivated and focused:
Your virtual organizer is not the only person who can help you stay focused and motivated. Talk to friends about what you’re doing. This will help you to keep the project at the forefront of your schedule. They will ask how it is going and you will want to give them updates on your success. Use your technology to remind you of your work schedule and goals so you continue to see the benefits you are achieving.
Keep your virtual organizer updated:
Don’t avoid your virtual organizer. We are here to help move you forward. Lots of times life gets in the way and the organizing project gets derailed. Tell the virtual organizer exactly what is going on so you can work together to make adjustments. On the other hand, celebrating together on your success is enjoyable for both parties.
Celebrate your successes:
Whether big or small it is important to recognize the success you are making in reaching your goals.
Be open to feedback and suggestions:
Feedback and suggestions are a way to have a conversation to discover what is working well and what is not. Both parties need to understand this. I always tell my clients if they can’t get something completed then we haven’t found the best process yet. As a virtual organizer, I need feedback on how to best help my clients. They may want me to push them a little harder to get something done, be more understanding about their situation, be a motivating force to help them remember why this is important to them etc.
Conclusion
Although some people may prefer physical organizing, virtual organizing offers many benefits, including increased productivity, reduced stress, improved time management, better decision-making, and enhanced focus. Give it a try. Working with a human being is easier than navigating technology on your own or interacting with a robot. Almost everyone can use some help organizing something in their life. Whatever bothers you the most, start with that task and let a virtual organizer walk you through the steps, give you the knowledge and help you be accountable so you will feel less stressed, happier and more relaxed. If you’re looking for a convenient and effective way to get organized and stay on top of your tasks and responsibilities, virtual organizing is a great option.
I think I have covered all the reasons it is fun and not scary to work with a virtual organizer. I would like to hear your thoughts.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home, office, mind and time. She guides and supports you to be accountable for your time, to complete projects and to reach your goals. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Scheduling helps you to use your time in blocks and avoid scattering single tasks throughout the day leaving small segments of unproductive time.
My tip for parents running their businesses from home is about time management.
Running a business and organizing a household is a complex task. Time management is the key to success and sanity. Scheduling everything will help:
- tasks to get completed,
- commitments to be honoured
- and make arriving on time possible
However, scheduling everything can be overwhelming initially. Start by using only one calendar, paper or electronic, for all the activities in your schedule. Try a “clearing your mind” task. This involves writing down everything you have to do. Record one task per line on your paper or one task per entry until you have everything recorded. Including, exercise, work appointments, social commitments, bill payments, household tasks, children’s commitments, social media, doctor appointments, marketing, networking, a trip to the park, birthday parties etc. After you have them recorded, go back to the top of your list and write the date and time (schedule) when you will complete the task. Put all of these dates on your calendar remember to include travel time when you schedule tasks. As you look at your calendar you will be able to determine how much time you have each day, month and year available for the activities that are important to your life, family and business. It will help to put time into perspective and help determine why you might be feeling:
- overwhelmed
- overworked
- bored
- tired
- successful
- energized
- excited
- frustrated
Once you start to schedule everything, it will become easier because many of the entries will be recurring each day, week, month or year. They will be in your calendar and only new items will need to be added to your schedule. This will provide a structure that you can rely on to help you with the complex task of running a business and organizing a household.
If you need help with time management book a series of mini organizing sessions with me.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home, office, mind and time. She guides and supports you to be accountable for your time, to complete projects and to reach your goals. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Moving house from town to town, state to state, or county to county can be rather intensive. It takes real effort to pack up your life and place it somewhere new. The orbit of your life has changed, and it may even take some time to convince your children of the change and to settle in well.
If that takes some time to get used to, imagine what it’s like moving from country to country. You may have an experience planned out yourself, perhaps moving for a new job, experiencing a new culture, or being closer to family. No matter your reasons, it’s important to remember that this effort is more than possible and a positive life change. That doesn’t mean it comes easy.
