Birthing the New

There’s something new being born in my life.  I know this because I’ve felt the desire to go through my house and office looking for things that need a new home – the items that represent the past that need to go.

• You know when something new is trying to come into your life when:
• You feel ready to release the energetic weight of stuff sitting on your shoulders.
• You know, on some level, that your life today has outgrown your life of yesterday.
• You feel overwhelmed by the sight of things you no longer love or need.
• You intentionally avoid or ignore the areas in your home or office that feel cluttered, disorganized, or messy.
• You can’t seem to find the time or energy to invest in new ideas or directions.

I’ve known for a year that I needed to handle some things – the books that no longer fit in our library, the stuff left in our garage from the move five years ago, and a room in our basement filled with unused construction material.  With my busy travel schedule, I’ve had the perfect excuse to put these projects on hold.  But eventually the energetic burden takes it toll.  I know I can’t move forward without going back and letting go.

So, what makes it easier to make physical and energetic space?  Here’s what I learned this time…

• Understanding that physical stuff holds old energy that prevents evolution.  If you don’t release the things you no longer love or use, you can’t fully grow into your next stage.
• Remembering how free and exciting it feels to see an empty room, clean closets, or spacious, organized shelves.
• Recognizing that clearing out the old is a fundamental step in our personal growth therefore time for cleaning and clearing needs to be scheduled so these projects receive the attention they deserve.
• Energetic, loving, and motivated friends who are willing to help makes the process fun, easy, and infinitely more enjoyable.
• Having the perfect place to donate the things you no longer use, need, or love inspires you to let go of more than you think you can.
• Giving your treasured items to treasured people.

Finally, one of the benefits of getting older is the recognition that time is precious. While in the past it might have been easy to go through a stack of books and think, “someday I may want to read these,” you realize that someday is a limited time frame.  It’s how you spend “right now” that really matters.

A few minutes ago I returned from delivering a truckload of items to our local thrift store – a nonprofit organization that shares revenue with food pantries and homeless shelters.  I love giving to these people – they’re excited, grateful and anxious to help in any way they can.

I know I’m preparing to give birth and the de-cluttering process is a necessary step in that direction.  Care to join me?

Life Makeover for the Year 2012(sm) is written and produced by Cheryl Richardson.© Copyright 1999-2012 Cheryl Richardson,P.O. Box 13,Newburyport, MA01950,  www.cherylrichardson.com. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

A big toy box makes it easy...

This is such a common complaint amongst many of my working mum clients – how can I get my kids to pick up after themselves so I don’t have to do it all the time?

This post from Unclutter gives 6 great tips on how you can do just that – and watch them grow up to be organising geniuses!

The following are a handful of suggestions for responsibilities that are appropriate for toddlers and some recommendations for teaching these skills:

• Hanging up her coat. Put a couple of hooks on the back of the coat closet door at a low enough height that your daughter can reach the hook but high enough so her coat won’t drag on the ground. When your daughter comes inside the house, let her be responsible for putting her coat on her hook.
• Wiping down the bathroom countertop. Get a small stool for your child to use in the bathroom when he is brushing his teeth, combing his hair, and washing his hands. Have a stack of wash cloths or hand towels within reach that he can use to wipe his face, dry his hands, and then wipe up any spilled and splashed water from the counter top.
• Making her bed each morning. Pulling up the sheet and pulling up the comforter are tasks that most kids can handle by two and a half.
• Putting dirty clothes in the hamper. Have a hamper that your child can easily put clothes into and see the clothes inside the basket. After you assist your child in getting out of his clothes and into his pajamas, hand him his clothes and ask him to put them in the hamper. As your child gets older and can dress himself, simply monitor him to ensure that he continues with this responsibility. (Hampers without lids are best, it doesn’t encourage leaving clothes on top).
• Setting the table. By age three, most children will be able to set a table with minimum supervision. Having placemats is a terrific way for helping children learn where cups, plates, silverware, and napkins typically go on a table.
• Returning toys to their storage locations. After playing with toys, toddlers should return them to their proper storage bins or shelves. As a result, storage shelves and bins need to be within your child’s reach. Label bins and shelves with pictures of what belongs in each space. Programs like Microsoft Word that include clip art are great for finding toy illustrations. It takes younger children significantly more time to pick up toys than older children, so be sure to leave time in your schedule for your child to pick up her toys before needing to move on to another activity.

