Editor’s Note: This month I am pleased to publish the following article from, guest blogger and freelance writer, Jessica Kane.

How Clutter Affects Your Mood

Not only does clutter look bad, but it also negatively affects your mood, and even your health. Consider some of the ways that clutter impacts how you feel, and how it affects others as well.

It Can Make You Feel Depressed and Overwhelmed

Anyone who comes home after a fast-paced day at work to an untidy space will feel more overwhelmed than normal. If the clutter is allowed to pile up higher and higher, it may seem impossible to clear it up alone, which complicates the problem for the person who has to deal with it. Chaotic surroundings are also an eyesore that affects everyone, and it can even cause feelings of despondency and depression. A work zone in disarray can be very uncomfortable and bothersome to coworkers, managers, and customers, and those who live with you or come to visit may also develop a bad mood when exposed to clutter.

It Stresses You Out

According to Psychology Today, clutter is an uncommonly recognized cause of stress that has a significant impact on one’s life. In fact, a messy room constantly sends signals to your brain to take action, whether you act upon those feelings or not. If you leave clutter to gather, it creates a sense of anxiety, urgency, and the need to get something done. Ultimately, clutter creates psychological pressure and continually disrupts inner harmony.

It Breaks Your Concentration

If you are trying to focus on finishing a project or even cooking a meal, any mess can get in the way of your concentration. If you are too busy looking around an unkempt room or searching for tools you need, it will be a lot harder to focus on any task that you have to do. It is also more difficult to study or think creatively in a messy area. This simple science applies whether or not the clutter is in a room in your home, or right at your desk.

It Affects Your Health

In theory, clutter can be defined a tons of unorganized objects scattered in an area. If these objects are particularly dirty or hazardous, then the clutter can make you ill, and even become life-threatening. According to Web MD, dust, dirt, animal dander, mold and other allergens circulate in the air and can cause allergic and asthmatic reactions. If clutter is allowed to continually stress you out in various ways, you may develop psychological conditions that require treatment.

Clutter causes both mental and physical stress, but is an issue that can easily be fixed by taking the time to properly organize and clean the area in question. Don’t be tempted to allow the clutter to pile up and create a problem for you now, and in the future. Fight back by organizing every area that is unbalanced, one piece at a time.

Sometimes circumstances such as a remodel, a growing family, changes in your health or a job change, require you to move out of your home entirely or even partially. 

If one or more of the following scenarios matches your current situation, then it may make the most sense for you to move:

• You are planning to remodel a significant portion of your home.
• Your family has outgrown your existing home
• You have more home then you need and don’t or can’t keep up with regular maintenance
• You or your spouse just got a new job in a different state
• It would cost you more to invest in your home to meet your current needs then it would to move
• Property values in your neighborhood are on the decline
• You have decided your current home and lifestyle no longer suit you.
• You have ruled out a remodel for financial or other reasons
• You want, or need to resize, downsize or minimize your home and it’s contents

While moving is almost always stressful, at LET’S MAKE ROOM we make it easier.  We can get all your unwanted items sold, donated or hauled.  We arrange for and direct your movers on pack and move day (even if you can’t be there) and we will even unpack, organize and set up everything in your new home* after the movers leave. Contact us to learn more.
* SF/Bay Area only or elsewhere by request

When it comes to moving, the devil is in the details but so are the angels if you treat them right.

Imagine you’ve decided to sell your home  (or fully remodel it) which means you will also need to move.  The goal is set. Now comes the work. You’ll have to find a new home to buy or rent or if you’re lucky enough, move into another home you already own.

You’ll have to figure out what you’re moving, how you’re moving, where you’re moving and how much it’s all going to cost. You’ll have to make hundreds if not thousands of decisions and hopefully you’ll have help from people you can trust.

Along the way you’ll get guidance and advice (hopefully all good) from Real Estate Professionals, Design Professionals, General or Specialty Contractors, Professional Organizers, Moving and Storage Companies, Financial Advisors, Charitable organizations not to mention friends, family and your neighbors.

The people you hire or work with can be your guardian angel or the devil incarnate. The former will help you make decisions you’re thrilled with or at least, ones you can live with. The latter will force you to make decisions you’ll later regret.

They should understand and actively demonstrate their understanding of your concerns, priorities, goals, aesthetic, budget, vision, preferences, lifestyle, and what you value – both tangible and intangible. They should also respect your time.

I have found it’s much easier to bend over backwards for nice people than it is to be helpful to mean ones – but that doesn’t mean I don’t try. After all that’s what being  a professional is all about. Respect.

My grandmother used to always tell me, “You get back what you put in.”  In other words, treat others as you would want to be treated or better yet, as they themselves would wish to be treated.