In this post, we’ll discuss a few insights that they rarely tell you about moving from country to country, and how you can pre-empt those issues or new experiences to better handle them. Without further ado, let’s get started:
You May Need To Relearn The Basics Of Daily Living
It’s easy to think living in one place is the same as everywhere, but that’s not always the case. Anyone who has moved to Canada with North American Van Lines will no doubt notice the weather change. In some cases, feet of snow has to be negotiated all winter long before driving anywhere. Perhaps preparing your home against the weather will become a new norm you have to get used to. In some countries, like Spain, the professional environment can be more relaxed and you need to make provisions for daily siestas. The standards of your daily living may change, and that’s okay.
Residential Standards May Be Different
The same goes for residential standards. In some countries, making noise past a certain time might be bad form. In others, late-night music and celebration may be commonplace. The utilities change too – for instance, in the United States, many people have to pay fees for garbage collection, in the United Kingdom this is relatively unheard of. Understanding that and asking questions of your neighbours can make a big difference, and help you feel well-situated and less confused within your new home.
You May Require Specific Aid From Equipped Services
In some cases, the move you’re planning could be to a remote location, a new country, or perhaps an area underserved by a moving specialist. In some countries using removalists who are licensed to move your belongings from country to country cleanly, without getting caught at border patrol, and with drivers who may be skilled at driving in that new location (for instance, heading into Canada during winter is quite the unique and frozen driving experience), can make the move more seamless, and you won’t have to worry about it. Perhaps you have specific requirements such as needing your insurance provider to offer insurance on highly valuable items. Keep this in mind when transitioning large quantities of possessions.
With this advice, you’re sure to move to a new country with care.
Let me know the situation you had to deal with when you moved to a new country.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home, office, mind and time. She guides and supports you to be accountable for your time, to complete projects and to reach your goals. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Click here to learn more about working with a Professional Organizer.
Carolyn Shannon is my guest blogger today. Her business Venting Creatively helps people to find creative ways to shine a light on their life from a different view. She publishes a magazine called Women of Worth magazine.
Being productive leaves time for the things that are important to you
Top 10 Productivity Time Killers
Every day countless hours are wasted away due to non-productive activities. Time is money, so when distractions and procrastination set in profitability will decline. A survey conducted by OfficeTime.net has revealed 10 of the biggest time killers. The main offenders that reduce our productivity are:
1. Emails
2. Surfing the net
3. Watching TV
4. Procrastination
5. Meetings
6. Non-business conversations
7. Commuting & travel time
8. Social networking
9. Cell Phones & texting
10. Dealing with red tape
Types of Time Wasting
There are many factors that lead to procrastination. There are a few broad categories that most time wasting falls into.
1. Indecision.
Perfectionists will often struggle with indecision. Some things may never become perfect, and putting too much focus on perfection will mean too much time spent on one job. Splitting the work into smaller tasks is one way to deal with it more effectively.
2. Avoidance.
Fear of being judged can be the main cause of procrastination. It could be fear of failure or even success. Neither of these is something to be ashamed of. Success should be celebrated, and failure is the best way of learning. Think less about what others may think and more about trying your best at the task at hand.
3. Thrill Seeking.
This is when procrastination is justified because the worker likes the thrill of an approaching deadline. If this is the case it is best to move deadlines closer and set personal targets. This still gets you the thrill of working against the clock, while reducing procrastination.
How to Put an End to Time Killers
The first step to battling time killers is to understand and appreciate the amount of time that is being wasted. What is the value of all that lost time? Time wasters will directly affect your career advancement opportunities and reduce the amount of income you could have received. Tracking where your time is spent will allow for efficient time management. Don’t just rely on your memory to remember what you did during the day. Use a system so that you have a written record that can be looked over and analyzed. This could be as simple as creating a timetable on a piece of paper or utilizing a computer program or app to record your daily activities. Cutting down on time killers is a good start, but there are other strategies that should be used to effectively manage your time:
1. Define your purpose.
You need to know exactly what you want when starting a task. Without a definite purpose, you will lose focus.
2. Smart goal setting.
Choose realistic and specific goals and targets. It should be measurable so you know when it has been completed.
