Category: Organize Your Stuff

National Clutter Awareness Week: When Clutter Comes Back

Did you know? This week is National Clutter Awareness Week.  Many of us are already aware of clutter!  I’ve been talking to folks lately about what happens when clutter comes back.

You know how it is… We do the hard work.  We set aside time, we sort all our stuff, and get rid of some.  And that feels GREAT!  We look around and see clear and calm spaces.  We breathe a sigh of relief and contentment.  And then we put away our good stuff, pat ourselves on the back, and happily bump along for a while.

But then one day, days or weeks or months later,  we look around, and some of the clutter has crept back.   One of my clients whispered on the phone to me “It’s multiplying while I’m gone!”.

Clutter comes back because:

  • We use things up or items wear out, and then we buy more things;
  • We just need to put stuff away;
  • As we age and evolve, our priorities, interests and hobbies change;
  • Our children grow up and their toys and interested change, too;
  • Our families grow and shrink, people move in and move out;
  • Sometimes, we move to a new home;
  • We make big changes to our current home (Chatting with a friend / client recently, she mentioned that the basement that we organized has relapsed into disorganization after a big furnace replacement); Or
  • Our situation or health changes – Perhaps maintenance used to be easy, but then you battled an illness or a physical challenge, and now your capacity or energy for organizing are diminished.

Clutter comes back.   Sometimes, I feel like Mr. Incredible when he said, “No matter how many times you save the world, it always manages to get back in jeopardy again. Sometimes I just want it to stay saved! You know?! For a little bit. I feel like the maid: “I just cleaned up this mess! Can we keep it clean for, for 10 minutes?! Please?!”

Sure, we can choose to get cranky and resentful about maintenance.  Better yet, though, we can recognize and embrace the fact that maintaining our organizing is inevitable and necessary, and get on with it.

How to?

  • Never assume clutter and disorganization are gone forever.   You will have to tweak or update your organizing once in a while.  Simple things like doing laundry and putting it away, cleaning the house, buying and using groceries – all count as maintenance.
  • Pay attention to the times when clutter seems to creep back in.
    • I notice clutter around transition times – daily transitions like leaving for work or coming home; or life transitions like trips and travel and moves and projects.
    • Once you notice your habits, think about how you can ease those transition times.
      • For example, I have daily habits around hanging up my coat and bag every time I come home, or leaving my shoes the same place all the time.
      • For bigger transitions, I have a habit around unpacking immediately and putting things away, so I don’t have to face the clutter later.
  • Be nice to you, when the clutter comes back.  Cut yourself some slack, acknowledge that maintenance is inevitable and necessary, and then get to work.
  • Perhaps we  just need to put things back, and resume the organizational system we had in place before.  Make time daily or weekly for restoring order.
  • Is it time to rethink our system?  When we re-did our kitchen last summer, we had a chance to re-think some of our systems.  Most of our kitchen items when back similarly to the old kitchen.  But we had enough new drawers and bigger cabinets, so we used the opportunity to make positive change.
  • Easiest suggestion?  Maintain your systems once they’re in place.  Put stuff away, don’t buy what you don’t need, spend time daily or weekly to take care of routine tasks, process paperwork, clear clutter and keep healthy habits!  Then if the clutter creeps back in, you’ll be ready to tackle it!

This Clutter Awareness Week, accept that a little maintenance effort will go a long way, and get to it!

To:

Receive more ideas and suggestions like these;
Book time with me in person or virtually;
Arrange a presentation for your upcoming event; or
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Call / text 708.790.1940
Online at  http://peaceofmindpo.com
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Organize Your Closet Week: the “Three Month” Question and Your Habits

Show of hands, who has a huge closet with unlimited space?  AND can always find what they’re looking for and look fabulous?

Well, if your hand is still up, this article may not be for you.  For the rest of us, though… we with small closets and no build-out option, or who aren’t effortlessly stylish… this article is for you.  (A caveat – I am not the person to give fashion advice.)

Today is the first day of Spring, and this is National Organize Your Closets Week.  Let’s spend time in our closets so they will serve us well!

First, grab 2 garbage bags – one for wire hangers to go back to the cleaners, and one for actual rubbish – and fill them up! Next, bundle up the dirty laundry and get it out of your way.

If your space is limited and the closet is looking crowded, make some decisions.  For example, yesterday I started swapping out cold weather clothes for some lighter fabrics and lighter colors.  Let’s face it –  we are probably ready to move into Spring, even if the weather isn’t ready!

