2010 Word of Year: Inspiration

As January is coming to a close, I wonder how many of you created a list of New Year's Resolutions and, if so, have already failed to adhere to those resolutions?

A couple of years ago, I read about Christine Kane's idea of picking a theme for the year instead of a making list of resolutions. She suggests that, by choosing a Word of the Year instead of making a long list of resolutions, we can be more focused and deliberate in our intentions and actions throughout the year.

In 2009, my Word of the Year was "Courage," and I found many opportunities for courage to express itself. For example, I pursued genetic testing for the BRCA gene, a genetic defect found in many breast cancer patients like myself. Luckily, the outcome of the test was that I did not have the BRCA defect. Had the BRCA been present, I had resolved to pursue some pretty radical surgeries to decrease the likelihood of any cancer returning. Because I found the courage to take the test and face the results, I can now rest easier knowing that, with each passing year, my chances of long-term survival just keep growing.

I also had to tap into my courage when, after completing my life coaching training in the summer of 2009, I began the development of a coaching practice for other cancer survivors. Prior to my coaching training, I would have hesitated in serving this population because of a previous fear that surrounding myself with cancer survivors may attract more cancer into my life. I have since faced that fear and moved beyond it. For me, courage and the overwhelming desire to bring joy into the lives of other survivors trumped any fears I had.

Additionally, I faced a temporary fear of lack in 2009 when I firstsigned up for Christine Kane's Uplevel Your Business program. But once the program started and I began to learn valuable lessons in business development, I quickly realized that this investment in myself and my business would pay off and increase my prosperity. I enjoyed the experience so much that I have signed on for Christine's Uplevel Your Success program in 2010.

This year, my Word of the Year is "inspiration". I hope to both inspire and be inspired throughout 2010. In my organizing business I want to inspire my clients to take bold steps in order to reclaim their space and time. I also aspire to set a good example by living my life with more focus and purpose. I hope this, in turn, will inspire both my organizing and life coaching clients to do the same.

For 2010, Christine Kane has put together a great little free download called "Your Word of the Year Discovery Tool". Click on this link to see a video of her describing the value of the tool and the process. I invite you to download this tool and complete the exercises.

Once you've decided upon your Word of the Year, I'd love to hear what you'll be focusing on improving in 2010!

De-Stress the Holidays

Remember when you were ten years old and the holidays were exciting and FUN? I loved the decorations, the smell of the Christmas tree in the house, the family feasts, and the possibility of getting of tons-o-toys.

But as the years sped by, the holidays became less merry and more stressful . For several years, I even dreaded December a little because of the upheaval the season brought to my schedule, my bank account, and my waistline.

Hmmm, interesting that a few years ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer just two days before Christmas, no? Maybe there is something to that "stress causes illness" theory. Well, after beating cancer, I decided to stop the madness, simplify things, and make some changes that would help bring some sanity back to my holiday season. Here's what I've done over the years:

1. I stopped decorating the house if I wasn't in the mood or didn't have time to do it. This has resulted in me pulling out our cute little aluminum tree and retro decorations about every other year. Though he enjoys it when I decorate, my husband has ZERO interest in helping me decorate, so I only do it if and when the mood strikes me. I find I can just as easily be filled with the holiday spirit by enjoying everyone else's decorations.

2. My circle of fabulous girlfriends and I decided to stop buying one another Christmas gifts since we all live in relatively small houses, and we all have most everything we need. Instead, we just enjoy getting together at the Christmas party that one of the gals throws every year. This has saved all of us a boatload of money, time, and space.

3. Speaking of parties, I stopped saying yes to every single social invitation that comes up. By protecting my personal/sweetie time during these weeks, I find that I'm more relaxed, centered, and rejuvenated.

4. I try REALLY hard to eat more veggies, drink more water, exercise more regularly, and only nibble on all of the yummy treats that pop up all season long. I'm never going to "just say no" to holiday goodies. But I do try to minimize the damage but nibbling instead of gobbling. I also have found that I feel a heck of a lot better if I limit my party libations to just one adult beverage.

5. I focus on the positive things in my life like my good health, my supportive family, my wonderful friends, my sweet little dog Ruby Pearl, and my growing businesses. I also start brainstorming, planning, and visualizing for prosperity in the following year.

6. I make sure I set aside some time and money to give back either in my neighborhood or by volunteering through my business. It's true that when we give, we truly receive.

What have you done to de-stress this holiday season?

Getting It All Done Before Christmas

We are only about a month away from Christmas which means it's time to get busy and develop your plan of action so that none of your holiday tasks slip through the cracks.