3. Plan on a regular basis.
As factors change, your plan should be adjusted to reflect the reality of the situation.
To truly beat time killers you need to work on your mindset & stick to your plan for the long term.
Which type of Time Waster Are You?
1. Thrill Seekers
They feel they can procrastinate, as they enjoy the feeling of working against a deadline
Tip: constantly set and adjust deadlines so that you still get the adrenaline rush but are using your time more effectively than procrastinating
2. Avoiders
They prefer to procrastinate as a means to avoid being judged. Whether it is a success or a failure
Tip: Success is a good thing and nothing to be ashamed of. Failure is a way to learn and improve. Focus on doing the best job you can and not on what others think.
3. Indecisive people
They are often perfectionists but procrastinate to shift responsibility from themselves
Tip: Not everything has to be perfect so try to take small risks and use your intuition. Mistakes may mean you learn something new. Try to split the task up into more manageable parts.
Need help setting new patterns and mindsets this year contact me. I can work with you virtually to help you become more productive and have time for the things that are important to you.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home, office, mind and time. She guides and supports you to be accountable for your time, to complete projects and to reach your goals. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
My guest blogger is Sophia Perry from Arizona Moving Professionals
Small homes can be tricky when you have many things you need to store. However, you may have more storage space than you realize. Maximizing your home’s storage space can be much easier than it seems at first. With minimal upgrades and these space-saving hacks, your small home will be transformed. Moreover, you won’t have to stress as much over the lack of space in your home. The final result will have your home looking bright and airy, which is something every homeowner strives for.
Use vertical space
In every small home, vertical space is the best way to store things. Vertical storage solutions are fantastic, as you will not have to sacrifice any floor space to gain additional room for storage. They are also some of the most affordable home upgrades you can make. Open wall shelves, door hangers, and bike racks for walls can save a lot of space in your small home. If you are looking to divide the space, use a divider that doubles as a shelving unit. This way, you’ll get to separate the areas and make them feel bigger. In addition to this, you will find the divider useful because it will be a great way to store things. You can also decorate it so that it ties the whole room together.
Utilize every corner of your home
If you find a way to use every corner of our home, you will have enough room for storage. Add built-in shelves for the narrow corner between closets to make the most out of the space. Fill it with smaller items such as books and decor. These will now have a designated area, making your room look much better. Underneath some beds is an empty space that can be used for storage. Simply packing things in bags and putting them underneath isn’t the way to go. You can easily organize this space and make it easy to use with roll-out drawers specifically designed for this space. This is a fantastic solution for extra pillows and linens you don’t have the space for in your closet. These things are easily accessible without ruining the room’s overall look.
Space-saving storage hacks for small kitchens
Cooking in a small kitchen can be annoying if it is cluttered. If you own an extensive collection of mugs and other dishes, you can display them to save space. Use vertical hangers for all of your fanciest cups so that they can be on display. You can use high-quality packing materials if you are relocating into a new, small home and don’t want them to get damaged. To keep your fragile items safe, let a reliable team handle transport for your next long-distance move from Toronto. In the kitchen, you can use your fine china as decor saving cupboard space for the things you use every day.
Open shelving is a great storage solution for narrow spaces. And in a small home, you want to use as much of it as possible. Closed storage solutions, like many cupboards, can make your kitchen feel smaller. But installing open shelving instead can be the right solution for this.
Furthermore, you can even use the ceiling to create more space in your kitchen. Hang the cooking utensils and pots you use the most above the kitchen counters or the kitchen island. They will now be easily accessible and simultaneously make more room in your cupboards and drawers.
Organize your closet in a smart way
You may be surprised to see how much room you can make in your closet with a little reorganization. By reorganizing a little bit, you will have more room for all your clothes. A shoe organizer for your door is great for smaller shoes, such as sandals and flip-flops. Moreover, it can be an excellent way to store accessories like belts and necklaces. To organize your shoe collection:
- Use a variety of shoe racks.
- Separate them if you can so they don’t get damaged by the weight of the other shoes.
- Use vacuum bags for seasonal clothes like winter jackets that you won’t have to use for a few months.
