an organized existence

where do you go from here?

2011-09-10T15:16:00.001-04:00

Hello beautiful person! Thank you for finding this blog. I'm so glad you came.

I am slowly moving all of the original content from this blog to my new blog, here. I hope you'll check it out. It's all about eco-friendly cleaning, organizing, healthy living, art, design and my life.

Peace out.

lightening up

2010-06-20T19:24:00.009-04:00

The summer is really starting to heat up, and whenever the hot weather comes, my knee-jerk reaction is to get rid of some stuff. Less clutter and more space in my rooms somehow makes me feel cooler.

I've been wanting to get rid of a few pieces of second-hand furniture for a couple of weeks, but it took me that long to really commit to no longer having them in my life. My name is Michelle Lynne Goodfellow, and I have a chair fetish. Also: I covet worn things.

But tomorrow is garbage day, so out to the curb I took everything this afternoon. Luckily I live in a neighbourhood where curb surfing is not only tolerated, but expected.

Above and below are two chairs I found while curb surfing myself last year. I really like them, but one is kind of loosey-goosey, and I haven't been able to fix it with my Lee Valley Chair Doctor set, so it's kind of dubious seating. I have plenty of working chairs in my apartment that I like better.

I think the guys (my cats Tear and Guy) are going to miss them, though. Here's Tear taking one last sniff.

I'm also getting rid of a lectern I found at a church rummage sale several years ago. It has seen me through endless hours of singing practice, and when not in use as a music stand it made a great place to display coffee table books. But I don't really have room for it anymore, so it's going too. (For pics, see my junk style blog, here.)

Having trouble getting rid of some of something? Ask yourself these questions:

Do I really like it? (In the case of my chairs: Yes.)
Do I actually use it? (Yes.)
Do I have too many things just like it? (Yes.)
Is it broken? (Yes.)
Will I feel better without it in my space? (WAY yes.)

If you still can't bear to actually part with it, put it in storage for six months to a year. At the end of that time ask yourself: Do I miss it? If the answer is no... get rid of it!

creating beautiful work spaces

2009-03-03T10:42:00.021-05:00

My social media guru, Leesa Barnes, just posted a new Marketing Fit video that talks about creating or finding beautiful spaces to work in.

I was inspired to post pictures of my own home office, which I have created to nourish and uplift me as I work at my computer every day. Enjoy!

This is my desk, which is really just a cedar door on top of three filing cabinets. I need LOTS of space around me when I work, and I also love the clean, uncluttered look of the bare wood. (And check out the vintage oak office chair, which a former client gave me.)

Adjacent to my desk is a folding table that I use when I'm working on large sewing, craft or art projects. If I ever need more floor space, I can always fold it up and move it elsewhere in my apartment. I also served dinner parties on this LONG combined surface.

The room has a gorgeous southeast exposure, and when it's not cloudy (like the day I took these pictures!), the sunshine pouring into the space is absolutely amazing. This small sitting area is a great place to read journals, drink tea, visit with friends or watch videos on YouTube; the standing lamps provide task lighting when the room gets dark after sunset.

I love the mis-matched charm of "junk style" or "shabby chic"; I found this simple chair at the side of the road on garbage day not too long ago. Once I brought it inside and cleaned it up, it looked pretty good! Now it's a place to set magazines and journals, and can be used as extra seating in a pinch.

I also love natural elements in my rooms - I'm forever bringing home branches, nests and other bits and pieces from my daily walks. Here's a maple branch that I found after a windstorm this winter; propped in a corner against a pale wall, it adds a calm, zen-like touch to my office.

I found this antler in the woods recently, when I was helping a local farmer set up the saplines in his maple sugar bush in preparation for maple syrup season.

A large metal locker holds art supplies and tools, and is a great surface to stick magnets onto. Here, a large rare earth magnet from Lee Valley Tools holds a gorgeous recycled-paper calendar from Avalanche Publishing Acquisition that features photos of trees - yet another natural element for my office.

Behind my desk is my infamous wall o' shelves, which everyone always comments on whenever they see the space for the first time. Yes, I'm a professional organizer; no, I don't always remember where I put everything!

Creating your own inspiring workspace is easy, once you know what pleases and refreshes you. I know that I prefer wide, open, clutter-free spaces in order to work most effectively. Having a place for everything, and putting things away when I'm done with them, helps me keep my space organized.

my moving book

2008-11-05T23:05:00.018-05:00

This week I've been starting to plan where I will put furniture in my new apartment, and I was suddenly inspired to make notes in one of my art journals. Normally I fill the journals with thoughts, and then make images over top of the writing; I often prep several pages ahead of time with scraps of colourful paper for inspiration, as well. Flipping through the pages of this particular journal, I saw blank spots where I could sketch floor plans and make lists, and my moving book was born. Above is the first spread, where I'm trying to map out my moving day and the personnel who will help me at each end. The numbered circles indicate where everyone will be "stationed."

The next spread already had these random Post-Its pasted in, so I'm using it to make lists of supplies I need. (I'm also keeping all my lists in my BlackBerry, which goes with me everywhere, but it's great to see everything collected in the book as well.)

Then I've inserted the page I filled out for my apartment when I was conducting my apartment search. The flip side of the page (below) has the living room measurements I took the last time I was there, signing the lease.

Also included in the above spread is my one-and-only to-scale floor plan, of the living room. I wanted to know how my desk and shelves would fit in the room, and I can't wait to see the final result.

Next is my bedroom, which will be very spare, with only my bed, a small metal locker, and a couple of small dressers that I'm getting from a friend. A wooden chair, for dressing, will probably round out the furniture in that room.

On this bright orange page I've mapped out my kitchen, which is also going to be very spare; there's enough room for an eat-in table and chairs, but I think I'm going to put one of my shelving units and a wicker armchair in the empty space instead. On the right side I've planned where I will put everything on the shelves.

This is my spare room, which will be a combination library and yoga/meditation room. My bookshelves will line half the walls, and one armchair will give me a spot to read, while leaving lots of space to do yoga.

The living room is my favorite area so far. It's going to be a combination home office and studio, and my current "kitchen" table will again serve double-duty as a work table and an eating surface. (I use only non-toxic materials in my art.)

Finally, I'm in the process of mapping out where I will put things on the shelves in my living room. I'm playing the shelves and their contents here in my old apartment, so that I can try out different arrangements before my actual move. Even with all this activity going on, when someone came in to view my apartment recently, their first comment was, "You have everything very well organized."

No kidding.

michelle is moving

2008-09-30T06:58:00.009-04:00

I'm moving back to my hometown of London, Ontario in approximately two months. I'm sad to be leaving behind the life that I have enjoyed here in Toronto, but I'm excited by the thought of the new things that will happen to me soon.

And the professional organizer in me is chomping at the bit to get started on plans for moving. Who am I kidding? I love it all: the purging, the organizing, the packing, the moving, the unpacking, the sorting - a move is a professional organizer's heaven. Even if it's my own move. Especially if it's my own move.

I'm already excited to see if I can improve on how things went the last time I moved. In my favour is the fact that I have significantly less stuff than before - which means I have less to pack, and less to organize in my new home. It's also going to be easier for me to edit my things before packing, because nearly everything I own is currently being used in my apartment. (Last time, many of my things were stored away in boxes, so I couldn't access them easily to do a really good pre-move purge.)

My mind is already buzzing with plans, and you can be sure I'm going to hone the techniques I've learned through my work with clients and my own previous moves. (See my earlier posts on moving, here and here, for additional tips on packing and organizing.)

Expect more to come, as my moving day draws closer!

my blackberry

2008-09-07T07:33:00.004-04:00

(This post was originally published on my personal blog, here.)

I love my BlackBerry. If you'd told me six months ago that I would get a BlackBerry (and that I would come to feel that I couldn't live without it), I would have told you you were crazy.

I thought I knew myself well. I thought I knew what helped keep me organized, and what would drive me crazy. Turns out I was wrong.

I'm a very visual person, and I like to see everything laid out in front of me. (In an organized fasion, of course.) Don't give me directions; give me a map. Don't tell me something; write it down for me. Don't hide my schedule in binary code; give me some paper and a pencil, already.

But my BlackBerry has become one of my very favorite tools. Yes, it's addictive. (And yes, I'm kind of ambivalent about that part of it.) But it helps simplify my life so much that I'm seriously figuring out how I can afford to keep it, should I ever leave the job it came with. (BlackBerry plans are a little more expensive than those of your average mobile phone. Go figure.)

Why do I love my BlackBerry so much? It does so much - all in one tiny little package.

It's a mobile phone.

It can receive e-mails. (IT CAN RECEIVE E-MAILS!!!) That feature alone blew me away the first day I had it. No more having to log on to my computer when I want to check and see what's going on. (And a lot is going on - mostly business. Which is why I got the thing in the first place - it made sense to the organization.)

It can SEND e-mails. (IT CAN *SEND* E-MAILS!!!) How ridiculous is that? Someone needs a two-word reply on the fly? No problem! I have (dare I say this) responded to e-mails from just about anywhere: the grocery store, the health food store, restaurants, my car (no, I wasn't driving at the time, officer), my bed in the middle of the night, and the while using the toilet.

It has a web browser. I know cell phones have been able to browse for years, but this is the first time I've had a mobile plan with browsing. Brainerd and I were at a choral management conference a couple of weekends ago, and during a session on strategic planning we were able to view, right there and then, the vision and mission statements posted on the Chorale's website, and discuss some changes we needed to make to them.

It's a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). One of my favorite features (oh, who am I kidding - they're all favorite features) is the address book, because - get this - you can click on someone's name and have the choice of phoning them (at any of their million locations), texting them, messaging them (Blackberry has its own messenger service between users) or e-mailing them. And like all PDAs, it also has a calendar/datebook and assorted sundry functions (calculator, etc.).

It's a camera. (Okay, I don't really use the camera all that much. I have a much better digital camera that I take with me almost everywhere, too. But if I WANTED to use my BlackBerry as a camera, I could. I even used it this morning, to take a photo of a sidewalk I saw during my morning walk, apparently created during Canada's centennial year.)

(1867 - 1967: Yay, Canada!)

It's a clock - and an alarm clock. My watch stopped working a couple of months ago. I haven't noticed. The BlackBerry is with me everywhere, so I always know what time it is. I only wish that it also had a timer. I mean, the alarm is kind of like a timer, except it's not. You have to set a clock time, as opposed to an elapsed time. Here's my advice to the BlackBerry people: BlackBerry people, make a BlackBerry with a proper timer. I love the ring I've set for the alarm, though - it's called ChiGong: a gentle, Tibetan bowl sound. And my ringtone for incoming calls is equally soothing - it sounds like a single chord played on a harpsichord.

It's a GPS (Global Positioning System). Took me a while to figure out how to navigate the map functions, but I still get a kick out of the device telling me exactly where I am at any given moment. Brainerd and I took a research trip to Cape Croker, ON (near Wiarton) last spring, and when we got lost on the winding country roads in the Native reserve, it could tell us exactly where we were. Sweet. The GPS can't give you directions to brand new addresses, however - which I discovered to my dismay when trying to find a friend's house in a brand new subdivision north of Toronto. Might not have helped me much, anyhow: the houses were so new they didn't even have street numbers on them, yet.

It's an mp3 player. (I haven't used that function yet, but I'm sure it's awesome. Awesome.)

My number one favorite reason I love my BlackBerry, however, is that I can create lists on it. Like shopping lists, and to do lists, and lists of my favorite inspirational quotes. I currently have 29 lists on my BlackBerry, and I add more every week. No more paper lists that I can never keep track of! I always have my BlackBerry with me, so I always have all my lists. I consult them constantly throughout the day, and especially when I'm shopping or packing for trips. My CrackBerry definitely feeds my list addiction.

Number of times I have left my BlackBerry behind in a store or business: 3

(I have a constant mantra now whenever I'm leaving a store: Do I have my BlackBerry? Where's my Blackberry?)

That's about it. I highly recommend the BlackBerry. Mine is a Curve. I've heard iPhones are pretty cool, though. May have to check those out, someday...

the niggly stuff

2008-07-26T07:46:00.012-04:00

I have recently been faced with a problem that I often see with my clients - the inability to get rid of the tiny, niggly little stuff that has no immediate use.

The above shot is a photo of the inside of the medicine cabinet in my bathroom. I don't own much make-up, so the three shelves are filled with essential oils, dental floss, toothpaste, bath salts and the massage oil that I add to my daily baths. I keep the oil in a beautiful glass bottle, and until recently the bottle cork was topped by a lovely wooden ball.

The wooden ball has come off.

Now, I love wood. You'll find wooden objects throughout my apartment. It pleased me to no end that my oil bottle had a wood-topped cork.

But that wooden ball is now non-functional. It's so impregnated with oil that I could never glue it back onto the cork again. (Which is probably how it came unglued in the first place.) I have no other use for it.

But could I get rid of it? Not for several weeks.

First I tried shoving it back onto the cork, hoping they would stay stuck together. Then I got irritated every time I tried to uncork the bottle and the wooden ball came off in my hand.

It's just so beautiful. How could I throw it out? Indecisive, I kept it on my medicine cabinet shelf.

I see this with organizing clients all the time. They can't make a decision, so they don't make a decision - not realizing that they have just, by default, made a decision. To keep it.

My advice? Just get rid of it. Find a good home for it if you can (reduce, reuse, recycle), but if after several days (or weeks) you find yourself paralysed by not knowing what to do with it, just get rid of it.

My wooden ball went into the garbage this morning.

a new day

2008-06-15T17:57:00.009-04:00

For the last several months a substantial shift has been going on in my life, and I've finally decided to let my blogs reflect it. Just over six months ago, I accepted the position of full-time Artistic Administrator for The Nathaniel Dett Chorale - a professional choir dedicated to the performance of Afrocentric music of all genres. To say my life has been turned upside-down is an understatement; this new job has taken hold of me with the passion of a calling, and yet at the same time I have been continually challenged to learn and grow as a human being, and it's not always been easy.

I'm still passionate about professional organizing - the original subject of this blog - as well as my other professional interests, for which I also created blogs: eco-friendly cleaning and consulting, freelance writing, visual art and design. Realistically, I just haven't had time to attend to everything in the months that I've been with the Chorale.

In the interests of simplifying my life (see, the professional organizing is always lurking there somewhere beneath the surface!), I'm consolidating most of my professional blogs into this one, and channelling my non-professional interests into one personal blog, http://www.emelgy.blogspot.com/.

The process may take several weeks, but from now on you can expect that this blog will deal with professional organizing, eco-friendly cleaning, and other wholistic living subjects.

The drawing at the beginning of this post was created with a mug full of Crayola Twistables crayons at a pub in North Toronto this past last week. I hadn't coloured in weeks, and was inspired to create something that symbolized a new happiness unfolding in my life.

me on tv

2008-03-23T15:39:00.006-04:00

On Thursday and Friday of this week (March 21 and 22, 2008) I was featured in two news segments on Toronto's City TV. My colleague April Poppe and I organized and redecorated a child's bedroom in a viewer's home. Video clips can be found on the links below.

Part 1: "Before"
Part 2: "After"

My "big" interview, featuring tips on how to stay organized, is shown during the second segment. I hope to share more information on the behind-the-scenes experience soon.

i'm going to be on city tv!

2008-03-19T02:55:00.005-04:00

So here's the full scoop: I was approached by City TV reporter Jee-Yun Lee to be the professional organizer for a contest that City was holding. Viewers had been invited to send in photos of a room they wanted organized, and we selected a winner this past Monday, then spent all day yesterday shooting the "before" footage, including a shopping spree at (I hope I can say this before the segment airs) IKEA.

Today we're filming the work session and the "after" shots. I invited fellow Toronto professional organizer April Poppe to help me with the entire project, and we're both having a blast.

The story will air in two segments on the City TV 6 o'clock news this Thursday and Friday March 21 and 22. The ironic thing is that I don't even own a television...

p.s. The photo was taken yesterday morning in my apartment: The tools of my trade...

the real secret to getting (and staying) organized

2008-03-18T04:20:00.014-04:00

Insomnia.

(Sad, but true.)

I am living it right this moment. And you know there's something wrong with your life when you look forward to being awake in the middle of the night because at least then you'll be able to get some more stuff done.

I am going to be filmed by City TV later today, and my life is suddenly insane. I am already incredibly busy with my day job as Artistic Administrator for the Nathaniel Dett Chorale, and to top it off yesterday I had a migraine. There's nothing more crazy-making than driving around with a pounding head and a queasy stomach at 7 p.m. on a Monday night trying to find a lululemon store that's open so you can buy some new yoga pants for your upcoming television appearance.

I got home and promised myself that if I went to bed at a decent hour (rather than staying up extra late to get things done), I could work in the middle of the night when my chronic insomnia woke me up. (Which it has. And I am. Working in the middle of the night, that is.)

Since 4 a.m. I have been folding and putting away dry laundry, putting away dry dishes, making my bed (I may nap on top of it later this morning, but let's face it - I am not getting back in that puppy again tonight), working on an operating budget for the Chorale and (wait for it) pressing wrinkled photocopies of a recent Chorale newspaper article that somebody gave me (and getting photocopy toner all over my iron in the process).

This is how I stay organized, folks. I'm ashamed to admit it, but these days I depend on my sleep deficit to take care of all the dirty work.

And I feel really bad about my previous blog entry (on getting things done by giving them to a busy person). Because there's such a thing as being too busy.

I just replaced all the ink cartridges in my printer/copier/fax machine (it had been out of ink for about three weeks) because I only just bought the replacement ink last night. During my lululemon search. The re-inked printer did its rumbly cleaning routine, and then spit out a single sheet of paper. I'm assuming it's the last print job I tried to do before I ran out of ink; four tiny words on a sea of white space admonish me.

The Music We Are

(Which reminds me, I need to go over my Easter choral music before the end of the week.)

To be continued...

how to get things done

2008-03-16T19:07:00.008-04:00

There's an old adage: If you want to get something done, ask a busy person to do it.

Sometime last fall I walked into my church choir rehearsal and the conductor (and my now-employer, Brainerd Blyden-Taylor) asked me how I did it.

Did what?

My writing... where did I find time for it all? (I guess he'd been taking a look my blogs - all six of them.)

I don't know, was my reply. I guess the real answer was that I loved doing it, and it was easy to find the time to do the things I loved.

Thinking back on it now, though, I realize that there's something to be said for momentum. It's the getting started that hampers most people - the inability to overcome the inertia of inactivity in certain areas of their lives.

I am looking forward to an insane couple of weeks. I am very busy at work with upcoming grant application deadlines, and I got a phone call late Friday afternoon from City TV wondering if I would be the professional organizer for a spring-cleaning contest they're holding right now for their viewers. If that goes ahead as planned (although knowing TV-land, there's a good chance that it might not), I am going to need a few 30-hour days just to keep pace with everything I need to get done.

The great thing about being busy, though (at least for finite periods of time - I wouldn't want this to go on indefinitely!) is that I'm already moving. As long as I can take care of the basics - getting enough sleep, nourishing food and some built-in downtime - everything else will (hopefully) fall into place.

The answer to this post's title, I guess? Give it to me... LOL

how to buy really green

2008-03-11T07:50:00.001-04:00

How do you know if what you're buying is really green or not? My favorite eco-friendly consumer advocate, Debra Lynn Dadd, has written a new book that answers exactly that question. Really Green covers easy green principles that anyone can learn, to help each of us understand the kinds of things that really DO help health and the environment.

It contains all the information you need to be able to tell the difference between products with real environmental and health benefits and those with misleading green hype. In this book, you will learn:

* What "green" really means
* The true foundation for defining green products
* The life cycle of green products
* The eighteen basic principles that define what's green
* The five basic types of green products
* All about green packaging
* Various shades of green products
* The cost of green goods
* How to spot misleading "greenwashing"
* How to change your buying habits to be green

Click on this link to find out more and buy the book today!

the story of stuff

2008-02-28T05:50:00.006-05:00

I gave a talk last night on the subject of green organizing to the North GTA chapter of Professional Organizers in Canada. Today's post was going to be an overview of the points I covered in my talk, but then another organizing colleague of mine sent me a link that takes precedence - and actually explains - even better than I could - some of the ideas I was trying to share last night.

Check out the twenty-minute animated video on this website called The Story of Stuff. It's entertaining and extremely informative. I'll add my own two cents in a day or two...

i have a new job

2008-01-09T17:57:00.024-05:00

This entry was posted simultaneously on three of my blogs: an organized existence, the greener cleaner and the rest of my life.

I just found out today that I have a new full-time job: Artistic Administrator for The Nathaniel Dett Chorale, Canada's first professional choir dedicated to performing Afrocentric music of all genres. But through the mysteries of cyber-space management (and the fact that I always save several empty "draft" blog posts in each of my blogs every month), I am not actually writing this post until more than two months later - Sunday, March 16, to be exact.

I didn't write about my new job until now (March) because for most of my first two months on the job I was secretly terrified that I might be fired at any moment. It's not that I was doing a bad job... it's just that I wasn't sure I was doing a really good job. And I wasn't sure if my employer, the Chorale's Artistic Director, Brainerd Blyden-Taylor, thought I was doing a good job, either.

Can I say that I LOVE my new job, though? It's been both challenging and rewarding, and is pushing me to grow professionally and personally in so many ways. At the end of every day I am ecstatic that I get to serve the amazing musicians who can do this:

I am inspired and lifted up by this group of people. This is a very special organization that touches so many lives in a very important way.

Brainerd and I were chatting with an arts colleague recently, and this person mentioned that her own organization had gone for several months without hiring someone for a vacant administrative position because they decided they were going to wait for just the right fit. Eventually someone walked through the door with that special aura about them that told our colleague she'd found "the one."

Later that day I asked Brainerd if he had felt the same way when he hired me - expecting him to answer in the negative (which he did). (Can I say that one of the other things I love about my new job is that I feel I can talk freely to Brainerd about almost anything?) The thing is, it wasn't obvious when I was hired that I possessed all the skills and experience needed to do this job well. Brainerd had made a list several months earlier, though - a list of all the qualities that he wanted in his future administrative head. And the longer I'm at this job, the more he is realizing that I have most of those qualities.

How many jobs have you had where you've felt you were the answer to someone's prayer? It's pretty sweet...

I'm still doing organizing and eco-friendly consulting on the side, but I'm pretty selective with the clients I take on now. Feel free to contact me about a project you'd like help with, and if I can't do it myself, I will refer you to someone I can.

