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An organizing book for everyone by KC Davis. I recommend reading or listening to it, and watching her Ted Talk (link is below) (In a hurry? You can order the book here . I'll get a small commission - thank you!) I have to start by saying... THANK YOU KC DAVIS! This book is amazing! Listening to this book was a fantastic, mind-altering distraction as I prepped my cabinets for my kitchen remodel (and also reignited my tennis elbow). I feel like I've been waiting for her words

If the number of e-mails in your inbox stresses you out, here's what experts from Digital Helpmates, the Harvard Business Review and TidyWild Organizing recommend... This was the number of e-mails in my email inbox while I was taking care of my Mum until she passed away. I would open my e-mail and feel that number like a physical weight. I know I'm not alone - friends and client-friends often mention how frustrating and overwhelming it can be to have so many messages piling u

Advice from someone who's floated in the boat of overflowing photos. I've been a professional organizer for about 8 years and almost every woman I've worked with has a goal of organizing photos so they can be shared. With closets and garages and cupboards and rooms full of "stuff," having space and time for this can seem like a distant dream, but my Mum and I are living proof that photo organizing dreams can come true! Yes, it takes diligence and persistence. Yes, it can take

How to avoid making more clutter every time we walk in the door. There's a seemingly small but very powerful thought shift that can change the future of clutter in our homes and other spaces. How many times do we walk into a room with something in our hand, our minds going in a thousand directions, then set that something down in a random place? Mail, keys, pens, receipts, bags, books, wrappers, notes... "I'll just put this here for now" is often a background thought when we

Persist in whatever is calling to your deepest self. And rest deeply. This poster hangs in my office/art room where I see it every day. Overwhelm and self doubt may walk into the room with me, but so does a persistent, consistent belief in myself, my beloved clients, the work we're all doing, and you (yes you). This week I realized it takes a village not only to raise a child, but to raise our Selves to their highest possible level. Amidst some deep exhaustion, I took time to

13 ways to stay sane and overcome sleep challenges Nearly every woman I talk over age 35 has sleep frustrations. I've had sleep challenges since I was about 35 - I often wake up 1-2 times a night. This used to make me freak out in all kinds of ways - some nights I'd have intense anxiety, some nights I'd be angry, some nights I cried with frustration. No longer! I tried just about everything to sleep through the night - here's what I found helps me. If you struggle with sleep

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

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

30 Day Spring Cleaning Challenge! Clearing the kitchen table is a big deal for health! If you can't comfortably sit at your table to eat, where are you eating instead? Do you get a zap of stress every time you look at your dining room table? What do you think this does to you on a cellular level when you get that zap stress zap over and over? If your kitchen table is a certified Scary Zone, you're not alone! It's often an easy place to catch all those "I'll just put this here

30 Day Spring Cleaning Challenge! This is in cahoots with my April TidyWild kitchen organizing lesson that I just released (SO excited! It's Life Begins in the Kitchen: organizing your kitchen to support health and life goals). The visual clutter of magnets can add to the overall feeling of clutter and overwhelm in a kitchen, and anywhere the fridge is visible. If your fridge is looking cluttered, I invite you to take everything off and wipe everything down with a damp clot

30 Day Spring Cleaning Challenge! I've been completely inspired by this Spring Cleaning Challenge, even though I'm the one putting it on! I'm pleasantly surprised...and I'm pretty sure my husband is, too. I'm right here with you, digging in and clearing out! Today's challenge is to Clear One Counter, and, as always, if this doesn't speak to you, choose your own One Thing to do that will make today better and brighter... When I say "clear one counter," I don't just mean take e

30 Day Spring Cleaning Challenge! Don't worry, I'm not going to make you clean your fridge! If your fridge is covered in magnets, photos and who-knows-what, today is the day to free the fridge! We're going to clear off and clean the outside... 1- Take everything off 2- Wipe down the outside (see cleaning tips below) 3 - See how you feel with it clear 4 - Choose carefully what you want to go back on I recommend taking a before and after photo - this does 3 things: helps you se

30 Day Spring Cleaning Challenge! If you have a lot of lists around your house, here's how I reduce them and actually get to-dos done. I recommend having a pen and couple big pieces of paper and/or a journal you use regularly. But first, I have an extra challenge for you... It's time to either commit to doing these things or letting them go. Give your Future Self the gift of actually DOING your to-dos. I mean, why spend time making lists if we're not going to DO these things,

A few minutes decluttering can bring hours of relaxation I invite you to take time today (or schedule a time) to clear around your favorite place to rest - maybe it's a couch, a bed, the dining room table, the bathtub - anywhere you want to say "aaahhh." First, stand back and look at the space as objectively as possible, as if you were in someone else's shoes. Maybe take a photo - this is a great way to literally see through a different lens. The top two things I suggest ar

The One Thing Happy Life Recipe To walk into a room, step past feeling overwhelmed and choose ONE THING to do RIGHT NOW can be absolutely transformative. And it's not as scary as it might sound. When people reach out to me for help with decluttering and organizing, they often begin with, "I feel so overwhelmed!" and "I don't know where to start!" And when I'm with a client-friend and we walk into a room full of who-knows-what, or we open a closet door and a mish-mash pops out