This way, you’ll save space and keep the things you use regularly at your fingertips.
Turn the stairs into a storage solution
Another smart way to make more storage space in your tiny home is to use your staircase as a storage solution. You can achieve this in several different ways. One way would be to turn each step into a drawer for storage. This excellent idea is great for smaller things and seasonal shoes. It can be beneficial because the staircase is usually close to the entry door. Another way is to maximize the space underneath the staircase by making a custom built-in closet or a set of drawers. This is the perfect place for storing your coats and sporting equipment. Now, your sporting equipment is easily accessible and stays hidden when not used. However, before you begin renovating your new home, experts from Centennial Moving advise you to declutter. You may need less space than you think at first.
Summing up these space-saving hacks
Even though your home may be small, that doesn’t mean you don’t have the storage room you need. By using smart, space-saving hacks for your home, you will have enough space for all of your things. These hacks and solutions will make your small home feel bigger and brighter in the process. In addition, if you ever run out of space, you can always use a storage unit for all your seasonal items. Finally, it’s all about combining various hacks and storage solutions to create a smart home that’s well-organized and clutter-free to suit your personality and lifestyle.
If Sophia missed anything add it to the comments.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home, office, mind and time. She guides and supports you to be accountable for your time, to complete projects and to reach your goals. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Click here to learn more about working with a Professional Organizer.
A lovely colleague sent me this first tip. Marie Mushing runs a networking group called People in Connection
1. Make the area a showcase
See what working with a professional organizer can do for you? Professional Organizers rub out junk. Where there was once chaos and huge piles of paper, is now a showcase. Thank you Julie! Replace the junk pile with something pretty as I did, then you won’t want to pile junk on that again. Great motivation to keep the filing done!
2. Prevent drop zones from forming
If you have an empty flat surface it sometimes calls to people, “to fill me with stuff.” To prevent that area from becoming cluttered, put a large object or two in that spot. It will make the area feel full and then you won’t drop things there. With only 2 larger objects, it is easy to pick them up and dust and clean them. If you use a number of smaller items it may make the area harder to clean.
3. Designate a paper collection spot
Assign a place to put papers that need to be read, filed, signed etc. Place a tray, lovely baskets, eye catching red container etc in a convenient location. Why red? Red is a high energy colour, it increases your heart rate, and your eye is drawn to red items. Using a red basket can help to make dealing with paperwork a high priority activity. Keeping paperwork consolidated in one spot makes it easier to find and work with. When paper is all over the office or house it becomes visual clutter, causing anxiety, the release of cortisol and you feel stress. Cut the visual clutter, collect the paper in one spot, and complete the tasks.
4. Avoid the L word – later
Piles of paper will continue to build up if you leave them for later. Later will never come. Schedule time to deal with paperwork: schedule time to read, file, and reply to paperwork that generates more work. Schedule these activities according to your level of energy at different times of the day. Scheduling reading after lunch at a low energy time of the day may not be productive but scheduling filing after lunch may be perfect because it gets you up and active. Scheduling time at the beginning of each day to concentrate on work generated by email, letters, and documents might work well when you are able to focus on single tasks. Remember not to multitask.
Schedule time for paperwork
If you’re interested in learning how colour can affect your productivity, this guide is free and you can find it here.
What tricks do you use to help you complete paperwork?
Related articles The truth about multitasking
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home, office, mind and time. She guides and supports you to be accountable for your time, to complete projects and to reach your goals. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
R – Read
A – Act
F – File
T- Toss
Paperwork, e-mail messages and electronic files can overwhelm you making you feel stressed and ineffective. Step one is to open your mail or email. Step 2 is to have a system to process it. If information has built up, look at the creation date on the document and decide if is the most recent version. If the document was replaced by a more current version toss or delete the old versions. If the document can be replicated, retrieved or is obsolete toss it, shred it or delete it.
As documents arrive, paper or electronic decide:
R – Needs to be read or referred to later
If it will be read or referred to another person, place it in a folder (electronic or paper) labelled as read. If the document is to be used by another person forward it to the correct person.
