In these tight economic times, more people are trying to make better use of the space they have, rather than moving into or building a new home. Remodeling is great! It allows you to make the most of the space you have, and to add efficiency and beauty to your home. While it's still a big investment, remodeling is usually less expensive than a brand new construction.
If you're considering a remodel this year, you may want to also consider hiring a professional organizer to assist you with the whole process. If the thought of having dinner guests is stressful to you, then the idea of inviting a work crew into your home who will move furniture, rip up flooring, knock out walls, or make your kitchen unusable for a week (or longer) is really scary!
Let's face it: a remodeling project, whether large or small, invades your life. However, it's also a great chance to declutter and get organized while everything's topsy-turvy. If you're removing everything from a room you may as well sort through it all and only put back what you really want to have in your beautiful new space.
How can a professional organizer help you get through a remodel and make the best of it?
1. Planning.
We can help you plan out the whole project, including any organizational features you may want to have installed (like closet systems, shelving, or work stations).
2. Preparation.
You'll want to be able to continue living in your home while the project is going on. Even a day or two without your kitchen can be a big hassle. We can help you prepare by moving everything out of the space, identifying important items you'll need to keep accessible, and safely storing everything else. If your remodel will take a long time, we can help you set up systems that will allow your household to function well during the whole process.
3. Putting it all away.
While the guys are installing those new hardwood floors or cabinets, it's the perfect time to sort through everything you removed from the room. We can help you stage a sorting area in the garage or basement. We'll work alongside you to help you choose what to keep, donate, or throw away. Then we'll come up with a plan to put it all away, and we'll help you do that when the remodel is done!
Remodeling is stressful, but don't let that stop you! Organizers can help relieve the stress, and make the whole project turn out more beautifully than you ever imagined.
This weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, March 6-8, 2009), Harmony Matters will be at the Whatcom County Home and Garden Show in Lynden, WA. If you're in the Bellingham area, come to the show and stop by our booth! We'd love to hear about what projects you have planned for your home this year.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Thoughts about being a storage bin
Do you store things for others? Family members, friends, organizations you belong to?
Once again, I can raise my hand. I do, I do!! I spent a good portion of today driving to various locations around town to pick up items that need to be at the Alternative Humane Society's annual meeting tomorrow (I'm on the Board). There is also a stack of boxes of promotional items for my business's upcoming trade show booth taking up space in my living room right now. My garage is full of things I'm keeping "to use later" or "to pass on to my kids... someday".
I'm an organizer... I should know better, right? Well, I'm also human.
We humans are sentimental creatures, for the most part. We like to hang onto things that have value, whether they're only valuable to us, or could be considered valuable on the general market. And we like to help out a friend or charitable cause when we can. That's all good and fine, until the storing of things starts to keep you from living the life you want to live.
If guests have to sleep on the couch because the guest room is crammed full of uncompleted projects and "stuff to look at", it might be time to actually take a look at all that stuff. Ask yourself if it's contributing to the life you want to live, or detracting from it.
If you have the space to store things for friends, great! But be realistic about the space that you have, and remember that it's ok to say no. Things have energy, and that affects your life. Moving, repackaging, sorting, and just keeping track of it all takes up your time and energy.
If you've accumulated valuable things over the years that you don't want to just throw away, check out Freecycle. You can find a Freecycle group in your own community. (Here in Bellingham, you can also participate in the Whatcom Potlatch gifting community.) Members post needs, or offer items they have. You may be surprised to find a perfect match for that obscure useful item that's been in your garage for 15 years.
By all means, continue to be generous with the time and space that you have. But don't feel bad about setting limits!
Once again, I can raise my hand. I do, I do!! I spent a good portion of today driving to various locations around town to pick up items that need to be at the Alternative Humane Society's annual meeting tomorrow (I'm on the Board). There is also a stack of boxes of promotional items for my business's upcoming trade show booth taking up space in my living room right now. My garage is full of things I'm keeping "to use later" or "to pass on to my kids... someday".
I'm an organizer... I should know better, right? Well, I'm also human.
We humans are sentimental creatures, for the most part. We like to hang onto things that have value, whether they're only valuable to us, or could be considered valuable on the general market. And we like to help out a friend or charitable cause when we can. That's all good and fine, until the storing of things starts to keep you from living the life you want to live.
If guests have to sleep on the couch because the guest room is crammed full of uncompleted projects and "stuff to look at", it might be time to actually take a look at all that stuff. Ask yourself if it's contributing to the life you want to live, or detracting from it.