Surround yourself with people who make your concerns, their concerns. Behind the scenes they are handling a thousand different details on your behalf. You’ll know the angels when you see them because they are getting things done.

Are you planning to go shopping this Friday, Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving? Before you do, STOP and mull this thought over for a moment.

We are running out of room for what we don’t want!

It’s not just your home. It’s everywhere!  Charities are much pickier about what they will take because they have a glut of stuff already. Consignment stores are full. Selling items through online sites such as eBay and Craigslist is getting harder to do because everyone is trying to sell the same thing as you are. Even things with real value! And, worst of all, landfills are painfully overfilled causing many to simply dump their stuff on the side of a highway or some dimly lit street, a problem of blight that is growing larger every day.

So before you head out the door to the mall or sign on to your favorite online store because you’ve been bitten by the shopping bug, just this once ask yourself what are you really saving?

You may also want to take a quick inventory of your home by asking yourself these six questions:

1. Are my closets already overstuffed?
2. Do I have items I bought that I haven’t even taken out of their bags or still have tags on them?
3. Is my garage bursting at the seams?
4. Are there items left on my floor because I’ve run out of storage space?
5. Do I already have enough of what I need?
6. Am I using the excuse of Christmas or Holiday shopping to buy more stuff?

If you answered yes to even one of these questions, buying more will only exacerbate the situation.

Instead of shopping, why not spend that time doing other things you like such as:

1. Finish up one of the many creative projects you already started (and never finished) this year
2. Go outside, take a walk, even if its raining or snowing.
3. Take a friend or family member out for a meal or treat them to an experience instead of buying them something.
4. Remind yourself that one less thing now means one less thing to have to decide about when you finally get around to organizing and getting rid of all that stuff you no longer want, that is if there’s still room left.

Remodel in progress. Photo credit: DMS Interiors

Remodel after. Photo credit: DMS Interiors

So you’ve finally decided to take the plunge. You’re going to do a remodel.

Before you pick up the phone to call your designer/contractor/architect, take a look around. What do you see?

Chances are you’re not seeing what your contractors will want to see the day they get started – an empty space.

More likely you’re looking at stuff – the good, the bad and the ugly: Furniture, household goods, artwork, paper, personal items and in all likelihood some amount of indistinguishable clutter on your floor and other surfaces.

It doesn’t matter if you are remodeling your whole house or just one room, before the first nail is in, you’ll need to think about how to organize and empty the room of all its contents. This is especially true if your remodel includes a new floor.

Before you pull the plug on the whole idea, consider this the first phase of your remodel. I call it the Pre-model – as in plan and prepare for the remodel.

Essentially, the Pre-model involves organizing, de-cluttering and emptying the project space before the remodel begins. It’s as necessary to the process as getting the right permits. Build this into your timeline and your project will start on time.

Delay or avoid the Pre-model and your project will come to a screeching halt before it has even started.

There are two ways to approach the Pre-model: The smart way and the hard way.

Here’s what the hard way looks like:

Your contractors are due to begin demolition tomorrow. You wake up at the crack of dawn and dump everything you own, wanted and unwanted, into boxes before stuffing them haphazardly into another area of your home – that is, if you’re lucky enough to have room. Otherwise you take it to an expensive self storage unit that is twice the size of what you need because that’s all they had available – and promise yourself you will deal with it later.

If you choose this method, don’t be surprised when you finally go to move all the stuff out of storage and you hear yourself say more than once, “I can’t believe I actually kept this!” (And paid all that money to store it!).

The smart way, on the other hand, looks more like this:

You are comfortably moved into a new, temporary home or area of your house and getting back to your routine. Your contractors congratulate you for making it possible for them to start on time and everyone is eager and excited to get started.

The smart way involves taking time to plan and prepare for your Pre-model.  If you do it yourself, this is what the Pre-model requires:

1. PLAN
   Determine if there are any items you will need access to during the remodel. This is particularly important in a kitchen remodel where you may be without a functioning kitchen for several months. Consider setting up a “temporary kitchen” in a less used area or room of your home with basic kitchen appliances such as a microwave, mini fridge, electric water kettle, plates, utensils, etc.
2. DECIDE
   Determine what household items you want to keep. Skipping this step will cost you in the long run so make it a priority to sort and organize these items by category.
3. PREPARE
   Just as your contractor would, make sure you have the right “tools” for your Pre-model. Use large plastic bags for trash and for items you want to donate; paper bags for recycling; packing boxes or bins and other moving supplies for things you want to keep; and, a 4’-6’ table or surface for working.
4. PURGE
   Make arrangements to sell or donate furniture items you no longer want. Take pictures of these items and email them to your preferred consignment store or charity. These services will review the items and decide whether or not they are interested in them.
5. PACK
   Pack what you’ve decided to keep in boxes, labeled by category. This will make the process of unpacking that much easier when your remodel is done. Pack heavy items like books in small boxes; fragile items like dish-ware, lamps and crystal in double weight “dish-packs” and small appliances and lighter items like linens and lamp shades in larger boxes.
6. STORE
   If you are lucky to have extra space in a garage or spare room to store the household items you retain, consider hiring a moving company that specializes in small moves to help you move those items for you.
7. MOVE
   If you are planning to remodel your entire home, it’s likely you will need to relocate for a period of months. Consider consulting with a professional organizer/move manager to help you plan for this type of temporary move. They can also recommend reputable moving and storage companies in your area as well as execute your Pre-model and get you unpacked and organized when it’s done.

