Today I lost my keys

Yup, I admit it. I'm a professional organizer and I lost my keys.

Now that you've picked yourself up off the floor, read on! What's that? You're not shocked? Either you know me (haha) or you realize that we all slip up from time to time, even the supposedly chronically organized.

Losing my keys caused quite a panic for about 20 minutes as I searched the house, pockets, bags, and boxes, and contemplated canceling my appointments for the rest of the day if I truly couldn't leave the house. I finally found them in the passenger footwell of my car, under a CD case. They wound up there because we got back from Christmas vacation yesterday, and they evidently didn't make it back to their customary spot in the flurry of unpacking.

Here's the lesson I learned: when you come back from vacation and you're unpacking and putting everything away, double check the items you'll need at hand when you get back to your regular routine. What will you need when you walk out the door for your first day back at work? What will the kids need when they're getting ready for the first day back at school? Is everything in the place you would normally have it, ready to go?

If you don't have a place for your keys and purse, make a place right now! Then promise yourself that you'll always put your keys and purse/bag there as a part of your coming home routine, whether you're coming home from a trip to the grocery store, or a two week vacation.

Another lesson I learned today is that even though I'm a professional organizer, I'm not always organized. I've chosen organizing as a career because I like organizing. But I make the same mistakes we all do - putting off that stack of filing to-do, keeping way too many clothes in my closet, and... misplacing my keys.

Take a few moments to think about small yet important things (like your keys) that cause you great stress if they're lost, and decide right now to give yourself the gift of NOT losing your keys or wallet or cell phone in the New Year!

3 ways to shop locally and reduce stress

What were you doing this "Black Friday"? I was at home, warm and dry, not being pushed, shoved, or trampled, and avoiding any form of crowds other than the small crowd in my small kitchen as we prepared a yummy Thanksgiving meal! (My husband was on call Thursday, so we opted to eat on Friday instead.)

I understand that some people love the thrill of the hunt and relish the annual Black Friday shopping ritual, but personally, I just don't get it! I enjoy the thrill of a discovering fabulous gifts locally. The more locally sourced and produced, the better.

When you shop locally, you give your local economy a boost, ease the burden on the environment this holiday season, and reduce clutter and stress in your life.

• Local products are less likely to come wrapped in layers of packaging which causes frustration and then clutters up your home before heading to the landfill.
• Local handmade products are often sturdier (as opposed to inexpensive plastic toys or electronics). Plus, if something goes wrong, you're more likely to get timely and satisfactory customer service from a local business.
• Local products usually won't be found amid the crowds and noise of the malls and big box stores. Shopping locally is a calmer and quieter experience, which is a gift in itself!
  

In Bellingham, we have many wonderful local retailers and artists. Here are some of my favorite ways to connect with them:

Local Merchants

• Sustainable Connections - search for local businesses, including food and farms
  
• Fairhaven.com - businesses in the Fairhaven historic district
• Downtown Bellingham
  

Holiday Craft Fairs

• Pacific Arts Holiday Market
• Allied Arts "Festival of the Arts"

Shop online

• Etsy.com - "eBay for local handmade stuff"
• BidLocalFirst Auction - Sustainable Connection's first online holiday auction

What are some of your favorite ways to shop locally and reduce holiday gift-related stress? Comment or send me your ideas!

Do you use your wall space?

Do you make this common organizing mistake? I sure do. Whenever I'm having difficulty with organization in a room or area of my home, I've usually failed to... use my available wall space effectively!

Here are a few ways to use wall space:

1. Shelving! Deep, narrow, all shapes and sizes - there's a shelf to fit your needs (or you can make one!)
2. Hooks and racks. Handy for hanging anything from keys to coats to tools.
3. Cork board or dry erase surface (most are now also magnetic). Can be used for keeping lists, hanging up important papers, or just posting something fun.
4. Filing containers designed to hold papers or clipboards - they come in all shapes and sizes.
5. Lighting. Don't forget adequate lighting! It can completely change the feel and function of a space.
6. Artwork. Make your space beautiful!

Of course, it's important to keep function in mind. If you put up a dry erase board, will you be able to write on it comfortably in that location? If not, you probably won't use it.

Utilizing wall space offers you more ways to keep things at eye level and within easy reach. You're more likely to remember to sign that important school paper if it's on your "to do" cork board than if it's buried in a stack of papers on the kitchen counter.

Take a quick tour of your home or office and think about how you might use any wall space that's currently empty. If you need help or ideas, give me a call or email!

3 things to do with old t-shirts

I have a t-shirt collection; do you? I have to admit, I have a couple bins full in my garage. They tell the stories of places I've vacationed, musicians I liked, schools, teams, camps, events, and so on. I don't want to wear them anymore, but they hold sentimental value for me.

Most of us have clothing we're hanging onto for sentimental reasons. Here are three ways you can do something meaningful with your old clothing items, save space, enjoy the memories, and maybe even get some more use out of them!

1. Make a quilt.

T-shirt quilts are very popular these days. Your local craft store may have a kit, or you can Google "t-shirt quilt" for ideas, patterns, and instructions. You can add other fabrics like denim, corduroy, blankets, or even fabric from old stuffed animals, pillows, hats, scarves... get creative and make an interesting patchwork.

If you don't sew, you can even send off your fabric and have someone else sew it for you! (Search: "t-shirt quilt" or "custom made t-shirt quilt" for ideas.)

2. Make a scrapbook.

Take a photo of each t-shirt or clothing item, then make a scrapbook from the photos and journal about the memories attached to each item. Or, you can upload your photos to a website like Snapfish or Shutterfly and have a custom book made.