Read the entire article here: http://unclutterer.com/2011/04/07/teaching-toddlers-about-organizing/

So many books - so little time to read!

Do you have a book fetish?

Read the remaining tips here: http://www.atcbiz.com.au/ems/archives.php?n=edru7syrbw&c=3tgsczjemf

A rainbow of colour may not work for you...

Yesterday I was with a client who despaired at ever finding something to wear – and it all came down to the fact her wardrobe was organised in a way that didn’t work with her organising style. The secret is you don’t have to have your clothes organised in colours and looking pretty – it is all about organising for your individual dressing system, whatever that is.

Kathryn Weber wrote an article recently in her column Living Space for  Tribune Media Services which outlines exactly what I am talking about:

If you’ve ever wandered into the closet and couldn’t find something to wear, the problem might not be your wardrobe. When your closet is disorganized, it’s easy to lose clothes or have difficulty finding items that work together. Investing just a small amount of time in re-ordering your clothes and accessories will pay off every morning!

1. LIKE WITH LIKE
Tempting as it may be to organize by color, grouping like items by style and use is more efficient. While it might seem logical to hang all pants together, it’s best to group the pants you wear most, and move those you wear least to another part of the closet. Grouping clothing by the way its worn, such as casual or work, can also help you get dressed faster in the morning. This technique also makes putting clothes away faster. It’s especially useful for seasonal clothing; stashing all your big chunky sweaters together means the one you’re looking for won’t get pushed back out of sight.

2. SHELVE IT
Closet shelves are seldom used for clothing, but if you wear jeans and T-shirts a lot, why not take advantage of shelves to stack both in plain view? This will help you find a pair of jeans faster and put them away more easily, too. And if items of clothing keep getting lost in your dresser drawers, turn your closet shelves mini-drawers. Line them with baskets or clear bins so you can see everything easily. Another option is to install shallow drawers on closet shelves that pull all the way out.

Read the next 2 steps here: http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/realestate/sns-201202140000–tms–livspacectnls-a20120214feb14,0,2792121.story

...and if one Christmas present should accidently fall...

Are you stressing out about Christmas? Do you have 1001 things to buy, cook, clean, organise before the big day? I gave a talk last week to a networking group here in Brisbane on “How to get balanced and organised for Christmas” and thought I would share my top tips with all my readers:

1. Lower your standards
Make peace with imperfection. You are not Martha Stewart in the kitchen or Clark W Griswold from the movie “Christmas Vacation” when it comes to putting up the Christmas lights. Give yourself permission to buy a Christmas cake rather than making one. Trying to do every task perfectly is the easiest way to get bogged down and super stressed.

2. Make a list like Santa (& do a bit each day)
Rather than wait until Christmas Eve or when we have a “spare minute” have a schedule in place each day leading up to Christmas tackling tasks that need doing, and make sure you assign tasks to all members of the family – not just you! Kids are very good at cleaning silverware, putting up Christmas decorations (it doesn’t matter if they aren’t perfect – refer to point 1) or helping to make/write the Christmas cards.

3. Walk away from “bargains” at Christmas
Just because you can buy a new pair of jeans for $20 or 50 rolls of toilet paper for the price of ten doesn’t mean you should. Ask yourself “Where am I going to store it?” before making a purchase.

4. Ask for help. 
The organised person is willing to expose herself to short-term embarrassment and call for backup. Instead of that elaborate four course Christmas lunch, change it to “everyone please bring a dish to share.”

5. Declutter unnecessary items before buying new gifts
Help the kids to go through their toy boxes and wardrobes and let go of items that they have outgrown or no longer play with. Tell them about other children whose parents can’t afford presents or those who have been through hardships like the floods in January.

