Most of my clients want to get their homes or offices completely clutter-free before they move on to the next part of their lives. Some want to pursue writing careers, others want to start their own businesses and still others just want to be able to have friends stop by without feeling guilty and ashamed […]
What I learned about decluttering from trying to grow grapes
First, a little background: My husband and I purchased 12 acres in the Pacific Northwest in 2005. The property was largely undeveloped. Half of the land is wild and beautiful forest with cedars, alders and a variety of fir trees. The other half had been a llama ranch at some point. Some fencing remained around […]
Step one to declutter your home: Stop the inflow
You don’t have to be a depression era survivor to squirrel away bits of string (no matter how short), bent nails (they can be tapped straight – more or less) and the odd pot lid (you never know when it will come in handy!). However, one of the first steps to take toward decluttering is […]
Additional professional resources to help with decluttering
Yesterday we published ‘Is it clutter? 7 points to consider when evaluating your stuff.‘ We have further recommendations of tools available from colleagues: Hazel Thornton, founder of Organized For Life is a professional organizer in New Mexico with a background in both Engineering and Fine Arts. Her blog post titled ‘Is it Clutter?‘ helps answer additional […]
Is it clutter? 7 points to consider when evaluating your stuff.
The most difficult part of decluttering is trying to decide if a particular item IS, in fact, clutter! Our analysis of objects tends to be vague as we think, “Someone might be able to somehow use this someday.” Instead, get specific. When you come across an item about which you are uncertain, answer the following to […]
This IS normal!
Well, it happened again. I had all these wonderful ‘fresh start’ visions for the new year; lots of things I want to accomplish — completing an online course, reading the business books in my collection, blogging daily, writing my articles, maintaining my declutter routines. But then, Sunday, December 30, my throat is hurting and I’m […]
Use ‘National Book Month’ to declutter some guilt and fear
Most of us have been taught that books are our friends. We think about all the vicarious adventures we’ve had with Jo March and her sisters or Harry Potter and his wizarding world. But there is a dark side to our book collections that haunts us with fear and guilt.