“Three Months” is 1 Season.  I kept repeating “Three Months.”   Think about it – a season lasts three (ish) months.  Here in Chicago, the weather can change 30 degrees in a few hours, but Spring is Spring.  I have dark, heavy clothes that I won’t wear again until Fall, regardless of how cold the weather gets.  If I need to make room in my closet, I can hang just the items I’ll wear in the next three months, storing colder weather clothes and really hot weather clothes on a high shelf or under the bed.

“Three Months” is 1 size.  “Three Months” also works for sizes. I have clients with multiple sizes of clothes cluttering their closets.  Again, ask the “three month” question.  Do the math – a healthy weight loss strategy suggests losing a pound a week.  In three months, that would be an amazing 12 pounds!  12 Pounds may move you up or down one size from your current size, but only one. If you want to keep your much-smaller clothes, go for it, but don’t store them in your closet if you don’t have room.  And purge the too-big stuff, so you’re not tempted to backslide!

“Three Months” also works if stuff just isn’t working.  I re-tried a few items that I didn’t wear at all this winter, and nope – I just don’t like them anymore.  Gone, gone, gone.

Ok!  With these decisions made, I bet your closet is feeling more spacious! Let’s set it up to work for us!

Think about your habits:

Start with what you use every day.  My day- to-day clothes, sturdy pieces for working with clients and running around, are straightforward and conveniently stored (first thing I see when I open my closet).  Think Levi’s and Land End. I know, not exciting.  I told you not to take fashion advice from me.  But they work.

What isn’t working?  Where I stumble is getting ready for presentations and professional music events (did you know?  I’m also a liturgical musician).  Short of Garanimals for adults, I need to organize my closet to make the matching of neutral, professional skirts with a layer, a jacket or sweater and probably a scarf.

Solve the Problem. To help me put together outfits, I grouped my items by category (skirts and pants, jackets, sweaters, shells, etc.) then by color.  I hung up my favorite drapey sweaters instead of folding them up so I can find them quicker.   And I brought the Fabulous to the front to make them easier to see. Meaning:  Fellas?  Ties.  Ladies? Scarves.

Finally, I’ve been pondering how to remember a great outfit when I manage to put one together, for reference when I am looking for inspiration.  Smartphone? Print them? IPad? Still thinking about that one.

Spend some quality time in your closet this week, make some space and then make the closet work for you!

To:

Receive more ideas and suggestions like these;
Book time with me in person or virtually;
Arrange a presentation for your upcoming event; or
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Call / text 708.790.1940
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Nat’l Organize Your Home Office Day: Your Papers Need a Home

The second Tuesday of March is National Organize Your Home Office Day.

I have posted dozens of articles about paper management and office organizing.  Just last week, I was reminded of the importance of having a Home for Your Papers, and wanted to share!

Think about the idea of “Home”.  If a person has a home, you can typically find them there.  They start and end their day there.  If you need to send them something, you send it to their home so it’s waiting for them when they arrive.  A person’s home is their default, their normal resting place.

Our important papers need the same thing. Our papers need a home so we can find them again, pair them with related papers, and keep them safe.

(A word about technology:  Any of these suggestions also work if you keep only digital records of your information instead of actual paper!)

There are three main categories of important papers.

  1. Active papers:  Papers that require a further action soon.  Bills to pay, coupons for an upcoming purchase, forms to complete and return.  The most important thing about Active Papers is to take action on them, so their HOME needs to be convenient and close at hand.
    For example, when I finished opening mail with a client recently, we had just a few small piles of papers to deal with.  After I filed some passive papers, we set up her bills to pay, and she tucked into her purse the village vehicle sticker info and some coupons for her errands later in the day.
  2. Passive Papers: Passive papers are papers we need to keep for a certain amount of time, like paid bills or bank statements or tax returns.  We need to keep them  for a certain amount of time, and then we need to make sure we purge / recycle / shred them once in a while, so they don’t pile up and we end up with 20 years of paid utility bills in a file drawer, or grocery receipts from 6 years ago in a shoebox.  The most important thing to remember about Passive Papers is to put them away instead of leaving them pile here and there, and to regularly purge them, like once a month or once a year, so that they don’t accumulate.
    For example, today I went through bank statements with a client to prepare to do her taxes.  It was easy to find the necessary statements since ONLY 2017 and a few 2018 statements were in the file – all the others are bundled up with previous year taxes and cleared out of the drawer!
  3. Archival Papers are Papers that we need to keep for the long term.  Birth / marriage / sacramental certificates, social security cards and pass ports, house purchase papers, car or boat titles, wills, etc.  The most important thing to remember about Archival Papers is to protect them, so their HOME needs to offer protection (a safe or a bank safety deposit box) and may be a little less convenient to access.  But that’s OK, since we don’t need to access Archival Papers often.  For example, I registered my youngest for high school last Saturday and his birth certificate and social security number were both required.  Grabbing both took all of 10 seconds, since we have one and only one very safe and specific place for such vital documents.  And of course, I PUT THEM BACK when I was done with them!
  4. There are probably more than 3 types of papers, if we add in memorabilia or photos, but those will be a discussion for another day!