I've put together a very detailed checklist that I am happy to forward to you. Email me at suellen@creativeorder.com for your copy. But to get you started, here are some ideas for gift-buying that'll have you hitting the ground running on Black Friday.

• Make a budget and gift list. First decide how much you want to spend. Then make your list of people to buy for, giving each a spending range. An excel spreadsheet is a great place to do this because you can move people around in spending ranges while still keeping an eye on the budget.
  

• Make wish lists. According to a recent Consumer Reports survey, 36% of adults said that they are going to re-gift (giving a gift that you received to someone else) this year. To ensure that your gift won't end up in the re-gift pile, encourage your friends and family to start wish lists on their favorite sites such as www.Amazon.com and www.Target.com. While you're at it, start your own wish lists

• To reduce potential household clutter, give consumable gifts such as tasty homemade goodies, a nice bottle of wine, or a gift certificate to a local restaurant. And for your friend with a green thumb, give houseplants or plants that can be transplanted into to the gardener's yard when the weather warms up.

• The greenest gift of all is the gift of your time, money and generosity to those in need. Instead of a huge family gift exchange, consider pooling your gift money and contributing to a charity such as www.heifer.org which provides impoverished people with animals such as goats, chickens, and cows that can produce ongoing food and income for the family.
  

For my detailed holiday checklist that will keep you on track with your holiday to-dos, email me at suellen@creativeorder.com. The list includes everything from gift buying to setting the holiday table.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Where Hoarders Can Go For Help

There has recently been a spotlight directed on a dirty little secret hidden behind closed doors. With the popularity of the A&E television show "Hoarders" and The Oprah Winfrey Show's episodes on hoarding, the general public is seeing a phenomenon that professional organizers have long been familiar with: Compulsive Hoarding.

According to the Institute of Living, a mental health facility based in Connecticut that has a program specifically for hoarders, "compulsive hoarding is a common and potentially disabling problem, characterized by the accumulation of excessive clutter to the point that parts of one's home can no longer be used for their intended purpose."

If you have seen some of the hoarding episodes I referenced above, that's putting it mildly. In many cases, the homes of hoarders have become so congested that the hoarders are at risk of losing their children, their pets and even being evicted from what sometimes becomes condemned property.

Contrary to what some people assume, hoarders are not "lazy" or "just messy." The hoarding disorder affects up to 2 million people in the United States and is often accompanied by mental health issues such as ADD, ADHD, chronic disorganization, and obsessive-compulsive disorder to name a few.

While my company, Creative Order, only takes on mild hoarding cases (find the NSGCD clutter hoarding scale here), I have seen almost all ends of the hoarding spectrum. In the more extreme hoarding cases, it is more appropriate for me to refer these clients to professional organizers who have had very specific training on hoarding and chronic disorganization from the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization (NSGCD).

Here are some sources of help for hoarders and their loved ones:

HELP WITH HOARDING

• National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization- www.nsgcd.org. Find a clutter hoarding scale, a list of organizers who are hoarding experts and have been certified by NSGCD, and answers to lots of frequently asked questions about hoarding
  
• National Association of Professional Organizers. www.napo.net. Find a professional organizer in your ZIP code range. Hoarders should be sure to check the Hoarding box under the Special Populations category when doing your search.
  
• Hartford Hospital's Institute of Living Anxiety Disorders Center. www.harthosp.org/InstituteOfLiving/. Find information about the mental disorders that are often associated with compulsive hoarding along with a quick online self-assessment.
  

SUPPORT GROUPS

• Online Self-Help Support Groups for OCD Hoarders. www.ocfoundation.org
• Children of Hoarders. www.childrenofhoarders.com
• Squalor Survivors. www.squalorsurvivors.com
  

BOOKS

• Buried in Treasures: Help for Compulsive Acquiring, Saving and Hoarding by David F. Tolin, PhD, Randy O. Frost, PhD.
• ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life by Judith Kolberg & Kathleen Nadeau, PhD
  
• Conquering Chronic Disorganization by Judith Kolberg
  

For lots more resources for hoarders, I invite you to go to professional organizer Geralin Thomas' site at http://metropolitanorganizing.com. Geralin has been featured on A&E's Hoarding show and has compiled an excellent hoarding resource list on her site.

If you or one of your loved ones is a hoarder, please consider seeking professional organizing and mental health assistance before the situation becomes a health and safety issue.

Stop Making Excuses and Start Taking Inspired Action

"I'd like to (fill in the blank), BUT...." You've heard it before. This is the way that most excuses begin. And many times those excuses have validity. But that doesn't change the fact that excuses are usually nothing more than our personal justification for not doing something that we don't want to do.