And this tips isn’t just for the kids – it applies to adults too! It is healthy to be attached to certain items: a vase you picked up in Paris, or your grandmother’s pearls. However are you still holding on to that holey concert t-shirt or scuffed shoes you wore to your first job interview? It’s time to let them go. This opens up space for more meaningful gifts to enter your life. New shoes anyone?

Read the rest of the Christmas issue of the Innovative Organising Ideas newsletter here: http://www.atcbiz.com.au/ems/archives.php?n=my1m5jfnr2&c=3tgsczjemf

Just like a Babushka doll...

I am so chuffed to have been asked to contribute to a story that ran today on BrisbaneTimes.com.au about downsizing for retirees. Written by Mary Costello, the article outlines how retirees can best tackle the life changing process of downsizing:

Advice for Mature Downsizers

My brother rang recently to ask whether I wanted my secondary school essays that he’d found boxed in the roof space of the family home. I told him to leave them just where they were.

It might have been a lifetime ago, but I know that when I was in Upper 6th I wrote a fabulous essay on George Orwell and the English language – and would read again. Surely a few kilos of paper plus some old shoes, handbags and now retro fashion items couldn’t be taking up too much room.

I suppose it would have been a different story if my brother, or my parents before him, had decided to move house. You just can’t take other people’s personal heirlooms with you.

Kerri Rodley of Queensland-based Domestic Downsizing advises says mature householders who are planning to downsize to get their kids to clear out their own rubbish/treasures.

Move My Home spoke to Kerri the day after she’d helped a still-active client in her eighties downsize from a 4-bedroom home to a 2-bedroom retirement unit.

“She was moving from huge to tiny, and she wanted to take all her family heirlooms and the things she loved, liked her giant dining table,” Kerri said.

“Unfortunately it won’t fit. I had to say, “How can you live and move around in the new space? You’re getting older and you must be able to get around quite easily without things getting in your way. You must be realistic about your new lifestyle.”

It hit home and we sat down and did a plan about how she would walk around the house. It made her rethink her whole strategy, otherwise we’d have taken everything to the new place and not have had anywhere to put it.

“Next week we’ll go to the unit and put sticky-tape on the floor where the furniture will be, rather than bring the furniture and having to move it all around again. I find that works quite well.”

In Kerri’s experience people often fail to consider the practicality of having a large flat-screen TV in a small space.

“That was a big thing for this lady, who watches a lot of TV,” she said. “You must sit well back from it. You need a giant space between the chair and the TV, downsizers don’t often have that space.”

And it’s not just the furniture that must be considered when it comes to sorting belongings.

“Things that are hidden must also be thought about,” Kerri said. “My client loves to cook, and had a fantastic big kitchen in her old home. But the kitchen in the unit is tiny, and all her cooking things, even her cook books, wouldn’t fit in the new space.”

Displaying cherished antiques, artwork and family photos can also pose problems in a smaller home, Kerri said.

“The walls in this lady’s old house were all plastered, but in her new unit there’s a lot of exposed brick and you can’t easily place things on the walls. I’ve said we’ll make a feature wall from her favourite photos and paintings.”

“Then she can keep some others in a box and change them in six months time. It’ll be like a moving art wall. It’s a concept that worked well for her.

“This client was quite a realist. She has some fantastic antique cabinets andChinafrom her mother. I suggested that she pass them on to her children now. Then she can tell the stories about the different items and explain the meanings behind them”

“She thought that was a good idea. This a whole new phase of life, but you can’t just cut off the past – you must incorporate it and blend past and future.”

Kerri Rodley’s Top Tips for Mature Downsizers:

• Go through everything in your home and ask yourself – is this part of my new life? Do I really love it? Will it be useful in the new home? Do I really need it any more?

• Be ruthless – you won’t have time in your new active lifestyle to be decluttering, cleaning, and dealing with the past – you will be enjoying the present and planning for the future.

• Don’t try to do the decluttering, sorting and moving all at once – this will be very stressful, and the whole idea of downsizing is to reduce stress. Take it one room at a time, and have the decluttering and sorting done way before you start collecting moving boxes!

Read the rest of the story here: http://domesticdownsizing.com/media.htm

If only it could stay like this...