(And don't be afraid to hold out for "the one" while you're at it...)

how to organize a pile of papers (and other stuff)

2007-12-29T11:02:00.001-05:00

I cleaned off my fridge earlier today, and was left with a pile of photographs, papers and Christmas cards that I needed to put away. While I was at it, I also decided to tackle another pile of stuff that needed filing or organizing.

Check out this Facebook album for photographs which illustrate this entire post. You don't need to be a Facebook member to view the album.*

First I put everything on top of my kitchen table. Professional organizers call this a "staging area". Make sure you have a large, clear space to sort your stuff, or you'll get frustrated much more quickly.

Then (and this is the easiest part), sort everything into smaller piles of similar items.

WARNING: This is where most people stop. They sort their piles, and then - overwhelmed by the work involved in actually doing something with each pile - they simply re-pile everything and call it a day. Do yourself a favour, and move on to the next step in the process.

This part is infinitely more challenging: Take each individual pile and DEAL WTH IT. It will help if you have another large, clear surface on which to do the sub-sorting. (In my case, my (large and normally spotless) desk is just steps from my kitchen table. I live in a bachelor apartment, which sometimes has its advantages.)

My first pile of paper was a bunch of letter-sized paper that needed to be recycled - except that each page was printed on only one side, and so would be great to use for scrap paper in my printer when I'm running off rough drafts of documents.

Luckily I have a spot for this kind of thing - in a magazine box near my printer, where I also store plain white paper and a specialty paper I frequently use.

The second "pile" of stuff was actually just one page - a template I use when cutting out the business cards that I print myself. I have a guillotine paper cutter that gives a professional edge - but I need to know how much to cut off. This page got stored in the magazine box with the printer paper.

The third pile was actually a bunch of piles of stuff that simply needed to be filed away in my filing cabinet. I have places for all of it - I was just lazy about doing the actual filing.

My filing system isn't fancy. I have six deep drawers for files, and I use hanging file folders to keep things neat. Each drawer is sorted roughly by category, and within each drawer the files are organized alphabetically or by subject.

Another pile - of church bulletins - needed filing. I have a bad habit of carrying church bulletins home with me rather than leaving them behind at the church. Most of them are actually headed for the blue box.

Ah, Christmas cards. I actually save Christmas cards - on purpose. I reuse them in handmade cards that I sell for charity each Christmas season. I even encourage other people to give me their old cards.

Cards that I'm going to reuse get their fronts torn away from the backs - I only save the fronts. They go in a file folder in one of my filing cabinets.

Cards that I'm going to save because they have special notes in them go in a keepsake box. I also collect stamps for art projects; they go in another keepsake box. The keepsake boxes (as well as sewing and craft supplies) are kept in a large locker which also stores my t-shirts and sweaters, some shoes, and my yoga mats.

There was a small pile of stuff that belonged in my wallet. I wasn't going to clean out my wallet at this time, but as I went to put a Starbucks gift card in one of the credit card slots, I realized I had a bunch of used-up gift cards and expired membership cards.

It's a good thing I started sorting through my wallet - I also found an expired insurance card for my car. Oops!

The expired cards were cut up, and the rest were sorted and put in their proper slots.

My fridge is often a gallery space for drawings that I or my niece and nephew make. I have a file folder in one of my filing cabinets for small artwork like this.

Dad gave me a Sudoku calendar a year or two ago, and I usually tear off a few puzzles every month or so to stick in my date book or my car to solve when I have some time to kill. The Sudoku pad goes back where it came from, into one of the magazine boxes.

I had a bunch more stuff that needed filing, as well as some papers with phone numbers and other time-sensitive info that I usually put into a spiral-bound notebook that I carry with me everywhere. I date the pages as I write lists or staple scraps of paper into it. It's a great, centralized place to keep all those stray bits of information that I need.

I should have mentioned earlier that, when working on my piles, I chose the easiest ones first and left some of the most challenging (or time-consuming) ones for last. Receipts are the bane of my existence. I have to keep many of them to claim for business expenses on my income tax, and normally I try to keep on top of them so they don't pile up.

This year they've piled up. (Somewhat.)

I created four new piles: bank slips, and piles of receipts for October, November and December. These piles of receipts also have a home in one of my filing cabinets - categorized by month. Sometime before I do my income tax return I'll sift through them again and weed out the ones that I don't need.

I got two cameras for Christmas - one an inexpensive "accident reporting" kit, the other a more-expensive Kodak. I can't install on my computer the disc for the cheap one, so I need to ask the person who gave it to me what she would prefer I do with it (return it to the store where she bought it, give it away...?)

I tore down the box for the Kodak (it went in my blue box), and collected into one small plastic baggie all the pertinent bits and pieces that I'm keeping. I store electronic stuff like this in a basket on one of my shelves. The other camera got put in my "holding area," where I store stuff before returning it or donating it.

My biggest chore was sorting a bunch of photographs that I've had out all fall. Now that I have a digital camera, I can file these snapshots away. I have a bankers box where I keep all my photos, and it was actually less of a chore than I'd thought to quickly sort all the photos into their proper envelopes, labeling the ones that didn't yet have labels. The bankers box of photos is stored on another one of my shelves.

At the end of the job I had recyclables and garbage left over. I shred anything with my name and address on it, or anything to do with my finances.

My shelves are once again tidy, and ready for the next onslaught of paper clutter...

*Instructions for viewing the album on Facebook: Click on the first photograph to read the description of that photo. To proceed to the next photo in the series, simply click on the current photo, or click on "Next" in top right corner of the page.

eco-friendly organizing

2007-10-17T04:46:00.002-04:00

I found this online article while doing a Google search of Toronto organizers. Two of my friends and colleagues are mentioned in the story.

Once in a while, even socially conscious granola types can have problems managing clutter. We may be avid recyclers and conscious shoppers with personal spaces that most times at least are warm and welcoming. But sometimes a major life change – whether a pudgy, squealing infant, new home-based business, a death in the family, or illness – can mess things up...

Read the rest of the article here. Included are a number of links to recycling resources.

organizing magazines

2007-09-15T11:24:00.001-04:00

Magazines are a pretty straightforward thing to organize. Most of them have a date somewhere on the cover. Arrange them by date. Arrange different magazines by subject, or alphabetically. Done.

The real issues with magazines are:

1) People rarely have time to read them in the first place.
2) People read them and want to save a particular article, but never make note of it.
3) People make note of an interesting article, but never go back and read it again. Ever.
4) People basically almost never re-read their magazines.
5) If magazines aren't stored accessibly (i.e. on shelves), your chances of actually re-reading them are even slimmer.
6) Magazines can take up a lot of room.
7) Magazines seem to like to live in piles.
8) Piles of magazines seem to like to topple over at inopportune moments.

The easy solution to organizing magazines? Don't keep them. (And if you really don't have time to read them, don't buy them in the first place!)

It's time to get real with yourself. Are you honest about your magazine habits?

If you never have time to read your magazines, why do you buy so many? Could you buy fewer each month? If you realistically can't think of a way to make more time in your life to read two, five, or 10 magazines per month (don't laugh—I used to regularly buy about double that!), consider going cold turkey for a while.

There's an amazing book by Elaine St. James called Living the Simple Life: A Guide to Scaling Down and Enjoying More. In it St. James lists 10 ways to free up miscellaneous amounts of time in your life over the next thirty days, so that you can start thinking about how to simplify your life. Way number three is to stop reading magazines.

Let's say you don't want to stop reading magazines. Can you at least get rid of them once you're done with them? Recycle them, or donate them to a local women's shelter, health care practitioner's office or hospital waiting room. Or pass them along to friends with similar interests. Or donate them to schools for art projects.

If you can't get rid of them, can you only keep the ones you really love—and have space for? I was serious when I said that most people don't re-read their old magazines. That's a lot of dead (and heavy) energy sitting on your bookshelf. Not to mention the guilt of knowing that there are articles you'd like to read again, but you can't find them, and never have time to read them anyhow. That kind of guilt eats away at your peace of mind, and keeps you from enjoying the life you should be enjoying.

I grew up in a house where my mom read a lot of magazines, and she kept all her back issues. When I was really young, the back issues lived in boxes in the basement. They were a treasure-trove of inspiration when I was about 12 years old, and discovered her Good Housekeeping magazines from the late 60s and early 70s (keep in mind I was born in '67, so it's not like they were even vintage by that point). I fell in love with the look of pastel-coloured babydoll dresses and kohl eyeliner, and was fascinated by the romance novels abridged within each issue.

For a 12-year-old, the pack-rattiness of my mother's magazine habits was a boon. But for my mother—who didn't have a lot of storage space—the magazines became a burden. Eventually she threw them out. (I know, I know. People would probably pay good money for them today. Which reminds me—if you have truly vintage magazines, you can probably find a place to donate or sell them. Here in Toronto, I know a man with a costume warehouse who will take old clothing catalogues and clothing patterns, as well).

My mom still buys magazines. And still has lots of back issues hanging around. At least now she usually gets rid of them when they're about a year old.

As a teenager, I incessantly bought fashion magazines. And as I grew older, my interests broadened and I brought home a huger range of titles every month. When I was 26 I bought myself six IKEA Billy bookcases to store my collection of back issues (as well as my collection of books).

When I ran out of shelf space, I started storing things (magazines, books) in boxes in the basement. I also collected old newspapers, by the way. For the photographs. I was an artist, and loved acquiring images of people, especially faces.

My back issues and newspapers got out of hand. There were so many things I wanted to keep, but I didn't have space for them. I didn't want to throw them out, either. I liked to cut up magazines for collages—just think of all the raw material I would be losing if I got rid of everything!

Eventually I realized that, even if I could find the time to go through all my back issues and newspapers and clip everything I wanted to save, it would take me years to get through all the boxes.

And that wasn't how I wanted to spend my time.

So I recycled most of it. And felt amazing afterwards. I still have magazines—approximately 32' of shelf space worth of them (including 30 years of National Geographics). But I do have space for them. And I actually use them. And I get rid of things when I run out of space and want to add new books or magazines.

If you've read this far and you still want to keep your magazines, make sure you have room. You need proper bookcases or durable storage furniture. Magazines are heavy. I recommend storing magazines vertically on shelves, in cardboard (or plastic) magazine holders. The holders make it easy to pull the magazines on and off the shelves without the other magazines slithering all over the place.

When you run out of shelf space, don't add any new magazines unless you remove some old ones.

And believe it or not, you may eventually decide that you don't really want to keep magazines anyhow. I’ve let go of a lot of titles that I would once never have parted with. And whenever I move again, I have a sneaking suspicion that most of the rest won’t make the cut.

(Which reminds me of a funny story from my move last September. My boyfriend and his best friend were helping out, and when the best friend looked down at the labels on the three large boxes he was dollying to the elevator, he did a double-take.

“I can’t believe I just moved Oprah,” he exclaimed.)

phone numbers

2007-07-24T08:02:00.001-04:00

I had a scary moment last night while standing at a client's front door waiting to be let in for an evening work session. When there was no answer to my repeated knocks, I pulled out my cell phone to call the client's home number (maybe she was upstairs and couldn't hear me knocking? She'd already told me the doorbell didn't work).

I reached back into my bag to pull out my datebook... and realized with a sinking feeling that I'd left it at home on my desk. Luckily I still had my all-purpose notebook with me, into which I usually enter all client info. I easily found her number and dialed it. But the episode gave me pause: What if I had really left home without that phone number?

Many people rely on PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) - those small, hand-held electronic calendars and information databases like Palm and Blackberry - to manage their address books and phone numbers. When combined with mobile telephone and wireless internet functions, they literally allow you to have the world at your fingertips.

For the less-digitally-inclined among us, however, there is still old-fashioned paper. (In fact, it's always a good idea to have paper back-up for those times when the electronics fail. And they WILL fail...)

But how do you realistically (i.e. easily) manage all the phone numbers you need on a day-to-day basis? And how do you ensure that you always HAVE the numbers you need, close at hand?

I ran into a problem a couple of weeks ago when I was delayed at a client's and realized I was going to have to cancel a date I'd planned for later in the evening. My new friend and I had exchanged cell phone numbers, but I hadn't transferred his number to my datebook or cell phone - it was still sitting on my computer, in an e-mail he had sent me. (Luckily he called MY cell phone at the time we were supposed to meet, and I was able to cancel without too much hassle).

I now enter numbers into my cell phone as soon as I get them. I can easily delete them when I no longer need them. My new process is as follows: When I get a phone number (usually from a voice message left on my phone), I write it on a Post-it Note along with the name and other pertinent information.

The Post-it goes into my go-everywhere notebook. I then MAKE TWO COPIES OF THE POST-IT - one for my datebook, and one for my home address book. And I put the number into my cell phone. Odds are I won't loose ALL of those resources all at once. (Knock wood.)

My home address book, by the way, consists of THREE three-ring binders. One contains active personal numbers, a second contains active business numbers, and the third is an archive. Each book has alphabetical tabs, and one page for every contact. It's very low-tech: I just punch holes in a scrap piece of printer paper from my recycling tray (reduce, reuse and recycle!), staple a business card (if I've been given one) to the page, and stick Post-its with contact info onto each page as well. The full page gives me lots of room to make notes if I need to (handy when I'm keeping track of appointments or significant dates).

I haven't had much need for a computerized contact management system yet (although I sense that need is coming). At that point I'll probably add a spreadsheet step to whole the process.

e-filing for dummies

2007-07-21T07:08:00.001-04:00

I came across a product on the Sympatico homepage today that I'd never heard of before: Organize My Electronic Filing Cabinet for Dummies. Right now they're offering the basic package as a free download, and for $29.99 you can upgrade to the professional version.

I don't own this product, nor am I necessarily endorsing it, but I can imagine that it might be helpful for people who are overwhelmed by their electronic files.

It looks like the Dummies program offers a basic template of file categories, into which you can sort all your personal, household, and business electronic files. It also claims to be customizable, which in my eyes is a good thing. I have never met anyone who could get along with a "standard" organizing template.

How can you create something like this for yourself?

Start by browsing through your electronic documents. Write a list of all the document categories you can think of. My list would include the following:

Alexander technique
downloaded program updates
financial
images
music
POC
Word documents

Within each of these categories I may have several sub-categories, with documents from a variety of applications (Word, Excel, Finale) in each folder. Under "financial," for example, I have separate folders for all my different businesses, a folder for my personal finances, a folder for resumes and CVs, etc.

Under "personal finances" I have more sub-folders, including bank accounts, budgets, correspondence, gifts, income, income tax, and research on big-ticket items I'd like to purchase.

You can see why it's imperative that a filing system be customizable. No two people are the same, and we all have unique organizing needs.

Once you've come up with your own list of the types of documents you store, divide them into broad categories (like my first list), and subdivide them as necessary. You can choose to keep your lists alphabetical, or in any order that makes sense to you.

When I was reorganizing my e-mail folders in Outlook Express this past winter, for example, I tried a few different categorization systems before settling on something that actually corresponded to the way my mind filed all the categories inside my head.

I started with an alphabetical filing system - in fact, I still use that for my online e-mail accounts. I can quickly transfer new e-mails from my inbox, or access old e-mails by finding and clicking on the alphabetically-filed name.

For Outlook Express, however, I wanted something more structured. I spend most of my e-mailing time in OE, and I refer back to old e-mails all the time. I chose several broad categories:

Alexander technique
business
church stuff
clients
computer
e-newsletters
friends
POC
volunteering

Within each folder (which I always keep in the expanded or "open" position) I have an alphabetical list of the different recipients, and I store all their e-mails (and my responses to them) under the recipients' names. Filing new e-mails is quick and easy - I just drag and drop.

The hard part comes when you have to actually transfer files to the new filing system - especially if they're scattered all over your hard drive. Yes, it can be time-consuming to put everything where it belongs. But the end result will be a filing system that works much more efficiently, and hopefully makes your life easier in the long run.

My biggest challenge as far as e-filing goes is choosing good names for my document files in the first place. Back in the days of DOS, it was a lot trickier - nowadays file names can be much longer, and the file extensions (.doc, .jpg, .xls) are tacked on automatically.

Should you file by date or alphabetically, though? Or a combination of both? I need to do a major sort of my own Word files - I have too many documents mis-labelled with the date before the subject (i.e. letter.20070721.mom, rather than letter.mom.20070721). In this case, it's more important for me to have similar files grouped together by subject rather than date.

I can't emphasize enough: Organize your files in a way that makes sense to you. Only you know how your mind works. Only you can decide the best system for your own needs.

"have you always been this organized?"

2007-07-15T07:50:00.001-04:00

Yes. Eat your heart out.

(Just kidding - about the heart part, anyway.)

That's the one question I'm most often asked by clients (usually right after they've seen my organizing kit or my car's trunk). (The second most popular question: "Is my house the worst you've ever seen?")

(To which I'm inclined to want to answer (but don't): "Do you WANT it to be?")*

Yes, I've always been this organized. But that doesn't mean you can't be organized, too. There's a difference between being organized and being a professional organizer - and I'm here to help you with the former. Don't even worry about the latter.

Organization is a skill that can be taught, and even the most disorganized person can learn some basic tools to create and maintain more order in his or her life. So please don't feel defeated when you see people who seem to have their acts together, and admit to having been that way their whole lives. (This would include most professional organizers. We're a strange breed.)

You, too, can live an organized life. There is hope.

A good place to start is to spend some quiet time with yourself, thinking about the way you'd really like to live. Do you have a friend or acquaintance whose life you admire? When you look at pictures in books or magazines, what kinds of homes appeal to you? What kind of lifestyles make you feel truly good inside? Do you pine for a fast-paced, hectic life, or one that's mellower - more laidback?

Pay special attention to the things you yearn for. If we truly love something, we are more inclined to do the work necessary to manifest it. Beware of trying to create environments you feel you "should have" or "should want." Are you happy living in comfortable clutter? Maybe you don't even need to do anything about it. Only if your life is negatively affected by some aspect of your disorganization should you even consider making a change.

If you're convinced you really do want to change, consult with a professional organizer who can help you prioritize your needs and create your action plan. Based on your budget and your time frame, you can then begin to address your organizing challenges.

*I have to admit that that line is not original to me. I heard it from a breakout session speaker - an American professional organizer named Lynne Johnson, who specializes in helping the chronically disorganized - at last year's Professional Organizers in Canada conference in Toronto. She was a terrifically funny woman, with a deadpan delivery reminiscent of Ellen Degeneres.

eco-friendly cleaning - my new blog

2007-05-23T06:33:00.001-04:00

I've created a new blog that deals exclusively with eco-friendly cleaning. The URL is http://www.greenercleaner.blogspot.com/.

When I started the blog you're reading now (an organized existence), I intended to combine tips and advice on professional organizing and eco-friendly or "green" cleaning. I've since realized that environmentally-friendly cleaning is such a huge topic that I wanted a blog devoted exclusively to green cleaning, and the greener cleaner was born.

I plan on "recycling" some of my eco-friendly cleaning posts from this blog on the new blog. But from this date onward, all new green-cleaning posts will be found at the greener cleaner.

Hope you enjoy it!

so, what are michelle lynne goodfellow's specialties?

2007-05-22T15:38:00.001-04:00

The majority of my experience is with residential organizing. I got started in the field while working at my previous business, an eco-friendly home-cleaning company. Clients (particularly seniors) would ask me for advice and help with moving or downsizing, and my new business was born.

I've spent several years working intimately with people in their own homes, which is possibly why I prefer residential organizing. But having been at the helm of several small businesses, I also understand the needs of the business sector - especially small office/home office setups.

My background in Home Economics (B.Sc. (H.Ec.) '89 from the University of Western Ontario) has given me special insight into the design of living and working spaces, and I am currently training in a kind of bodywork called the Alexander Technique which further helps me evaluate the ergonomics of spaces. I'm also a longtime yogi and meditator, interested in helping people create calm, soothing and regenerative places in which to live and work.

I have extensive experience working with seniors - they are a population that is dear to my heart. I have a lot of insight into their special needs and (I hope!) a lot of patience to deal with their fears and resistances.

I also have extensive experience working with young families, meeting the needs of children as well as their working parents. I am a foodie who loves to cook and (that Home Ec. experience again!) organize a kitchen.

I love the drudgework of sorting and purging a client's chaotic clutter - and being a visual artist, I have an eye for organizing things to pleasing (and functional) effect.

I'm fast - in fact I often have to curb my tendency to rush - but I can slow myself down for a client who needs to take time to weigh decisions. People are often amazed at what I can help them accomplish. I especially love to educate and coach my clients in organizing strategies, and I get the most satisfaction from knowing that I've passed along useful tools that will keep clients organized long after I've left.

I have a passion for organizing, which is why I write about it so much. I want to share what I know...

so, what do professional organizers do?

2007-05-21T13:56:00.001-04:00

Answering this question might seem unnecessary. Except - more than once - I've had a potential client ask it.

If you check out the Professional Organizers in Canada website and use their "Find an Organizer" function, you will notice that for every organizer there is a list of services which they provide. Organizing is a huge field, and many organizers will specialize in "niche" markets to set themselves apart from other organizers.

The two broad categories are business and residential organizing. An organizer who specializes in business organizing may do information organizing, which could include organizing computer systems and training, organizing files, organizing systems, bookkeeping or financial organizing, organization of procedures or manuals, and records management. They may also offer virtual-assistant services.

A business organizer usually organizes any general office spaces. There are also several sector specialties: legal, medical, associations/non-profits, corporate, SOHO (small office/home office) and retail spaces or stores. Specialized business services could also include Human Resources tasks and organization.

Residential organizing focuses on homes and families. A residential organizer may help organize information in the form of files, paper flow, and financial management or bookkeeping. The types of spaces organized are much more varied than in the business sector: closets, attics/garages/basements/storage lockers, kitchens, and other general home spaces.

Specialized residential organizing services include estate organizing and garage sales. There are also a number of specialized categories that encompass both business and residential organizing. Organizers may have experience in working with ADD or ADHD individuals, or what's known in the profession as the "chronically disorganized." Other special populations include creative individuals, people with health or mobility challenges, and seniors.

Organizers may offer services in other languages, including French. Organizers may offer coaching or training in organization. Some organizers do event planning or offer concierge services. Some organizers specialize in downsizing or moving/relocation, as well as home sale preparation or home staging. Other organizers may have specialized training or experience in wardrobe consulting, interior decorating, ergonomics, feng shui, or alternative healing modalities and new age disciplines as they apply to spaces. Some organizers actively help clients achieve a work/life balance.