I was recently talking to a potential organizing client who complained that (1) she came by her clutter honestly because one of her parents was a "pack rat" and (2) she often stayed at work until after 7:00 p.m. and was too tired when she got home to deal with the mountains of clutter that had accumulated over the years.

The reason she called me was because she had finally had enough. She said that her home didn't feel like a sanctuary, clutter was taking over every room, and her personal relationships were being negatively impacted.

This brave lady decided to stop making excuses and start taking inspired action.

She is ready to turn off the EXCUSE-O-METER and let stuff go. We talked about donating things to people who really need them and throwing things away that have outlived their usefulness. She even talked about bringing in a cleaning company she got control of the clutter.

Before we got off the phone together, I told her I can't wait to hug her neck for being so brave. I believe wonderful changes in her life will result from the actions that she and I are going to begin taking this weekend.

What inspired action are you ready take to replace the excuses you've been making?

Saving on School Supplies

There are a few stores that always make my eyes light up when I walk through them: the hardware store, The Container Store, Your DeKalb Farmers Market, and the office supply store. ESPECIALLY the office supply store. I'm pretty convinced that one of the main reasons I used to get so excited about school starting is because it meant that I'd get new pencils, notebooks, folders, erasers, calculators, etc. Wow, I'm giddy just remembering.

But before I get you all hopped up on an Office Depot high, let's stop, take a breath, and plan a course of action. Here are a few tips for saving time and money while accumulating this school year's necessary supplies.

• Take inventory of what you already have at home. Look in last year's school bags, your home office desk drawer and any other areas where extra school supplies may have landed. You know that junk drawer in the kitchen? It probably has plenty of pens and pencils to get you started. How do I know this? I've organized a LOT of junk drawers in my time. Plus, I'm a recovering pen hoarder.

• Check out your local paper's circulars before shopping. Many stores will match the sales prices of other stores so pick the one with the lowest prices on your bigger ticket items and then see if they'll match their competitors' prices on the smaller stuff.

• Bring your list. Unlike me, try and maintain some degree of self-control when purchasing office supplies. Buy what's on the school's list of the basics and get the heck out of the store. If you need extra support, take someone with you who is immune to the intoxicating smell of new notebook paper.

• Buy throughout the year as sales come up. But be careful not to buy more than you have room to store. Occasionally, go through your backup inventory so you don't end up with duplication and lots of supplies that weren't needed.

• Use stickers to jazz up less expensive but functional notebooks and folders. If the kids insist on upgrading to the flashier versions, have them pay the difference to help them learn valuable lessons about money.

• Consider ordering supplies on line. Schoolpak.com is a convenient and comprehensive site that caters to elementary through high school supplies. Teachers also swear by educationalwarehouse.com for learning tools, games, stickers, and even software.

With a little planning and self-control, you can save a little while sending your student back to school armed with the tools to take on any class or project.

Back to School Made Easy: Clothes

I've always loved school. As a little girl, I would get giddy with anticipation at the thought of starting a new school year. Yeah, I know I'm a freak.

And so we have the new school year fast approaching for many and for some on an alternative annual schedule, it's already here! Throughout August, I'll be providing tips to help ease the chaos of getting kids ready for the new school year:

CLOTHES

* Before starting your back-to-school shopping, take stock of what's already in your student's closets and drawers. This is a great time to pull everything out of their closets to determine (1) what still fits, (2) what's not being worn because your kid doesn't really like the garment or it's uncomfortable and scratchy, and (3) what pieces are needed to fill in the gaps.

* If the unwanted clothes are still in like-new condition, find a local consignment store and set up an account so that you can make a little money on your kid's castoffs.

* When you're ready to start shopping, bring a list of the garments you're looking for to flesh out your student(s) closet. Just like at the grocery store, a list helps you save time, stay focused, and minimizes trendy impulse purchase.

* Consider buying new clothes online as long as the seller has a flexible return policy. In my hometown of Atlanta, traffic is so crazy, it's worth it to buy stuff online just to avoid the stress and time of driving. Plus, you can avoid the crowds at the malls and discount stores during the back-to-school feeding frenzy.

* Remember those consignment stores I mentioned earlier? They are a GREAT place to buy clothes for kids, tweens, and teens. A friend of mine has a teen who has just discovered that he can sell his old clothes and get some really cool gently-used clothes in the same store. This new discovery is saving his parents a ton compared to what they'd have to pay to new stuff to keep up with their fickle teen's ever-changing taste in fashion.

Next time we'll discuss ways to save money and time getting school supplies.