In my house, the dust bunnies are as big as cats! Ok, maybe not that big but seriously, I am overrun with dust bunnies. He doesn’t know it, but my husband and I are playing chicken to see who will cave and get the vacuum out first. After 13 days he did... Read more
Often people are overwhelmed by their homes after years of living and growing as a family. This spring I worked with a woman named Carrie who was an emptynester with a big house and 4 pedigree spaniels... Read more
As a professional organizer, you would assume that I am passionate about organizing. I am not -- being with other people and helping them sort out their stuff, gives me the opportunity to hear the stories behind their stuff... Read more
I go through this every month “Clean up, company’s coming!” I run around the house in a panic, picking up all my projects, spending hours just putting away my stuff before I can clean the house or my husband can clean it (whose fault it is anyway, for inviting people over!) What’s the matter with him?! What’s the matter with him?! Every month, my husband invites people over for wine and cheese. Although I am a professional—I am like most of you and my house is not always perfectly organized. Read more
Do one hard thing every day. Some days that may just mean getting up from the couch without using your arms! Other days you may be ready for a bigger challenge, something you may define as “hard” like cleaning out a closet or weeding out your filing cabinet. Researcher Angela Duckworth writes about this in her book, Grit. Her research reveals that “that the secret to outstanding achievement is not talent, but a special blend of passion and persistence.“ Read more
Memorabilia connects you to the past. If you have no direct connection to the object in question, then it becomes meaningless. Most people keep memorabilia from their parents, their childhood, and their children. How much do you keep, for how long, and then where does it go? Read more
Anything worth doing, is worth doing badly—at least to start. As a recovering perfectionist, I have learned to get started on a project, even if I don’t have all the pieces together. Sometimes just puttering, tinkering or moving the parts around will help me sort out my brain enough to give me an idea of how to tackle a project. Read more
Dear friends, this month I just lost it: I was disorganized. Because of graduations, happy family events and the like, I was not able to devote myself to writing for you on a regular basis. Read more
Who says paperwork is not sexy?! This week, I was so impressed (and even charmed) by the paperwork and systems of a couple clients. I was even a little envious. When you keep things simple, it’s much easier to keep them organized. Envy is a signal for something that I want. I became a professional organizer because of envy, but that’s a story for another time. Read more
"The older I get, the more I become like my mother," I used to say. Now I say, "The older I get, the more I get like my clients!" I don’t know if it’s the Stockholm syndrome or the nature of the work that I do that allows me to see things from the client’s [...]