So, as we think about organizing our Home Office on National Organize Your Home Office Day, make sure to have HOMES for these three types of papers.

  • Active work space and open storage for tackling your to-do pile, and time set aside in your schedule to take care of business.
  • Closed storage, perhaps a file cabinet drawer or a desk drawer, for your passive papers.  Plus, a regular habit to regularly (weekly or monthly) file passive papers, and every month or year to purge your outdated passive papers.  And
  • Safe storage, perhaps a portable safe or a locking file cabinet drawer, for your important archival records and vital documents, so you can always find them when you need them.
To:

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Book time with me in person or virtually;
Arrange a presentation for your upcoming event; or
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Call / text 708.790.1940
Online at  http://peaceofmindpo.com
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Tips For Chasing Those Elusive Zzzzzz’s! (Yes, Sleep Hygiene is really a thing)

A few times a year, I have the privilege of teaching the Time Management Component for a Career readiness program at a local community college.  I LOVE teaching this group!

Tomorrow is the day, and today I finished crafting a Sleep Hygiene handout for these hardworking and often sleep-deprived folks!  So, since I am sharing the info with them tomorrow, I want to share it with you today!

TIPS FOR A BETTER NIGHT’S SLEEP

  • Sleep is essential for optimal performance and health.  It gives our bodies time to rebuild, and our minds time to process stimuli.
  • We may all struggle at different times in our lives to get enough sleep or good sleep.
  • What happens if we don’t sleep?
    • In the short term, simple things like feeling tired, lack of focus, irritability and lethargy.
  • Long term sleep loss can lead to
    • job loss, decreased cognitive function, physical ailments (high blood pressure, increased risk of heart disease, inflammation, decreased metabolism, skewed hormones) and psychological issues (depression, anxiety).
  • Sleep cycle (Harvard.edu): Nightly, we alternate between REM (lighter, Rapid Eye Movement) sleep and Non-REM sleep (deeper, more restorative sleep).  We need both for optimal physical and mental recuperation, and memory consolidation.
  • I’m not a sleep expert, but as an organizer, I recognize logical, objective ways to improve routines and physical space to live better.

How does our home environment impact sleep?

  • The National Sleep Foundation states that people who make their beds daily are more likely to sleep well every night, and 71 percent of us sleep better in a fresh-smelling bedroom.  A cluttered room reminds us of unfinished tasks, whereas an uncluttered room helps us relax.  Closing closet doors and dresser drawers further soothes us.  In addition, 75% of people sleep better when they have clean sheets.
  • According to The Anxiety and Depression Association of America, depression can cause clutter, and clutter can cause people to feel tired and more depressed!
  • Individuals who live in clean homes are generally healthier than their counterparts living in clutter, according to research conducted at Indiana University

Take Care of Your Sleep Environment:

  • Not too loud: Soothing music is nice, if you need it, but set a timer for it to turn off and don’t sleep with ear phones in your ears.
  • Not too quiet:  Silence can be even more distracting than noise. A white noise machine may help, or a cool vaporizer like the one we run all winter helps drown out nighttime noise.
  • A cool room is best for sleeping, and some prefer a fan to move air around.  Sleep with blankets in layers, not just one really heavy one, so you can shed or add covers as needed.
  • An actual bed (get off the couch!) and the right pillow – not too soft or hard, or too many.
  • Bedrooms are Bed Rooms. Limit your bedroom to sleep and relaxation.  No computer, TV, treadmill or workout equipment, no unfinished work or unfolded laundry. Sleep and relaxation!
  • And, sorry to say this, but if you’re having trouble sleeping, have your pets sleep elsewhere.

