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10 Quick Tips to Get Organized
Remember to donate items to charity and not put them in the garbage.
1. Set aside a specific time and stick to your plan. Schedule blocks of time from 15 minutes to two hours until the project is done.
2. Set the mood to keep your spirits up.
3. Take care of your body by eating well and drinking and drinking lots of water.
4. Start small, one area at a time, “inch by inch things are a cinch”
5. Put items in their proper place, like with like.
6. Stay focused, work in one area at a time and don’t leave the room.
7. Open mail daily.
8. File papers weekly.
9. Put new things away the day you receive them.
10. Purchase things only if you know what you will use it for and where you are going to put it.
Schedule blocks of time from 15 minutes to two hours until your organizing project is done. Share on X
Need some more tips download the booklet Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms ( top right corner)and join my newsletter list.
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 enjoys working with her clients to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She reduces clutter, streamlines processes and manages time to help her clients be more effective in reaching their goals. Julie can coach you to break-free of the physical or 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
What are the causes of hoarding disorder?
Pile of misc items stored in an unorganized fashion in a room
Here is a good article on hoarding. Why do people like to live with so much stuff? There is no one easy answer. Some people feel it is part of a mental wellness issue and hoarding has been added to The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Others feel it is a learned trait because they see it in families. Since people notice hoarding running in families they think it is a genetic trait. A person with a hoarding disorder once said to me, when the place was decluttered,” It feels like all my friends are gone.” Applying feelings of love and security to inanimate objects may also account for keeping stuff.
What is hoarding disorder?
Hoarding is not about being messy. Hoarding disorder is a persistent difficulty in discarding or parting with possessions because of a perceived need to save them. A person with hoarding disorder experiences distress at the thought of getting rid of the items regardless of the actual value of the items. Rooms and spaces become so cluttered that they cannot be used for their intended purpose. A person with a hoarding disorder won’t be able to sit at their table to eat, might not be able to sleep in their bed, may not be able to sit on their couch etc because they are filled with stuff. Hoarding disorder is a very complex issue. Seek out information and help to guide you through the process of letting go of things.
Hoarding disorder is not about being messy. Hoarding disorder is a persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions because of a perceived need to save them Share on XWhere can I find some information?
You can download a Clutter Hoarding Scale from the Institute of Challenging Disorganization site (ICD). This association has many resources that the public can access. Go to https://www.challengingdisorganization.org/ Here is another link to the article http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/conditions/hoarding-living-with-the-overwhelming-need-for-stuff/article4395448
If you find yourself in this situation please contact me at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
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 enjoys working with her clients to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She reduces clutter, streamlines processes and manages time to help her clients be more effective in reaching their goals. Julie can coach you to break-free of the physical or emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Let go of the anxiety over missing information
Are you a digital hoarder?
Some people feel very anxious about missing some important news or information. They will save all kinds of articles, websites, reviews, newspapers etc. With digitizing information becoming so quick and easy now, many people are putting everything into their laptops, Dropbox, and cloud storage. Before you continue to save everything sort through it and keep what you need and love so you will be able to find it again on your device. If you have 11000 photos will you be able to share the one you want to find without becoming overwhelmed and frustrated? If you keep everything you will not be able to locate the information you want. Once again you will feel anxious. It started well worrying about missing out on information and it ends up with so much information it is useless. The anxiety is still there.
Read it and delete it
It is ok to forget things, in the past, you only remembered a few things that were important to you. Most things were forgotten.
File it so you can find it.
Make folders, files or date tabs so you can find things that you store. Delete duplicate and out of focus photos and file the best photos with a name on the picture. Use meaningful file names to help you set limits on the types of material you will store. Avoid file names like, to read, someday, when I have time, next month.
When it becomes obsolete delete it.
Your interests change, jobs change, where you live changes and the information you have collected is no longer relevant or of interest to you. You can search your files to find that type of information but that may take too much time, when you come across files that no longer interest you, delete them. It is ok. You are changing and growing and you are moving away from past interests. There are a lot more interesting things in your current life, you can let go of the 10 year old information holding you in the past and taking up your time. Look to the present and keep moving forward.
Avoid the temptation to save
Melinda Beck writes in the Wall Street Journal, “Nobody knows how many Americans have digital-hoarding issues … but the proliferation of devices, the explosion of information and the abundance of cheap storage have made it all too tempting for some people to amass emails, text messages, Word documents, Web pages, digital photos, computer games, music files, movies, home videos and entire TV seasons than they can ever use or keep track of.”