Experienced organizers may also do public speaking or lead seminars and workshops on organizing. Some organizers have published books on professional organizing, or regularly write about organizing topics.

Curious about what an organizer does? Ask him or her. And ask about related training or experience - and references - if you're considering hiring an organizer.

is michelle lynne goodfellow perfectly organized?

2007-05-18T05:50:00.001-04:00

No.

In fact, on some days, I feel like I've lost a brain cell or thousand. (And I haven't even hit peri-menopause yet. Heaven help me!)

But what makes me a great professional organizer is that I'm really, really good at troubleshooting. My mind loves a puzzle, and I enjoy tracing a problem back to its source - then rectifying it.

(I also adore the drudgery of sorting and purging - especially when it's other people's stuff!)

So how do I keep myself organized during my own day-to-day existence?

I'm pretty low-tech. I have a paper datebook. Small enough to fit in my purse. With a weekly page-spread, so I can see my entire week at once. If I could get away with a monthly spread, I would - but I occasionally have too many activities each day for that.

I write client information (addresses, telephone numbers) on Post-it Notes and stick them right in the datebook on the pertinent week's spread. They usually stay in there forever unless I need them for a later week, or the information ceases to be relevant.

I write clients' billable hours right in the datebook as well, and later transfer them to an Excel spreadsheet.

I keep a separate, small spiral-bound notebook in which to write notes. Anything that needs writing down (including endless To Do lists!) gets put in there. I date every single entry, and I archive the notebooks when I finish them. The one I'm using now goes all the way back to my apartment search last summer.

I also staple stuff - handouts, lists I've made on other paper, business cards, labels and UPC codes from my favorite products, MapQuest printouts, etc. - and stick Post-it Notes in there, too. The notebook is small enough to go in my purse and with me everywhere.

I try to make a point of looking at my datebook and notebook at least once a day. Usually the only times I've really screwed up are when I've relied on my memory and not checked the books first.

I have a place for everything and make a point of putting everything away in its place every day. (This includes e-mails in my Outlook Express program, and files for my other online and computer activities.)

I've travelled a lot in the past year, and I've learned to plan backwards in time from end of any trip or prolonged activity. I got that tip from my ex-boyfriend (a travelling actor and singer - check out his website here). If I'm away for more than an overnight, I write down every activity I will be doing from the end of the trip to its beginning, and making sure to pack everything I need for all those activities.

I prepare healthy food ahead of time in bulk quantities. I'm a vegetarian with some dietary restrictions; when I'm hungry and don't have food prepared it often results in junk food binges. So I always have several days' worth of brown rice, hard-boiled eggs, beans and soups in my fridge or freezer.

Those are pretty much my basics.

what to expect from a professional organizer

2007-05-17T07:20:00.001-04:00

So you're taking the plunge and hiring a professional organizer. What can you expect from him or her?

For starters, nine times out of ten it's going to be a her. This is a predominantly female industry. But, providing you live in a major metropolitan area, you'll have quite a choice - everything from grandmotherly types to hip young urbanites.

Some professional organizers have a strong business or administrative background, while others (like myself) are born entrepreneurs with an unconventional bent. Many organizers are very artistic or creative, believe it or not. This came as a shock to me when I first joined the Toronto Chapter of Professional Organizers in Canada (POC). I think the assumption is that organizers are very logical, left-brained thinkers - and they can be - but many of the organizers I know excel at the right-brained stuff, too.

And it kind of makes sense. Organizers have to be able to see the big picture as well as the little details. We're usually excellent troubleshooters who also love the drudgery of sorting.

Will your professional organizer do things just like the organizers on TV? Yes and no. Everyone has their own style - although a good organizer will be sensitive to your needs and adapt their methods to your particular situation.

Hiring a professional organizer can be a huge expense, and if money is an issue, you can cut corners on supplies and billable hours. Which means you might not get the pretty storage solutions you see on TV, or the leagues of helpers waiting in the wings to clear a room in a weekend.

Most organizers I know carry a small kit of "essentials" to their jobs. This can include anything from markers and labels to measuring tapes and hammers. Some go all-out and provide boxes and garbage bags for sorting and purging; others will expect you to pick up this expense. Ask ahead of time so you know what to expect.

Depending on your situation, your organizer will probably suggest a plan of action that may take several organizing sessions. An individual session is usually very low-tech, especially if it's a purge: The organizer will show up in "work" (i.e. get dirty) clothes, probably wear rubber gloves (against dust - you wouldn't believe how dirty our hands get otherwise!), and possibly don a dust mask.

Purges and sorts usually make your home or office look much worse before it looks better, especially if you have a lot of clutter. Your organizer may ask to clear a "sorting area" where you can go through your possessions together. Some organizers will cart away your "give-aways" for you, while others will expect you to dispose of things yourself.

When it comes time to reorganize what you've got left, most organizers will suggest various storage options, but let you make the final decision. Some will purchase storage containers for you, and others will expect you to acquire things on your own. As you might expect, the more you ask an organizer to do, the more you will likely pay for his or her services.

Give your organizer frequent feedback on how well he or she is satisfying your needs. Organizing can be a very difficult, emotional process. There will likely be tense moments. But in general things should feel like a good fit. If they don't, talk it over - and don't be afraid to hire another organizer if the first doesn't work out. Not everyone will be perfect for you.

extreme purging

2007-05-16T16:12:00.001-04:00

Are you inspired by reading about organizing and organization?

One of my favorite books about the voluntary simplicity movement is by author Elaine St. James. In Living the Simple Life she tells the story of a family who lost their home in a fire. When the time came to begin replacing their possessions, they suddenly realized how few of their former things they really needed.

They had experienced a shocking loss, yet were able to see the silver lining in their tragedy. They got a chance to start all over again, creating a life (and a home) that was a true expression of their values.

If your house was on fire and you had only moments to escape, what would you take with you?

Most of us have at least a few irreplaceables: photos, mementos, family heirlooms. But stop a moment and think. How important are those things, really?

What I've found as I've done layer after layer of my own purging is that there is really very little that I can't live without. I'm fond of my favorite possessions, yes - but my life will not be diminished by their loss.

There's something very freeing in this attitude. If my things don't matter, I can spend more energy on the stuff that does - like friendship, and joyful activities, and personal development.

I moved last fall, and I've helped others move in the months since. Every time I lug a box full of stuff that I know won't get unpacked for months - if ever! - I question the sanity of our culture (and my friends and clients).

Sometimes I entertain a fantasy: What if I moved to Europe? What if I couldn't take more than a couple of suitcases with me? What if I lived my life with everything I needed, packed into a carry-on bag?

This is extreme purging. And I'm feeling the pull. Every time I let go of another thing I once thought I could never live without, I feel like I've lost 20 pounds. (Do I smell a reality show somewhere...?)

simplicity

2007-05-14T18:46:00.000-04:00

In my line of work I am constantly faced with the rampant consumerism and materialism of our society.

Whether it's a Depression-era client who can't let go of a collection of rubber bands, or a young urban professional who can't let go of a wall full of videotapes, we are drowning in stuff, and most of us can't appreciate how meaningless are the things to which we cling.

When I'm working with clients, I walk a fine line between supporting and encouraging people's passions, and really putting the screws to them as far as their clutter is concerned. The trick (or art, if you want to think of it that way) is knowing when people are ready for change, and when they just need some gentle nudging.

As far as my own philosophy goes, I espouse simplicity - even austerity. The older I get, the more impatient I become with my own clutter. I spent years acquiring more and more and MORE... now my constant refrain is: How few [fill in the blank: clothes, books, CDs, etc.] can I get away with?

And I have to say, each layer of my life that I shed leaves me feeling lighter and freer.

There is a whole movement devoted to this. You may have heard of it: Voluntary Simplicity. One of my first introductions to the Voluntary Simplicity movement was nearly 20 years ago, through the "More with Less" books published by the Mennonite Central Committee. Living More with Less by Doris Janzen Longacre became my favorite bedtime reading one summer when I was cooking for a treeplanting camp in northern Alberta.

A few years later I found Janet Luhrs' The Simple Living Guide, and it fueled my downsizing dreams for several months. Then I ran across one of Elaine St. James' books at a client's house, and there was no turning back.

Simplicity means different things to different people, but at its core is the desire to lead a life that has meaning and richness, filled with connection to others and to one's own deepest desires. To live deeply implies that you spend much time on few things. Too many possessions become a distraction: They require constant attention in the form of cleaning, care, storage (or working to pay for storage), and organization.

My own attempts at Voluntary Simplicity are a work in progress. If you're inspired to read more, check out the website The Smart Woman's Guide to a Simple Life by writer Gretchen Roberts. She lists many other current resources for simple living.

eco-friendly shower curtains

2007-05-13T08:03:00.001-04:00

Conventional store-bought shower curtains are made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a petrochemical product that is toxic in its manufacture and use (it outgases a suspected carcinogen and hormone disrupter). It is being phased out of toys and household products in Europe, and hopefully North America will soon follow suit. Because it is relatively inexpensive to make, it's found in a huge variety of items. Read more about the dangers of PVC here.

Alternatives to vinyl shower curtains are available commercially in the form of fabric curtains. Most are also made from petrochemicals, however. Hemp and organic cotton shower curtains are available, but expensive.

I decided to make my own eco-friendly shower curtain out of a large piece of gauzy 100% cotton from my fabric stash. All I had to do was hem it to the appropriate length and add twelve grommets to the top. Because it's so lightweight, it dries quickly and doesn't attract mold. It's easy to wash, and can be dried by re-hanging it while still wet. It looks great in my bathroom, adding to the natural spa effect of white tiles and stainless steel fixtures combined with natural materials such as wood and wicker.

how to hire a professional organizer

2007-05-03T21:37:00.001-04:00

So you think you need a professional organizer. How do you go about hiring one?

I recently had a potential client call me; she was looking for an organizer to help her with a garage sale in the fall. She's downsizing, and wanted someone experienced in the disposal of a large number of items.

She had the right idea: She did her homework ahead of time, and knew what she wanted.

Evaluate your own situation. What kind of service do you need? Clients have hired me for jobs as varied as helping them sort for a downsize, helping them purge unneeded possessions, helping them rearrange an interior space or organize a specific area of their home, helping them pack and organize for a move, helping them categorize a collection, re-systematize their files and workspace, or choose storage systems.

Hiring an organizer can be expensive; many organizers in the Toronto area where I work charge upwards of $50 an hour for their services. It pays to know exactly what you need.

Let's say you're overwhelmed by a cluttered basement. You have boxes piled everywhere in your family room, which you'd ideally like to use as a space for relaxation and entertaining guests. Do you need help sorting through the boxes? Do you need advice on how (and where) to store the things you decide to keep? Do you know where you're going to put things? Do you know who will take the things you no longer want?

Let's say you decide you need someone to help you with the sorting and purging. Do you need them to hold your hand through the entire task, or do you just want someone to jump-start the process? Are you willing to do "homework" if the organizer assigns it?

Once you've defined your needs, write them down. This will help you when you begin talking to prospective organizers.

Where do you look for an organizer? Start by asking friends who may have hired professional organizers themselves. Most of my colleagues get their clients through referrals and word of mouth.

If you don't know anyone who's hired an organizer, check out professional organizing association websites such as Professional Organizers in Canada (POC) and the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) in the US. Members of these organizations must adhere to a code of ethics, and often will have had training in professional organizing. Both sites have a "find an organizer" function which will generate a list of organizers in your area.

Ask prospective organizers about their background and training. How long have they been organizing? Do they have a specific area of expertise? Do they provide references? Are they insured?

How much do they charge? Is there a fee for the initial consultation? Do they have an hourly rate, or will they charge a fixed fee per project?

Some organizers may ask you to sign a contract, outlining the specific work to be done and any conditions they may have regarding cancellations or payment. Some organizers may also ask permission to take "before" and "after" photos for their portfolio. Don't be afraid to assert your own needs and preferences.

Having an organizer come into your home is a very personal and intimate experience. You may feel vulnerable about revealing your perceived disorganization. Know that most professional organizers have probably seen it all before. We are generally compassionate, caring people who delight in helping others achieve their dreams.

Look for someone with whom you feel comfortable. Most organizers are committed to satisfying their clients. We want to know if you're unhappy. We'll help you find someone to meet your needs if we can't.

What happened to the prospective client I mentioned at the beginning of this post?

I was honest and told her I don't have a great deal of experience organizing garage sales. I know many other organizers in my city who do, so I gave her the names of two who specialize in downsizing and estates. The client was thankful for my help, and we had a lovely conversation about her situation. She hung up the phone feeling encouraged in her efforts.

Seek to feel good about the situation, and good feelings will follow...

NOWeek

2007-05-03T08:41:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday, May 1, several Toronto POC (Professional Organizers in Canada) members volunteered at a Toronto NOWeek (National Organizing Week) event, organizing a storage locker for Red Door Shelter.

Red Door collects donations of used furniture and household items, and distributes these items to clients (abused women or new immigrants) who are setting up new households. The storage locker was in desperate need of organizing: it was full-to-bursting with mattresses, beds, dressers, chairs, sofas, and tables which had been piled haphazardly without any order.

TPOC members (left to right in photo above) Aleya Gibson, Lilian O'Meara, myself, Karen Shinn, and Helen Melbourne helped Red Door staff Nancy and Iris sort and purge the inventory.

Part-way through the day a scrap metal dealer named Michael Mazerolle (416-732-7910) showed up to carry away the metal trash, and happily he and his assistant were able to help us assemble some industrial shelving inside the storage locker, to hold small items like cushions and end tables.

Despite the chilly weather and the occasional sprinkle of rain, we were able to complete the sort and reorganize the locker by the end of the afternoon. Red Door driver Myaya, who delivers the furniture to its new homes, was there to see the final result and was very impressed by our work!

If you live in the Toronto area and have furniture to donate, Red Door picks up within the boundaries of Bathurst to the west, Highway 7 to the north, Markham Road to the east, and the lake to the south. Their contact number is: 416-915-5671 ext. 222.

A couple of things I learned during this project:

Please don't donate crappy stuff to charities. They probably can't use it. If you wouldn't give it to a friend, don't think that someone less fortunate than you will be happy to have it.

Volunteering on a project like this with other POC members is a lot of fun! We all have different organizing styles, but it's great to see how other people work, and it's wonderful to make connections and build relationships with colleagues.

gratitude

2007-05-02T21:05:00.000-04:00

At various times in my life I have been a faithful Oprah viewer, and through her show I have been introduced to some amazing, life-changing ideas.*

Something that has stuck with me for years is cultivating an attitude of gratitude. With the recent popularity of the Law of Attraction (as explained in books such as The Secret), the value of gratitude has become even more apparent.

Years ago, the best-selling author Sarah Ban Breathnach recommended keeping a gratitude journal in which to record all the things for which you are grateful. At various times I have made gratitude lists, and last fall I started an art journal dedicated to gratitude.

For months I wrote in it only occasionally, but lately I have become almost obsessed with gratitude. I have so much for which to be thankful, and I love looking back over what I have written. It makes me happy.

As Oprah says, "The more your praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate."

*In fact, it was an Oprah show that originally introduced me to professional organizing, via Oprah guest Julie Morgenstern.

post-it notes

2007-05-02T19:48:00.000-04:00

I recently had an initial consultation with a new client who is struggling with the burden of too many tasks to accomplish. As we talked about his situation, he asked how he might begin to organize all his projects so that he can get the "big picture" and prioritize everything more effectively.

I shared with him my favorite brainstorming tool: a pack of Post-it Notes.

I'm very visually oriented (hence my parallel existence as a visual artist), and I like to see everything in front of me when I'm working. If I have a lot of ideas to organize, I sit down with some Post-its and start jotting down ideas - one item per page - then stick them to a large area like a blank wall, a door, or an empty tabletop.

It's easy to move things around as patterns begin to emerge, and after about fifteen or twenty minutes I have a visual chart of the subject I'm brainstorming. I can then transcribe all the Post-it jottings as bullets in a spreadsheet or Word document, and begin formulating my action plan.

My visual orientation also means that I shun PDAs, because I like to see everything all at once. If it's not on the page in front of me, I can't remember it well. If I had room to carry around a desk-blotter-sized "month-at-a-glance" calendar, I would. As it is, I make do with a "week-at-a-glance" day planner, and a monthly wall calendar for tracking my financial life (accounts payable, etc.).

I love Post-It Notes. I keep pads of them everywhere, and jot down "to do" lists whenever I think of something. I can stick the notes in my day planner, include them in my business files, or stick them on highly visible surfaces around my apartment to remind me of things. Thank heaven for 3M...

laundry

2007-04-21T23:26:00.000-04:00

I've been watching with interest as many businesses have been jumping on the "green" bandwagon. Just today I was grocery shopping at Loblaws and noticed a large display of their new President's Choice Green products, including eco-friendly cleansers for laundry and bathrooms.

I bought a bottle of their President's Choice Green Coldwater Laundry Detergent. I've been using eco-friendly laundry cleansers for years, and I'm happy with my current methods, but it's always nice to try something new and be able to give people feedback about the products that are on the market.

Many people don't realize how manufacturers have manipulated our opinions about cleaning dirty laundry. We've become convinced that our clothing is full of dirt and germs, and nothing short of the most powerful cleansers, bleaches, and fabric softeners will give us the brightest, whitest and fluffiest results.

The truth is, we don't really need their products. In many cases they actually make our clothes dirtier, or wear out our fabrics faster. Most people, for example, add too much detergent to each load of laundry. It can't be properly rinsed away by the end of the cycle, and when you add liquid fabric softener to your wash, or throw fabric softener sheets in the dryer, you create a waxy build-up on the fabric that attracts even more dirt.

Try a simple experiment. Take some clothes straight from your dryer and stick them back in the washing machine with a tablespoon of TSP (trisodium phosphate), which you can find at most hardware or paint stores. Run the load again without adding any detergent or bleach, and have a look at the water after the machine has begun to agitate. The water will be a dirty, scummy mess. And those were your "clean" clothes!

The biggest problem with most laundry detergents is that they are made from petrochemicals, which use non-renewable resources in their manufacture, and pollute our waterways when they are sent down the drain after each load of laundry. They are mildly caustic, and are a frequent cause of household poisonings. The residues they leave on our clothing can cause skin and respiratory irritations in people with chemical sensitivities to the dyes, fragrances, or surfactants they contain. Many detergents also contain chemicals that are suspected carcinogens.

There are plenty of sustainable, non-toxic alternatives to conventional laundry detergents. A quick look through the organics section of most grocery stores will reveal a range of choices, including Nature Clean and Seventh Generation products. I've been using Nature Clean's All-Purpose Cleaning Lotion for years. I love it because it's multi-purpose - it does everything from dishwashing to general household cleaning to laundry. When washing my clothes, I add about a tablespoon of the cleaning liquid to a full load of laundry, and add vinegar to the rinse water to soften the clothes, which I then hang to dry.

When washing linens (i.e my sheets and towels, which are white or natural 100% cotton), I use a combination of washing soda and TSP, and again add vinegar to the rinse. I would use washing soda for all my laundry, except it can occasionally leave a powdery residue on dark fabric - especially if it's washed in cold water. When buying washing soda, avoid Arm & Hammer if you are sensitive to fragrances, since they scent their product.

change

2007-04-17T22:14:00.001-04:00

How many of us deal well with change? I like to think I do, but the honest truth is, you often have to carry me into change kicking and screaming.

I've made some huge changes in my life in the past year: I started a romantic relationship, changed singing teachers, applied for and was accepted into an Alexander Technique teacher-training program, closed my eco-friendly cleaning business, moved to a new city, started school, started a professional organizing business, and returned to a freelance writing business I'd set aside years ago.

Change? Piece of cake. Life was full, rich, exciting and interesting. I took everything well in stride. Or so I thought.

Then I broke up with my boyfriend.

Now I find myself coming home to an empty apartment. I check my voicemail. I hear Jim Carrey's voice in my head, reciting his character's line from The Cable Guy: "Nobody loves me."

I cry.

How did I go from being loved and cherished (and telephoned at least once a day by my beloved) to being alone? I want a do-over.

Strangely enough, I received a pertinent e-newsletter from Yoga Journal in my inbox today. It began:

How is it that when life is spun around by circumstances, benign or otherwise, some people flail while others sail? Why do some of us wallow in that place where we're so shocked and unhappy about an unexpected turn of events that we resist reality and find ourselves mired in bitterness or fear or hopelessness? Instead of accepting change with grace, we dig in our heels and suffer through each day of things not being what we think they should be. What's the secret to riding each new wave gracefully?

I was ashamed to recognize myself in the above paragraph. (The "mired in bitterness, fear, or hopelessness" part, if you must know.) Turns out that yoga mindfulness practices can help with the emotional fallout of change. Two quotes jumped out at me:

Accept Impermanence. Every day, repeat a gatha (mindfulness verse): "Great is the matter of birth and death; impermanence surrounds us. Be awake each moment; do not waste your life."

You can separate your feelings from your response to them. By distinguishing your core emotions from those that pile on afterward, you don't limit your emotional life; on the contrary, you unclutter it. As Boccio says, it's the clutter that leads you away from your true experience and into murkier territory.

I (who make a living from reducing clutter) had never thought about uncluttering my emotional life. What a concept.

You can read the entire article yourself, here. See if you don't start to look at change in a new way...

the need for order

2007-04-16T14:56:00.000-04:00

I've been living in chaos for the last few weeks, as I try to purge some of my possessions from my bachelor apartment. I love a clean, spare look in interior design - but I have a lot of stuff! Sometimes it's hard to reconcile the two.

One thing I know for sure: I feel better when things are neat, tidy, and organized. My living space is multi-purposed - it has to serve as bedroom, living room, dining room, home office, and artist's studio. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount of stuff I need to have accessible on a daily basis.

It's easy to get bogged-down by a large number of material possessions. And when they are scattered around our spaces without any clear "home," they can drain our emotional energy as we find ourselves constantly searching for things, or moving things from pile to pile, or avoiding piles we're afraid to touch for fear they might tumble over.

My organizing solution has been to create a wall-o'-shelves that holds most of the things I regularly need. I married two of my favorite design themes - industrial chic and European rustic - by acquiring sturdy wooden utility shelving, and arranging an eclectic assortment of natural baskets and vintage wooden soft drink crates on the shelves. You'll also find a boom box and my computer equipment tucked in there, as well.