Then you can donate the clothing to charity. And if you're looking for a really meaningful way to donate, check out the next tip:

3. Donate to a group that gives your clothing a second life.

This is my favorite find of the day. Reteez.com creates products out of used t-shirts. Their product line includes totes, handbags, belts, bibs, even dish scrubbers and dog toys. This is really cool, folks! Even better, $1-$3 per t-shirt you donate will be used to build schools in Mozambique. Go to the donation page for more info.

Organizing with your pets in mind

I saw the cutest thing while I was driving home today. A big Golden Retriever was sprawled out on the front lawn of a quaint farmhouse, watching the world go by, and snuggled up next to him was a black and white cat. Who says dogs and cats can't be friends? I wished I could have taken a picture, but that would have been awkward, and I probably would have upset the happy pair in my attempt to photograph them.

But it warmed my heart, and reminded me of the special place that companion animals have in our lives. According to 2007 AVMA statistics, 37% of U.S. households are guardians of dogs, and 32% are guardians of cats. When you work on organizing projects, don't forget to factor in your companion animals' needs too. Chaotic environments and lack of a consistent routine are stressful for dog or cats, just like they are for us. Disorganization can also lead to your pet getting into something dangerous, like chocolate, that has been left within their reach.

A well organized household is a safer and happier place for all its inhabitants. Jesse and I are both big fans of animals, and we love to make spaces work well for both human and animal family members. Email me and ask about getting a free copy of our handout, "Organizing with Pets in Mind". In addition to general pet-related organizing tips, it also has ideas for how to keep your pets safe during the holidays.

Now, go give your cat or dog a hug!

"Honor and respect those things that make your heart sing."

My title for tonight's blog is a quote from Peter Walsh. Peter is an L.A. based professional organizer who has been featured several times by Oprah. His most recent Oprah show was last Wednesday. Because I apparently live under a rock, I didn't watch OR record this show. Oh well. I just read through the synopsis, and as always, I was inspired by what Peter had to say.

What does it mean, "honor and respect those things that make your heart sing"? If you struggle with clutter, you may feel that you love everything you have and you just can't bear to part with any of it. Or maybe someone's told you to just "give it all to Goodwill", but you don't want to do that because you know, or suspect, that somewhere in the "pile" are things that truly are precious to you.

Peter's point is that if you truly love something, it deserves a place of honor and respect in your home. Yet so often, we don't actually treat our valued possessions that way. We leave shoes scattered around and the dog discovers a great new chew toy... we store precious family photos in bins or boxes, and they get bent and faded... or (I'm guilty of doing this) we pack up "precious" belongings, stow them in the garage, and never actually use or enjoy them.

As organizers, it's our job to be your coaches and helping hands so you can clear away the clutter and create space to honor and respect the things you love. One of the most rewarding parts of working with clients is when we hear these words: "oh, there's [fill in the blank]!" We love helping you discover buried treasures! You can reclaim your space, and we want to help. Take the first step today! Visit Harmony Matters on the web, take a look around, and then call to schedule your consultation!

Monday Madness

Do you ever suffer from "Monday Madness"? You know, that feeling that your to-do list has magically grown over the weekend, leaving you with a list so long you know you'll never get to it all in one day? I can relate.

Even though I'm a professional organizer, I have plenty of moments where I'm anything but organized and "put together"! I try really hard to take time for myself and my family, especially on the weekends. Unfortunately, the emails keep coming and the phone keeps ringing, which means that on Monday morning, if I've ignored it all weekend, there's more catch-up work to do than usual.

I often find that my Monday sets the tone for my whole week, so I make an effort to be as organized and productive as possible. This morning, I tried something I haven't done for a while, and I was reminded of the simple power of this technique. It's a two-pronged approach.

First, the brain dump. Get a clean sheet of paper (I recommend grid-lined paper and a trusty clipboard) and start writing! Write down all the things that are on your mind that you need or want to do today. Little things, big things, even tasks you know you can't complete in one day. Don't categorize or go into great detail, just jot as quickly as you can.

The second step is to "time it". Assign a time value to each item on your list. How long do you think each task will take? 2 minutes? Five? Ten? A half hour? 10 hours? Write the time (in minutes) beside each item, then add them all up, and divide by 60. This is how many hours you expect it will take to do everything on your list.

This morning, my one page list of mostly small tasks came out to 6.75 hours, and that was not including several tasks that I had listed as needing an hour or more! So in other words, all the "little stuff" I knew I needed to do was going to take nearly 7 hours - much more than I would have estimated if I had just glanced through the list.

My first reaction was, "Wow, no wonder I feel so behind, there's no way I can do all this today. What's wrong with me? I'll never catch up!" Then I had a revelation. Yes, all these phone calls and emails and errands are time consuming, but nevertheless, they are important. These things take time. Everything takes time! If I'm expecting to keep up with the information flowing in and out of my life in a mere hour or so a day, I'm placing an unrealistic expectation on myself. When I fall short of my expectation, I beat myself up. Doing this doesn't create any more time in my day or increase my productivity.

If the reality is that I have six hours of phone calls, errands, and emails to do today, and these tasks are important to me, then I shouldn't feel bad for doing them. And I especially shouldn't feel inadequate because I can't do it all faster. If I don't get through my whole list, I'll know that it's ok, because I really did have a lot to do!

Yes, sometimes we do have to put the little things aside in order to fit the big things in, lest they get forever pushed aside by the "tyranny of the urgent". But when you do spend a day playing catch-up, give yourself a pat on the back! You are amazing! You accomplish great things, every day. You connect with people, you care for your family, you nourish yourself.

So next time you're feeling overwhelmed with "Monday Madness" (or any-other-day-of-the-week madness), try the brain dump/time it, and take a moment to reflect on the expectations you set for yourself and how these expectations (whether you meet them or not) make you feel. And give yourself credit for all the things you accomplish, even on your maddest of Mondays.