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
Organizing Challenges Unraveled – Storage Solutions
On the People in Connection Internet TV show, I discussed Organizing Challenges Unraveled – Storage Solutions. When you are short of storage space in a specific area, there are many products on the market that can give you more.
Over the Door Hanging Products
There are a number of over the door hanging products found in stores such as Walmart and Canadian Tire. There are over the door hooks to use for hanging coats, clothes, towels, purses, and belts as well as over the door rings for hanging tea towels, hand towels and paper towels. There also is a great product that has 5 pockets /shelves that are about 6” deep, which could hold shoes, office supplies or laundry supplies. Using over the door hanging products makes installation easy and quick and you don’t need to put holes in your walls.
Magnetic Products
There are magnetic products that can be used to make storage space on metal appliances such as your refrigerator, filing cabinet or washing machine. One is a rack with 3 slots to hold papers, magazines etc and a filing pocket to hold file folders. They are available at office supply stores like Staples.
Unused / Hidden Spaces
There are unlikely places in the home that can be turned into great storage areas. Under the staircase can be lined with cedar to become a storage area for clothes or bedding. It can be fitted with a bar to hang clothes or shelves for storing containers.
Furniture with Storage
Using pieces of furniture is a great way to make additional storage spaces. A simple chest of drawers can be used in an entranceway to store hats, mitts, pets’ leashes, keys etc. An antique dining room buffet with drawers can be used to store CDs and DVDs. Two-drawer filing cabinets can be used as a night table in a child’s bedroom holding books and toys and later used for school work as the child matures.
Nebel Foldable 15″ Tufted Square Storage Ottoman
When you need to make space to store items think outside the box, many spaces can be used to creatively and attractively store the things you need and love.
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
As a Professional Organizer, I hear comments from clients that suggest they will not succeed at getting organized. When I hear these words and phrases I try to coach my clients through the feelings that are represented in their words and help them to overcome their internal conflicts.
I asked my colleagues from Professional Organizers in Canada to share words that set off alarm bells in their brains, make them take a step back and have a discussion with their clients to help them become successful.
Janet Barclay, Organized Assistant from Hamilton, ON phrase is:
Someone else will deal with it. – Success in an organizing project occurs when the person is willing to take ownership of the task and decisions that need to be made.
April Miller, April Miller Professional Organizing, from St John, NL word is:
Purge – This word has negative connotations related to eating disorders so sometimes this word is replaced with edit, let go, reduce and part with. How a person thinks and feels about their stuff affects their ability to make good decisions.
Natasha Solvason, Home Free Organizing Solutions, Saskatoon, SK phrase is:
For now, “I’ll put this here for now” – In an organizing task, many decisions need to be made and putting off decisions delays getting the job completed. The more decisions a person makes the better they get at making decisions.
Michelle Wright, Wide Open Spaces Farm Cleanups, Smokey Lake, AB phrase is:
“It doesn’t bother me but my (kids, spouse, mother) thinks I should get organized” – It needs to be the goal of the person to get organized, not someone else’s, because the person will not be motivated to get the job done. Helping people to set SMART goals helps them to be successful.
Set goals that you can attain
Karen McIntosh Murdock, Your Organized Friend, Saint Albert, AB word is:
“But,” – Anytime a reply starts with this word you know that a problem is going to be suggested for the solution that is recommended. This sometimes highlights that the person is not interested in getting organized and is preventing themselves from being successful by discounting ideas.
Ida Tetlock, Smart Organizing , Orangeville, ON word is :
“Ready” – Many conversations I have with people result in comments such as…. “Oh, I really need to get your help when I’m READY to organize” or “I could really use your help, but I’m just not READY to tackle this yet”. It can be an excuse to delay starting instead of dealing with an underlying fear.
Carolyn Caldwell, Caldwell Evolutions Inc., Toronto, ON word is:
“Should” -Translate: someone sitting on my shoulder whispering in my ear that what I’m not doing they think I ought to be doing. Replace with “Could”: the language of potential
Erika Bookbinder, In the clear Organizing, Toronto, ON word is:
“Just” – as in “I’ll just leave it here for now”. Whenever the word “just” is inserted into a sentence, it usually means that the person is doing something they shouldn’t (I tell this to my kids all the time!)
Shawn Ferguson, Everything Organized, Kamloops BC words are:
Can’t, overwhelming – These words identify a situation where a client is lacking self-confidence in their skills or knowledge about getting organized. Fortunately with some reassurance clients can begin to gain knowledge and success.