If you have the space to store things for friends, great! But be realistic about the space that you have, and remember that it's ok to say no. Things have energy, and that affects your life. Moving, repackaging, sorting, and just keeping track of it all takes up your time and energy.
If you've accumulated valuable things over the years that you don't want to just throw away, check out Freecycle. You can find a Freecycle group in your own community. (Here in Bellingham, you can also participate in the Whatcom Potlatch gifting community.) Members post needs, or offer items they have. You may be surprised to find a perfect match for that obscure useful item that's been in your garage for 15 years.
By all means, continue to be generous with the time and space that you have. But don't feel bad about setting limits!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Lurking, invisible clutter
Have you ever wondered how big an impact clutter really has on your life? Do you stop to notice how you feel when you walk into your home, or office, or when you sit down at your desk?Lately, I've been noticing some interesting things about my own home office: the amount of clutter that's actually there, and how I've tried to make it "invisible".
When you spend hours in a space every day, it's easier to stop noticing the way it is, and how it makes you feel. But whether you're consciously aware of it or not, the clutter is still there "like a splinter in your mind" (sorry, Matrix fan here).
Time for some honesty: the photo above is what I see, right now, when I swivel my desk chair around. Ok, so maybe it's not that bad. At least it's (mostly) in bins, right? The problem is, it's been there for weeks (ok, ok, more like months), and though I've shuffled things around, I haven't solved the problem.
I also find it really interesting that this clutter is positioned behind me in the room - right where I can't see it while I'm working at my desk. This tells me that subconsciously, I'm trying to get away from it, but the reality is, I can't. It's still there, and it's not going to go away all by itself, it's multiplying, and it's dragging me down with it!
Remember that commercial where people were dragging bathroom scales around with them, illustrating the idea of being "chained to the number on the scale"? That's how I feel... my clutter is clanging around behind me all day, getting in my way and hitting me in the ankles occasionally. That image is closer to the truth than we may like to imagine, because things really do have energy, and they really do affect our motivation, focus, and peace of mind.
I'm a very task oriented person. I get satisfaction out of crossing something off my list. So when I feel overwhelmed with lots of big irons in the fire, what do I tend to do? I create more projects! Smaller projects that can be done in a couple hours, or mindless tasks that don't really get me any closer to accomplishing my goals, but do provide a "quick fix" feeling of productivity.
My goal today is to clear out that "invisible" clutter lurking behind me in my office. I know it will make a big difference in how I feel, and in how much energy I have for tackling the projects that are really important to me.
How does clutter multiply in your life? Have you suddenly noticed "lurking invisible clutter" in your space? Share you experiences!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Is this making my life better?
I've failed in my resolution to blog regularly. "Bad organizer! Bad!"
We're all human. Which perhaps should be the topic of this blog. There's something that's been on my mind recently though. It's a simple question that I think organized people ask (and answer) more often.
Is this [item, goal, habit] making my life easier, or harder? Better, or worse?
I often wish for more than 24 hours in the day. But for some reason, that wish doesn't come true. If I could magically create more hours in my day, I would have time to enjoy and benefit from all the magazines I'm saving to read, let alone the books, blogs, and recipes.
But I can't create more hours in the day, and neither can you. What we can do is ask ourselves if we're getting what we want to get from the items that we're hanging on to. If something is cluttering your space, what are you getting out of that exchange? Is it bringing you joy? Fulfillment? Or guilt?
If you've had uncompleted projects for more than a year, it may be time to re-evaluate whether you're getting anything good out of hanging onto that item, or whether you'd feel better by letting it go.
Remember, you can find almost anything on the Internet these days! The world might not end if you recycle those Bon Appetit magazines without clipping and filing all the appealing recipes.
So consider this blog a personal "coupon" for a free exemption. You get to pick one thing in your life that you've been hanging onto, and let it go, guilt free!! Comment and let me know what you decided to let go of. :)
We're all human. Which perhaps should be the topic of this blog. There's something that's been on my mind recently though. It's a simple question that I think organized people ask (and answer) more often.
Is this [item, goal, habit] making my life easier, or harder? Better, or worse?
I often wish for more than 24 hours in the day. But for some reason, that wish doesn't come true. If I could magically create more hours in my day, I would have time to enjoy and benefit from all the magazines I'm saving to read, let alone the books, blogs, and recipes.
But I can't create more hours in the day, and neither can you. What we can do is ask ourselves if we're getting what we want to get from the items that we're hanging on to. If something is cluttering your space, what are you getting out of that exchange? Is it bringing you joy? Fulfillment? Or guilt?
