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No room in the closet to hang sweaters? Here are ideas folding for drawers or shelves. A friend asked me recently, "How do I fold my bulky sweaters to fit them in my drawers?" I personally have room in my closet to hang sweaters and prefer to store them this way because it's super easy. But organizing is all about personal preference, space and needs! So here are some ways to fold those sweaters to put in a drawer or on a shelf... Top folding tips: Go for squares and rectangl

'Tis the season to declutter warm items and share with people in need. As the weather cools, I love to gather warm winter supplies and share them. Coats, blankets, socks, hats, gloves and scarves seem to breed over the summer months, so I go through each category in the fall or winter and make a plan to get them to people who need them. Homelessness is an issue that hurts my heart. I wish I could give every homeless person a hug, a home, a home cooked meal, a hot bath and a

If your counters and closets are full of clutter, it's time to weed! On a recent call with a dear client-friend, we likened picking up clutter to weeding. We both love gardening and the feeling of a newly weeded patch, so we decided to think about clearing clutter as indoor gardening...suddenly picking up around the house became more fun! As the outdoor gardening season winds down, we may have more time, focus and energy for indoor gardening. Something to remember for maximum

Decluttering and organizing don't have to be hard! "Simple and easy, simple and easy..." These words have been my guides for the last few months and have run through my head countless times. I don't know about you, but I have a tendency to overcomplicate things and be a perfectionist... I realized these are procrastination techniques my brain sneaks in. The more complicated it is, the longer I tend to put it off. So when my brain doesn't want to do something (pretty much anyt

When the world around us seems to get more out of control, it's more important than ever to take care of ourselves and find peace where we can. If I could wave a magic wand and give the world anything right now, it would be a deep sense of peace and calm. Since I don't have a magic wand, only my words, my deepest wish is that everyone these words touch feels the peace emanating from my home to yours, from my heart to yours. There is hope. There is peace. There is joy. Sometim

A decluttering practice that helped change my life... Will you join me in OHIO? So much of our clutter is delayed decisions. One piece of mail here, one item of clothing there, one unloved impulse buy over there... Over days, weeks, months, years all those one things add up...and WOW do they add up, right?! We have the choice every time something comes into our hands to add to the piles or not, to vote for a more cluttered future or a less cluttered one. As we move through li

How to finish decluttering projects you start... After experiencing a fast and seriously gratifying entryway clearing with a client, I reflected on what helped us finish so quickly. Here's what I do for my own clearing and organizing and what I teach all my clients... 1 CHOOSE A DOABLE TASK Feelings of overwhelm often come from looking at a room or area and thinking, "This is too much, I can't do this!" Instead of looking at the whole room, choose ONE small task to do. Those

Once we organize a space, how do we keep it from getting cluttered again? 1 Stop buying unnecessary things It's not cheaper if it costs us our peace of mind. It's not a good deal if it adds clutter and stress. When shopping we can take an extra moment to think about our future selves and ask, "Do I really need this? Do I have a place for this? Does this serve the life I want to be living?" If this sounds overwhelming, doesn't all that stuff add up to be overwhelming later?

Using vertical space for storage opens up a new world of possibilities! This is my garage...my hubby and I are proud! (this definitely didn't happen overnight!) A huge part of making space in the garage, or anywhere else, is using vertical space for storage - it can be a complete game changer all over the house, but especially in garages. If you're one of the millions of people with a messy garage, know that you CAN fit a ton of things into your garage, we just need to be cre

Have you ever looked at your clutter and thought (or yelled): "I feel so overwhelmed!" "I don't know where to start!" "This is too hard! I can't do this!" I hear at least one of these from nearly everyone who comes to me for help with decluttering and organizing help. I have a confession: when I first look at a room (or whole house) full of clutter, I get overwhelmed...and I've been a professional organizer for years! But it only lasts for a moment - it really is true when I

Let's all uninvite shame from the party of our lives, shall we? I have two of the neatest, cleanest people I know coming to my house today. I told myself I wasn't going to care, but this morning I found myself running around cleaning, tidying, tucking things away... And yesterday I went to a neighbor's house to talk about watching their pets and they kept apologizing for the mess, which I honestly did not see, promising to have it clean before I came to pet sit. Why would I c

How to use the word should as fuel instead of as a boxing glove to our brain. As an organizing coach I regularly hear people shoulding on themselves: "I should do that, I shouldn't do that, I should've done that years ago..." Here's what I think: This is my favorite quote - I keep it next to my desk in clear view Do. Or Do Not. There is no Should. Should is a word to hide behind, to procrastinate with, to show we see the problem but aren't willing to do anything about it. Sho

Is there a voice in your mind keeping you from being happy? Around the time I began working with life coaches and practicing meditation, a cruel voice jumped out from the noise in my mind. When I paid attention, I realized it was a nearly constant nattering, like a mosquito in my ear. Even when I thought I was doing my best, she'd say, "It's not good enough!" Even when I was giving it my all, she'd tell me "You can give more!" She'd tell me I don't do enough, have enough or l

Does your brain say, "This is too hard"? Here's a way to break through... Every day I coach people who at one time thought, "This is too hard!" and I see their homes (and thoughts) being transformed. And I coach myself on "this is too hard" allll the time... What actually is too hard is to do it ALL at once. When we look at our messes like a big puzzle, then pick ONE section to focus on, it's not so hard. Our brains have likely been figuring out the puzzle all along, we just