Clean up your Sleep Hygiene for better sleep.

  • Your “sleep hygiene” is your daily routine for getting a good night’s sleep.
  • Determine how much sleep you actually need.  We don’t all need exactly 8 hours a night to live our best lives. Some folks need less and some need more, based on age, physical demands, individual rhythms and a host of other variables.  Fix your wake-up time, and work back from there for your bedtime, first with 8 hours, then 7.5, then 7.
  • You may be getting more sleep than you think.  It may feel like you’re awake, since your sleep may be shallow and not restorative.  And obviously, intentionally napping or even nodding off while watching TV counts as sleep and can undermine your overnight sleep.
  • How to adjust your daily routine for better sleep:
    • Set a consistent sleep schedule. Keep your bed-time and wake-time the same, even on weekends.  Wake-time should vary no more an hour from weekday to weekend.
    • During the day, exercise, but not close to bedtime.
    • Avoid caffeine after lunch, and check your medications, foods and beverages for hidden caffeine, sugar or other stimulants.  You would be amazed all the places caffeine hides, or how medicines like steroids can keep you awake at night!
    • Avoid overhead and fluorescent lighting as much as possible.  Turn down all your lights after dinner, to tell your brain it is time to start shutting down for the night.
    • Start winding down a little before bedtime. Choose the same 3 or 4 soothing activities before bed nightly, like yoga, wash your face, warm beverage, a warm shower, quiet TV viewing or reading (with soft lighting or a clip light) in a darkened room.
    • Screen Time: turn off anything with a screen (TV, computer, phone) half an hour before bed time, and keep computers and TVs out of the bedroom completely if you are having sleep issues.  The electronic fields can interfere with good sleep.  Set your device screens for “night time” and lower the brightness, with less blue light to keep you awake.
    • Keep a notebook and pen at your bedside, to jot down random thoughts that might keep you awake.

And now, stop reading and go to sleep!  G’Night!

A Great Morning Starts the Night Before, 2.0 Edition (Not Just For Kids!)

Back in 2011, I wrote “A GREAT MORNING STARTS THE NIGHT BEFORE!” for a Back-to-School newsletter.   The original article, found here, is still pertinent and useful for kids and families!

I’ve learned a lot since I published that article!  And I still find myself re-considering how to tweak my routines.  Our days are complicated lately!  While I work on un-complicating them,  I still have to get to bed at a reasonable hour, get up and out of bed in the morning, and complete a handful of tasks before I leave the house every day!

I am older and wiser (as are my kids!), so today, let’s take another look at “A Great Morning Starts the Night Before”!

  • Look Ahead. 
    • In my original article, this was a solitary step for me as Mom to take. These days, the teenagers and I all need to check in with each other and with the upcoming calendar.
    • Part of parenting is to foster planning and self-management skills in our young adults (and working on that for ourselves, too!). Some days, there are scheduling challenges or car usage juggling!
    • I look at the calendar for the next few hours, days and weeks, and ask the important questions of myself and my sons to move us forward.  I may jot down those questions on a dry erase board, in case our schedules don’t synchronize.  (For example, “Where is the grade report from last Friday”, “Does your tux jacket need dry cleaned after last week’s concert?”, etc.)  They can start working on answering these questions in my absence!

  • Meal Planning:  I’m the only person who packs a lunch anymore, so lunch making isn’t as important as it used to be.
    • However, ensuring we have portable breakfast foods on hand has become more important, as has dinner meal planning to make sure I have a meal planned that works with the next day’s schedule.
    • Instead of assigning a specific meal to every day, I may list 5-7 quick and favorite meals on a note near the fridge, and make sure we have the ingredients on hand for each.
    • Then I can choose a really quick meal on days we’re strapped for time, or a more involved meal if I have a little extra time.

  • “Lay out clothes for tomorrow, for you and your children” was the statement in the original article.  However, as we and our kids grow and evolve, we know this gets a little tougher!
    • Laundry maintenance.  The success of this step relies on maintaining the laundry process (and yes, I have started a load of laundry as I’ve been writing this).  By “maintaining the process”, I mean – keep the laundry moving along and don’t let your wardrobe options pile up! For example, start a load every evening, and toss it in the dryer every morning while you get ready for your day.
    • Another key to success in this area is to have a standard ensemble to wear for your typical day.  I am NOT the person to give fashion advice, but I am the person to offer suggestions that will save you time and aggravation.  Spend an hour some evening, and put together a handful of outfits you can easily use when you’re strapped for time.

