31 Days of Self-Congratulations

It's New Year's again and all the magazines and newspapers are talking about New Year's Resolutions, those daggum lists that are supposed to magically fix all that's wrong with us. Now, I've got nothing against goal setting. Heck, I THRIVE on setting and reaching my goals. But how about we try something a little different this year?

My good friend and founder of Hatch life coach program, Melissa Grossman, has come up with a cool alternative to New Year's resolutions that is life-affirming instead of self-hating. She's "triple-dog daring" us throw out those resolutions and, instead, make a list of the good stuff from 2007. Instead of making promises to ourselves that we probably won't keep anyway, she's proposing that we highlight the positive things we accomplished during the past 12 months.

Here's how it works. Go to her blog, 31 Days of Self-Congratulations, and name 31 positive things about yourself, one for each of the 31 days of January. You can post a new accomplishment every day or, if you think you may have a hard time posting daily, you can post your whole list of 31 at once by using the "Share your 31" link at the top of the blog. Feel free to name something as small as helping a kitten out of a tree or as big as having the guts to start a new business.

I decided to take this challenge and am going to try and post everyday. I've already got my list made out and, let me tell you, it was fun to write. At first I had a hard time remembering enough good deeds and accomplishments from 2007. But the more areas of my life I considered, the easier it got. I think I'm going to enjoy this challenge a lot more than trying to give up dessert and cussing (as if!).

Now, you're not going to back down from a triple-dog dare, are you? Head on over to 31 Days of Self-Congratulations and don't be modest. I'm sure you can come up with at least 31 good deeds and positive attributes for yourself. While your at it, check out the site for Hatch, Melissa's one-to-one coaching services. She's a heck of a Life Coach and, if you're a single gal or a freelancer, she'll help you add to your self-congrats list for 2008!

Maintenance Coaching

I had a delightful conversation with a client this weekend. We've been working together to organize her entire home and are very close to completion. She told me that she felt that she was "slipping" in some areas and wondered if I could give her some tips to help her maintain the progress she has made. I suggested that, in our next session, we could look at the areas that are becoming cluttered again, and I could coach her on some tips and new habits that would help in the problem areas.

"Yes! Coaching is exactly what I need. " she said. "Like, you could remind me that, if I would just spend ten minutes per day picking up after myself, I could avoid spending an hour doing it over the weekend. "

I giggled and said, "I believe you just coached yourself! The next time you find yourself falling into your old disorganized habits, remember that 10-minute rule."

You see, the secret to maintaining an organized house and office, is creating new habits. For example, after you have decided on a home for an item, put it back in its home every time you have finished using it. Or always put your keys in the same place when you arrive home. And my personal favorite, always take the mail to your bill-paying zone and sort it immediately into Trash/Shred/Bill/Read piles.

Heck, if you simply did a quick before-bed walk through of your home, picking up "homeless" items and putting them away, clearing out and wiping down the kitchen sink (my favorite FlyLady suggestion), and hanging up or tossing clothes into the hamper, you'd easily and quickly improve the calm, clean, orderly state of your home.

And if you have children, make a chores list and monitor that the chores are done regularly. Help teach them, through your example, good organizing habits that will serve them in school as well as the rest of their lives.

Trust that little voice in your head to remind you of the habits that will keep you on track. Push laziness aside in favor of results. Know that you will feel so much better if you "just do it" than if you keep stepping over clutter or piling unsorted mail on every flat surface of your home.

You, and only you, have control over your personal habits and the results that these habits reap. Make those results positive!

What habits have you found to be effective in maintaining order in the house?

Make Your Holidays Less Stressful

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.

Then the older I got, the more stressful and less merry the holidays became. For several years, I even dreaded December a little because my schedule became insanely busy, my bank account got smaller, and my waistline got bigger.

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 do it, 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 one another's company 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 in November and December. 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 binging. 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 organizing business. 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.

Now, if I could only talk my husband into taking care of all the Christmas cards this year.

How have you simplified and de-stressed your holiday season? I'd love for you to leave us a comment letting us know!

Airlines Discourage Carry-On Clutter

According to USA Today, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has begun a campaign dubbed SimpliFLY where they are urging some 27 million holiday travelers to clear the clutter from their carry-on luggage.

The TSA explains that a neater bag is easier to view in the x-ray machines and, therefore, less likely to be pulled aside and searched by hand. And really, who wants a TSA employee rifling through your personal stuff? (I giggle every time I think about the airport security scene in the "Austin Powers" movie.)

