When I was growing up, my parents used to have conversations with us about our future goals and desires. Their philosophy, which they practiced in addition to preaching, was to follow your passion and do work that you loved. If you did that, it wouldn’t feel like work. I watched both of my parents create successful careers in music and computer graphics that they were passionate about.

As a young adult with my parents’ sage advice deeply instilled, in 1993, launched my organizing services company, Oh, So Organized! The concept was simple. Combine my love of helping people with my organizing abilities to help those that were overwhelmed and challenged by the disorganization in their lives. While I identified organizing as a skill that I was born with, I also recognized that it was teachable skill. For the past 25 years, I’ve had the privilege of working in a field that I’m passionate about.

In the book Wait, What? James Ryan writes . . .

“Luckily for all of us, many people are interested in helping others; some devote their careers and lives to it. Not everyone is so inclined, of course, and most people are self-interested at least some of the time. An evolutionary biologist or psychologist might say that we are always self-interested, and that our effort to help others is simply our attempt to feel good about ourselves.”

I understand Ryan’s perspective, but I view helping others as a win-win scenario. The person needing help receives that help. It’s a win for them. As a result the helper feels good too. A personal win. It’s a positive scenario. The key is giving help that the receiver wants in a compassionate, non-judgmental way. It’s essential to focus on the receiver’s needs and not what we think they need. Being respectful and listening is essential.

“Helping others to get organized isn’t just about organizing life’s stuff.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO™

Helping others to get organized isn’t just about organizing life’s stuff. It includes clarifying goals, editing the unessential, honing decision-making skills, letting go of the things that no longer support you, changing habits, and setting up viable, organizing systems. The process requires time and patience. It can be messy and emotional. I have such admiration for the way my clients face overwhelm and organizing challenges. They have such determination and never give up. They inspire me every day. I love being part of their journey and feel honored to have their trust. We’ve created a unique reward program for our clients. Click on the link to learn more about our Client Loyalty Program.

If you’re struggling with the disorganization in your life or know someone that is, please reach out for help. You don’t have to go it alone. While I’d love to be that person for you, finding the right fit is important. This is a personal services business. There are several factors to consider. To gain understanding about finding the best person, which include a series of questions to guide you, read 6 Tips for Hiring a Professional Organizer. The article is an excellent starting point to help you determine your organizing needs and the type of help you want.

Have you enlisted help from an organizer? Are you an organizer that offers help? I’d love to hear more about your experiences. What are your thoughts? Come join the conversation!

I’m sure you’ve heard the question and response, “How do you eat an elephant?” … “One bite at a time.” Not that we’re eating or want to be eating elephants here, but there is a connection to be made. Managing or handling our accumulation of clutter can be daunting and downright overwhelming (like eating an enormous elephant.) However, similar to other large projects, if we break them down into teeny, tiny steps, we can quickly reduce overwhelm and progress forward.

So let me rephrase the question and response.

Q:  How do you edit clutter the simple way?

A:  One drawer and one decision at a time.

In the twenty-five years I’ve been helping my clients to get organized, I’ve seen this prove true time and again. We often start from that “overwhelmed” state. From there we work together one drawer, one surface, or one closet at a time to declutter, to let go, and to get organized. 

It’s always amazing to see how much gets edited out. Clutter has a way of collecting and being stored in deep, dark corners of rooms, containers and drawers, so that we no longer realize it’s there. However, when you begin to dig out drawer-by-drawer and corner-by-corner, it’s incredible to see what is uncovered. Even more fascinating is to see the volume of what we choose to release. 

Clutter has a way of accumulating over time. Things get stored and forgotten. Stuff remains beyond its usefulness. And since things have been hidden away, duplicate items have often been unknowingly purchased. So when we go through the editing process and realize we have 10 spatulas or 25 pairs of black pants or 40 coffee mugs, it makes decision-making and letting go much easier. Let’s be honest. Most of us just don’t need or really want 10 spatulas or 25 pairs of black pants.

To bring this back to the original question…How do you edit clutter the simple way?

Here’s one formula:

• Work in one small area at a time like a drawer, a counter top, or a closet rack.

• Group like with like as you edit. It makes decision-making easier when you can see your duplicate items together.

• Make one decision at a time. If you get stuck on one item, set it aside and move on to something else. Come back at the end of that section and decide before moving to the next area.

• Be ruthless. Remember that the less you have, the easier it will be to stay organized and find what you need. With less you will feel lighter and less encumbered.

Does this resonate with you? Have you or someone you know experienced clutter editing? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation!

My client gave me permission to share this story. During a recent organizing session we were sorting and editing when she came across one item that she wasn’t sure what to do with. She wanted to keep it, but didn’t have a place or category to pair it with.

To figure out the puzzle, I asked some questions to learn more about the item and it’s significance to her. Within a few minutes she determined that it was something she might bring out for her children to play with (supervision needed) when they had a short time to play. After a few more questions, she decided that containing it in a box with a label and storing it in her closet would work.

Just to recap, we discovered an item without a home, discussed what it was about, and determined the best way and place to store it. Labeling the box was key. What’s in a name? In this case, she came up with a label name that’s one of the best ones I’ve ever typed in the 20+ years I’ve been organizing. It says,

“15 Minutes of Fun!”

I love that. Now I want a box with that name.

What does this have to do with letting go? How often do you feel you need hours or days to have fun, get organized, or ____________  (fill in the blank)? Because you don’t, you postpone fun. You postpone organizing. You postpone moving forward. The reality is that in a short time you can enjoy, do a lot, or even a little. Days are segmented. We feel like we’re supposed to work or play in long time blocks. We don’t often have the luxury of endless, continuous hours.

The next time you’re thinking that you don’t have time to __________, remember the “15 Minutes of Fun” box and see if you can motivate yourself to use the short burst of time that you do have.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. What resonates with you? Come join the conversation.

For those that love to dress-up for Halloween, thinking about the possibilities of what you might be is exciting. Whether you prefer to be Gumby, Buzz Lightyear or Princess Jasmine, there is an element of fantasy as you imagine which persona you will temporarily embody.  Perhaps you no longer dress-up.  Maybe instead you’re helping your kids to select special costumes. For the Halloween celebrators, the days leading up to wearing our costumes and Trick or Treating are filled with possibilities.

We just returned from visiting our daughter in Boston. We took a walk to the iParty store to find some things for her Halloween costume. She was in search of lollipops and a yellow tablecloth. On the way there, I saw Gumby standing on the street corner, waving to people as they passed by. You never know what will inspire you. As it turns out, Gumby did.

There was so much to look at in the store. It was a visual feast with colorful costume accessories like wigs, gloves, stockings, glitter, boas and hats. There were also complete outfits of pre-packaged costumes such as superheroes, ghosts and witches. The choices were almost overwhelming. I watched as people shopped and talked energetically with their friends about what they wanted to be. Dreaming and discussing was an essential first step in the decision-making process.

What if we used our Halloween frame of mind that’s infused with creativity, fantasy and fun to imagine the possibilities in our lives? What if we allowed ourselves to let go of our excuses and to instead envision where we’d like to be tomorrow, next month or next year? Unleash your unedited thoughts. Once they’ve been recorded, begin to sort them into groups such as pursue “Now,”  “Later,” or “Never.” But before editing or sorting, give yourself the freedom and space to capture your ideas.

In the spirit of creativity, whether your inspiration comes in the form of Gumby or a purple boa, I hope that you set aside some time this fall to imagine the possibilities for the next phase of your life.