The floor-to-ceiling shelves maximize the storage space, allowing the centre of the room to be left clear and open. In fact, almost every inch of wall space in my entire apartment is utilized for storage, whether it's bookshelves, grey storage lockers, or the abovementioned utility shelving.

When everything is put away, there is nothing on my dining table/work table, and nothing on my desk except my laptop computer. I have almost no knick-knacks (I hate dusting). Only baskets, baskets, and more baskets...

plastic shopping bags

2007-04-14T12:34:00.000-04:00

I decided to sort and dispose of all those plastic shopping bags I mentioned in my previous post. It was an eye-opening task; I consider myself pretty eco-conscious, but I couldn't reconcile my green efforts with the number of bags I found in my closet.

I started sorting them by size: grocery-bag-sized (and larger), or smaller bags (the kind you get at the video store or the drugstore - which is where I got mine).

About half-way through the sorting I realized I have WAY more bags than I imagined. I counted them: 121 large bags, and 42 small ones. It's only taken me seven-and-a-half months to acquire them - and I'm pretty frugal. I don't shop much. Plus I make good use of cloth bags and plastic bins whenever I shop for groceries. (Or so I thought - turns out most of the large bags are, indeed, grocery bags.)

I can't believe I have so many. Me - the eco-warrior!

I plan not to accept any more. I have plenty of cloth bags I can use when I shop. But what am I supposed to do with the ones I've already got?

There are the obvious uses:

re-use them in stores
use them as garbage bags
give them to a friend with a dog or a cat (for scooping poop)
donate them to a thrift store or a church rummage sale (which is where I think mine are going)

I figured there must be more creative uses for them, so I did an online search. About.com has a "frugal-living" guide, and one article discusses plastic shopping bags. Reader's Digest has its own list, as does Real Simple. Or you can try your own internet search, using the keywords "uses for plastic shopping bags."

Some of my favorite ideas:

use them to wrap brushes or rollers if you have to stop in the middle of a painting job - they will keep the paint from drying out for up to two days
use them as packing material instead of Styrofoam peanuts
use them to hold wet things (like compact umbrellas in your purse, or towels from your gym workout)
use them to hold dirty laundry when you're on a trip

Some grocery stores also accept the plastic bags for recycling - so if they're full of holes and not good for anything else, don't throw them in the garbage!

the midst of chaos

2007-04-14T11:29:00.000-04:00

How is organizing like childbirth? You might find yourself at the most difficult part, wishing you could change your mind about the whole darn thing.

How is organizing NOT like childbirth? With childbirth, there really is no turning back.

One more way organizing's like childbirth: the worst part won't last forever.

All of this is hard to remember when you're smack dab in the middle of a purge. As I am right now. I'm paralyzed by all the things that need to be done and the choices that need to be made. So you see, even professional organizers aren't immune. We feel the labour pains, too.

My biggest challenge at the moment: I'm trying to do too many things at once. My goal today was to clean out my "closet of shame," also known as the eighty-cubic-foot BLACK HOLE. Open the door at your own risk - heavy objects are guaranteed to fall on your head (while empty plastic grocery bags spread like confetti at your feet).

But I couldn't tackle the closet first. I had to work up to it. So I washed the breakfast dishes... and wrote a blog entry... and had a snack... and washed my snack dishes... and fed my compost worms... and discovered my compost worms were too wet... and shredded new paper bedding for my compost worms... and decided to add the shrivelled-up tulips a friend gave me a month ago to the worm bedding... and dug up the tulip bulbs, and bagged and labelled them to give to my ex when he shows up later today to pick up something else... and wiped off the table where I'd made a mess of the tulips...

I finally opened the door of my closet and took everything out. I wanted to sweep the closet floor, since I had kept some lavender sprigs in there, and they'd dropped lavender buds everywhere like mouse spoor.

So I went to get the Swiffer... and realized I'd piled all my junk too close to the door of the closet... so I moved everything further from the closet... and swept out the closet... and got distracted by the mops I kept in the closet, which I never use... and I called up my friend who just moved into a new apartment, to see if she wanted a mop... and I realized I'd never heard back from my ex about whether or not he was actually coming today, so I had to call him too... and then I freaked out because my apartment is a mess, and I don't want him to see it like this... and then I remembered all the other things I need to give him when he comes, so I raced about, collecting them...

Then I decided I was hungry (even though it's not really lunchtime, and I've already eaten breakfast AND a snack this morning). I sat down in front of the computer to eat my lunch, and that's how I ended up writing my second blog entry of the morning.

Organzing tip: Try not to get sidetracked.

Reality check: If you get sidetracked, learn how to shepherd yourself back to the primary task.

Epidural, anyone?

kitchen utensils

2007-04-14T08:56:00.000-04:00

Take me to Williams-Sonoma or the IKEA kitchen section, and I'm like a kid in a candy store. The Pampered Chef? Don't even go there. I drool over kitchen utensils the way seven-year-olds drool over penny candy. I'll take one of these gadgets here, and a couple of those tools over there...

But eventually the voice of reason must step in - I mean, how many wooden spoons does one woman actually need? (Especially when I don't even use wooden spoons?)

Have you ever wondered how FEW cooking utensils can you get away with using? It's a great question to ask if you want to do a purge.

Take a look at what you actually use on a daily basis. I'm betting you have one or two favorite knives, a favorite spatula, a favorite cooking spoon, and a favorite scraper. What if you got rid of everything else?

I know, I know - that melon baller might come in handy if you're ever making a fruit salad for guests. But how often do you actually make fruit salad for guests?

I'm not suggesting that you get rid of the things you really use. Just give careful thought to the objects that are taking up precious space in your kitchen.

My personal weakness is rummage sales - I love vintage utensils with their charming patina, and it takes all my self-control to resist buying every wooden rolling pin in sight. (I don't even bake.)

I've created a few ground rules for myself. I try to buy nothing that isn't stainless steel or wood. (That means no plastic, no silicone, no aluminum.)

I've weeded my utensils down to the few I really use, and remind myself every time I'm in a kitchen store that NOBODY NEEDS ANYTHING. (Well, okay - maybe it's just me that doesn't need anything.)

I'm a vegetarian foodie who avoids Teflon pans. Here are my basics:

one chef's knife
one bread knife
one paring knife
one pair of utility scissors
utility snips

In my utensils drawer I keep:

a vegetable peeler
a combination can-opener/bottle opener
a jar opener (it releases the vacuum and makes opening new jars easier)
a garlic press
small tongs
measuring spoons
two stainless steel bag clips
pliers (great for breaking up cinnamon bark or cracking nuts)
a fine wood rasp (amazing for mincing fresh ginger or grating parmesan)
a large, flat grater
a small ladle
a wooden citrus ream
a honey "spoon"
a pastry brush
a tiny funnel
a cheese slicer
a pizza slicer
tea balls and strainers (I'm an herbal tea fanatic)
a ball of string
a vintage candy thermometer (it's just so cool)
a rolling pin (can't get rid of it yet)

In a large clay flower pot I keep my long utensils handy:

two wooden stirrers with flat edges for stirring pots (I use them more than anything else in my kitchen)
two stainless spoons with flat edges, one with holes for drainage
a larger, flat ladle with holes for drainage
two other ladles in different sizes
a wire whisk
two sizes of tongs
a vintage potato masher with a wooden handle
a spatula
an ice cream scoop
a vintage crank-style egg beater

That's it. It sounds like a lot, but only takes up one narrow drawer and eight square inches of counter space. How low can you go?

the "i don' wanna" demons

2007-04-13T18:23:00.000-04:00

Even the most conscientious of us fall into the procrastination trap from time to time. I feel your pain. I need to finish a purge of my apartment soon, so I can donate everything to my church rummage sale (Church of St Timothy, Anglican) by next weekend. I'm in the middle a heart-breaking split from my boyfriend. I'm cranky. I can't focus. I don't want to do anything that challenges my brain.

I've had many clients with similar emotional or mental resources - running the gamut from ailing seniors to disorganized chronic-fatigue sufferers. How do you deal with the "I don' wanna" demons? Try the following suggestions:

Get help. When all else fails, if you really can't muster the energy or inspiration to do it on your own, ask a friend for help, or hire a professional.
Know your peak energy periods during the day, and make good use of those times.
Start small. Set the timer for half an hour, and stop when it goes off. Do this often enough, and you will reinforce the idea that sorting and purging isn't that difficult after all.
Start with the easy stuff. It may sound like a cop-out, but if it gets you moving...
Take a break when you get tired. Get away from the mess. Get out of the house. Go for a walk. You'll return with a fresh eye and renewed energy.
Reward yourself for a job well done. We're more likely to continue behaviors that are positively reinforced.

sorting other people's stuff

2007-04-12T15:35:00.000-04:00

At various times in our lives we may find ourselves sorting through other people's things. You help a friend move - or you clear out a relative's house after a death. When I had my eco-friendly cleaning business, I felt it was a sacred trust to be invited into people's most intimate spaces. And in my organizing work I am continually reminded of how careful I must be not to abuse anyone's faith in me.

But I still find myself fascinated by the things that people hold onto. Last night I was sorting through some papers that a friend gave me to dispose of. They were mostly photocopies of vocal music that another friend had studied over the years; she had given them to him thinking they might be of value to his teaching studio, but he prefers to work from legitimate original scores. Besides, he didn't want to take the time to sort through four thick binders full of paper.

So I did the work for him, patiently flipping through the songs to see if there was anything worth keeping. In the end, most of it went in the recycling bin. (Photocopying sheet music without the publisher's permission is illegal, after all.)

I find it very humbling to go through other people's things. I've studied singing myself, so I was familiar with much of the classical repertoire I looked at last night. It felt so personal, seeing this woman's handwriting on the pages. Musicians often mark up their scores, but I think singers do the most: breath marks, phrasing marks, translations of foreign words, reminders of how to pronounce certain vowels - and my favorite, the forests of exclamation marks and emphatic arrows pointing all over the place.

Looking through this woman's scores I could "read" her bad habits and her weaknesses. I could hear the comments her teachers made to her. I could feel her struggles with each song. Those photocopies were a record of her vocal development, and it seemed a sacrilege to throw them away.

When my brother died ten years ago, I helped my mother go through some of his things. Realistically, you can't keep it all. But it was my brother's running logs that touched me the most. In his engineer's tiny, precise handwriting he had recorded week after week of daily runs - weather, mileage, pace, heart rate. Running meant a lot to him, and it was an interest I shared when I served as his support team for his first (and only) marathon.

I didn't want to let those books go - even though I never looked through them, and kept them packed away in a box in the basement. Finally, years later, I was able to say good-bye. I kept his marathon medal, and that was enough.

I think what gives us pause is the thought that what matters most to us won't matter at all to the people we leave behind. And if a life can be reduced to a few recycling boxes' worth of paper, what does that say about the value of our lives?

More and more I think the value of a life is the personal connections we make with other people - the little ways we show love, and caring, and compassion. And none of it is ever lost. Love, once expressed, feeds the love of the universe.

donating versus selling

2007-04-11T16:04:00.000-04:00

Sometimes when we're faced with getting rid of something, we balk at donating it or giving it away for free. It's understandable, especially if we've invested a lot in the object, and it has maintained its value or appreciated in value.

A case in point: I recently sold my crystal singing bowl, which was worth $400 new. I couldn't rationalize giving it away, so I listed it on craigslist, and was thrilled to sell it for $200 to a musician who uses singing bowls to accompany dancers.

On the other hand, I've known clients who couldn't get rid of their clutter - even though it was interfering with their lives - because they couldn't find buyers for their things and they refused to let the stuff go for free.

I had one client, for example, with several boxes of craft materials that cost hundreds of dollars. There was no obvious market for the raw materials in her small community, but she could not bear to lose her investment. So she stubbornly hung onto the stuff, dreaming of the day when she would get her money back - in the meantime weighed down and hampered by the things, not only physically, but mentally and emotionally.

Entertain the possibility that the old maxim, What goes around comes around, might be true. If you can generously and without remorse give your possessions to the natural flow of universal energy, you will be repaid in kind somewhere down the road.

Find a recipient who makes your heart feel lighter. I rediscovered the benefits of this when I recently gave away my hand drum to an inner city music program (read the details here). My initial reaction was sadness at the loss of a treasured possession, but now I can honestly say that I'm thoroughly delighted with my choice.

Give it a thought. Give it away.

the cooling-off period

2007-04-09T14:36:00.000-04:00

I'm in the middle of a purge (my own - not a client's), and I'm reminded that when we're getting rid of stuff, we need to give ourselves a chance to change our minds.

We won't always choose to keep something that we originally planned to give away. But if you're really not sure (and sometimes even if you are), listen to your heart and put the thing(s) in a safe place until the decision to let go seems right.

A case in point: In an earlier post I said I wanted to get rid of an antique white china wash basin. I don't use it and I didn't have room to store it.

But something in me just couldn't give it away. I may get rid of it someday; for now I want to keep it.

So I compromised: I made room for it on one of my shelves by getting rid of some other things instead - namely, a wok and a copper bowl.

A frequently-mentioned organizing tip is to box up whatever you want to purge, and then store the box in a safe place until a certain date - say, six months or a year from now.

Then when that date rolls around, if you haven't gone into the box to find something you needed, get rid of it without even opening it again.

My nemesis is books; I love to buy them, but I have only a finite amount of shelf space. So I weed through them every now and then, but then procrastinate actually getting rid of the books I've pulled off the shelves.

After several years I realized I need time to re-evaluate the book-purging decisions. Sometimes I go through the books again (usually after a couple of months) and confirm that I really don't want them anymore. Other times I put a few of them back on my shelves. The only downside is that I really don't have room to store them in the meantime.

Use your own best judgement. Don't let yourself be bullied into getting rid of everything quickly if that's not what you want. You have choices, you know.

removing stickers

2007-04-07T10:32:00.000-04:00

How do you get those %*&#@! stickers - you know, like price tags and UPC codes - off of things? I just bought a new coffee pot and wooden bathtub rack from IKEA, and both had very tenacious UPC code stickers on them.

Here's my trick: A two-part strategy to foil even the stickiest goo (and this also works for things like labels on bottles and jars).

First, gently try to pull the sticker off. If the manufacturer is kind, the adhesive will have a low tack, and the whole thing may come off without any residue.

If there's still some paper left behind, either soak the item in warm, soapy water, or if the item can't be immersed, dampen a small cloth (like a dish rag or a facecloth), and put the cloth over the paper sticker for several minutes, until you can easily scrape the paper off with your fingernails.

(If the item is glass, you can also use a razor blade in a safety holder to scrape the sticker off.)

If the paper comes off without any problem but there's still some sticky stuff left behind, you can use a product like Goo Gone - but if you want an eco-friendly alternative, try using a pure citrus essential oil.

Citrus oil is the active ingredient in a lot of the newer eco-friendly cleansers, and it's a great solvent for nasty, petrochemical-based gunk (I've used it successfully on adhesives and tar, as well cooking-oil stains and oil paints).

I prefer to buy Aura Cacia essential oils because I trust that they are 100% pure and high-quality. Put a few drops of the essential oil (I like to use lemon) on the sticky areas, and gently rub with a damp cloth until the adhesive is removed. It may require several applications of essential oil if the adhesive is especially stubborn.

If the item is to be used in the kitchen, just remember that essential oils, while preferable to products like Goo Gone, are not food-grade. If you decide you want to use a solvent on items that will touch food, use your own best judgement, weigh the risks, and if you decide to go ahead and use the essential oil, do everything you can to remove all traces of it from the item afterwards.

One last caveat: Essential oils can degrade some plastics - so when in doubt, test the oil on a small, inconspicuous spot first. I once used a citrus solvent on a plastic shower door, and it ate away the surface of the plastic, leaving behind a hazy, pebbly mess.

just throw out 50 things

2007-04-06T08:04:00.000-04:00

I read a great article ("The Motivator" column) in the latest issue of Real Simple magazine (April 2007). It was written by life coach Gail Blanke, author of Between Trapezes: Flying Into a New Life With the Greatest of Ease.

Says Blanke:

"...when I coach people, I always ask them to throw things out. But not just a few things. At the end of the second or third session, I ask everyone I work with to go home and throw out 50 things.

"In fact, I not only ask them to throw out 50 things but also ask them to make a list of what they're throwing out, so they can look at it later and actually feel lighter. Here's why: When you start throwing out a lot of physical clutter and you get on a roll, a new urge kicks in - the desire to clear out all the clutter in your mind."

Blanke goes on to say that it's easy to get into the swing of throwing things out - just start with the obvious. Her mother once offered some sage advice: "If you don't know what to do with it, or where to put it, or why you ever bought it in the first place, or if looking at it depresses you, throw it out," she'd say. "Never keep anything that makes you feel heavy or weighs you down."

That single sock you've been hanging onto for years (just in case you ever find its mate - or wear out one half of another pair that matches it)? Gone.

That coupon for herbal tea that you keep in your wallet because your friend gave it to you - because she knows you used to drink herbal tea (but you don't anymore - although you probably should, but that would mean finding a place to keep the tea, and really, your cupboards are too full already - besides, you never liked the taste of herbal tea anyhow)? Recycle it.

What about those pennies? You know, the ones that reproduce on the top of your dresser, or in the corners of your desk and kitchen drawers. Maybe you're "organized," and keep a colony of them in a jar in your closet. Gather them up (along with the rest of your small coins) and take them to the automatic counting machine at the grocery store (which reminds me - I need to write a separate post on those machines - I love them!), or dump them into a charity coin box (which is what I do with all my spare change as soon as the cashier hands it to me).

I've already started my list. It looks something like this:

Antique white china wash basin. I bought it at a rummage sale because I loved it, but I have no place to put it. And I never use it.
Inexpensive black platform flip-flops. I love how tall they make me feel, but I can't walk more than 20 steps in them (they're too wide for my feet), plus the fabric on the uppers is starting to fray.
Miniature roulette game I won as a door prize two months ago at a business meeting. Need I say more?
Beautiful, large, cream-enameled colander. It drains food perfectly. But I worry about the enamel being hazardous to my health when it scratches and chips off. Plus I own three colanders - including a narrower, higher, stainless steel (read: non-toxic and recyclable) one that fits perfectly in my bar sink.
A grilling plank for fish. I'm a vegetarian. I never eat fish - haven't for 21 years. Another rummage sale find, which I thought I could use as a cutting board. But I own two other cutting boards, both of which I love, and both of which are bigger and easier to use.

Once you're warmed up, start thinking of all your mental throwaways - you can even add them to your list of 50. Blanke describes them as "the old convictions, fears, negative assumptions, past "mistakes," and depressing "voices" that weigh you down." Then commit to eliminating them from your day-to-day thinking.

I'm kind of excited about my list of mental purges:

My ex-boyfriend was "the only one" for me.
I'm never going to find a man who truly loves me.
I always mess up my relationships.
I'm too needy.
Life without romantic love is hopeless.

(Gee, I'm sensing a theme here.)

I think you get the drift. It's spring - the time for renewal and regeneration. Make room for the new growth in your life by cutting back the deadwood.

Make a list.

Enjoy knowing that those things are gone from your life. Then welcome what comes next...

moving

2007-04-01T06:47:00.001-04:00

I helped a good friend move across the city yesterday. Her home is no longer a tiny basement apartment in a bungalow, but a beautiful two-bedroom second-storey apartment in a heritage building with not one, but (count 'em) TWO balconies! I'm excited for her, although I can only imagine how tired she is this morning.

The move went very smoothly, even though she hadn't been able to rent a truck to transport everything. Instead she depended on a handful of friends with vans and cars. In the end, that was probably the best choice, since her new street is a very narrow one-way, where street parking is at a premium. Finding a spot to unload a big truck would have been a headache.

As the day went on I found myself reflecting on the subject of moving. I've compiled a grab-bag of tips which, while not exhaustive, will hopefully point people in the direction of a less-stressful move.

Book your truck early.
My friend waited until moving week to make her call, and by that time everything was already taken. When I moved last September, I called the truck rental company four weeks in advance, and had my choice of trucks and dates.

Don't book a U-Haul for a self-move. I hate to say it, but anyone I've ever known who has tried to rent from U-Haul has had problems with this company. Read more frustrated consumer stories at Don't Use UHaul (a site I just discovered as I was writing this post).

A friend of mine booked a U-Haul for a move a couple of years ago, and when he showed up the morning of the move to pick up his truck, they had nothing for him. They didn't even help him find a location where he COULD rent a U-Haul. He ended up driving clear across the city, scrambling at the last minute to find a truck, leaving his helpers cooling their heels amongst the piles of boxes at his old apartment.

Go with a local, established truck rental company. When I moved from London, Ontario I was very pleased with my choice, Bennett Truck Rentals. They don't overbook their trucks, they're very strict about return times, and they bent over backwards to address all my questions and concerns. Renting their beautifully-maintained vehicles cost more than U-Haul, but I considered that a small price to pay for peace of mind.

Their experienced staff were also able to recommend the best size of truck for me to take, based on the kind of move I was making.

Purge early.
I promise you that on moving day, you don't want to be transporting anything superfluous. Each unnecessary box you have to pack, carry, and unpack is a supreme waste of your time, energy and money.

Not everyone is as lucky as a client of mine who moved after a divorce. For several months she and her son stayed with her parents while her new house was being built. Luckily the parents had ample storage in their basement for all her things, because she decided to wait and purge after she moved into her new house, when she knew how much space she really had. She hosted a yard sale after the final move.

All I can think about is the stuff she moved TWICE before she finally got rid of it. I know how difficult it is to purge. If your mind is already swimming with a million details, trying to make well-thought-out decisions about your possessions can seem like a ticket to insanity. Do try, though. The friends who help you move will thank you for it.

Pack early.
If you have the time, pack as much as possible, as soon as possible. If you're like most of us, you have a LOT of stuff. It's going to take a long time to pack - probably two or three times longer than you think. Save yourself the headache of doing it all at the last minute. The mind balks and becomes fatigued after three or four hours, so don't plan on doing all your packing the day before you move, when I can guarantee you'll be up for twenty-four hours straight, brain-fried.

There's going to be some stuff you can't pack until the last minute - your regular dishes and cooking supplies, your toiletries, the things you use every day. Keep those aside, and pack everything else. Your necessities are good candidates for storage totes or bankers boxes, which have lids and can be reopened as needed.

