Taking Photos of Visual Clutter

There is an interesting phenomenon that occurs with my organizing clients when I take "before" photos of their space.   When we look at the photos of the cluttered spaces they live in day-to-day, they are often shocked by just how cluttered the space appears.  It's as though they have become desensitized to this visual clutter and no longer notice it.  But a photograph offers them an "outsider's view" of the space and helps the client acknowledge the real scope of the project.


Some people have a very high tolerance for visual clutter and are quite comfortable living and working in spaces in which all flat spaces are covered with stuff.  With these clients, I tend to focus more on the functionality of the space rather than the way a space looks (not that you can't do both, but the emphasis on appearance is minimized). 



Other folks have a very low tolerance for visual clutter and become anxious and unfocused trying to function in a busy-looking, cluttered space.  With these clients, I focus more on storage solutions than I may with the clutter-tolerant people. 


The real challenge is when a clutter-tolerant person lives with a clutter-intolerant person.  In those situations, I work with both people to create compromises so that they can both be more comfortable and functional in their space. 

If you are clutter-intolerant and you're living with a clutter-tolerant person, consider taking photos of the space of concern.  Then try having a calm, constructive conversation with the clutter-tolerant person where you show them the photos and explain how the clutter affects you.  Seeing the clutter from the outsider's perspective offered by a photo may help them see things with new eyes prompting positive change.
 

Come see me Saturday, February 26 at Finders Keepers Furnishings

Join me this Saturday morning, February 26th at 9:30 a.m. as I wrap up the Finders Keepers free "Get Organized" lecture series.  This two month series has featured several members of the National Association of Professional Organizers, Georgia Chapter.

Saturday's presentation entitled "Making Room for Purpose and Passion" covers ways to make room, literally and figuratively, for more fun, creativity, purpose and passion in your life.  We will discuss everything from cutting clutter to dumping toxic relationships to reclaiming what YOU want more of in your space and in your day-to-day life. 

This workshop will begin at 9:30 a.m. sharp (we organizers like to respect your time) at Finders Keepers Furnishings.  Seats are first come, first serve, and there is also plenty of standing room available for overflow.  When I spoke in January we had a standing-room-only crowd! 

For questions, please call Finders Keepers at (404) 377-1944 or go to http://www.fkconsign.com/Finders-Keepers-Furnishings.html

I hope to see you there!!

Is Your Home Your Sanctuary?

When you walk into your home after a hard day's work, do you breathe a sigh of relief as you settle into your cozy space, or do you cringe at the clutter that faces you on the other side of your front door?

For many of us, clutter is more than just a nuisance.  Instead, it is a problem that can rob us of our sense of calm and well being.  Your home should be your sanctuary, the place where you come to relax and restore your spirit.  If you feel stress in your home because of chaos and clutter, one of the healthiest things you can do for yourself is to reign in this clutter, reclaim your space, and embrace a sense of calm.

The first step is to pick one room that you will deem your sanctuary.  This may be your bedroom, your study, a man-cave in the basement, or a nook for an artist's studio.  Once the space is decided upon, take a box or clothes hamper and remove everything from the space that needs to live elsewhere in the house. 

Then take a look at what is left and decide whether you REALLY need to keep everything or if maybe some of the items have outlived their welcome.  Assign homes to the items that are left and put them away.  Once you have only the essentials in the room, it is easier to organize what's left in a way that is visually pleasing either with shelves, boxes, bins or cabinets.   

Finally, make sure that you monitor the upkeep of this sacred sanctuary space so that you have at least one place in your home where you can regularly retreat to relax, read, meditate or whatever else helps you unwind and recharge your battery.

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?

Making Money From Clutter

The old saying goes, "One person's junk is another person's treasure." While helping people reclaim their spare rooms (aka "junk rooms"), basements, and garages, my clients and I come across lots of items that are no longer serving them that could be resold for some cold, hard cash.

Here's another news clip where I discuss a free local classifieds site I've partnered with that's perfect for de-cluttering your home or office. The site is kijiji.com (http://atlanta.kijiji.com in the Atlanta market), and it's owned by the international auction site, www.ebay.com. Unlike ebays auctions, however, transactions are handled locally between the buyer and seller. The seller posts the item on kijiji's user-friendly site for a set price (no bidding necessary), and then meets the buyer locally to exchange the goods for cash or check.

Plus the buyer gets to touch and see the item before they buy. And because it's the responsibility of the buyer to transport the item home, it's easy for sellers to get rid of larger items like furniture and even cars. If your goal is to make a little money while getting clutter out of your home or garage, see if kijiji.com has made it into your market.

De-Cluttering the Bathroom

Isn't it amazing how the smallest room in most homes, the bathroom, can become the most cluttered?

Most of my clients have multiple bathrooms including a master bath, a guest bath and often a separate bath that is designated to the kids or spouse. (I hear that one of the secrets to a happy household is separate bathrooms.)

Ladies, I must say that we normally cause most of the clutter in a master bath. With our razors, soaps, gels, lotions, body sprays, and makeup that make us smell fabulous and look pretty, we can quickly clutter up a shower stall and vanity top.