Alison Lush, Alison Lush Certified Professional Organizer, Montreal QC word is:
Should – When clients think they should be doing something, they may not want to do it, they may not want to do it that way, or they may lack the motivation to do it.
Melody Oshiro, Organize to Optimize Nanaimo, BC phrase is:
“I don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings” – Fear is a big deterrent in getting organized. People can be worried that their decisions may cause problems. Gaining confidence in decision making makes a person successful at organizing.
In the comment section tell me what words or phrases you have heard people use that stop them from getting organized.
Join my Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
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 physical activity to reduce clutter, in your home and office. She guides and supports you in managing your time. 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
Clutter is different for everyone but most people have some clutter in their lives. There are many reason why it can be hard to let go of things. Let’s look at 4 scenarios.
Scenario 1: Fear
Perhaps it is fear that causes you to hold onto things
- What if I need it someday – fear of scarcity
- I’ll keep it just in case – fear of uncertainly and doubt
- I can’t give that away it was a gift – fear of rejection
- I can’t decide so I’ll keep it and what if it is worth something someday – fear of making mistakes
In an article by Hellen Buttigieg, she talks about Steps to eliminate your fears and conquer the clutter
- As you sort through your items notice the thoughts that come up and begin to acknowledge them, say okay now you’ve got my attention.
- Notice where you feel the fear in your body, stomach, chest headache?
- Analyze the fear and try to understand where it’s coming from then thank it and move on
- Replace fear with trust
- What if I need it someday replace it with all my needs are abundantly supplied
- I’ll keep it just in case – replace it with what are the odds I’ll ever need to replace it?
- I can’t give that away it was a gift – replace it with my real friends always love and support me
- I can’t decide so I’ll just keep it – replace it with I’ll make a decision and trust that everything will be okay
- What if it’s worth something someday – replace it with it will never be more valuable than joy, health, friendships etc
Scenario 2: Sentimentality
I have clients who if they touch an object they will automatically keep it, so I hold up the object and don’t let them touch it when they are deciding to keep it or give it away. Other clients need to touch an item before they can donate it, it is like saying goodbye to it.
The sentimentality we feel towards an object can be associated with:
- Someone you loved gave it to you or
- Someone you once loved used or
- The object is associated with a time when you were happy. ( memorabilia)
Being able to separate an object from a person or event can be difficult. Learning that you can still have the memory and the corresponding feeling without having the object will help you to be able to let go of items.
Scenario 3: Control / Personality
Clients will hire me and want me to do their plans. As I work with them and make a few suggestions about alternative ways to organize things generally they say no and then at our next appointment they usually say I thought about your idea, let’s try it.
Control
- People want to have control over their decisions and environment. Avoiding power struggles over decisions about what stays and what goes makes decluttering easier.
Scenario 4: The cost of getting rid of stuff
I have clients who want to make lots of money selling their stuff. Sometimes it is possible and sometimes it isn’t. They will hold onto stuff for garage sales, to put on Kijiji or EBay. Sometimes they hold onto it for so long that it has lost its value. They think, “I paid good money for it.”
PSSST: The money is already spent…..
Just because it was costly to purchase does not mean that it’s valuable today! Items change in value. What’s important is whether you are using what you have now or, if what you have is distracting you from the lifestyle you want. If you are not loving, using and enjoying your things, reconsider their ‘value’.
The important thing is to discover what reasons make it hard for you to let go of things and change those mindsets.
There are 3 things that are true
- We all have too much stuff
- It is hard to let go of our own stuff
- One day we will part with our stuff.
Join my Facebook Group Organizing Mind and Space
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She enjoys working with her clients to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She reduces clutter, streamlines processes and manages time to help her clients be more effective in reaching their goals. 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
Make your home perfect for you.
This 6 minute video is a great look at our society and our relationship with “stuff”. It is easy to collect “stuff” but it is hard to know how to get rid of things.
http://www.uctv.tv/shows/Stuff-A-Cluttered-Life-Middle-Class-Abundance-Ep-1-24699
Need help simplifying your life and home contact Mind over Clutter to work with you virtually to help you meet your goals.
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 the Professional Organizers in Canada Cyber Chapter to send me their favourite organizing tips. This is what they said.
Patti Schneider from Time to Organize Coach™ in Huntsville, Ontario tells us :
- Don’t organize anything without tossing, recycling and donating first!
April Miller owner of April Miller Professional Organizing in St John`s Newfoundland shared:
- To ensure better maintenance: Organize according to what works for you, not according to someone else’s system.