A – Needs to be processed
If the document requires:
- an action to be taken,
- a decision to be made,
- a response conveyed or
- has a deadline
place it in a folder marked Act. Financial documents should have their own folder separate from the Act folder.
F – Needs to be filed
If the documents are completed but must be retained, then they are filed. If it is an electronic document forward it to the correct folder. If it is a paper document place it in a file or basket for filing at a later date.
T – Toss – Needs to be disposed of
Documents that you:
- no longer need,
- have no financial implications,
- are out of date,
- junk mail or
- a copy can be obtained elsewhere
can be tossed, deleted, recycled or shredded.
All of your electronic communications and paperwork are now filed as:
- Read
- Act
- File or
- Tossed
and are ready to be handled at a later time. Schedule time in your agenda/calendar to read documents, complete any action needed on documents and file paperwork. This system helps you to:
- know where documents are if someone has questions,
- allows you to manage your time effectively by scheduling your paperwork at times when you will be uninterrupted and
- be able to quickly locate the papers/documents you need to complete a task.
Although much of your information is paperless there is still a substantial amount of paper to control. Have 3-5 stacking trays or a desktopper with folders. Label the folders/trays: to do, to read, to file, refer to other people, and miscellaneous forms. File the paper correctly and schedule a time to process each folder.
At the end of the day:
- Clean off your desk, leaving only papers you are going to process tomorrow in a stack on your desk.
- In your calendar record the files you need to process. Place e-mails/documents to be worked on in a folder marked with the day of the week they will be processed
- Check your to-do files (paper and electronic) for items that need to be completed the next day
- Sort all other papers and documents into their appropriate trays/ folders.
Share how you prevent emails and paperwork from drowning you.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home, office, mind and time. She guides and supports you to be accountable for your time, to complete projects and to reach your goals. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Just because something brought you joy in the past doesn’t mean you should carry it forever. The possessions you keep should represent the person you are trying to become, not the person you were. Keep this in mind when you start your decluttering journey. As you start to let go of things it will become easier and easier. Here are steps to help you on your path to finding your treasures.
Planning the space
1. Decide what the goal is for the room. Is it to have a:
- Beautiful compact space
- Functional workshop
- Sense of freedom and control
- The joy of financially exchanging stuff for new experiences and pleasures.
- Clear out a parent’s home
- Make things easier for the next generation
- Streamline your lifestyle
2. Decide what you want the room to look like and be used for. Draw a floor plan and make a list of activities that happen in that space. It will help you to know what to keep.
3. Decision criteria
Set up some questions to help you with your decision making. Here are some examples:
- How many of these do I have? How many is enough?
- Does the item fit in with my values?
- Is this item current?
- Is this item really valuable?
- Will owning this help to resolve my clutter?
- What is the worst thing that can happen if I don’t have it?
- Can I borrow it from somewhere?
- Does it bring me joy?
- Do I need it?
4. How much is enough?
Look around the room and decide what percentage of stuff you need to give away so everything will fit into the room. 25% 50% 75%?
5. If you don’t schedule it, it won’t get done.
Schedule time and work when you are not rushed. Do one area, room, box or even corner of a room depending on how much stuff you have to go through and your timeline.
6. Prepare the room for working.
You will need a series of boxes, bins, bags or containers. for garbage, recycling, donations, items to go to other rooms and items to return to people.
5 Methods for decluttering the room
I’m going to go through a number of ways to sort through your items and you can decide what method works best for you. At first, decluttering is easy because you find items that you know you don’t want and just haven’t given them away yet. Then it becomes more challenging. You must chip away at identifying which items are true treasures versus those you feel guilty about giving away. Remember to reduce by the percentage you choose in your planning.
1. Have a box
The simplest way to start is to keep a box in your closet and whenever you find something you don’t need put it into the box and you can start decluttering right away.
2. Skimming
- Go to a closet/cupboard and select the best items in each that category.
- Most cupboards/closets will have more than one category.
- For example, in a kitchen, the cupboard might have baking dishes, casserole dishes, muffin tins and loaf pans. Pick the best 1 or 2 of each of these 4 categories and donate the rest.