I have written on this topic before – in fact I have been on the TV demonstrating how you can salvage your fridge after a flood – but let’s hope you don’t have to go that far!

Unclutterer.com recently wrote a post which I thought was very timely – cleaning out your fridge so there is plenty of room to pop in a turkey or ham or two!  Here are some fab tips:

• Gather supplies. Two large trash bags nested one inside the other (food is heavy and a broken bag makes a huge mess) is a must. You’ll also want a bucket with fresh, warm (not hot) water and mild dish detergent with a sponge. Also, a roll of paper towels or a few clean hand towels are good to have with you to dry the shelves when you’re finished wiping them down, especially for the freezer. Finally, I recommend having a notepad and pen handy so you can create a shopping list as you work.

• Purge all food past its prime. Working from top to bottom, clear out all food from your refrigerator that is expired, rotten, and not good for eating. If you don’t know if something is edible, checkStillTasty.com. If a food is in a jar or bottle and you can’t find its expiration date, visit the company’s website. Many websites have sections where you can enter the item’s bar code and learn its shelf life information.

• Wipe it down. Give all the walls and shelves of your refrigerator a firm but gentle scrubbing. Clean up all spills, leaks, and general yuckiness that can dirty up the inside of your refrigerator.

• Organise. In addition to putting like items with like items (making it easier to retrieve foods, as well as remembering what items you have), consider employing some advanced organising techniques. Add stackable, removable shelves or under shelf baskets to better separate items. Use shelf liners to make it easier to clean up future messes and to keep round foods from rolling. If your crisper is where foods go to mold, try removing your drawers so you won’t forget about your produce (if you’re a visual processor, this may really help you). Also, learn what the recommended cooling temperatures for your food are so you know where the best place is inside your refrigerator to store each item.

To read the entire article click here: http://unclutterer.com/2011/11/14/clean-and-organize-your-refrigerator/

Caught! In the clutter...

Do you need help keeping on top of your kid’s toys?
Do you feel as if you’re constantly picking up toys?
Do you dread birthday parties because it means your kids will get more toys?
One client even confessed how she would like to throw away her kids’ toys while they sleep!

It doesn’t have to be so drastic. Instead of secretly throwing away your children’s toys you can involve them in the process of clearing out the clutter. Of course, this depends on your child’s age. Don’t expect a 2-year-old to agree to willingly part with any of his belongings.

Ask yourself: what toys do my children actually need? Do I have any rules in place to keep down the clutter? Or should I just resign myself to the fact that having children means being overwhelmed by toys?

Certainly, no matter how much they feel they must have the latest techno gadget, kids don’t actually need toys. As most of us have witnessed, children often have more fun playing with the box the present came in than the actual present.

Here are six top tips for reducing toy clutter:
http://domesticdownsizing.com/six%20top%20tips%20for%20reducing%20toy%20clutter

From cluttered to clear - and ready for more clothes!

Isn’t it amazing the way the Universe works. No sooner has I organised an event to declutter your wardrobe and sell the proceeds to my China Moon Bear Challenge  but there was an article in the Sunday Mail here in Brisbane QLD yesterday talking about this very thing!

It was called “Out of the Closet” and listed 10 steps for a wardrobe detox:

1. Ban wire hangers. They rust onto the clothes and stretch out of shape.
2. Bin dry-cleaning plastic. It encourages mould and cloth deterioration.
3. Store out of season items in enclosed breathable fabric bags.
4. Avoid mites and stains by cleaning clothes before returning to the closet or storage.
5. Be ruthless. Purge clothes you haven’t worn all year and put them in the giveaway/donate pile.
6. Create a capsule closet. A rotatable collection of mix n match basics.
7. Invest in quality. A great suit, a perfect pencil skirt, a sharply tailored jacket and a flattering little black dress.
8. Use padded, wooden or side plastic hangers and sealed clear shoe boxed to keep the dust out.
9. Donate or store last season’s trends they won’t be back for a while.
10. Update to this season – but do so wisely.  Buy accessories in trends rather than a whole new wardrobe.