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Over 8 weeks the quick declutter challenge has encouraged you to declutter your cosmetics, bedrooms, dining room, livingroom, office, clothing and holiday decorations. You can complete the challenges in any order and at any time. Schedule 15 minutes a day and start decluttering your home. The challenge is finishing with the most important declutter – your mind.
What’s on your mind?
One of the ways to realize how much is on your mind is to do a brain dump. Take a piece of paper/open a document and write down everything you need to do, everything you are responsible for and upcoming events. The list might contain:
Household chores – groceries, meal planning, making lunches, cleaning, laundry, lawn care, car care, house maintenance.
Your schedule – working hours, exercise time, picking up and dropping off children, meetings, social events, medical appointments, dental appointments
Yearly events – birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, vacations, visiting/hosting family events, graduations
Work schedule – travel, meetings, presentations, office hours, networking
Family’s schedule – homework help, music lessons/practice, chores to complete, picking up/dropping off children, bedtime routines, fun times, taking care of parents
Make your list and then sort it by what happens daily, weekly, monthly and yearly. Once you transfer all these thoughts to a document it will help to declutter your brain. You can plan for each week, month and year and not get overwhelmed by forgetting things, trying to remember everything or planning too many activities at one time. With all the regular tasks organized you have room in your mind for dreams, goals and aspirations. You can soar.
Expectations
There are 2 types of expectations. The ones you put on yourself and the ones you think others are setting for you. No one is perfect. Set realistic expectations that you can achieve. You have a limited amount of time and energy. Decide how you want to use it. Hire help for tasks you can’t do, delegate tasks to others, and decide what tasks are best for you.
Enjoy decluttering your mind
If you need help with time management book a virtual appointment with me. 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 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
For the next couple of months, I am going to challenge you to declutter quickly. Too often you can get stuck in the decluttering step and give up. I want you to declutter quickly so you see progress immediately. Decluttering and organizing is not something you do once and it is over. Sorry to break the bad news to you. It is an ongoing process. Learning how to declutter quickly makes light work staying organized. You do a little bit every day and soon it is much better. Don’t get stuck in the perfection wheel. That is where you keep working on one area making it better and better after it is decluttered and functional, while other areas that need help get worse.
Here is the first challenge for you. If you need help, book a series of mini sessions with me to help you declutter quickly.
Here is some information about the expiry dates for cosmetics.
In the comments let me know what was hiding in your cosmetics area that surprised 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
Sarah Buckwalter
Certified Professional Organizer®, Sarah Buckwalter, has over 17 years of experience running an award-winning organizing business, Organizing Boston. With a desire to help everyone get organized, Sarah developed Organizing U. Organizing U offers a professional organizer directory, online courses and virtual organizing programs to help people live more organized lives. Organizing U also offers training programs for Professional Organizers.
Virtual organizing is a new field for the Professional Organizing industry in Canada. How well established is virtual organizing in the United States?
Virtual Organizing is a new field in the US as well. While there are a handful of organizers who are offering virtual organizing in the US, many are just learning about it and starting to explore it.
Virtual organizing will be the perfect solution for some people but not for others. Who do you think benefits from virtual organizing as compared to working with a professional organizer in person?
The people who get the most benefit out of virtual organizing are those who are able to do the physical work themselves, but just need (or want) the direction and expertise of a professional. Virtual organizing is great for those who need some accountability while they work through their organizing project. If someone is unwilling or unable to do the work themselves then they will not benefit from virtual organizing.
When you are communicating with your virtual clients do you like to use the telephone or some other technology? Which technologies have you found to work well for communicating with your clients?
I prefer to use video because you can see the space first hand. I think it allows you to achieve a greater connection with the client because it feels as though you are there with them. I find Skype and FaceTime to be the best platforms. Skype works on any device, so that would be my first choice.
When a client has hired you to work with them, what are your next steps in helping that client become organized?
My first step is always to create an organizing plan with the client. This helps outline the scope of the project for the client and is great to be able to refer to as we go to gauge progress and help us stay on track. The next step is to set up a regular meeting schedule to see the process through. Then, we get started and work through the plan.
In all organizing jobs, some clients are more successful with organizing and other clients continue to struggle. What tips do you have to make your clients’ organizing projects a success?
1. Have a written plan. It helps the client through the process to be able to check things off as they go.
2. I have a signature process that I apply to every organizing project. I find that organizing is more effective if clients can follow specific steps and apply the same process to each space.
3. Keep a consistent schedule. Don’t end the session without scheduling and creating a plan for the next session.
4. Go above and beyond. Clients will respond well to your extra efforts.
If you feel virtual organizing is something you would like to try, contact Mind over Clutter and discuss it with Julie.
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