So, to avoid angering those in line behind you or making yourself late for your flight, here are a few tips for airport trips:

• Fold clothes neatly
  
• Create separate layers for clothes and electronics
• Coil any wires
  
• Put liquids and gels in a single one-quart, clear plastic, zip-lock bag
• Remove shoes and coat at checkpoint. (And don't leave your coat behind like my step-mom did on our trip to New Orleans. Big hassle!)
• Arrive at the airport two hours ahead of time for domestic flights and three hours for international travel.
  
• Bring a great book or magazine or just relax and people-watch while you wait for your flight. IMO, there is no better people-watching than what you find in airport terminals.
  

Got any travel tips to share? Leave a comment at www.betterorganized.blogspot.com.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

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?

Closet Switch-a-Roo Time

If you saw my tiny closets, you would understand why I have to keep a whole season's worth of my clothes in the attic. Each fall when the temperature drops, I haul down three or four plastic bins of sassy sweaters and warm wools. I love pulling out what feels like a whole new wardrobe after not seeing it for six months.

Part of this ritual also involves me trying on most of the "new" fall/winter clothes to make sure they still fit and to see which pieces continue to earn the right to live in the prime real estate of my closet. To make the grade, the piece has to fit well, be comfy, and make me feel pretty. Along the way, if I realize that I need a something to complete an outfit, I write it on a list that stays in my purse. Yes, it's a time consuming process, but worth the effort and I only have to do it twice a year.

Those clothes that don't make the grade end up either being thrown away, donated, or resold at Finders Keepers consignment shop. The way I look at it, if a piece isn't working for me, I may as well put it back into circulation and make more room in my closet.

If you are an organizing client of mine and I've set up your Finders Keepers account for you, this is your reminder that Finders Keepers is now accepting fall clothing consignments. Drop offs are limited to 30 items and must be on hangers unless you are a donate. Donates may drop off 50 items. Here are the guidelines for what not to bring:

• Knock off purses
• Double breasted or big boxy blazers
• Pleated, tapered, or stirrup pants
• Too-light wash denim
• Big oversize sweaters
• Too worn or pilly sweaters
• Denim or corduroy jumpers
• Turtlenecks with embroidered necks
• Outdated or colored leather
• Altered clothing
• Anything with big shoulder pads

Now that I've taken all of my consignments in, I know that everything in my closet fits. Now if only this freakishly warm Atlanta weather would cool off, I could start wearing some of these clothes.

If you or someone you know needs help organizing closets this season, give me a call!

Ozzy Reluctantly Unloads

The Telegraph recently reported that former Black Sabbath singer, Ozzy Osbourne, and his wife Sharon are ready to downsize. Now that their children have left the nest, the couple is ready to offload art, furniture, and collectibles from their three homes in Malibu, Beverly Hills, and Buckinghamshire.

"It's time to unload," said Mrs. Osbourne. "We just have an overabundance of possessions that we do not need."

That's music to my ears, Sharon!

The Osbournes' auction has taken two years to organize and will be shown at the O2 arena in London on November 5th. It is expected to bring in as much as a million dollars with proceeds benefiting the Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Foundation.

The couple is downsizing and moving to a new home, she said, adding that whittling down their possessions has been "one of the most refreshing things I've done."

Ozzy, however, was less enthusiastic about the sale. "I don't know why we are selling everything as I want it all. Sharon tells me that we have to, otherwise our house will...explode."

"Ozzy gets very attached to things," his wife explained. "He doesn't like change at all."

This scenario may sound familiar to some of you on two fronts:

1. Though you probably don't own multiple homes spread out across the globe, you may have accumulated so much stuff in your home that it feels as though the dwelling may burst.

2. If you don't live alone, you may have a very different level of attachment to your "stuff" than other people you share your house with.

This differing level of attachment coupled with a resistance to change can create some real challenges with the organizing process. Notice that, while Sharon is feeling the wonderful, cathartic freedom that most people get from purging, Ozzy is having a tougher time letting go.

I've had clients tell me that it's a good thing I take the recycling away after I leave because, otherwise, their partner would go "dumpster diving" to retrieve items out of the trash or recycling bags.

If you are a natural purger, recognize that others in the house may need some gentle coaxing to help them to let go. You can assist with the process by asking your sentimental collectors these questions:

• When did you last use or wear this?
• Is it broken?
• Do you "love" it or just "like" it?
• Can we get another one later if we need it again?
• What is the worst thing that will happen if we part with this?
• Would this item be better off in the hands of someone who needs it and will use it more than we do?
• Is it worth the space it takes up and the trouble it takes to maintain or clean it?
  

These types of questions help the "accumulators" see that it's okay to let go and helps them to qualify what has earned the right to stay. Be warned, if you force accumulators to get rid of everything just for the sake of purging, they will probably rebel by accumulating even more over time. By taking the time to get their buy-in, you can reduce pack rat tendencies and increase their urge to purge.