Elana Kleinman owner of EK Organizing in Toronto, Ontario
- For maintenance, do a 5-10 minute scan of your home before bed and return everything to its assigned home. This prevents end-of-week (month?) organizing marathons:)
Ruth Beattie-Ostrom of HOME, Hard Organizing Made Easy from Parry Sound, Ontario shared:
- A fun tip to involve children to help maintain the house: set the timer for 15 min and everyone (including mom) puts items back in their place.
Kym McFadden owns Space-Ese-Solutions Inc in Burlington, Ontario.
- If you don’t use it, lose it. Recycle, donate or toss it in the garbage. I generally tell clients for clothing wear it within 6 months and all other items use it within 6-12 months or out it goes. Then go have fun! If it is close to bedtime read books together.
Nathalie Bureau owner of Nathalie Bureau L’Art de l’Organisation/Organized Living from Saint Boniface, Quebec tells us:
- Using the space vertically is one of my best tips
- Sort food packages in a drawer using hand made separators or dividers.
Adele Lapointe of Chaos to Clarity from Burlington, Ontario simply said:
- Like with like
Karen McIntosh Murdock, Your Organized Friend in Edmonton, Alberta
- If grieving clients are having trouble releasing sentimental belongings I recommend that we take photos of the items, write down the stories surrounding the item and make them into a photobook.
Bev Chandler owner of C & C Organizing from Regina, Saskatchewan shared:
- Keep the things you use the most, close at hand.
Adriana Romkes from Dundas, Ontario tell us:
- Less is more
My tip, Julie Stobbe owner of Mind over Clutter in Beamsville, Ontario
- If you are having trouble letting go of things figure out if it is because you are clinging to the past or fear the future. Once you solve that mystery it will be easier to part with unused items.
Share your favourite organizing tip with me in the comment box.
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 and office. She guides and supports you in managing your time. 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
Author Sandra Felton
Sandra Felton, the organizer lady, is the author of this very practical book to help people bring order to their life. The book helps people to “reach their organizational goals in the simplest way possible. This is why I recommend the book. The book is full of people’s stories, quizzes, tips and practical solutions to suit a variety of personalities.
She focuses on planning. I recently tweeted “hope is not a plan”. She outlines how to develop a plan that is right for the person, how to work with the plan getting each space in the house organized and how to live with the plan and maintain the new organized life.
Here are some of the tips that appear in her book.
Bathroom
If a bathroom is shared by several children and is cluttered with their things, get them their own coloured basket for toiletries. Each child can take it back and forth to the bedroom leaving the bathroom clear.
Garage
Use the walls to hang up smaller items you need more often. Put up a peg board in the garage and use S- hooks to hang up gardening equipment, tools and sports equipment.
Laundry Routine
If you do laundry for a number of people, refuse to wash unpaired socks. Insist that everyone pins each pair of socks together with a sturdy safety pin or those little plastic circles into which some sock pairs will slip. If they aren’t paired you won’t wash them. Now no more pairing socks. Another good idea is to colour code socks. Buy a different colour band or sock for each individual and let him or her match their socks.
Sandra Felton encourages,” spending less time and energy on the mechanics of living and giving more time for more significant pursuits.” Her books help people to be successful at this.
If you need help getting organized book a complimentary 30 minute chat with me on Zoom.
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 physical activity to reduce clutter, in your home and office. She guides and supports you in managing your time. 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
Reading time – 3 minutes
This is the name of a book that can help people with ADD to get organized. It can also help other people to understand how they can assist someone with ADD to get organized. The person without ADD acts as a coach.
ADD Friendly ways to Organize your Life
The book mentions:
- Stop coaches – help to determine when the task is finished
- Decision Coaches – someone who can help to clarify thoughts and feelings by asking questions
- Priority coaches – talk things over to help make things clearer
There are chapters on:
- different approaches to organizing,
- thing organizing,
- time organizing and
- paper organizing.
Each chapter suggests strategies and processes for a person with ADD to try. Then the chapter continues and explains how a coach, friend or family member can assist. The last part of the chapter explains how a Professional Organizer would work with the client.
Easy to Use
The book is written and formatted so it is easy for a person with ADD to use. The sections are short. There are circles and boxes, headings and bullet points and a review section at the end of each chapter. Judith Kolberg, a Professional Organizer and Kathleen Nadeau, a Psychologist have collaborated to create a book full of strategies that work.
Share with us
What has been a helpful resource for learning about organizing skills?
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 physical activity to reduce clutter, in your home and office. She guides and supports you in managing your time. 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