  • “Pack Your Bag the Night Before”.  This piece of advice never grows old.  I had an early morning breakfast meeting today, so last night, I made sure my notes were in my bag.  We still stumble, as the completed forms I laid on the middle-schooler’s backpack for him to take back to school today are still laying on his dresser…  but tomorrow is another opportunity to turn stuff in!

  • Go to bed.  Good sleep hygiene is vital to success, for all of us.  A reasonable and consistent bedtime and calming night-time routines, including planning and prep for the next day, help ensure good sleep and a better morning tomorrow!
To:

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Book time with me in person or virtually;
Arrange a presentation for your upcoming event; or
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Call / text 708.790.1940
Online at  http://peaceofmindpo.com
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“What Do I Do With All Those Magazine Articles?”

“What Do I Do With All Those Magazine Articles?”

This question came up at a Paper Management class a few weeks ago, and it comes up often in my work!

 

I understand the challenge!  Personally, my magazine reading consists of:

  • Stash new magazines into a holder above my desk as they arrive in the mail;
  • Grab the magazines as we head out the door for a road trip (I read when it’s my husband’s turn to drive);
  • Read magazines cover to cover, pulling out only the articles that interest me;
  • Recycle the used magazines;
  • (Eventually) Process the handful of articles and information I have pulled out when I get home.

So, most of those steps are pretty straightforward, right?

  • Create a spot to keep your un-read magazines.
  • Create time and a routine around actually reading them.
  • Keep the important info, and recycle the rest.

But…. then what?  How do we store them? What should we DO with them?  Here is my answer for the class participant (let’s call her Patty) and the rest of us with the same question!

CATEGORIES:  My first question to Patty was “What are the categories for your articles?  She answered:

  • Health articles
  • Books to read
  • Diet & Exercise tips
  • Great Household Tips
  • List of Good Wines
  • Sentimental Greeting cards given to me
  • Beauty/Makeup Products
  • Easy Craft Projects
  • Decorating Ideas

For my own categories, I might add:

  • Items to share with others
  • Recipes
  • Business ideas / marketing ideas
  • Blog article ideas

 

HOW TO USE THE INFO?

Once you have established your categories, consider how you want to use each category’s information.   For example –

Let’s say you save an article with “work out moves for cold weather”.  You probably want to post that article where you can see it as you work out.

What about an article regarding a new treatment that you want to discuss with your doctor?  You probably want to keep that article close at hand but portable, so you can take it with you to your next doctor appointment.

What about recipes?  The logical place for recipes is in the kitchen, of course, where they will be used.

HOW TO STORE THEM:

Low-Tech Solutions:

Consider 3-ring binders for articles you want to keep and read again.  Binders work if you want to read your information like a book, or if you want your information to stay portable.

I personally use a 3 ring binder for recipes.  I have done away with most of my cookbooks over the years, and keep only the recipes I use often.  When I tear out a new recipe from a magazine, I will tuck it in to the front pocket of my recipe binder.  When I am looking for dinner inspiration, I will head to that front pocket!  I’ll only keep recipes that my family and I actually have tried and like – those go in page protectors in the same binder, filed by category.

I have a client with multiple health challenges, and she keeps a binder for articles and ideas to take to appointments and discuss with her different medical professionals.

I also recommend standing file holders with hanging files tabbed with the name of each category.   As you collect the articles, filing becomes so easy!  Then, when you’re ready to review the file, you can pull out all the similar articles at once.

 

 

Consider high tech solutions, too.  I asked Facebook friends for their magazine article suggestions:

MHD: “I scan the articles and store in a file on my computer” or

MTO: “I take photos of recipes that I want to save and keep a file on my PC. For longer articles, I will sometimes scan them to my PC and save them based on topic. (Meaning, a marketing article would go into the Marketing folder on my PC, a sales article would go into a Sales folder, etc.)”

Snap a picture with your phone or tablet, save articles and ideas on Evernote or Pinterest. Better yet, consider receiving your subscription electronically on your tablet or kindle.

 

HOW TO USE THE INFO BETTER!

The most important thing to remember about these magazine articles you are keeping is that you actually want to USE the information they contain.