If you've had uncompleted projects for more than a year, it may be time to re-evaluate whether you're getting anything good out of hanging onto that item, or whether you'd feel better by letting it go.
Remember, you can find almost anything on the Internet these days! The world might not end if you recycle those Bon Appetit magazines without clipping and filing all the appealing recipes.
So consider this blog a personal "coupon" for a free exemption. You get to pick one thing in your life that you've been hanging onto, and let it go, guilt free!! Comment and let me know what you decided to let go of. :)
Saturday, January 3, 2009
My best organizing tip for 2009
I've been contemplating what to post about for the New Year. What can I say about organizing that hasn't already been said? What piece of inspirational organizing brilliance can I come up with? After a while I realized I didn't have anything terribly new or brilliant to say, and that's all right.
What I do have to share is an organizing principle that I'm finding very powerful and relevant in my own life. This is my best tip for getting organized, and more importantly, staying organized, in 2009. Ready? Here goes!
Limits and boundaries. Yup, that's it. Set limits and boundaries, and hold yourself to them. If you find that difficult (as we all do), then create systems that help you stick to the limits and boundaries. There you have it, folks. That is what organizers do, in a nutshell.
Whether it's an inbox on your desk that limits the number of papers you can have piled up before you must sort them, or a closet that limits the number of clothes you can cram in it, that's what organizing systems do: they put boundaries around our stuff.
It doesn't really matter where you set the boundary, just that you set it. And that you don't ignore it! The point of the boundary is to remind you to do something about the stuff. If I say I only want to have one basket of magazines to read, then when the basket is full, I have to do something. I either have to read some magazines, get rid of some magazines (or both), change the boundary (get another basket), or choose to live with the overflowing basket.
Every season, I sort through my closet and get rid of clothes I haven't worn in the last year. I could just set a date to do this, every three months. Maybe I'd do it. But what really motivates me to action is the fact that my closet is getting uncomfortably full. The boundary is being encroached upon. If I don't do something, my closet will overflow!
We often think of boundaries and limits as... well, limiting. But I think they can also be empowering, if we use them as reminders that motivate us to action.
So, what limits and boundaries are you going to set for yourself in 2009? Maybe it's a physical limit, like switching to a smaller handbag so you aren't constantly digging around in your huge purse. Or perhaps you need some mental boundaries, like setting a timer when you log into Facebook or Twitter, so that you don't unwittingly while away 3 hours (*nervous cough* I've never done that!).
Remember that limits are gentle reminders to switch tracks, engage in an action, or change a habit. If you can set limits and boundaries, and respect them, you'll be well on your way to becoming more organized in 2009!
What I do have to share is an organizing principle that I'm finding very powerful and relevant in my own life. This is my best tip for getting organized, and more importantly, staying organized, in 2009. Ready? Here goes!
Limits and boundaries. Yup, that's it. Set limits and boundaries, and hold yourself to them. If you find that difficult (as we all do), then create systems that help you stick to the limits and boundaries. There you have it, folks. That is what organizers do, in a nutshell.
Whether it's an inbox on your desk that limits the number of papers you can have piled up before you must sort them, or a closet that limits the number of clothes you can cram in it, that's what organizing systems do: they put boundaries around our stuff.
It doesn't really matter where you set the boundary, just that you set it. And that you don't ignore it! The point of the boundary is to remind you to do something about the stuff. If I say I only want to have one basket of magazines to read, then when the basket is full, I have to do something. I either have to read some magazines, get rid of some magazines (or both), change the boundary (get another basket), or choose to live with the overflowing basket.
Every season, I sort through my closet and get rid of clothes I haven't worn in the last year. I could just set a date to do this, every three months. Maybe I'd do it. But what really motivates me to action is the fact that my closet is getting uncomfortably full. The boundary is being encroached upon. If I don't do something, my closet will overflow!
We often think of boundaries and limits as... well, limiting. But I think they can also be empowering, if we use them as reminders that motivate us to action.
So, what limits and boundaries are you going to set for yourself in 2009? Maybe it's a physical limit, like switching to a smaller handbag so you aren't constantly digging around in your huge purse. Or perhaps you need some mental boundaries, like setting a timer when you log into Facebook or Twitter, so that you don't unwittingly while away 3 hours (*nervous cough* I've never done that!).
Remember that limits are gentle reminders to switch tracks, engage in an action, or change a habit. If you can set limits and boundaries, and respect them, you'll be well on your way to becoming more organized in 2009!
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