While we are waiting for that ‘ideal buyer’ for our home we are identifying and eliminating the 80% of what we really don’t use in our closets and are [...]]]> Statistically Speaking 80% of what we have we never use

Startling as it may be, our closets are a testament to the truth in this number.

While we are waiting for that ‘ideal buyer’ for our home we are identifying and eliminating the 80% of what we really don’t use in our closets and are striving to live happily with the remaining 20%. This will also make it easier when the sold sign does hit the lawn and we only have to pack what we love, has a use in our life today and will fit in our future ‘right sized’ home. 

Smaller home = Smaller closets

The linen closets were quite easy.

How many towels do you really need? On average two to three per family member. The same goes for hand towels and facecloths. As far as bedding goes some people have winter and summer sets, so two sets of each per bed. Our linen closet looks great and we can see everything easily…making it very simple to find what we need when we need it.

The boy’s closets were quick and almost painless.

They don’t seem to have the emotional attachment that makes decluttering challenging, so in less than hour we went through the closet and dresser drawers. For the youngest one it was easy as over a year ago we took the dresser out of his room. It was a useless piece of furniture that always had the clothing either hanging out of the open drawers or laying on the floor next to it. For him we just had to open the closet and going shelf by shelf we were able to edit out about 50% or so that has not been worn in the past six months.

My daughter had more difficulty clearing the Closet Clutter.

She is more attached to the clothing and the fun she has had in the shopping adventures with her girlfriends. I am sure with some motherly guidance in the next few weeks we can thin it out again to an amount that allows her to have variety without the anxiety that accompanies too many decisions. Anyone who has a teenage girl will understand what I am talking about.

The master bedroom closet was last on the list but posed it own challenges.

It is not a large closet, a standard double door closet that I share with the skipper. I set aside a whole morning for this job because I needed to try everything on, after losing over 10 pounds some of the clothing is now too big and it is not staying around. That may not seem like a lot but on my short frame it is almost two sizes. I am so happy with the results and I can see everything I own. It is organized by categories. Pants are with pants, shirts are together based on type and style, sweaters and the like are together and all my yoga gear is all in one spot. So whatever I choose now fits well, looks awesome and makes me feel great when I wear it.

A friend who was over to see the finished product laughed as she though I had more purses that I had clothing…that is partly true. With the weight loss I am eliminating clothing as it gets too big and when I reach my goal, according to Bruce Sweeney my health coach I will be at that magical place of optimal health in 2012. When that happens and I have great cholesterol and blood sugars I will celebrate with a new wardrobe. In the meantime I can still have great purses.

All-in-all the closet decluttering and organizing took less than 8 hours.

We have five garbage bags for donation. It feels good to know that our clothing and linens will be passed on to someone who needs it more than we do.

Your Clutter could be someone else’s Survival!

Having empty space also means that we are well on our way to simplifying this area of our life.

I thought this quote fit perfectly for this theme “The consumption society has made us feel that happiness lies in having things, and has failed to teach us the happiness of not having things.” Elise Boulding

I have what I call the ‘Bad Room’. A place in our home where anything that is not being used gets tossed. After a few months when I can’t get the door [...]]]> Organized People have Clutter too!

Just because I inherited the organizing gene doesn’t mean that I am without any clutter in my life.

I have what I call the ‘Bad Room’. A place in our home where anything that is not being used gets tossed. After a few months when I can’t get the door open I tackle this 9 x 9 room. Garbage gets thrown out, recycling goes to the blue bins and anything that still has some life left in it gets donated to a local charity.

Having a cluttered room is not an issue…having a home full of clutter that never gets used is!

The Secret is knowing  the difference.

Time to do the Spring Fling…

Bringing energy into your space at this time of year feels natural and to help you do this I am going to [...]]]> This is my first anniversary as a Columnist for KV Style Magazine. I am pleased to share my latest article. You cen read it here or online.

Time to do the Spring Fling…

Bringing energy into your space at this time of year feels natural and to help you do this I am going to share the Six Step Organizing System that all professional organizers use when they tackle any project.

This Six Step Organizing System will help you break down the large and often overwhelming task of taking on a new organizing project and approach it in smaller manageable steps.

The Six Steps that you will go through when ORGANIZING are:

1. The Dream – How do you envision your new dream space or system?

This is where you jot down the things that are not working in your home, office, schedule, routine, etc. After that you write what you DO want it to look like, feel like…bring all your senses in to this visualization.

2. The Plan – What steps will you take to make the dream come true?

I call this breaking the elephant into bite sized pieces. Think of five actions you can take to reach this Dream or Vision. An action won’t happen if it doesn’t have a deadline or if no one is responsible for getting it done. Even if you’re working on this alone create a realistic action plan with dates for completion.

3. The Sort – Sort through everything, putting like with like, into categories.

For things, some people think in terms of size, some by function, and even some by color. The most common sorting scheme, and the one most used is by function.  Activities can also be sorted. For example, a typical day might include: getting the family ready for school/work, home maintenance, extracurricular activities, meals, and fun-time.

4. The Purge – Deciding what to keep and what to let go of.

This is the hardest part for most people. To make the decision easier ask yourself when you are stuck on an item. “Is this part of my current life and is it useful or beautiful?” Thinking of others who are less fortunate will help you to let go.

Wow, look what you have accomplishment so far!

• • You’ve created a dream or vision of what you want.
• • You have a plan on how to make the dream a reality.
• • You have broken it down into categories with the sort.
• • And in the purge you let go of the unwanted/unloved items.

5. The Re-Organization – Put what you are keeping back, making sure everything has a home.

How you re-organize everything is incredibly personal. No matter how individualized you make the reorganization, however, if you keep these questions in mind while working, you shouldn’t have any problems. How do I want this space to function? Does it make sense to have this item here?

Can I or anyone that I live with find this item in 5 seconds or less if I put it here.

6. Maintenance – Organizing is a journey not a destination. Organizing isn’t a one time project. It’s an evolving journey, one destination leading to the next. Yes, this means that staying organized involves maintenance. It takes at least 21 repetitions of an action or a way of living to make it a habit. As we use most spaces every day, this means it takes 21 days to determine if your organizing project and the systems you have put in place have created new lasting habits.

Well, what are you waiting for?

Time to do the Spring Fling. If you do need further inspiration or assistance in your efforts you can connect with me on facebook at