- Continue to open each cupboard and drawer skimming the contents and selecting 1 or 2 items from each category.
3. Sort then declutter
- Go clockwise around the room sorting items into groups by function
- Do the surfaces first and then the drawers and cupboards next
- When you are done, the garbage and recycling will be collected and removed from the room
- All the items in the room will be in groups
- Each room will have different categories/groups of items. Here are some examples, books, electronics, tools, dishes, home decor, games, clothing, photos etc
Look at one category/group and apply the questions and percentage you determined in the planning stage. Start removing items.
If that method doesn’t work for you and you are keeping everything, try a different method.
4. Grouping
Keep the Best of the Best. Instead of thinking about giving things away, it might be easier to consider keeping the best.
- After you have sorted the room make sure you are keeping the best one. You need to see all of the items in one group together and keep only as many as you need or the percentage you set in the planning stage, keep the best ones.
5. Triage
- Gather all your items from one category
- Pick up the first three and remove the one you like the least.
- Pick up 3 more and remove one again
- After you have gone through the category/group you will have decluttered by 1/3
If you are sentimental
- Try taking a picture of the items so you have the memory and let go of the item.
- Find a good home for the thing you are letting go of, they are still useful, just not to you anymore.
- “Shrink it”, only keep one item from a collection instead of the entire collection, you will still have the memory
- Ask yourself, what would be best, having a number of boxes with large quantities of unsorted keepsakes or a carefully assembled box of very precious treasures?
Decluttering is about having a mindset of letting go and having less. Once you experience the joy of being unburdened from cleaning, organizing, buying, and repairing stuff you don’t need, want, use or like you’ll wonder why you didn’t start sooner. Enjoy the journey.
Did I miss anything?
If you need help to start your decluttering project work with me virtually on zoom.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home, office, mind and time. She guides and supports you to be accountable for your time, to complete projects and to reach your goals. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Click here to learn more about working with a Professional Organizer.
Many people feel the only way to file paperwork is in a filing cabinet in filing folders. I like to say some people file horizontally using files and something to hold them. While other people use files and stack them vertically. Both types of people are doing the same thing in a different direction. Are you a filer (horizontal hanging files) or are you a piler ( vertically stacking files)? Learn about 5 ways you can keep your paperwork controlled.
1. Traditional Filing Cabinets
They come in many sizes and colours. Make sure to get one with drawer sliders so you can easily reach the back of each drawer. Some come with locks others do not. They can be vertical or horizontal. Horizontal cabinets provide a space to set things on, a printer, a plant etc. You can buy a stand that has wheels to set under the filing cabinet to make it easier to relocate.
2. Binders
Binders are a good solution for visual people. You can have them on a shelf and easily see all your files. The binders can be colour coded to make it simple to find the correct binder. Use dividers, pocket dividers or sheet protectors to file papers. Set up the categories you need: household bills, bank statements, warranties etc. Some binders also have a set of accordion files attached to the binder. Here is a review of this product.
3 Rolling Crates/ File Boxes on Wheels.
Use hanging folders and file folders. The advantage to this is you can take them to whatever room you want and the top is open so you can see the files easily. With the crates, you can stack them for easy storage.
Crates make your files portable
4. Expandable Files
Use one section for each category of paperwork. For example household bills, income tax, financial documents, insurance policies, warranties, etc. They are great to have one for each member of the family to store papers relating to them, report cards/school documents, immunization/health records, passport and other documents, certificates etc. You can also colour code these files.
Some come with special hooks so you can store them in a filing cabinet or crate.
5. Magazine holders
Magazine holders come in paper and plastic. They are available in many colours and patterns. Try to buy ones with solid sides so papers will not get caught and it can be hard to slide in. Use a holder for each category of paper you need to file. You can colour code your systems making it easier to quickly access the files you need. You can turn them so the spines are facing out, and label them, to reduce the visual clutter of seeing all the papers in each box.