Pack your suitcase.
Pretend the last few days before the move are a "vacation." Pack a suitcase with everything you would need for a trip, and then the morning of the move you won't have to scramble to pack your last-minute toiletries and clothes. Just pop everything in the suitcase and you're good to go - plus you'll know exactly where to find these important things at the other end.

loss, and freedom

2007-03-28T19:18:00.001-04:00

If you've read some of my earlier posts (look here, here, and here for examples), you'll know that I encourage people to get in touch with their deepest dreams and desires. Sometimes it's not until we know what we truly want that we can make decisions about which direction to take in our lives.

The cyclical nature of life means that for every birth there is a death - but also for every death, there is a birth. It's no mistake that Christians, for example, celebrate Jesus' birth in the winter (when everything in nature seems to have died), or his death in the spring (when everything in nature seems to be coming back to life). When we live our lives in sync with these natural rhythms, the pain of loss can lose some of its sting.

My boyfriend and I just broke up. We remain great friends, and love each other deeply, but we are moving in different directions. For either of us to give up our dreams for the sake of the other would mean a loss of something so intrinsic to ourselves that it's unimaginable.

And yet I am almost paralyzed as I sit between two extremes: the pain of losing him, and the joy of finding myself.

I thought I knew what I wanted, but what if what I wanted isn't what I really want? (And I just went looking for some food to stuff into my mouth, which you KNOW can't be a good sign.)

Sometimes we can't know. Sometimes we're walking blind, and when we hold out our hand to find a wall or a piece of furniture to orient ourselves in the blackness, we hit instead a knife blade that slices deep.

But what if the blade cuts things not apart, but together?

I am in the first year of a kind of bodywork training called the Alexander Technique. Without getting too esoteric, the technique is about becoming aware of your habits of poor psycho-physical use, and replacing those habits with better use.

I've discovered that letting go of old habits and discovering something new is very frightening and disorienting. One of my instructor's favorite commands is to "not know."

"Don't KNOW," she intones with discouraging frequency as she works on me with her hands. (Discouraging only because it means that for the millionth time I've been trying too hard, and cutting myself off from true knowing in the process.)

"Don't know, don't know, don't know," I direct myself with fathomless panic inside my head, until suddenly her hands, in cooperation with my open mind, find new freedom and release within my body.

Don't know.

It reminds me of the Rainer Maria Rilke quote from Letters to a Young Poet, where Rilke says:

"...have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language.

"Don't search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything.

"Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer."

Loss, and freedom. Perhaps deep down, they are really the same thing...

mourning a purge

2007-03-28T18:31:00.000-04:00

Okay, in the interests of full disclosure I should submit an addendum to my previous post. Sometimes you can feel really bad after a purge.

I remember I once lost a lot of weight in a short amount of time, and while I welcomed the weight loss, I found myself strangely sad in my new, skinny body. I realized after several days that I was mourning the loss of my old body. I've never read a weight-loss book that deals with this subject, although there is a lot of work by Jungian psychoanalyst Marion Woodman on this issue.

Similarly, when we get rid of a lot of our things, we can go through a period of feeling unsettled and unhappy. If we define ourselves at least in part by our possessions, losing them is like losing pieces of ourselves.

I just walked down the street and dropped off a tabla (East Indian drum) at a neighbour's house. His son teaches music in the public school system, and uses hand drums in his inner-city music classes. I'm thrilled at the thought of my drum being used by these kids, but part of me is feeling really sad, too.

The drum was given to me few years ago by a couple of dear friends who knew I was interested in learning hand drumming. I cried when I opened their gift - I couldn't believe that they had cared enough about me to pay attention to my dreams.

And I loved playing my drum; I loved the weight and heft of it when I held it between my knees (not proper tabla technique - but it felt right to me); I loved the feel of the taut skin against my fingers and palms; I loved the deep, resonant sounds the drum made when I played it.

Unfortunately, nobody else liked hearing me play my drum. And now I live in an apartment building where I am loathe to make that much noise. The drum has sat for months on a high shelf, untouched. To me, who loves music so much, that is a crime.

Now the drum will be played by exuberant students, but I still feel a pang at its loss. I need the shelf space for other things, but it saddens me that some of my dreams must die so that other dreams can be fulfilled.

How do we deal with these life transitions? One solution might be to create a small, personalized ritual that somehow gives significance to your experience. A simple action (like writing a story, or singing a song about how you're feeling, or creating a drawing that expresses your grief) is sometimes all that's needed.

Don't let potential sadness deter you from purging, however. It's only when we risk falling that we learn to fly...

purging

2007-03-28T16:11:00.000-04:00

Ah, spring!

Sunshine, warmer weather, and the first sightings of the season: yard and rummage sales! I am a bargain fiend, and I love the eclectic look of flea market chic, so my acquisitive blood begins to flow faster when I know that sale season is just around the corner.

This is also a great time of year to begin unloading items you no longer want or need, by hosting your own sale or donating to charitable organizations' sales. If you don't belong to a religious community, find out when groups in your neighbourhood are accepting goods, and plan your purges to coincide with those dates.

How do you tackle a purge?

The biggest mistake most people make is to try and sift through absolutely everything in their house in one fell swoop. This is an example of how organizing shows (which I generally like) have done a great disservice to TV audiences. Never forget that each one-hour show took TWO WHOLE DAYS to film, with dozens of people working behind the scenes to make sure everything got finished on time. And they only organize two rooms - not an entire house.

It is absolutely unrealistic to think that you can accomplish something similar in one weekend by yourself, even with the help of a friend or a professional organizer.

I suggest you give yourself time to make several "passes" over your possessions. Don't feel like you have to make final decisions on everything in one great purge. Break it down into multiple stages, and allow yourself to reflect and make decisions that you can live with in the long term.

The first pass deals with the unequivocables. Some things you just KNOW you have to get rid of. They've probably been staring you in the face, literally or figuratively, for several months. You can't wait to see the last of them. Gather them up and get them out of the house ASAP.

If you feel emboldened, prepare for a second pass. Work on one room at a time, for three or four hours per session, maximum. Any longer, and the body and mind become overwhelmed by the decision-making process.

The "one touch" rule employed by some organizing shows is a great way to start. Take each item one at a time and immediately decide: pitch, keep, or maybe. Throw out or donate the pitches.

The maybes are your third (and fourth and fifth and sixth) pass. If you can, give yourself a few days in between passes to let the unconscious mind weigh in on the whole process. If you feel little tugs telling you you really need to get rid of something, pay attention. By the same token, if some part of you is resisting a "no-brainer" purge, give yourself time to understand why. In the end you may indeed decide it's time to let the item go, but on the other hand procrastination may be the universe's way of telling you that the timing isn't right.

My least-favorite part of the purging process is the emotional turmoil that results from trying to make too many decisions in too short a time. I've talked a bit about this in a previous post, where I quoted Sarah Suzanka, architect and bestselling author of The Not So Big House: A Blueprint for the Way We Really Live (Taunton, 2001).

Suzanka says: "An awful lot of the stuff we have - and I'm not talking about one or two things, I'm talking about 50 percent - we literally never use and are never planning to use again, but can't let go of. They are basically objects in which we've invested dreams that didn't happen. It's very difficult to let go of the dreams, even though we know that they didn't actually bring us the satisfaction we were hoping for."

I've been gearing up for my own purge lately, and it's those dreams and expectations I had for my objects that are making the choices difficult. But I know it's time, because I feel a little itch in my solar plexus that tells me I'm ready to move on.

Do we ever regret purges?

Sometimes. There have been many things I've purged that I later wished I could have back. But I also believe that what goes around, comes around. If I can give freely of something at a certain point in my life, then perhaps later, when I need it, I will receive it again. I would rather live with very little and be surprised by serendipitous finds than hang onto everything and never need any of it. I admire people who can whittle the important things in their life down to one suitcase, and travel lightly.

How much to we really need, anyhow?

packing for a move

2007-03-24T03:55:00.001-04:00

A friend of mine is moving soon, and earlier this week I helped her start packing. (I love packing. Yes, I'm weird.)

Here's a list of things to assemble for a packing job:

boxes
packing tape and gun
newspaper or plain newsprint
gloves (optional)
masking tape (optional)
markers and/or stickers
large, clear plastic lawn refuse bags

Before you start, put the rolls of tape, tape gun, and markers or stickers in a small, clear plastic container like one of these, so that you don't "lose" them in the chaos of packing. There's nothing more irritating than reaching for your marker and realizing you can't find it because you don't remember where you last set it down. Just remember to keep putting everything back into the plastic container, and you'll always know where it is.

Boxes.
You can buy new boxes from moving companies, moving supply stores, or many storage rental facilities. You can also get free boxes from grocery stores or liquor stores, but I don't recommend it, since the boxes will be all different sizes and will make packing the truck more difficult on moving day. The ideal is to have uniform boxes in two or three sizes: smaller ones for heavy items like books, and larger ones for lighter and bulkier items.

I've always had success buying used boxes from box brokers or recyclers. Many of the "used" ones aren't even used - they're overruns from packaging companies. They're also much cheaper than retail. Look in the yellow pages under "Boxes - Used" or do an online search using the keywords "used boxes."

Packing tape and gun.
Hearken to what I say: do not be a cheapskate when it comes to packing tape and packing guns. I bought a six-pack of Staples' least-expensive tape when I first started my organizing business, and it was a decision I regretted whenever I used the stuff. I still have a couple of those rolls kicking around, and they are the source of much under-the-breath cursing every time I lose the end of the tape and have to spend five minutes scraping up the (frequently splitting) edge with my fingernail.

Splurge on the expensive brands. Your nerves with thank you.

By the same token, a cheap tape gun will also drive you up the wall - the tape will stick to the mechanism, or it won't roll freely on the spindle. Do you actually need a tape gun? Yes. It's much quicker and neater than applying the tape manually, and the cutting edge saves you the endless contortions of trying to find the scissors you've lost somewhere on the floor underneath your piles of stuff.

If you really don't want to spring for the tape gun, try this little tape dispenser from Staples; it comes with one roll of the horrible Staples tape (I recommend pitching the latter - or gifting it to someone you dislike), but I love the minimalist design of the dispenser, and it really does the job.
Some notes on tape gun form (don't laugh, but I've seen too many people use the guns awkwardly or improperly): touch the end of the tape where you'd like to begin taping (I recommend you give yourself a good four or five inches of tape on the sides, before you come up and over the top), and press down on the box with the roller as you begin to draw the tape along the centre line where the two flap edges meet.

Roll the gun a few inches down the opposite side, and press down with the guard to tear the tape against the cutting edge and flatten the cut end. The beauty of a tape gun is that you only need one hand for the entire action; if you find yourself doing anything more with your other hand than holding the flaps or keeping the box steady, you're probably doing it wrong.

You also shouldn't need more than one pass of the tape over the opening, unless the first line was crooked and didn't catch both flaps evenly. The exception is if the box is going to hold something heavy (like books or magazines, or a rock collection); in that case, add a few extra swipes of tape (parallel to the centre line) on the sides of each flap when you're closing the bottom.

Make sure that all the tape ends are adhered; if they're loose, they'll catch on something at an inopportune moment and pull the entire strip of tape off when you least expect it. Whatever you do, don't fold the box (top or bottom) shut with that nifty, tuck-in-the-four-corners technique you were so proud to master as a kid: it weakens the cardboard, and is less structurally sound than folding the flaps flat.

And don't even think about moving open or lidless boxes. Shame on you.

Newspaper or plain newsprint.
You can buy plain newsprint wherever you buy new boxes, but if you're wrapping items that won't be stained by the ink, it's okay to use newspaper instead. I recommend using gloves (see below for details), especially if you choose the newspaper. Your hands are going to get very dirty from the dust on your things and the newspaper ink, and if you don't wear gloves you're going to get VERY cranky by the sixth or seventh time you wash your (now-chapping) hands.

Paper is necessary not only for wrapping breakable items, but also (crumpled into balls) for cushioning them, and for filling in empty spaces in all the boxes.

My dad worked as a mover when he was in his early 20s, and one of the best skills he ever taught me was how to pack a box. Above all, make sure that the boxes are packed "square": fill every nook and cranny with crumpled newspaper, so that the cardboard won't sag and damage the contents, or cause the boxes tip over when they are stacked miles-high on moving day.

I always make sure I have way more paper than I think I'll ever need; you don't want to be in the middle of packing one night and realize you've just run out.

Gloves.
I like those surgical-style latex or nitrile ones you can buy in boxes of 100. You can never have too many of them - they're handy for all sorts of odd jobs around the house.

Masking tape.
Because I always save my moving boxes and reuse them for other things, I don't like to write with a permanent marker directly on the box. Instead I use a strip of wide masking tape on the top of each box, and write a label on the tape with the marker. Afterwards the tape can be pulled off without damaging the box.

*later addition to this tip (got it from my sister after she moved in July 2007): You can also write directly on the clear packing tape with a Sharpie marker. Then when you remove the tape, the label is gone at the same time.

Markers and/or stickers.
I use Sharpies for marking. I hate them because of the VOCs (volatile organic compounds, aka smelly solvents), but they do the job.

If you want to get fancy and print labels for your boxes, go ahead. Myself, I find it takes too much time, plus I like the flexibility of handwriting the information on masking tape. Some organizers recommend using colour-coded stickers to indicate which boxes came from/go into which rooms. This is especially useful if there are multiple bedrooms and bathrooms, and your movers aren't going to want to take the time to interpret directions such as "the smaller bedroom" or "the north-east ensuite." Post the corresponding colour on the door of each room, and it's a no-brainer.

When labelling a box I also like to include a brief description of its contents. This saves time when I'm unpacking and I want to get the essentials out first and save the less-important stuff for later. It also helps if you need to unpack a particular item very quickly, since you don't have to go searching through several boxes before you find the one thing.

Large, clear plastic lawn refuse bags.
These bags are one of my all-time favorite organizing items. (Click here for another use I mentioned in a recent post.) They're quick, large, lightweight, versatile, and re-usable - plus when you use the clear ones (rather than opaque garbage bags) you can immediately see what's inside.

I love them for moving, and have used them to transport clothes (just don't pack them too full, or they'll be too heavy), wicker baskets, hangers, bedding, pillows and cushions, and some of my fabric and yarn stash. I've also used them to wrap large items like ironing boards, lamps, and brooms or mops. Just don't pack anything breakable in them - although the great thing is, if you use clear bags, at least you can SEE that the items are breakable.

As an addendum to this category, I should mention that I've also used clear plastic disposable drop cloths (I get them at paint stores) to wrap really large items like mattresses.

Finally, I love using large plastic totes for moving, but you might not want to go to the expense of buying them for a single use (the move). If you know you need more storage bins, by all means buy them before the move and use them for storage afterwards. They're great because they stack well and pile high.

paying bills

2007-03-22T05:35:00.001-04:00

On Tuesday night I attended the Professional Organizers in Canada (POC) Toronto chapter meeting, where the speaker was Tammy Laframboise from the North York branch of The Berkshire Group, an investment and financial planning company.

Tammy's subject was surviving the ups and downs of the "feast or famine" nature of self-employment. She had a lot of valuable information to share, but in this post I want to talk about her advice on bill-paying.

According to Tammy, when it comes to bills you have three options:

make a date
do it now
pay it early

Make a date.
Pay all your bills at one time every month. Pros: You don't have to deal with the bills when they arrive - just stash them in a central location and pay them all at once at an assigned date and time. Cons: If you break your "date," your bills might not get paid. Not a good choice if you're a known procrastinator, or you hate the structure of doing something at the same time every month.

Do it now.
Pay the bill when it first enters your hand. You're going to have to pay it eventually - why wait? Keep your chequebook near your favorite mail-opening spot (or open your mail at your computer, if you pay bills online), and fire off the payments right then and there. Pros: If you're a procrastinator, this breaks down the bill-paying into small, manageable bites. Cons: You might not have enough money in the bank when you receive each bill.

Pay it early.
Paying your bills before they come due may not seem very appealing. I mean, why give away your money when you don't have to? But it might be a smart idea if you receive large chunks of cash a few times a year, and then little-or-nothing for weeks at a time in between (think: real estate agents, or artists and craftspeople who sell their work at shows). Pros: Your bills get paid when you have the money; when you don't have the money, your bills are already paid. Cons: You lose the potential interest you might have earned if you had hung onto your money.

To Tammy's list I would add:

Sign up for automatic withdrawals.
Many bills can be paid through automatic withdrawal from your bank account or credit card. Pros: You don't have to remember to pay your bills. Cons: You do have to remember to keep enough money in your account to cover the withdrawals. NSF is always a danger.

Whatever you decide, make a choice that fits your personality, your financial circumstances, and your lifestyle. Don't be afraid to try out a few alternatives before you settle on one strategy that seems to fit best. And try to make it fun. If bill-paying is a chore, find ways to enjoy it. Play your favorite music. Sip a glass of wine. Treat yourself afterwards.

But do pay your bills. It's good for your peace of mind, and a powerful antidote for insomnia...

the end of the fast

2007-03-21T04:35:00.000-04:00

Last night at sunset (7:29 pm) was the official end of my fast (see my entry from March 2, 2007 for more details).

(I actually cheated and broke the fast a little early; I was at a business meeting in the late afternoon, and they served a meal - pizza and desserts. Since the end of the Baha'i fast is usually marked by New Year's celebrations and a feast, I felt entitled to improvise. Besides, I'm not really Baha'i - I was just doing this to better understand my boyfriend's religion.)

I feel bittersweet about the end of the fast, though. In many ways I couldn't wait for it to be over: I was tired of my late afternoon blues from feeling starved, and I hated the bad breath that accompanied my fasting hours. Plus, until the time change, it was a hassle to make sure I ate and drank enough before 6:30 every morning.

But I found comfort in the rigidity and structure of the fast (I'm usually a grazer - I eat little bits of food all day long), and I enjoyed becoming reacquainted with my self-discipline.

(Too bad I didn't lose any weight - THAT would have been a nice perk.)

During the past 19 days I made a concerted effort to eat very consciously, and I really enjoyed each bite of food that passed my lips. I was amazed to discover how little I needed to feel full; I normally eat until my plate is empty, and often take second or third helpings without thinking.

After the first few days of the fast (during which I was exhausted and cranky), I experienced a profound sense of physical well-being and health. I had much more energy than normal. I felt slim (even though I didn't lose weight), and I faced a lot of my emotional demons when I couldn't anesthetize them with food.

Now I'm experiencing some fear surrounding the return to "regular" eating. Last night was sobering: After days of eating consciously, I compulsively scarfed down too many slices of pizza, a can of (full sugar) pop, and two butter tarts. So much for enlightenment.

I need to make peace with the fact that I can slip up sometimes; it's not the end of the world if we stray from the path every now and then. The same applies to organizing: Once we've got systems in place, a week (or even a few months) of non-maintenance won't kill us.

The trick is (I think) to make sure we find pleasure and satisfaction in the new, more desirable behavior. Whether we incorporate regular rewards into our schedule, or find other ways of making the desired behavior more enjoyable, we reinforce the positive changes and make the new path smoother for ourselves.

Do you know what motivates you to stick with a program? It might be worth your while to figure that out...

packing for weekend trips

2007-03-18T15:32:00.000-04:00

Since I started dating someone in another city, I have become the master of the weekend road trip. (Thank heavens I kept my mileage low in the first three years of my car lease - I'm adding kilometres at a frightening rate these days.)

I fancy that I have honed to a science the art of packing for a weekend. I'm a minimalist - although I haven't always been that way. At the beginning of this relationship, I would bring along tons of food (because I like home-cooked meals, but didn't want to burden my love with the chore of shopping or cooking for me).

I also packed way too many clothes, and brought way too many books or magazines to read in my spare time.

Then I realized that I NEVER HAVE spare time when I visit my boyfriend. (Besides, he has lots of books, should I feel like reading.)

After several trips where I got tired of lugging too many coolers and bags back and forth (and if you don't think this is a chore, remember I live in an apartment building), I wised up. These days I carry my purse (which is actually a nice, roomy bag), my suitcase, and my laptop case. And I really shouldn't carry the latter, because I HAVE NO SPARE TIME at my boyfriend's. It's next on my list of things to stop bringing (see below).

How does one pack lightly?

It helps to make a list each time you unpack from a trip. Be vigilant about noticing what you don't use. And make another list, of things you wish you HAD taken along.

Here's today's list of things not to bring again:

my laptop
so many magazines (yes, I'm a slow learner)

Here's the list of things I want to remember to take next time:

a nicer toothbrush (the one I've been using is too hard)
one bag for all my toiletries (I've been trying to make do with two: my usual cosmetics bag, supplemented by a toiletries kit I only use on trips - but it's becoming a hassle to remember which things I keep in each bag)
my cell phone recharger (I remembered it this weekend, but I forgot it the last couple of times)

Here's what the minimalist usually packs in her suitcase:

one pair of pants for each day I will be there (not including the day I arrive, when I will be wearing that day's pants)
one t-shirt for each day I will be there, plus one extra in case of spills or stains
one pair of wool socks for each day I will be there, plus one extra pair
one pair of underwear for each day I will be there, plus one extra pair
one wool sweater (which I usually wear to travel)
a pair of slippers
my toiletries kit, which contains: hand lotion, toothpaste, toothbrush, and a small bottle of baking soda (which I use as a deodorant)
my cell phone recharger
condoms and personal lubricant
pads or tampons if I need them
lots (LOTS) of plastic bags in all sizes and shapes, stashed in an outside pocket of the suitcase: grocery bags for dirty laundry, Ziploc bags for holding underwear or condoms, and large, clear lawn-waste bags for anything extra (like the laundry I take to my parents')

In my purse/bag I carry:

my keys
my wallet
my cell phone
my day planner and a small notebook
my cosmetics bag (which contains: a small date book, emergency tampons, lip balm, cover stick, hand sanitizer, dental floss, toothpaste, travel toothbrush, nail clippers, a small mirror, Zeel homeopathic salve (for bruises), Bach Rescue Remedy Spray (for when I'm stressed), earplugs, a pen, a small tape measure, an eyeglass cleaning cloth, lozenges, and Advil Extra Strength Liqui-Gels (in case I get a migraine))
my digital recorder (for taking notes while I'm driving)
a bottle of water
a couple of clean facial tissues
a small shoe horn
a tuning fork (don't ask)

I try not to carry an extra pair of shoes or boots (besides the ones I'm wearing on my feet when I travel). I normally wear yoga pants and t-shirts, but if I need something special for a night out, or extra work clothes if I know I'm going to get dirty, I try to keep it simple - as few extra pieces as possible.