Following are some of the ways to minimize bathroom clutter:

• Bottles of Shampoo and Conditioner: If you have several bottles in your shower caddy, either use them up, give them away, or throw them out. Are you saving them because they were expensive and you don't want to use them up? Did they just not provide the results you expected? Remember that hair conditioner can also be used as shaving lotion and shampoo can be used to clean your makeup brushes and hair brushes.
  

• Old towels and wash cloths: Life is too short to use scratchy, dingy towels on your squeaky-clean body. Almost everyone has too many mismatched towels on hand. Consider re-purposing your old towels as car/pet towels or donate them to your local animal shelter. Most households only need two-three towels per family member.

• Blowdryers, diffusers, and curling irons: The first question to ask is, "Do I use this?" If not, donate it. I would make one exception, however. You may want to keep one travel size blowdryer on hand for overnight guests.
  

• Makeup: If the makeup is old and expired, throw it out. Pink eye is not pretty, people. Most women have a core set of makeup for everyday use with a few extras thrown in for dramatic evening flair. Gather all of your non-core makeup in one bag or basket and then be relentless as you decide what to keep and what to toss. If it's the wrong color, made you break out, or is no longer age-appropriate (should you still be using party glitter once you're over 40? I'm just saying...), then toss it.
  

• Medicine cabinet: Go through your medicine cabinet and throw out expired meds. A couple of years ago I cleaned out a client's medicine cabinet that contained Chloraseptic throat spray that expired in the 80s. Yikes! And to entertain your nosy friends, put some kind of zany picture on the inside of your medicine cabinet door. It will make them laugh, but they won't be able to comment about it without divulging that they were snooping.
  

• Under-sink cabinet. Occasionally pull everything out from under your bathroom sink to determine whether it still deserves to stay. If you can afford to have pullout drawers installed in this area, they are wonderful! If not, you can always use a couple of plastic sweater boxes or shoe boxes as makeshift drawers.
  

I have only one bathroom in my little fifties ranch house which I, of course, share with my husband. And this tiny bathroom does not have a sink cabinet. Needless to say, we have learned to really streamline our personal toiletries. I installed a small wall cabinet for my toiletries and my husband uses the medicine cabinet for his. I fit all of my makeup into two little cosmetic bags. To be happy and functional in our shared little bathroom, less is definitely better.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution Article

Check out Saturday's (January 12, 2008) Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Buyer's Edge section for an article by Patti Ghezzi on "Clutter Busters: Learn to let go of stuff with the help of a professional organizer." Yours truly shares a tip about calendars in the article. Lots of my esteemed Atlanta colleagues have contributed as well.

January is the National Association of Professional Organizers' Get Organized Month. Since getting organized is always in the top 3 or 4 on people's New Year's resolutions lists, it's the time when many Professional Organizer's phones ring off the hook and our email boxes begin to fill. This year is no exception for my business. I kind of liken it to the rush to the gym that occurs in January. To accommodate the rush, I've enlisted the assistance of a couple of colleagues who can help you get organized if I'm already booked. If you're in the Atlanta area and you're
ready to get better organized, send us an email at suellen@creativeorder.com and we can set up a free Discovery Assessment.

Happy Organizing!!

Stop Buying Clutter Gifts!

If you celebrate the holidays, I'm hoping that I'm not too late. I'm hoping that you've been procrastinating (I know, blasphemy coming from a professional organizer!) and haven't gotten too far into your holiday shopping.

I say this because I want you to try something a little different before buying what may very well be future clutter for your friends and family members.

1. This year, try asking your friends and relatives if there is anything special that they would like for the holidays. Then give them what they ask for.

2. If they say that they don't have anything in mind, try buying gift certificates or consumable items as gifts.

Here are a few clutter-free gift ideas from professional organizer, Jeri Dansky. And Georgia organizing expert, Monica Ricci, has a great clutter-free list in her article in the November-December issue of the new Organize magazine.

I make this zany request because almost all of my organizing clients have held up what I call "clutter gifts" and grumbled, "This was a gift from (insert friend/relative's name here). It's not my taste, but I feel guilty when I think about getting rid of it." And so the gift sits in its box in the back of a closet, cabinet, or drawer. I'm talking about expensive stuff from Williams-Sonoma, Lenox and Tiffany & Co., people!

Please don't give a gift just for the sake of giving a gift. Make sure the gift is something that the recipient wants and will use. Otherwise, you may just be giving them clutter that they then have to store or dispose of through donation, consignment or re-gifting.

In my husband's family, they used to have a tradition of passing around catalog pages as their Christmas wish lists. At first, I found this ritual a bit forced until I realized that every year I got exactly what I wanted. As we all got older and our houses got more full, we decided that there were just too many gifts to buy and receive each year so we drew names for awhile. Now, we all just exchange gifts with the matriarch (who will probably never give up the gift exchange ritual) and the grandkids.

What holiday gift traditions does your family practice? Do you have any cool ideas about clutter-free gifts that you'd like to share?