What is your preferred method for filing paperwork? Tell me about your system.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home, office, mind and time. She guides and supports you to be accountable for your time, to complete projects and to reach your goals. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
I asked my colleagues from Professional Organizer in Canada (POC) to share a word or phrase they hear from their clients that causes them to pause. Some phrases will show a mindset of fear, procrastination or indecision making it difficult for you to be successful. My colleagues work in productivity coaching, virtual organizing, downsizing, moving and many other specialized areas to help you get organized. Use the POC directory to find a Professional Organizer who understands you.
Have you said or thought of any of these phrases?
Darlene Tripp owner of Hello Darlene
‘Overwhelmed‘. When they say I am feeling overwhelmed during the session I know it is time for a break or to step away or to even end the session potentially. Sometimes there are triggers or other things that happen and it is so important for them to be in the right frame of mind most importantly!
Laura Kay owner of Toronto Home Organizing
For Now”. As in, “I’ll put this here for now”. This is a stall/indecisive tactic to avoid making a commitment immediately. I’ve always attempted a stop gap when they say that and get them to reconsider.
Kim Diamond owner of Clufferfly Inc.
I hear the word “later” a lot. Clients postpone decisions about their stuff. Maybe they are feeling overwhelmed or it’s a sensitive topic. It needs to be explored or worked through in order to understand the issues about their stuff. As they say, clutter is just postponed discussions.
Adele Lapointe owner of Chaos to Clarity
“I can’t deal with that right now”. As Professional Organizers, we can’t assume we know the reason and we need to find out why. Everyone’s why can be different. For example, it might be a sentimental object that brings back memories good or bad.
Julie Stobbe owner of Mind over Clutter
“Procrastinator” Clients will say I am a procrastinator. When I hear this we pause and talk about how procrastination is affecting their ability to have the home they want to have. Understanding that you are a procrastinator is good. It is not an excuse or reason you can use for putting off doing tasks or telling me why you can’t get things done. It means you need to develop systems to help you stop procrastinating.
Sara Novak owner of Rainbow Home Organizing
“No”. It was a packing/unpacking/organizing job and even though I thought she “should” discard several packs of near-empty expired spices, of which there were duplicates, I respected her wish and didn’t try to convince her otherwise. Getting to know my client’s limits is vital for a good working relationship.
Corrie Goldfinger owner of One Space at a Time Professional Organizing.
“Yes, but…”. I don’t believe this means the client will be unsuccessful, but rather that they may be struggling with change from the way they have always done things. Even when things haven’t been working for them, there can still be something comforting about having sameness in one’s environment. I typically encourage trying an experiment to try something new in these situations, with the option of knowing it can be changed again if it doesn’t work out.
Kerith Paterson owner of Visual Girl Home Therapy
“For now”… as in “I will just put it here for now”. This is an indicator that the item will not be put away where it belongs, and the commitment to do so isn’t there yet. Before the client realizes it, their home will be full of “for now” items (aka clutter). I always (gently) call out my clients on this, and find out when, where and how that item is used in their day-to-day life – and find it a home.
Marie Potter owner of Marie Potter
“What you need in the future” When decluttering clothes a client said due to Covid he doesn’t wear suits much anymore so was difficult to know in the future if they were needed. We did declutter but that unknown made it difficult. Www. Marie potter.ca
Heidi Kachel Professional Organizer at Harmonious Spaces.
“Should” – I ask my clients to stop saying this word. It implies guilt, stress or pressure.
Catherine Barnsley owner of Valley Home Transitions
“I’m a hoarder, and can’t get rid of anything.” That’s more than a word, Julie! Misuse of the word “hoarder” is not helpful if it’s used inappropriately. If someone really can be psychologically diagnosed as a hoarder, that’s another issue and a place for conversation. Are you the right person to be helping them?
Sally Pritchard owner of Organize my Nest
“Sentimental” as in “I can’t let that go it’s sentimental”. I like having discussions with my clients about what that means and how to think differently.
We love listening to and helping our clients to be able to make decisions, declutter and get organized. Share some other phrases or words that stop you from getting organized.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home, office, mind and time. She guides and supports you to be accountable for your time, to complete projects and reach your goals. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