I don't pack pajamas, since I either wear nothing to bed, or (if I'm someplace where I want to be more modest) I wear the clothes I've worn that day (yoga pants and t-shirt, remember?).

I stopped travelling with shampoo/conditioner and soap years ago, since everybody I visit always has plenty to share. I don't have a skin-care regimen, so I don't need facial cleansers or moisturizers.

I always wear a sports watch with a built-in alarm, so I don't need a travel alarm clock.

When I take my laptop, it goes in the laptop case along with the adapter and mouse, and a couple of books or magazines. The entire case often fits inside my not-full suitcase, which cuts down on the number of bags I have to carry.

That's it. If I could get it down to even less without compromising my comfort, believe me I would.

more tax tips

2007-03-18T14:32:00.000-04:00

Why do we hate income tax season so much?

I was visiting my hometown on the weekend, and it just so happened that a friend of mine has also been working on her income tax. She moaned about how much she disliked it, so I pumped her with questions, trying to figure out why. Since she's self-employed like I am, I figured she might also have strategies I wasn't aware of.

I discovered that she's already pretty organized: She files her receipts regularly, and keeps them in an order that makes submitting everything to her accountant pretty straightforward. After some probing I realized that what she hates is the amount of time it takes to find, sort, and itemize everything. What's surprising is that she's already doing everything possible to keep the information she needs sorted and in one place.

She uses a well-labeled accordion file for her receipts, and each year she simply has to itemize them. Sometimes she (or her husband) periodically itemizes things during the year, so it's not so much of a chore at tax time.

(Yet she still hates it.)

I love her idea of using the accordion file, and I think I'm going to try it myself this coming year. The system she uses is portable, but you can also find expanding files that will fit in your filing cabinet drawer. Check out staples.ca for details.

Her labels are alphabetical - an older version of the Statement of Business Activities list I mentioned in my previous post. She got it from a past copy of Personal Tax Planning, which is published by the Certified General Accountants Association of Ontario. (It's also available online.) Needless to say, this will only help you if you file income tax in Ontario.

It's a good idea to read through publications like this every now and then - my friend told me she discovered an eligible deduction this year that's going to save her a bit more money.

I don't recommend you do what I do, which is file your own return without an accountant's input. I like the control and challenge of doing it myself, but I may be costing myself money in unclaimed deductions. Get a professional's opinion!

it's tax time

2007-03-15T06:30:00.000-04:00

For too many weeks now, I've been putting off the inevitable. I need to start working on my 2006 income tax return.

(Yes, even organizers can procrastinate - although you will notice it's still only the middle of March. Some procrastination, eh?)

For me (and others who are self-employed), the biggest chore is keeping track of my expenses. I have no trouble saving receipts - everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) gets cleaned out of my wallet every day or two, and stashed in a file in one of my filing cabinets. If the purchases on individual receipts are not clearly itemized, I try to make notes directly on the receipts before I put things away, so that I'll remember the purchases later.

Periodically (ideally once a month, when I reconcile my bank statements), I weed through the receipts and pull out anything that pertains to my businesses. I then sort them by category, intentionally mirroring Revenue Canada's Statement of Business Activities. This makes it easier to fill out the form at tax time.

As I mentioned above, I put everything in a file in a filing cabinet. I know people who have also had a lot of success with a memo spike (see the image at the beginning of this post) - it keeps the receipts in reverse chronological order, and prevents them from slipping and sliding around.

And don't laugh, but the proverbial shoe box is also a great alternative, especially if you have a lot of receipts that would take up too much room in a file. There are plenty of organizing boxes on the market - pretty photo or video storage boxes, or various plastic boxes with lids. You might even want to keep two boxes: one for receipts as you get them, and another for receipts that have already been itemized.

At tax time, I double-check each receipt against its expense list (I keep a separate spreadsheet for each category), and then tabulate them all in another spreadsheet I've created that's laid out exactly like the Statement of Business Activities.

Am I too organized for my own good, or what?

So why do I procrastinate? It's still a chore. And sometimes life intervenes, and I don't get the spreadsheets completed every month. That means inputting several months' receipts all at once, which can take a couple of hours.

(And then yesterday night the mouse on my old computer, where I keep all my financial records, froze. I'm starting to input everything into the new computer - which is another several hours' work.

Need I say more?)

more home-staging tips

2007-03-13T15:16:00.000-04:00

I was talking to my sister on the phone last night, and she reminded me of some more home-staging tips I want to share.

In your kitchen, clear everything - magnets, photos, memos, kids' art - off the refrigerator. My sister did this on her own without being told, and even she (who loves a fridge covered with her family's stuff) admits the fridge looks better without all the clutter.

Clean off the top of the fridge while you're at it; you'll improve its efficiency (by allowing air to flow around the top and back of it) at the same time.

This next tip is something my sister heard about years ago: When you're showing your house, always keep a couple of large, empty Rubbermaid-type bins handy. Just before a showing, do a quick sweep of the entire house, putting all stray items into the bins. Then close the lids and stash them someplace inconspicuous.

After the showing you can return everything to its rightful place. Keep the bins empty until the next time you need them.

Be aware of your house's smell. Ask a good friend or family member about it if you're not sure what your home really smells like. If you have pets (especially dogs), make sure you take care of any strong odours. You might be inclined to bring out a bunch of artificial air fresheners, but be considerate of those who have chemical sensitivities. Better to stick a tray of Pillsbury Ready To Bake! cookies in the oven half an hour before a scheduled showing. Nothing says "home" like the aroma of fresh baked goods.

Don't be afraid to repaint your rooms and replace worn or outdated elements such as flooring. I once cleaned for a family who were trying to sell their house. The walls were painted with a sponge finish in a very dated peach colour, and the floor in their eat-in kitchen was a dingy and scruffy brown vinyl from the 70s.

The house was on the market for months without any serious offers until they repainted everything in a soft, clean white, and replaced the vinyl flooring with a neutral, contemporary pattern. After they de-cluttered, and addressed a strong dog odour in the house, the home looked immaculate and sold quickly.

Ask your realtor for advice about tweaking your home. He or she should know what to do to improve a home's value and selling price. Realtors can also refer you to established home stagers if you require more in-depth assistance.

introduction to home staging

2007-03-12T06:08:00.004-04:00

My sister and her husband are building a new house, and they'll soon be putting their current home on the market.

I want to help her out (being a good sister and a professional organizer and all), so I recently sent her a home-staging checklist.

If you're unfamiliar with home staging, it's a marketing strategy created by American real estate agent Barb Schwarz in the 1970s. Schwarz was tired of selling cluttered, unkempt houses for less than top dollar, so she convinced her sellers to invest time and energy (and occasionally money) in presenting their products - their homes - in the best possible light.

Here's a definition from Wikipedia:

Home staging is the act of preparing a private residence prior to its going up for sale in the real estate marketplace. The goal of staging is to sell a home quickly, and for the most money possible. Staging focuses on improving a property to make it welcoming, appealing, and attractive to the largest generic audience of potential homebuyers. Staging often raises the value of a property by way of repairs, re-decorating, renovations, and landscaping. For vacant homes, rental furniture will accent very nicely. Properly executed staging leads the eye to attractive features while minimizing flaws.

Home staging involves seeing your house through the eyes of the buyer. Schwarz emphasizes that once you put the home on the market, it is not really yours anymore. You are trying to convince potential buyers that it is their home.

If you are interested in the subject of home staging, check out Schwarz's book, Home Staging: The Winning Way to Sell Your House For More Money.

Here's the checklist I sent to my sister:

This may sound like a no-brainer, but make sure the house is clean. And not just a quick vacuuming - make sure there are no marks/smudges on the walls, doors, and door frames; address any stains on carpets or furniture, and make sure that everything is in good repair (i.e. replace burnt-out light bulbs, patch walls, etc.).
De-cluttering is the big thing. Reduce knick-knacks everywhere to a minimum. A few well-placed things are much better than a jumble. Pack and store everything else.
In the kitchen, make sure the counters are as clear as possible. Put away any appliances you normally keep on the counter (toaster, coffee maker). Clean out all the cupboards (including pantry), and keep only the necessities. This is the place to start packing; people will look through cupboards and closets to see how much room there is, and you want things to look spacious. Make the buyer believe that there is more storage space than anyone could ever need.
In the laundry area, keep the machines clear and clean, and have only the bare minimum of detergents/fabric softeners on the shelves. Everything else should be out of there.
In the bathrooms, keep the counters absolutely clear (as in the kitchen). A soap dispenser and a towel or two are okay, but everything else should be out of sight (even in the kids' bathroom - and BTW, hide the bath toys, and keep the shampoo to one or two bottles, max). If there are things in the cupboards that you don't often use, pack them up and store them elsewhere.
In the family room, make sure the kids' toys are out of sight, and don't clutter the mantel.
In the living room, be careful about cluttering the tables with knick-knacks, candles or photographs. In fact, put away all family photographs (everywhere in the house) that aren't hung on the walls. It's important that people viewing the house be able to imagine themselves in the space, and family photos detract from this.
Purge the front hall closet and/or mud room. Keep only the coats and shoes or boots that you are using right now. You could have a basket or two on shelves for hats, gloves, and scarves, but that's it.
The dining room will probably be one of your nightmares (only because I know you depend on it to hide all the overflow). Clear it out, leaving only the table, chairs, and hutch. Clear off the top of the hutch, leave only a few items (like a candle or two). Make sure that the things behind glass doors are neatly arranged. Pack up anything else that's clutter inside the hutch.
I don't know what to suggest about the basement, but basically have it as tidy and as clear as possible. If it's unfinished you can't hide that fact, but you can make it look warm and appealing.
In the kids' rooms, empty their closets of any clothes they're not wearing right now, and then use the extra space to put their toys neatly. In the rooms themselves, there should be NO clutter (especially on the dressers and floor). This may be tough for the kids, but tell them it's only temporary.
In your room, try to purge your closet, or at least pack up a lot of your stuff and store it elsewhere. Again, people will be looking in the closets, and you want to give the impression of abundant space. If you can, have all the hangers the same, or grouped by type. And hang your clothes neatly, by type or by colour (so that they look appealing). In the room itself, get rid of all knick-knacks and photos. Have only a few well-chosen things on the dressers and bedside tables. If you can find inexpensive, bright/pretty throw cushions to match the bedding, do it.
It might get costly if your house is on the market very long, but try to have fresh flowers strategically placed in the family room, kitchen, and master bedroom.

The big thing is, the place shouldn't look like your home anymore. And that will be tough, because you still have to live there until it sells. But pretend it's a really beautiful holiday rental - everything impersonal, clean, and simple. You want buyers to forget that anyone else has ever owned this house.

I visited my sister this past weekend, and she did pretty well. Her house is usually uncluttered, so it wasn't a nightmare to purge; the weakest areas are the children's rooms and the basement, where there are still too many toys scattered everywhere. And she still has too many family photos on the dressers in her bedroom. Her walk-in master bedroom closet also needs tweaking.

They're calling a realtor this morning. May they sell well!

the difficult stuff

2007-03-10T03:45:00.000-05:00

I don't have to tell you that organizing gets difficult, sometimes. (Maybe all the time?)

When you're in the middle of a righteous mess, and you don't know where to start or what to do next, it can be a challenge to stick with it and not give up.

What sees us through the rough patches?

Having a larger vision for your life can help, which is why I've been spending so much time on the subject of clarifying passions and dreams.

When we know what we value and want for our lives, we can make better choices about what we do with our time - choices that hopefully align with the aforementioned dreams and passions.

Even master organizers can get bogged down in the middle of a sort. It's hardest for me when I'm dealing with my own stuff. I remember my move last fall; after two or three days of unpacking I was ready to call it quits - and I was still only half done!

If you want to begin an organizing project, keep it simple. Don't imagine that you can fix your entire life in one headlong, all-out blitz of a weekend. Those TV organizing shows are great, but they're not an accurate representation of real life. Very few of us can afford to hire the legions of helpers needed to successfully complete such a huge project so quickly.

Think instead of one area that - if it was organized - would make a big impact on your emotional well-being. This is very personal - it will be different for every individual. Some organizers suggest that you begin organizing the core or hub of your house and work outwards, but maybe for you it's more important to have a restful haven where you can renew yourself at the end of the day - in which case, it might make more sense to start with your bedroom.

What isn't working in your life? Where do things begin to fall apart? If you want a serene bedroom retreat, and instead find yourself constantly surrounded by the clutter of your clothes - scattered on the floor, piled on every surface, spilling out of the closet - try to identify the real problem.

Do you have too many clothes for your space? Maybe you just don't like to put things away. Maybe you hate laundry and can't follow through with all the steps involved (picking up your clothes, taking them to the laundry area, washing and drying the clothes, folding them, bringing them back to your room, putting them away). Maybe you feel you don't have enough time to take care of household tasks. Maybe you can't afford to hire somebody else to clean your bedroom for you.

What is the real reason? Maybe you resent the amount of work you have to do, and a messy bedroom is your way of rebelling. Maybe you're a shopaholic. Maybe you can't let go of gifts, clothes that no longer fit you, or clothes that are out of style. Maybe it comforts you to have a full-to-bursting closet.

Maybe you don't need to organize your bedroom after all. But wait - you said you wanted a serene space to unwind at the end of the day!

Which is more important: Your reason for having clutter, or your desire to have clear space?

(It's okay to decide on the former, by the way. We don't have to organize everything. I want to write a separate post about this soon: Knowing when to organize, and when to leave it be.)

Let's say you want the serene bedroom more than the clutter. Once you've figured out why you have the clutter, you can address the root of the problem and make changes.

If you have too many clothes for your space, get rid of the ones you no longer wear. You'd be amazed at how little of your wardrobe you actually use on a regular basis. Without all the excess, you might find you have plenty of room for everything, and when you have a dedicated place for each item, you'll enjoy putting things where they belong.

If you don't like doing laundry, find a way to get somebody else to do it, or figure out how to make the job more appealing.

If you're being passive-aggressive about the cleaning, or realize you're a shopaholic, invest some time and energy into healing your issues. (You may want to seek out counselling, too.)

If you feel obligated to keep things that other people give you, or you just don't have the heart to let go of clothing mementos (your wedding dress; the suit you wore on your first date) or clothing dreams (those size six pants that you want to wear again someday; that great party frock that would look amazing on the red carpet - except you never go out) take a reality check.

Keeping a few key mementos (provided you have the space) is one thing; hanging onto everything is self-defeating. Clutter is stagnant energy, and many people find they get "stuck" in all parts of their lives when they can't let go of things and allow the natural flow of energy.

When you finally decide to act, set a realistic pace. I never recommend working more than two or three hours at a time on any organizing project. Even an hour once a week is fine. Resolve to get rid of ten items of clothing. Bag it up and get it out of the house. Repeat until you're done.

And get help - from family, friends, professionals - if you need it.

Finally, reward yourself for everything you do that brings you closer to your dreams. This step is important. We're more likely to enjoy - and keep doing - activities that are positively reinforced. It doesn't have to be a big thing.

Just show yourself that you care...

the power of dreams

2007-03-08T05:54:00.001-05:00

Sometimes we get stuck in self-defeating ruts where we can't see that something different is possible for our lives.

My boyfriend made a comment to me last night that blew me away. He said, "Just think, if you hadn't met me, you would still be cleaning houses in London."

The power of dreams: They can change everything.

I was happy in London. I had a satisfying business, and I loved my clients dearly. They were (and are - I still write them regularly to let them know how I'm doing) like family to me. But I was struggling with the physical side-effects of a labour-intensive job; I had almost constant back pain and knee pain, and repetitive strain injuries in my wrists and hands.

If you had told me a year ago that I would find a new boyfriend, move to a new city, start the Alexander Technique training program (www.alexandertechnique.ca), heal my body, and begin rewarding new businesses as a professional organizer and freelance writer, I would have laughed at you. I didn't know my own strengths and resourcefulness. Just think what might have (not) happened if I hadn't dared to dream!

I get many daily inspirational e-mails in my inbox, and a few days ago I received a gem from Debra Lynn Dadd:

Set your sights high, the higher the better. Expect the most wonderful things to happen, not in the future but right now. Realize that nothing is too good. Allow absolutely nothing to hamper you or hold you up in any way.

~ Eileen Caddy

Life is too short to be anything other than your best self. Get started on it today...

remember to play

2007-03-07T21:30:00.000-05:00

I've been working too hard lately - writing proposals for new business, tending to all my volunteer commitments - and when I fall into bed at night, I'm exhausted.

(Oh, wait - I'm also fasting. No wonder I'm so tired!)

I love what I do (organize, write, and study the Alexander Technique), but sometimes I forget to take a breather and really play.

Tonight I was busy at the sewing machine, making some dress-up clothes for my niece for her fifth birthday. She's a princess, and she loves to dance around in the things I create. I can't wait to give her these gifts: two capes sewn from silky lining material, and a wedding veil I made from some old tulle I had lying around.

Sewing is not really playing for me - I have a Home Economics degree, and sitting at the machine feels like more work - but my imagination is delighted by the colours and textures of the fabric. As I picked through my stash tonight looking for something to give Meghan, I felt like a kid again. I, too, loved to play dress-up as a child; wrapping myself in luxurious fabrics, I was a fairytale heroine.

These days when I want to play, I colour - like a kid - with crayons. Among the million other things I do, I'm also a trained artist, but - as with sewing - trying too hard to make "art" feels like too much work. So I give myself license to be entirely free with the crayons, and I'm often amazed at what I make when I'm not really trying to do anything.

Don't forget to play. When you're organizing your life, make room for your own grown-up equivalent of dress-up clothes and crayons. And then lose yourself in the playing...

know thyself

2007-03-05T12:12:00.000-05:00

I'm still fasting. This may be the longest 19 days of my life.

One of the silver linings, however, is that I am continually forced to face my own habits. I can't run from what I am feeling in the moment.

I never realized how much I used food and drink as an anesthetic. Whenever I am feeling uncomfortable, the first thing I want to do is put something in my mouth. Now that I can't put something in my mouth, I truly have to deal with my discomfort.

(And I am - kind of. I've also found a new anesthetic: sleep. Naps are good. I'm having no difficulty rationalizing them, either, because I need lots of sleep now that I'm weak from not eating during daylight hours, right?)

Many of my posts over the last month have dealt with recognizing our dreams and visions for ourselves. Once we know what moves and inspires us, we can begin to think about taking action to create more fulfilling lives.

It's also important to know yourself. Know your habits. Know what makes you tick, know how you habitually react, know your common defenses, know how you sabotage yourself. If you don't know, you can't change.

Many spiritual disciplines (especially eastern ones) speak of developing your ability to witness your own life. That's what meditation is for, at its core: becoming aware of what is. Other disciplines (I'm thinking specifically of the Toltec path, www.miguelruiz.com) encourage us to become hunters or trackers of our own minds. If you're tracking an animal, you need to have intimate knowledge of the animal's habits. In a similar fashion, it can be valuable to know your own habits.

Try tracking your energy cycles. When do you have the most energy? When do you have the least?

I know that I have a lot of energy in the morning. I seem to wake up more easily than many people, and I enjoy being awake very early (five a.m.) in the day. If I do physical work at this time, I feel well-coordinated and enjoy what I'm doing. If I sit down and do mental work I have energy for a while, but it starts to taper off by mid-morning (10 a.m.).

Noon is my absolute slump time. If I stop moving, I fall asleep. When I had my own cleaning business, I would park my car somewhere safe (preferably near some green space, like a park) and have a catnap during my lunch break. I always woke up feeling refreshed.

These days I save any activities that need a sharp mind for late afternoon or early evening. This is when I love to write, and I can often work for hours into the evening without fatigue.

The joy and the gift of being self-employed is that I can use this knowledge to organize the tasks of my day.

What do you know about yourself? And how do you use that knowledge?

the simplicity of kindergarten

2007-03-03T08:07:00.000-05:00

The fast is going well. I'm getting migraines from low blood sugar, but I can handle that.

In my altered mental state, however, I crave simplicity. Nothing complicated, nothing strenuous, nothing extraneous.

I want to go back to kindergarten.

One of my favorite organizing authors, Julie Morgenstern, uses the kindergarten analogy when talking about organizing.

(See Organizing From the Inside Out, page 59 - Julie's Secret Weapon #1: The Kindergarten Model of Organization.)

Remember kindergarten? Lots of fun stuff to do. Every activity had its own little area, and everything you needed for that activity had a clearly designated home nearby.

It's hard to go wrong with the kindergarten model. It's comforting, it's reassuring, and most of all it's easy - if you remember to put things back in their homes when you're done. Maybe what we all need is a kindergarten teacher to remind us to take the time at the end of each activity to clean up.

Why do some of us hate this last part so much? Me, I love putting things back where they belong. My boyfriend, on the other hand, leaves stuff everywhere. Mail from the mailbox, for example, makes its way to the living room coffee table, where it sits forever.

(Okay, not really forever. It just seems like forever when I'm inhibiting the impulse to tidy up after him.)

Where is mail's home? Where does mail belong?

The simplest solution is to put mail in a special spot on your desk, and keep everything you need to deal with the mail in close proximity: letter opener, cheques or computer (for paying bills and other correspondence), recycling bin, shredder, and filing cabinet(s).

But what if you like to read mail in a different place from where you pay your bills or file your papers?

You have choices, and this is the not-so-simple part. You could have a series of mail "way stations": a place by the door where you immediately put mail when you come inside; a place by your favorite mail-reading chair; a place in your desk area; and the final place (which could also be multiple places: the recycling bin, the shredder, the filing cabinet).

You run the danger of "losing" mail if you rely on too many mail homes, however. Even I am occasionally vulnerable to this. Just yesterday, I was sorting through my date book and found the bank slip from my last GST remittance (paid in January!) stuffed under the back flap. Oops.

Where's my kindergarten teacher when I need him?

are you ready to get rid of everything?

2007-03-02T16:02:00.000-05:00

At some point, many people with a lot of material possessions just want to get rid of it all. All of it.

Just let it go.

The problem is, sometimes getting rid of everything isn't the answer.

I'm feeling really out of it right now - light-headed and woozy. My boyfriend is Baha'i, and today is the first day of the last month of the Baha'i calendar. During this last month of the year, Baha'is fast between sunrise and sunset - kind of like Islam's Ramadan.

I'm not Baha'i, but I thought it would be a nice gesture to fast along with my boyfriend, even though we don't live in the same city.

(The longer I go this first day without food and drink, however, the stupider this gesture is beginning to feel. Wait, was that my outside voice?)