Read your periodicals differently.
  • Keep only the pages you want, and recycle the rest.
  • Read with a pen and notebook nearby.  Sometimes, an article only contains one idea or reminder that we need to keep (circle it or highlight it!!), or generates one idea or task to add to our to-do list. (“Oh, reading this article reminds me I want to ask my doctor about vitamin D supplements.”)
  • Make sure that you make time to actually ACT on the ideas from the articles!
  • What can you take care of right now?  Add ideas to your lists, bookmark the website referenced in an article or subscribe to the newsletter or blog, then toss the paper!
  • What can you get rid of for good?  Are there certain magazines that always seem to pile up?  That you never seem to want to read? Or that don’t have articles that you keep?  Time to let that subscription go!
To:

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Call / text 708.790.1940
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Change The Habit or Change The House?

Working with a client this morning, I was reminded  of an article I recently read on ApartmentTherapy.com similar to this one (edited and updated, July 2020).

In the comments for an article about creating an entry way in a small space, a reader asked if the solution to the problem was to “Change the habit or the house?”.

This is a powerful and useful question as we get organized!  And… what does that mean?

Let’s say I notice that, when I walk in the door every day, I consistently put my keys on the same side table and toss my coat over the same chair or the back of the sofa.

Leaving my keys and coat exactly there makes the space look cluttered or disorganized, so I could elect to try and change my HABIT and come in a different door, or walk down the hallway and hang things up in a closet, etc.   However, since I am consistent about where these items fall, I can find them in an instant and be out the door efficiently.

So the HABIT is a good one, but the entry way of the HOUSE doesn’t support the HABIT well.   I could change the house to support the habit by adding a decorative bowl in the entry way for keys and phone, setting a chair in the entry way for our coat and bag, or perhaps adding a coat tree or some wall hooks.

Another example.  This morning’s client has 2 school aged daughters, and they both consistently drop their school backpacks and sport bags in the same places in the living room / dining room.  This can drive a parent crazy, let me tell you!

Yes, the piles in these living spaces are unsightly.  However, these students have good and consistent habits that helps them keep track of their school work and team uniforms.  So, the question we asked this morning was “Is it easier to change the habit or the house?”

My client didn’t actually mind the location of the piles, merely the appearance of them.  So, de- cluttering the pile contents and adding attractive large wicker baskets to hold the bags and gear in the habitual drop zones seems a better solution than trying to establish new habits and drop zones elsewhere.

Years ago, I organized with a real estate agent who had a lovely home office, but she didn’t really like to work in there.  She preferred to work in her kitchen – it was warm and cozy, had great light plus coffee!  So, instead of trying to change her preferred habit of working happily in the kitchen, we instead set up a work space in the kitchen and reserved the home office for meetings with clients, and file and supply storage.  We helped her home better fit her good work habit.

Again, the question: Do I need to change my house or change my habit?

Is there is a space in your home or office that regularly causes you frustration?  A place that has just never seemed to “work” right for you?

If your habit is a problem – you drop stuff where it becomes unsafe, you neglect client files, you are inconsistent with your stuff and the habits around it – then consider changing your habits.

If, however, your habits are sound but the space doesn’t support the habit, consider what you can do to Support the Good Habit and Change the house around it!

Thanks for reading!

To:

Receive more ideas and suggestions like these;
Book time with me in person or virtually;
Arrange a presentation for your upcoming event; or
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Call / text 708.790.1940
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9 Things Every Closet Needs! Tips for National Clean Out Your Closet Month

Did you know?  January is National Clean Out Your Closet Month!

Today, I want to suggest how to celebrate Clean Out Your Closet Month with some ad-ins that will keep your closet organized every day of the year! Check them out!