I'm drawn to the spiritual significance of the fast: These nineteen days are a reminder of our strong desires for the material world, and through fasting and prayer we give ourselves the opportunity to explore different (preferably spiritual) choices.

Done without consciousness, however, I suspect this exercise would be futile.

It's not enough to simply deprive ourselves - or get rid of all our material possessions. Anyone can be disciplined for 19 days (yes, I have to do this for 19 days!), but at the end of it, what have you learned? Without introspection and consciousness, you'll have starved yourself for a while, and then most likely return to your pre-fast habits.

I don't want to finish this fast the same as when I began it. I've struggled with disordered eating since adolescence, and I thought this would be a wonderful opportunity to finally face the insatiable demon inside me. You know, the one who would have me eat an entire bag of cookies in one day.

(I'm betting many of you are also acquainted with Mr. Cookie Demon...)

Here's the heart of it: My desire for a cookie (or a new outfit, or the latest techno-gadget) does not rule me. Desire is fleeting and hollow. There is something larger than the desire - call it God, The Universe, love, the creative source, the true Self, whatever you will - and each time I turn away from material desire, I expect to run into something better, head-on.

What has this got to do with organizing?

(Yes, please tell us, Michelle. My sugar-starved brain is starting to hurt...)

Getting rid of everything is too easy. If you don't confront the desire to clutter up your life, sooner or later you'll end up back where you started.

It's hard work to get really clear - about each and every object in your life. It takes a lot of strength, and courage, and patience to do the work of clearing out the things you don't truly need. I would say it takes even more strength to make decisions about what to keep - and what to acquire, because you know, we can't stop acquiring stuff.

But you can start becoming conscious. You can ask yourself: Does this serve my highest good? Is this contributing to the essence of my life? Or detracting from it?

Clarity.

It's an ongoing adventure...

what do you want from your space?

2007-03-01T07:24:00.000-05:00

This post relates to an earlier one from last year (feeling like "home", Sunday, October 29, 2006). Take a moment to consider the following questions:

How do you feel in your current space?

How do you want to feel?

Calm? Rested? Energized? Soothed? Healed? Strong? Powerful? Peaceful? Loved...?

Really think about it. This may sound crazy, but I find that a lot of people arrange their rooms based on how the spaces will look, or how the spaces will be seen by others. I've had many clients who've decorated their houses to please society's idea of what the space should look like, rather than please themselves.

Living rooms should have couches, coffee tables, and big pieces of art on the walls, right? Bedrooms should have bedroom sets. Family rooms should have televisions, and big, comfy furniture in which to become a potato.

Actually, they only have to look that way if that's what you really want. You have choices, you know.

I'm always saddened when I see cold, unused formal dining rooms in people's homes. They may look beautiful, but if they're only used to hold a bunch of beautiful stuff (that - just maybe - you don't even like), and not really used... well, enough said.

I'm thinking of an elderly couple - former clients of mine - who never ate in their dining room. It became a clutter magnet, full of tschotkes that covered every horizontal surface, including the table. They started keeping their unread newspapers in there, and the only reason they entered the room was to deposit or remove piles of newspapers. They ate in the kitchen, and never had guests over for a meal.

To me, the energy in that room was horrible. They kept the drapes closed, so it was always dark - even in the middle of the day. Jammed with furniture (two hutches, one cedar chest, table and chairs, and two occasional tables in a room 10'x13') and objects they never bothered to enjoy, it became a room full of obligation: We need to keep this stuff because it's ours and it's "beautiful," and it's what "belongs" in this room.

In the basement, the husband kept a huge number of houseplants under grow lights. His plants and his outdoor garden were his life's joy, and you could see that he lovingly tended these living things every day. Many of the houseplants were African violets, and he had several different colours: pink, purple, white, blue...

Going into their basement was a thrill for me. The flowers were gorgeous, and the man's love and care permeated the space like a exquisite scent.

Now here's a revolutionary thought: What if they kept the flowers and the grow lights in the dining room, and relegated the dining room stuff to the basement (or better still, got rid of it!)? They would have natural beauty close at hand every day. The husband wouldn't have to climb up and down the stairs so often on his bum knees. His hobby would be elevated and respected for the art it truly was.

But no. Dining rooms aren't greenhouses. What if he got dirt on the carpet?

(What if they got rid of the carpet - a tatty, 40-year-old eyesore - instead?)

Don't become a slave to your rooms. Don't become a slave to public opinion. If you love violets, let those violets really bless your home.

I live in a bachelor apartment. When the super's wife first showed me the suite, she gushed about how wonderful it could look with the right furniture. A bed could go on this wall, hidden by a nice screen. This spot by the window would look great with a cute area rug and a loveseat.

I smiled and murmured polite "mmm-hmm"s. She's a dear woman, and she couldn't have known that the 700-square-foot room was going to have to be bedroom, sitting room, library, home office, work room and art/music studio all rolled into one.

Oh, and dining room. :)

Enliven your rooms with your passions. I know of no other fulfilling way to live...

when the going gets busy

2007-02-27T18:37:00.003-05:00

I'm in the middle of writing some business proposals right now, and don't have a lot of time for posting to my blogs. But as I work, I'm continually reminded of how valuable the organizing I've done for my own life has been.

I don't function well in chaos, and I know it. So I've created lots of clear space to do my work. I have two large tables where I can spread out my papers (or my artwork, or my fabric), and I have lots of storage space (filing cabinets, book shelves, and storage shelves) where I can hide things away when I'm not working.

I'm also reminded of the need for regular maintenance. Most good organizers will tell you that once you have systems in place, you need to take time at regular intervals to maintain your systems. This can be a chore if you let things go too long, but now I make it a part of my "settle down to work" routine.

I spend time every day puttering around - filing away papers, tidying up messes, doing light housekeeping - before I start working. You could also do this after work, but I prefer doing it at the beginning of my workday (which usually starts sometime in the late afternoon, if I don't have an organizing client). Mid-afternoon is my "slump" time, and my brain is not its sharpest then, so puttering is a great use of my time.

(So is napping. Shhh...) ;)

Today I made a bunch of phone calls, tied up some loose ends, and sorted an accumulation of paperwork: committee projects I'm involved with, business leads, inspirational journal notes, and financial stuff.

Now I'm awake and ready to get down to the nuts and bolts of my business writing. I look around me and I see the neat piles of papers that I will need this evening, as well as inspirational messages that keep me focused on my values. Here's a quote that's sitting beside me right now:

If we could learn to live from the level of the soul, we would see that the best, most luminous part of ourselves is connected to all the rhythms of the universe. We would truly know ourselves as the miracle-makers we are capable of being. We would lose fear, and longing, and hatred, and anxiety, and hesitation. Living from the level of the soul means diving past the ego, past the limitations of the mind that harness us to events and outcomes in the physical world.

Deepak Chopra, The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire, p77

http://www.chopra.com/

What are the circumstances and environments that best nourish your own work life? Do you know?

(And do you use that knowledge?)

some useful books

2007-02-26T15:44:00.000-05:00

Don't stress about getting organized.

(Easy for me to say, I know.) :)

But I'm just like you in many ways. My life is too full. I have more material possessions than I need. And sometimes I feel like my default strategy has become rushing from one crisis to the next... to the next... to the next...

There are many useful tools out there for people interested in changing their lives. I've mentioned some in previous posts, and I'd like to share a few more.

I have found the books by Cheryl Richardson to be invaluable. She suggests several practical action plans for becoming aware of what's going on - and going wrong - in your life.

Before Cheryl there was Barbara Sher, whose books are fantastic for helping you figure out what it is you really want from life.

If you know you need to simplify and you're not sure where to start, check out the books by Elaine St. James. She offers short, simple steps that will help free up your time to do the things you really want to do in life. A sample of her writing can be found here.

If you prefer a more business-like approach, you might enjoy Stephen R. Covey's bestselling books, including The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.

And once you've decided to really get organized, the books, audiotapes, and videotapes by professional organizer Julie Morgenstern provide a thorough overview of any personal or workplace organizing project you might want to undertake.

(Just be sure that if you buy the books, you actually read them. Don't laugh. Even I occasionally buy books that I never get around to reading...)

zeroing in on priorities

2007-02-25T19:25:00.000-05:00

I was going to start talking about physical surroundings, but then I realized there's a bit more I want to mention regarding dreams and good feelings.

Do you know how you spend your day? The following is based on an exercise from Cheryl Richardson's book Take Time For Your Life (www.cherylrichardson.com).

Make a rough list of how you spend the hours of each day. Look back over the past week, and notice how much time you spent on everything that you do, including sleeping.

An average day for me lately, for example, would look like the following:

sleep - 6 hours
food preparation and eating - 1 1/2 hours
bathing and dressing - 1/2 hour
reading - 1 hour
playing Sudoku - 1/2 hour
Alexander training (weekdays) - 3 hours
travel time - 1 hour
errands - 1 hour
napping - 2 hours
phone calls - 2 hours
working at the computer (including e-mail) - 3 1/2 hours

total: 22 hours

(I haven't figured out what I do in those extra two hours. They get used somehow - probably on the computer, writing these blogs!)

Obviously there's some variation in anyone's schedule. One night a week, I have choir rehearsals; some days I don't work at my computer (so much). Sometimes I socialize with friends, and when I have organizing clients I spend time on that, rather than at the computer. This past weekend (when my boyfriend was in town), I spent a lot of time with my boyfriend.

But it can be a very sobering experience to see how your time goes, especially if you don't usually keep track of your extra-curricular activities and all the little things you do with your day when you're not working.

And I'm not advocating that you suddenly start to pencil in "me" time, or anything. (Although that probably wouldn't be a bad idea). I just want you to realize that you have made choices, whether consciously or unconsciously, about how you will spend the precious minutes of your life. And if you don't like the way your life looks right now, you can make new choices that will change it.

What are your priorities? If you make a pie chart of your daily activities (something you can do if you put your list in Excel), does it make you feel good to see that over one third of your day is spent on activities directly related to your work? Do you wish that more time was spent on activities that nourish your life in other ways?

I love working on the computer; I love writing. But I can lose hours online (when I'm researching new business), and I often fall into bed each night jittery and distracted - only to start the next day the same way, as I rush to check my morning e-mail and take up my work where I left off.

I've also noticed that there's no time for yoga in my list above. That make me unhappy. And I would love even more time to read for pleasure.

What's missing from your own life? What changes do you want to see in your schedule? Continue to dream your dreams there...

building your dream

2007-02-24T11:59:00.000-05:00

You've zeroed in on the way you'd like to feel. Now you need to come up with a variety of situations that are fertile ground for good feelings.

1. Return to your happy memories. Make a list of all the things or situations that made you feel good.

In my list, this would include singing, being with family and friends, being with my boyfriend, doing yoga, moving my body, doing activities I love (and not doing activities I don't love!), having enough of everything I need, watching movies, reading books...

2. Now probe a little deeper. You're not necessarily looking for a strict set of criteria, but a variety of possibilities. What are the real situations that bring out your happiness?

I'm not always happy when I'm singing; sometimes I don't like the way I sound. Sometimes my voice just isn't working properly. Sometimes I don't like the songs I have to sing. I find learning new music tedious. And I don't like to sing music that goes too high.

But if I care for my voice properly, and exercise it well and use good technique, I improve my chances of making sounds that are satisfying. And I know that when I'm practising, I like the freedom of not worrying about whether or not anyone is being bothered by my noise.

Once I've learned music that I love, I find singing a joy, especially if I am working with people (accompanists, directors, choir members) who pursue their own music-making with excellence and joy.

So in the case of singing, I increase my chances for happiness if: I care for my voice; I make time in my schedule to practise regularly in spaces where I feel free and comfortable; I do as much as I can to ensure I'm singing the styles and ranges of music I particularly love; I choose to sing with people who will enrich my experience of the music.

Does this mean we should become hedonists who seek out only those experiences we know we will enjoy?

Yes and no. There is always the danger of falling into the trap of grasping at pleasure. But if you approach the circumstances of your life as choices, and if you continually choose those which align with your best possible existence - in the spirit of aparigraha (non-grasping) - you run a better chance of being a Dream-Fulfiller.*

True, not everything that contributes to our best lives is enjoyable. I remember one choir I sang with several years ago: I was easily the poorest singer in the group, surrounded by university voice majors who could sight-read rings around me. I lived in a panic every time we went through a new piece, and I frantically tried memorizing everything between rehearsals, so that I wouldn't be found lacking.

Another woman in my section seemed to dislike singing beside me, so I was always trying to avoid any confrontation with her. And when I was one of the only singers on my part, I felt too ashamed of my voice to sing out strongly.

This all sounds like a recipe for disaster, and indeed I writhed in mental agony for most of the year-and-a-half that I sang with this group. But they were performing my absolute favorite period of music - renaissance - and the moments when I could relax and enjoy the exquisite harmonies of composers like Thomas Tallis and William Byrd were like precious gold. Plus in the all-too-brief eighteen months that I belonged to the choir, I was pushed and stretched, and grew more as a singer than at any time before or since.

(So I guess I should add to my happiness list: I like experiences that challenge me, and test my limits.)

Doing a "pleasure audit" of your life can take some time. Don't expect to get it all figured out in a day - or even a week. Truly, it can be an ongoing lifetime exercise. But do continue to think seriously about what makes you happy.

Next we'll begin to talk about your physical surroundings, which is what most people hire me to help them take care of.

*see my post from February 19, 2007: daring to dream

what has this got to do with organizing?

2007-02-22T16:42:00.000-05:00

You might be wondering what all this talk about feelings has to do with reorganizing your life. And many of my clients feel the same way. They hire me to do the nuts and bolts moving and arranging of their stuff, never seeming to realize that their desired result is a feeling. They want to feel better about their lives.

It helps if they know what they're already feeling, and if they have a new feeling they want to aim for.

The next part is an unearthing of the circumstances and situations that will most likely result in good feelings...

Additional resources:

Take Time For Your Life and Stand Up For Your Life, by Cheryl Richardson (www.cherylrichardson.com)

triggering happy memories

2007-02-22T07:48:00.000-05:00

Maybe you didn't take the time to revisit some of your best memories (see yesterday's blog, choosing your dream, below).

Let me provide you with some of my own. (I spent a thoroughly enjoyable meditation period yesterday, remembering them.) See if these don't trigger something for you.

I've had several great experiences while performing - I'm a classically trained choral singer and soloist.

One of my favorite performances was with a choir called the Karen Schuessler Singers (www.kssingers.isp.ca). Their repertoire includes an amazing contemporary choral mass called Missa Gaia: Earth Mass. It was created by jazz musician Paul Winter (www.livingmusic.com), and incorporates animal calls into music that's informed by jazz, world music, Gregorian chant, and gospel.

Missa Gaia is an unbelievable experience for the audience, and it's even more rewarding for the singers. I've performed it at least half a dozen times, and I always choke up when I hear the opening strains of the first piece, "Canticle of Brother Sun," based on the Canticle of the Sun by St. Francis of Assisi:

www.webster.edu/~barrettb/canticle.htm

(If you're intrigued, you can order CDs of the mass through the KSS or Living Music websites, above).

How did I feel while performing Missa Gaia? Spiritually connected, jubilant, part of something larger than myself, and emotionally moved.

Another great performing experience was when I was soloist for a jazz vespers service with my church choir in London, Ontario, several years ago. The song in question was Moses Hogan's arrangement of "Wade in the Water," a rousing spiritual. I normally have extreme, almost crippling, performance anxiety, but this time I felt very calm and still.

The beautiful church was filled with afternoon light, and the people attending the concert were thoroughly enjoying themselves. I looked out over their smiling faces and I felt powerful, centred, peaceful, and energized.

Other favorite memories include:

recording a CD with my new church choir at the Church of St Timothy, Toronto (www.sttimothy.ca)
listening to my father sing church solos
listening to my boyfriend (a classical tenor) perform
curling up in bed and falling asleep in the arms of my aforementioned boyfriend
holding my nephew or niece on my lap, reading bedtime stories
how I feel after a good work-out
how I feel after a good yoga session
the times in my life when I've felt free of money worries
the final days of horrible jobs - when I knew I was soon going to be free
movies that make me cry
looking at my artwork after I've finished it
inspirational people I've seen on television
books that excited or entertained me

Go ahead. Let you mind ramble. Remember what makes you feel most alive. It's the key to finding your passion...

Additional resources:

Wishcraft - How To Get What You Really Want, and I Could Do Anything If Only I Knew What It Was, by Barbara Sher (www.barbarasher.com)

Keith Ferrazzi's Life Coach Tool: http://www.keithferrazzi.com/lifecoachtool/?ref=2108

choosing your dream

2007-02-21T06:25:00.000-05:00

It's fine to dream, you may say - but how do I choose a good dream in the first place?

Don't laugh. Many of my clients have only a vague notion of what they really want - from life, and from my organizing services. Here's a checklist to get you started on your own dreaming.

1. Start with where you are. How do you feel about your current life? Focus on your feelings - don't get distracted by particular situations just yet. Make a list of how you feel: frazzled, stressed, anxious, exhausted, weak, ambivalent...

2. Then ask yourself: How do I want to feel instead? Make another list: well-rested, calm, joyful, playful, capable, loved...

3. Is this process making you anxious? A lot of people get bogged down by list-making, and focus begins to seem impossible. This is not supposed to be hard work. Take a break. Get up from your computer and do a simple task, like making a cup of tea, or emptying the garbage. While you're doing this mindless activity, let your thoughts wander; think back to what has made you happy in the past. Remember playing in the woods as a child, or finishing a road race as a teenager. Savour the memories as they rise to the surface.

4. What did you come up with? Did you ever do something that so absorbed you, you lost complete track of time? Can you think back to a moment in your life when you felt absolutely content, even blissful? Write down two or three memories that seem most significant.

5. Now relax, and really re-live those feelings. Not the situations, but the way you felt at those times. Imagine they are like a warm blanket, or a delicious scent, that you can wrap around yourself. Enjoy being reunited with happiness.

6. When you feel ready, go back to number two. You've just discovered some wonderful feelings: Are these what you would like to feel instead of the list in number one?

Don't worry yet about how you will reorganize your current life to achieve these feelings. For a little while, just savour the realization that it might be possible to do so...

Additional resources:

Try out this short (it takes less than five minutes to complete) online tool to help you focus on achieving your dreams:

http://keithferrazzi.com/s/?ref=2108

daring to dream

2007-02-19T19:11:00.000-05:00

In my business (and in life in general, come to think of it) I run into three types of people:

The first I'll call the Doom-Sayers: These folks think the whole world is against them, and they hope for nothing good in their lives. They will exhaust you with a list of their complaints, and they will reject any solutions that you offer. They tend to make poor clients (in fact they rarely hire professional organizers) because they don't believe it is possible to change their lives.

The second type - let's call them the Good-Enoughs - are aware that life is a gift, and they have much for which to be thankful. But they still don't believe that they deserve anything, and they don't tempt fate by asking for more than they already have. They generally make good organizing clients because they are happy with whatever an organizer can do for them. But on the other hand, they don't have a vision for the future that's better than what they've already got. They're satisfied with very little, and don't expect much to change.

The third type, the Dream-Fulfillers, live at the edge of possibility. They recognize everything that is wonderful in their lives, and they have no reason to believe that there is a limited amount of goodness to go around. They have a vision for their lives that refuses to settle for anything less than complete fulfillment, and if they have the courage to act, their lives often change in unbelievable ways. It is very rewarding to work with these clients, because not only are they thankful for what an organizer can help them accomplish, they are comfortable with - even encourage - the drastic changes necessary to take their lives to the next level.

I used to be a Good-Enougher. I had a wonderful family, friends who supported me, clients who genuinely cared about me, and enough of everything that I couldn't complain. But I wasn't living my fullest life; there were quiet longings deep in my heart that eventually started to make noise through the various physical ailments that plagued me for years.

What changed me into a Dream-Fulfiller? There were lots of little things - inspirational books and magazines, changes I made in my daily routine, changes in my attitude - but it wasn't until I changed singing teachers (I'm a classically trained soprano) that I reached escape velocity.

My new teacher confronted me about a bad habit I had in my singing: I "covered" my voice, unnaturally darkening my sound in a misguided attempt to make my voice sound more legitimate as a classical singer. The unwanted side-effects of my covering included a dull, flat sound with no resonance, and the complete eradication of my natural vibrato.

"Michelle," she told me, "it's like you have this very confined, constricted idea of what your voice is - like you've put it in a box that is too small. And if you took the cover off, you would be amazed by how big your voice truly is."

I took her words to heart, and dared to take the cover off not only my voice, but my entire existence. I fell in love, and decided to reach for the stars: I moved 200 kilometres to a strange city to be closer to my boyfriend, and began a whole new life as a student of the Alexander Technique, a professional organizer, and a writer. I started making more art (I'm also a trained visual artist), and sought out new friends.

If you want to change your current situation, you must have a vision for your life. Don't be afraid to believe that something different is possible. The happiest clients are the ones who know what they want, and trust that they can help make it happen. Yes, it takes courage to leap. My life transition has not been without its nail-biting moments. But you can change your life. It's worth the risk.

Dare to dream. And more importantly, dare to be happy.

making peace with your organizing style

2007-02-12T05:51:00.000-05:00

When I started this blog, I fully intended to submit entries several times per week, if not daily. Then my obsessive-compulsive* tendencies got in the way. I wanted my posts to unfold in an orderly, logical fashion. If I promised a post on a certain subject, I couldn't write about something else until the first subject was finished. But if I didn't feel like writing about the first subject, then nothing at all got written.

I give up. I've finally realized that while I love order, it's not the way my thoughts unfold. Ideas spring out of my head in random fashion, and I'd rather see them all given life than let some of them wither and die under the searing heat of someone else's idea of good organization.

It's a problem I run into regularly when dealing with clients - especially the type of people who tend to seek out the services of a professional organizer. So many of my clients are embarrassed by the way they live, and are apologetic about their own natures. I always try to reassure them that they each carry within themselves the knowledge of the best way for them to live. There's no need to try and conform to their families' or friends' opinions. I can't dictate their values, or tell them how they should organize their lives. As a professional organizer, I'm there to support their own unique organizing styles. I've decided to extend myself the same compassion and generosity.

How do you figure out your personal organizing style? That's the subject of my next post.

(Or not.)