EVERY CLOSET NEEDS…

  1. A basket / bag for dirty laundry. This keeps random bits from piling up, and makes that dirty  laundry more like to get washed!
  2. A basket / bag for regular trips to the dry-cleaners or tailor (optional).  Ours dry-cleaner bag lives in our laundry room, and we have a weekly errand for taking in and picking up.
  3. A basket/ bag and a path for items to leave.  Our home has a system for getting rid of no-longer-needed items.  These items go into the dirty laundry basket with everything else and get laundered, then tucked in the “Donate” or “Off-To-Our-Cousin” baskets that live in our laundry room.
  4. A wastebasket.  Rubbish needs a path and a receptacle to leave a space.  Show me a closet littered with plastic dry cleaning bags, clothing tags, dirty tissues and general trash, and I’ll show you it lacks a wastebasket.
  5. Good hangers. I’m not suggesting you spend a fortune on your hangers, but invest in plastic or felted hangers to take good care of your clothes and give your closet a tidier appearance.
  6. A few extra hangers, but only a few.  One of the first and easiest steps to making more room in a closet is to clear out all the empty hangers.  Trust me, some have dozens taking up precious rod space!  Once all your clothes are hung and the closet is organized, keep all but 3 or 4 of your empty hangers in your laundry room instead of in your closet.
  7. An Ish-Hook or 2.  I have 3 hooks in my closet for clean-ISH clothes.  Clean-ISH, that you plan to wear again soon.  You know – the pajamas you only wore once? or the track pants and sweat shirt you put on when you get home from work?  Perhaps the jeans you wore for a little while but plan to wear again tomorrow.  It’s not worth it to wash them all, or to hang them all up again, so we need a way to keep them close at hand but not strewn about your space!
  8. A clear floor.  Imagine with me:  You’re standing in your closet, trying to get dressed in the morning. Or perhaps you have clean laundry to put away.  Now imagine trying to do these regular tasks while stepping on clothes or shoes, or dodging shopping bags or neglected empty suitcases.  Having those physical obstacles in the way will likely keep you from completing the simple maintenance tasks needed to make your closet work well for you.
  9. A plan! Every month or so, I get the itch to review my closet and drawers, straightening and purging as I go.  I encourage my sons to do the same, at least a couple of times a year.  This quick but regular maintenance keeps my clothes and closet organized and relatively clutter free all year long!

Spend some time taking care of your closet this week, and it will take care of you every day!

To:

Receive more ideas and suggestions like these;
Book time with me in person or virtually;
Arrange a presentation for your upcoming event; or
Discover the benefits of Organizational Coaching;

Please contact me.

Call / text 708.790.1940
Online at  http://peaceofmindpo.com
www.Facebook.com/MColleenKlimczakCPO
Via Twitter, @ColleenCPO

Create Productive Work-From-Home Space: National Clean Off Your Desk Day

Last week, I heard from a newly minted college graduate.  She is very excited to start her first  professional position with a national company, working from home.

Hmmm… “Working From Home”.   A quick glance at wikipedia revealed related terms like “telecommuting”, “remote work” or “teleworking”.  This is a growing trend, with many of us working at least some of the time from non-traditional work space.

According to this recent New York Times article,  “More American employees are working remotely, and they are doing so for longer periods… Last year, 43 percent of employed Americans said they spent at least some time working remotely, according to the survey of more than 15,000 adults.”

With this conversation in mind and National Clean Off Your Desk Day (second Monday of January) here again, let’s talk about Organizing Your Work Space for Working-From-Home.  Let’s look at solutions to common Work-From-Home Challenges!

Be Professional and Productive While Working From Home

There are habits we can create to feel professional and productive, no matter where we work.

  • Create a morning routine – get up, work out, eat a healthy breakfast, get clean, etc. – even if your commute is the 10 feet between your living room and office.

    My Company Wellness Program 🙂

  • We all benefit from the clear definition of a start and end to our work day.  If you need separation in your day between personal time and work, go for a run, for Mass, for coffee, or to drop off the kids at school.  Then, come home and boot up!
  • Dress professionally, even if you don’t see another person all day.  No PJs for productivity!
  • We need to minimize distractions (more on this later) working from home, but the opposite is also true.  Remember to walk around and take breaks!

My Company Cafeteria (a.k.a. my kitchen counter!)

Stay Connected:

  • A common challenge of working from home is feeling isolated.  Remember, Community comes in many forms.
  • Check with your company!  If your company has teleworking opportunities, they probably also have strategies in place to help employees stay connected.
  • Find a mentor or accountability partner within your company.   You can also ask the professional association attached to your industry, or even just someone you really respect.
  • Join networking or FB groups within your chosen field or geographical community. My FB and networking groups are amazing resources for me as I navigate my day!

Physical Workspace:

  • If you are clear on the Work of your Work, you can probably work from anywhere!
  • No one needs to know where you work!  Some days saying “working from home” doesn’t feel professional, so I might say I’m working “remotely” or “virtually”, whether I’m at a client’s office, my own home office or Starbucks!
  • Your Actual Work Space:
    • If you skype, or have video conference calls, invest in a back drop or standing screen that looks more professional than your family room or basement!
    • Organize your work space, especially if you need to switch from student focus to work focus, like my young friend.  A clean desk helps you focus.  My accountability partner mentioned just last week how much more creative she feels when her work space is organized and clutter free.
  • Need Professional Space for a change of pace or a group project?  Perhaps your team is coming into town for training?  Many communities have available shared professional spaces or  business centers.  For a fee, these centers may offer work spaces, office services such as copiers or fax machines, conference rooms to rent by the hour or day, and even administrative help.   For example, I am a member of BAPA here on the South Side of Chicago, and their business center offers office equipment and conference room space free to paid members.

The “Home” part of Working-From-Home

  • Be clear with your house-mates what your tele-working will mean.  You may be home but still on the clock!  (The same goes for pets – one client closes the door and curtains to the back yard, to signal to her faithful furry companions that play time is over!)
  • A closed door can be an arranged signal that quiet time is needed, or that a conference call is in progress!

Consider these ideas when creating your productive work-from-home space!

Got Resolutions? Perhaps We Just Need to Get Back To Normal!

On New Year’s Eve, I was thinking about positive changes to make in the new year.

I found myself saying “Know what? Change is hard.”

Saying it out loud, though, I immediately realized that I was wrong.

No, change isn’t hard.

Sometimes, change is extremely easy.  For example, just a few weeks ago, I was exercising daily and making healthy food choices.  And … then… the holidays happened.  And it is -2 degrees as I type this.  So there are still too many cookies in the house, and our daily walks are on hold until the weather breaks or I get on the treadmill.

While it’s easy to believe the self defeating statement “Change is Hard”, that is all it is – a self-defeating statement lacking truth.

We convince ourselves that “Change is Hard”, and then we set ourselves up for failure by:

  • setting unrealistic Resolutions;
  • starting a new journey without a map or plan;
  • setting the bar too high; 
  • pursuing goals that are not right for us right now;
  • not asking for help; or
  • expecting big change overnight.

But here is the good news – Change doesn’t have to be hard.  And for the New Year, just getting  back to what you are supposed to be doing can be a big step in the right direction.

Start with just getting back on track, whatever that looks like to you.  Let’s leave the bad holiday habits behind.  It’s time to:

  • Get to bed on time;
  • Clear that kitchen counter, and put the snacks out of sight;
  • Take that January list I suggested you make, and add action dates to it; 
  • Curb or stop spending money;
  • Unsubscribe from advertising emails;
  • Stop running around like a crazy person; or
  • Conversely, start moving again and be productive;
  • Clear holiday / all other clutter from surfaces;
  • Log into your on-line banking, and pay those bills;
  • Re-boot your morning meditation / routine / reading hours, etc.;
  • And From My Friends:
    • Use my little elliptical stepper in the evening (SM);
    • Go to the gym with my neighbor / Work out (JM/JH/LB);
    • Eat better (PB/LB);
    • Reduce sugar intake, decrease sugar / artificial sweeteners (LZ / MC);
    • Finding a planner I like and actually use it (LR);
    • Write 3 gratitudes each day, focusing on the positive; (PM)
    • Refocus on work, the Holidays allow a lot of distractions (LB);
    • Start running again! It is just 30 minutes out of my entire day, so no excuses (MO);
    • Spend time regularly to tidy/organize my papers & desk so that it STAYS tidy & organized (MTO);
    • Have fun – so often, I fall in the trap of pursuing accomplishment of various items in my ‘to do’ list that I neglect to devote time to things that are purely enjoyable (SRC).

I am so happy for us!  Know why?

WE KNOW HOW TO DO THIS!  We know what to do.

We know what healthy habits are, and how to re-establish them.

We know how to be productive, we just need to get back to it!

We know how to be good to ourselves, so let’s be good!

This year, let’s start the year with returning to what we know.  How about we review our good habits that may have gotten a little lax over the last month?  Let’s start the year strong, with realistic expectations to build a strong foundation, and then climb from there!

To:

Receive more ideas and suggestions like these;
Book time with me in person or virtually;
Arrange a presentation for your upcoming event; or
Discover the benefits of Organizational Coaching;

Please contact me.

Call / text 708.790.1940
Online at  http://peaceofmindpo.com
www.Facebook.com/MColleenKlimczakCPO
Via Twitter, @ColleenCPO