*I'm not really obsessive-compulsive, and mean no disrespect to true OCD individuals. I do have an eye for detail, though - and a love of order and cleanliness that my chaos-loving boyfriend deems excessive.

me, the freecycling newbie

2007-01-14T17:50:00.000-05:00

I have a new favorite addiction: reading Freecycle posts. I get them downloaded into my e-mail account every day, and I am fascinated by the entire process: Offers, Takens, P/Us...

Freecycle is a Yahoo! group where people can get rid of the things they no longer want: old TVs, kitchen appliances, clothing - you name it, people list it. The great thing is, it's all free. If you see something posted that you want, just contact the person who posted it, and arrange pick-up (P/U). There's a Freecycle group for most cities; in Toronto (where I work as a professional organizer) there are several - one for each major district of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

I've already unloaded a few things myself: an extra pair of figure skates I didn't need (they went to a mom who wanted to skate with her kids), some wooden tea boxes (an artist picked those up to make something crafty), a couple of decks of large-faced playing cards (they went to an elderly couple whose vision was failing), and some paper coin wrappers (for a little girl who was cashing in her piggy bank).

I've acquired some new things, too: fabric scraps from somebody's grandmother who'd died, some ladies' blazers (which ended up being too small - in the end, I donated them to Dress Your Best here in Toronto), a professional steam iron, and (my favorite) a room ionizer, which successfully removed a horrible, lingering oil-paint smell from my bachelor apartment when they were renovating one of the suites down the hall a few weeks ago.

All of my experiences with Freecyclers have been wonderful and heart-warming; I especially loved chatting with the guy who gifted me with the ionizer. He's a retired headhunter who "curb surfs" (scoops up things that people leave at the curb for the garbage truck) in his wealthy neighbourhood, then takes the stuff home to fix it up, and finds good homes for everything through Freecycle. He proudly showed me a collection of about half-a-dozen items he had waiting for pick-up the day I got the ionizer.

Downsides? Some people posting items seem to have had bad experiences with "no shows." I haven't run across that problem myself. What encourages me most of all is the thought of these things staying out of the landfill. Too bad I didn't know about Freecycle before I helped my boyfriend clean out his basement in December...

(We might have saved him seven trips to the dump...)

www.freecycle.org

things, and our attachment to them

2007-01-14T08:45:00.000-05:00

I broke a bowl this morning. Half an hour earlier, it'd held my breakfast. As I wrapped the pieces in old grocery bags, to put them in the trash, the porcelain was still warm from the scalding dishwater in which I'd washed it.

The kicker is, I've only recently purged a lot of my extra dishes. I'm a big fan of "junk style" or "shabby chic," and over the years I've collected a lot of mismatched but complementary table wares from rummage and yard sales. How many plates does one woman in a bachelor apartment really need, though? I decided to pare down, and kept just eight of each of the basic items: dinner plates, bread plates, and bowls.

As I boxed up the extras to take to Value Village, I worried: What if I break something that I've kept? But I realized that if I broke something, I could always go to IKEA and buy another whatever-I-broke, very inexpensively.

The second kicker is, the bowl I broke was one of my favorites. All my dishes are either white or cobalt blue, and this particular bowl was white with blue transferware strawberry blossoms on it. I'd kept two, and now I only have one.

What is important to us? A bowl is just a bowl. If somebody tells me tomorrow that I only have six months to live, a broken bowl will be the least of my worries.

But that bowl gave me pleasure. It made me happy just to look at it... and it made me even happier to think about sharing a meal with somebody else - the two of us eating out of matching strawberry bowls.

There's a great article on organizing in the January/February 2007 issue of Natural Home magazine, and in a side-bar to the article there's an amazing quote by Sarah Suzanka, architect and bestselling author of The Not So Big House: A Blueprint for the Way We Really Live (Taunton, 2001).

Suzanka says: "An awful lot of the stuff we have - and I'm not talking about one or two things, I'm talking about 50 percent - we literally never use and are never planning to use again, but can't let go of. They are basically objects in which we've invested dreams that didn't happen. It's very difficult to let go of the dreams, even though we know that they didn't actually bring us the satisfaction we were hoping for."

This quote resonates with me, and it reminds me that my dream of sharing a strawberry-bowl meal is maybe (just maybe!) not as important as sharing a meal, period. I still don't know what to do about the bowl; I could go to Value Village and buy back one of the ones I gave away (Oh yes, I gave away four of them!)... or I could just let go of my shyness and ask somebody over for dinner - hang the bowls.

Come to think of it, I should have invited someone over a long time ago.

cleaning tools - mops, brooms, and sundries

2006-12-02T18:44:00.000-05:00

If you have a great canister vacuum and you keep it in a place where it is easily accessible, you may never need a broom again. (At least not for indoor work.) But if you still want a broom or other floor-sweeping device, read on.

The Swiffer dry mop is God's gift to those of us who clean. With a few reservations:

1) The disposable dusting sheets are wasteful and not terribly eco-friendly (being made from non-renewable petrochemicals). I know they are supposed to be electro-statically charged so that they catch lots of dust, but I have never noticed them to be any better than a simple cloth. So for the sake of our planet, by all means use a Swiffer dry mop, but fasten your own washable cloths onto the bottom. I use old cotton terrycloth rags that have become too thin to use for other cleaning jobs. They work great on floors.

2) The Swiffer doesn't to a perfect job (of getting up all the dust and stuff). But it's better than sweeping with a broom in many cases, because a broom can stir up dust, and leave a lot of dust behind.

I live in an apartment with a hardwood floor. For everyday touch-up sweeping, I use a Swiffer dry mop with a washable rag attached to it. Once a week I move my rugs and most of my lightweight furniture and do a very thorough sweeping, again with the Swiffer. I have a high-end corn broom, but I hardly ever use it. It would be great for messes of big chunks of things that the Swiffer has trouble pushing around.

I also have a dust pan (metal) and corn whisk. Very handy for scooping up and disposing of whatever dirt you've been collecting. I choose metal or natural materials over plastic whenever I can, but you may prefer the lighter weight of a petrochemical product.

The Swiffer dry mop is great for other things besides floors, by the way. I routinely use it to catch cobwebs on walls and ceilings. Because I'm taller than average (5'7"), I find the standard handle length is a little too short for comfort, so I've bought two mops, and use an extra piece of the second mop's handle to make the first one longer.

You may be wondering, since I've been talking about Swiffers, whether you should also have one of the Swiffer wet mops. Don't go there. I've cleaned for clients who used them regularly on their floors before I came along, and the residue left behind from the Swiffer solvents took (literally!) weeks and weeks to get off the floor. Plus the floors were really dirty - the mops never actually washed away the dirt, they only pushed it around and around.

The Swiffer dry mop (with a washable rag attached) can be used as a wet mop if you like. Just re-wet and wring out the rag often.

A better wet mop is a sponge one - my favorite is Vileda's sponge mop, either the Bee Mop Classic or the Bee Mop Multi with chammy and scrubby. If you really like string mops (I find they leave the floors too wet, and are more difficult to control), Vileda also makes washable string mops with buckets for twist wringing, and if you want something a bit more durable than the Swiffer dry mop for dry mopping, Vileda has flat mops with washable pads.

Regarding buckets: I use one for most of my cleaning - a gorgeous stainless steel bucket from Lee Valley, that is sold with a lid as a compost bucket or ice bucket. I had some galvanized steel buckets that I used before that, but some of the cleaners I used (like TSP and borax) corroded the inside of the buckets, so I only use them for plain water now.

If you like plastic, plastic buckets are definitely lighter in weight - and quieter! I have a few plastic buckets I use for soaking stains out of clothing (they're easy to move from sink to counter because they're so light and because they have handles - and the stain removers don't react with the plastic), but that's about it.

I've mentioned cloth rags several times - they are the most wonderful and necessary things that I use in my cleaning! I make my own out of old cotton towels; I cut up the towels up so that each rag is the approximate size of a face cloth, and finish the cut edges on the sewing machine with a zig-zag stitch so they don't fray in the wash. I have a large basket of them that I use only in the kitchen (for wiping up counters and messes; the used ones get hung to dry, and then put in a bucket until there are enough to make a washing machine load), and others I use for general housecleaning.

I love my rags. Call me insane, but they are more dear to me than some of my relatives! In past summers I have hung them to dry outside after laundering, and the gorgeous line-dried smell of them made me so happy every time I used them.

Speaking of laundering rags: don't use fabric softener (liquid, or dryer sheets) on them. (You shouldn't even use fabric softener on your clothes, but that's a whole other post.) Fabric softener leaves behind a waxy residue on the rags that smears when you are cleaning glass or mirrors, and makes the rags less absorbent.

Next time I'll talk about the eco-friendly cleaners I use, including laundry ones.

feeling like "home"

2006-10-29T16:06:00.000-05:00

This post is an interruption of my cleaning "how to's"... (so sorry - I know you were probably on the edge of your seat, eager to learn more about the joys of cleaning) ...I just returned home from a day at my parents' house where, until a few months ago, I used to live.

It's true what they say: You can never go home again.

(Especially when they repaint your room.)

But for me, it brings up a more important question: How do we define "home" for ourselves?

Is home a place where we feel comfortable? Where we feel we belong? Is it just the place we're used to?

I thought it was important to ask these questions, because whether you're creating a welcoming space for clients (the subject of my last several posts), or whether you're organizing your own space to better suit your life, "home" is often the indefinable quality that we're seeking (and more often than not, not finding).

Home, for me, is the place where I'm at ease. It's the place where my needs for comfort are met.

(That includes warmth - in temperature, and in colours. My parents' house is very chilly - they care about the environment, and keep the thermostat set quite low to conserve energy. I froze there this weekend. The apartment building where I live is quite warm - the rent's all-inclusive, and I haven't even needed to turn on the steam radiator in my suite, things are so toasty. I suppose I should be bothered by the energy waste. But I crave warmth... this is "home" to me...)

Home is also the place where all my stuff is. And where I can access my stuff freely and easily.

Home is where I can eat the food I want to eat. (I'm a high-maintenance vegetarian with several food sensitivities.)

Home is where I can look at the things that give me pleasure (my collection of natural baskets, my books, my artwork).

Home is where I can organize things to suit my own needs. The bed is important. The bathtub is important. The kitchen sink is important. My work tables are important. Storage is beyond important (I live in a bachelor)...

One of my favorite exercises is described in Sarah Ban Breathnach's Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy, where she suggests one keep a scrapbook of favorite images culled from old magazines. Collecting the images (in this case, of homes) that inspire you and soothe you can be the beginning of discovering the "home" of your dreams.

I've spent a lot of time living in other people's homes: my parents', my employers' (I was a live-in nanny/housekeeper for several years)... I love having a space of my own - a space I can devote to fulfilling my own needs for comfort and joy. Never forget that you have choices when you are creating your home. If your home is not a "home," figure out why...

(then change it to reflect the needs of your soul...)

cleaning tools - vacuums

2006-10-25T16:11:00.000-04:00

If you have to clean, you'd better enjoy it as much as possible. And I've found that the best way to enjoy cleaning is to have tools and supplies that you absolutely love using.

On the flip side, be sure to avoid using anything that:

A) is broken
B) takes too long to find/get out of its storage area/prepare for use
C) makes you sick
D) injures you
E) doesn't work well

And no, none of the above is a good enough reason to skip cleaning altogether. Nice try.

In my fifteen years working as a professional cleaner, I ran across a lot of sad-sack cleaning cupboards. I brought my own supplies, but used my clients' vacuums and mops. If a client told me they hated cleaning, I could almost guarantee that they were using tools that didn't work well, and weren't well-cared-for.

One of the most frequent poor choices is having a vacuum that is too inexpensive, or not appropriate for the types of floors you have to clean.

Yes, I know how much vacuums cost. Last year I bought a lightly used washing machine for less money than I'd spend on my favorite, brand-new vacuum (a top-of-the-line Kenmore canister vac). But trust me, if you buy the best you can afford, it is money very well spent. I always recommend canister vacuums over uprights, because they are more versatile. Even with on-board tools, uprights tend to be too finicky to use for anything other than carpets.

If you have hard floors, or a mix of hard floors and carpeting, you will go crazy without a canister vacuum. And if you want to be able to vacuum into corners, or vacuum furniture and blinds, a canister is the best choice.

I'm going to name names (and I should point out that I live in Canada, so these reflect the choices available commercially in Canada). If you'd dead set on getting an upright, and you have practically no money, get the best Dirt Devil upright you can afford. They're lightweight, and the higher end ones are easy to manoeuvre, with swivel wheels. My favorite uprights are Panasonics, although the high-end ones are so weighed-down with tools, they're a pain to carry and push around.

Dirt Devil is also the way to go if you're getting a canister vac on a budget. They're not my favorite - the hose is too stiff, and seems to bang into everything when you're in tight spaces - but the tools are relatively easy to change, and switching from the hard floor brush to the power head is not too difficult.

I already mentioned my favorite canister vacuum, above (the Kenmore), although Panasonic makes one that is almost identical (in fact, I've been told they're made by the same manufacturer). I've also enjoyed using Filter Queens (expensive) and Miele canister vacuums (also expensive). Even more expensive is Tristar. None are worth the extra money, in my opinion - although the most expensive vacuum I ever used, a Rainbow brand vacuum, was delightful, if you overlooked how heavy it was (its filter tank was filled with water so it wouldn't spew dust back into the air).

I haven't mentioned central vacs, although they are truly the best. But they can be super-expensive to install if they weren't built into the house.

Once you get a vacuum that works well, you will want to vacuum all the time. I swear.

(As long as you don't hide the vacuum away in the back of a cupboard, in the basement, so that it takes fifteen minutes to pull out and carry upstairs to where you'll be using it. In that case, you'll still hate vacuuming...)

first impressions, part ii

2006-10-24T18:10:00.000-04:00

Before I tell you how to quick-clean your office, let me say a few more words about first impressions.

In my work as a home stager I often have to explain to clients that when they get too familiar with their home, they stop "seeing" it as it really is, and become blind to things that strangers would notice right away. Things like excess clutter, dirty or damaged property, poor traffic paths...

If you've had your space for a while, take a look at it with new eyes - the eyes of your customers, clients, or patients. What do they see when they first come in? How do they move through your space? What do things look like from their vantage points?

Start with the exterior of your building. Is it clean and well-maintained? If you have control over the exterior, for heaven's sake don't let it get dirty, cobwebby, or run-down. If you lease, cultivate a good relationship with your landlord, and convey to them that keeping things looking great is good for your business - and what's good for your business is good for THEIR business.

Is the entryway easy to access? Physical challenges aren't restricted to those in wheelchairs: doors that are too heavy or cumbersome are a challenge for any with poor strength, and entryways that are too confined for heavy foot traffic make people feel uncomfortable.

Is there a place to sit down and remove shoes or boots? And are there ample places to put boots, coats, and bags (if necessary)? My personal pet peeve is offices that request I remove my boots, then make me stand in a puddle of melting slush while I try to figure out where the #%$& I'm supposed to put them...

What's the temperature like? Too warm? Too cold? Cold waiting rooms and offices are the bane of my existence; nothing says "I don't care about your comfort" more than an interior climate that's frigid or boiling.

Does your office have a smell? That may sound like a weird question, but I'm always amazed at the number of health care offices, say, that smell too "medical" (i.e. like the inside of a Band-aid box). And many people these days are affected by chemical sensitivities, so harsh artificial air fresheners or perfumes are a big no-no.

What's the lighting like? Is it bright enough to read by while waiting, or is it too glaring? If you have office staff, do they feel refreshed and energized at the end of the day, or are they dragged down by poor task lighting and canned indoor air? My least favorite optometrist's office had lighting that would have been great to have sex by (i.e. enough to see, but just barely), but was brutal for a waiting room - I always left with raging migraines from squinting at my magazines.

Actually sit in your waiting room seats. Are they comfortable? Are they too close together? Do you honestly know how full your waiting room gets at its fullest? Are the chairs easy to get into and out of? Firm seats with arm rests are ideal, especially if you serve aging populations. Avoid too soft and comfy and low (think: overstuffed sofas bad).

Please re-think playing the radio over your office's sound system. I have never found commercial radio to be calming or restful (and surely you want your clients to be calm and rested!). Soft, New Age music might seem an appealing alternative, but becomes nauseous after several hours. The best solution I ever experienced was a family doctor who made note of each patient's musical preferences during their initial visit, and pre-programmed her office stereo (via her laptop) every morning to play their favorites at around the time when each patient could be expected to be in the waiting room. She never made anyone wait more than ten minutes (really!), so there wasn't any opportunity for conflict of musical tastes. I miss her very much (I just moved to a new city, which in retrospect was a very stupid idea, in this day and age of GP shortages)... :(

Head to your inner office/consulting room/treatment room, and spend some time sitting or lying where your customers have to sit or lie. Do they have something interesting to look at? (And those stained ceiling tiles don't count.) The most beautiful acoustic tile treatment I ever saw was at a friend's Reiki office, where she suspended lengths of green silk in great billows across the entire ceiling.

If your clients have to undress, do you have someplace for them to hang their clothes? Personally, I don't like rolling my nice suits into a ball on top of the only chair in the room.

I hope you get the idea. I'm not even going to mention bathrooms. (Just wait until my next post.) You probably designed your office space for your own tastes and preferences; just don't forget that you are playing "host" to the people who are paying all your bills...

(And speaking of bills... if you want repeat customers, try and make it easy for them to pay you. I don't mean offering multiple payment options; I mean, giving them a place to write a cheque or input their next appointment into their Day-Timer. Please. Juggling a purse on top of one's knees is a circus act, not the proper way to end a visit.)

Until next time...

first impressions

2006-10-23T19:02:00.000-04:00

So, I spent four more hours cleaning my friend's massage therapy clinic this afternoon.

To all massage therapy clinic owners out there: Keep up with your housekeeping!

(That was not a swipe at my friend. He's a very nice person... and I hope he doesn't surf the internet much...) *

This may seem kind of obvious, but I've noticed over the years that many small businesses (whether they be of the health care ilk or not) often neglect simple cleanliness in their offices, perhaps not realizing the impression they are making on customers, clients, and patients.

I know that many (most?) people don't like to clean, and don't want to have to be worried about staying on top of the housekeeping, but the truth is that a little can go a long way towards keeping things looking good. It doesn't have to be a chore unless you make it that way.

(Really!)

I'll admit, I'm a freak. I love to clean. Some of my most creative ideas have come to me while cleaning; the quiet and mindless repetition leaves my mind free to ramble, muse, and be open to new inspiration.

If you're a small business owner and you can't outsource your cleaning (or delegate it to your employees), please schedule a regular time to do the basics. Depending on how much foot traffic you get through your office, this may be daily, weekly, or bi-weekly.

(Hint: Don't make it monthly (or yearly?) unless you're the only one ever sets foot in your space (and you happen to like wading through dust bunnies every time you walk to your desk).)

Give yourself enough time to do the job in a restful way (i.e. don't rush through it because you'd rather be doing something else). Make sure you have good supplies that you enjoy using (no harsh chemicals if you're sensitive to strong smells, all your cleaning tools in good repair and easy to access - that kind of thing).

Play music that you love, if it will inspire you.

(If anybody's actually made it through this entire post without navigating away in disgust at my unreasonable optimism, I'll tell you in my next post what kinds of things you should be doing when you clean your office...)

*all kidding aside, my friend is an AMAZING Registered Massage Therapist, and he has a very lovely (and hygienic!) clinic. The work I did for him over the last two days involved lots of moving of heavy furniture, cleaning behind said furniture, and moving furniture back. Plus things like dusting baseboards and scrubbing scuff marks off walls. Fall cleaning. Only-do-this-once-a-year kind of stuff. Do not be afraid!

the unglamorous side

2006-10-23T08:05:00.001-04:00

I didn't post yesterday because I had a day-long job helping a friend clean his massage therapy clinic. In a previous life I was owner-operator of an eco-friendly home cleaning business, and my friend was interested in my non-toxic solutions. (Plus he likes to give his money to people he knows. Don't we all?)

I can't believe I used to do that work (cleaning) eight hours a day, five days a week. (And in one, year-long, "I think I've gone insane, please put me out of my misery" period, six days a week.)

Anyhow, cleaning my friend's clinic has given me the idea for a post on "first impressions."

More later...

profile of a professional organizer

2006-10-21T04:30:00.000-04:00

I was at a party last weekend, and as inevitably happens, someone asked me how I got into professional organizing.

(Well, first they were like, Really??? You do that??? Cool... you don't want to see my house...)

My best friend introduces me to people as the most organized person she knows. Another friend asked me to manage his move (without, unfortunately, telling any of the other helping friends about it; the general consensus afterwards was that I was "bossy"). Any job I've ever had, I've spent all my downtime re-organizing everything in my immediate environment. I love to clean. I love to file. The books on my bookshelves are organized alphabetically by subject or by author. There are several subcategories of each. We organizers are a breed unto ourselves, as I've been finding this weekend at my first professional organizing convention.

My boyfriend calls me "Monk-elle." After the television character. Early in our relationship, I was helping him set up an auditorium with chairs for a recital he was giving (he's a classically trained tenor - we met through our then-mutual singing teacher). After all the chairs were pulled out from under the stage, and arranged by his "roadies" (long-suffering friends who had volunteered to help him with the business end of the recital), here was his new girlfriend, walking up and down the rows, crouching to eye the position of each chair in relationship with the others, making tiny adjustments to the position of rows which, to the untrained eye, looked perfectly straight already... Monk.

I had never seen Monk, and I didn't find my boyfriend's laughter amusing. (I think all his friends were laughing by that point, too.) He later showed me some episodes from his complete Monk boxed sets. I was offended. (But I really like the show.)

I still insist to this day that I am not a Monk - I mean, I do not compulsively touch lampposts; I don't need an antibacterial hand-wipe every time I shake hands. But I kind of prefer it when everything is straight... (I've been known to stop a conversation to adjust a picture frame on a wall across the room) ...and I can go into a frenzy of activity every time I get a stain on my clothing, not satisfied until I know it's out. (Or maybe that's just my Home Ec background, but that's another story...)

I told a friend who knows me well that my boyfriend thought I was Monk. The friend says I am. I give up.

I'm trying to be more flexible, though. I only sweep the hardwood floor of my bachelor apartment once per day.

Okay, maybe twice.

Well, three times, if it really needs it...

my blog

2006-10-20T19:22:00.001-04:00

Hello beautiful person! Thank you for finding this blog post. Unfortunately I have moved all of this post's scintillating original content to my new blog, here.

Peace out.