Doing the Pre-model is what allows your remodel to happen. By following these simple steps, you’ll experience far less stress during your remodel and discover how quickly you can live in and enjoy your new kitchen, bath, bedroom or newly remodeled home, when it’s done.

A client told me today his son had so many toys in his room, it had become nothing more than a storage area where he sleeps.

For more than 100 years we’ve lived in a consumer culture. There is an article that ran in TIME Magazine last month (America’s Clutter Problem, March 2015) that does a great job summarizing why people, specifically American’s, tend to have more stuff than we used to.  One of the biggest reasons cited is the way buying itself has become so easy. Think “one-click” ordering. No time to ponder whether or not we need it – just click it and it’s yours. In a consumer culture that’s like sending a kid into a candy store with no restrictions and a pocketful of cash.

The culture of consumerism in 2015, just 7 years post-recession,  –  is showing signs of change. Some call it the new “shared economy,” others call it a movement towards “essentialism.” Think tiny homes and shared work spaces.

Technology is also changing the the way we use space in our homes.   We now have streamed media, digital tablets and flat screen TVs. In its wake, however, we’ve left old VHS tapes, worn books and magazines, and large TV cabinets – not to mention thousands of analog TVs and even cathode-tube versions left behind in our grandparents garages.

Transfer Station aka “The Dump”

We recycle but more often than not we dump. If you don’t believe me take a field trip, like I did recently, to your local “Transfer Station.” It looks like something from a post apocalyptic sci-fi thriller but it’s as real as the stench that hits you when you first drive in.

One of the most astounding statistics I read in the TIME article stated that while children in the U.S. make up only 3.1% of the world’s kid population, we Americans buy more than 40% of the world’s toys. Sure it’s great that you’re donating a few bags of clothing to Goodwill but the bigger issue is that we keep acquiring! Is this the legacy you want to leave your kids?

Our consumerism has become a zero-sum game.   Consider there is so much stuff in your life and so much space to contain it. If you have more space than stuff, you may feel a sense of emptiness or deprivation. As consumers, we fight off these feelings by filling the space we have.  If you have more stuff than space eventually you’ll feel stifled, stressed and stuck. In the latter example, you have two options: get more space; a bigger house, extra storage, which of course can cost a lot (the self-storage industry is a $24 billion business) or make the tough decision to purge what you no longer love, need or use. If you need help to physically sort and purge those things, consider hiring a professional organizer who can get you through the task.

In much the same way your doctors advise you to cut down on excess sugar, saturated fats or other unhealthy foods to reduce your risk of disease, you can also cut back on those “sweet deals” you see for items you don’t need in the first place. If your house has gotten fat from too much cheap, unwanted, unused or unusable stuff, then it’s time to make a change, and put yourself on a clutter diet. The first step: stop buying what don’t need.

Editor’s Note: I’m pleased to feature guest blogger, Janet Peischel of Top of Mind Marketing.  Janet and I met six years ago at a networking event when I was just launching LET’S MAKE ROOM. She is a writer and expert marketer for small businesses. Here she talks about how developing a marketing plan is a great way to organize your time and help you stay productive:

I have a client who loves advertising. This made him easy prey for ad reps that knew they could sucker him into those special one-off deals that aren’t deals at all, but a hopeless waste of his marketing dollars.

I did a cost-benefit analysis to prove he wasn’t getting enough conversions on those one-off efforts to justify the money he spent. Then I worked with him to create a marketing plan and a budget for the entire year.

This plan has been enormously helpful in reining in ad-hoc spending and keeping him on track. He still gets those “special” offers, but he’s not wasting time agonizing over them because he knows that if they’re not in his plan, he’s not going to spend money on them.

As a writer and marketing expert, I recommend developing a marketing plan and budget for at least a year at a time. For every line item, identify the cost and the person who’s responsible for executing the activity – strategies or tasks. Planning and organizing your marketing activity makes you accountable and increases productivity because you’re not second-guessing yourself or wasting time on efforts with no ROI. (Return on your investment).

It is worth your time to map out a marketing strategy. By doing so you can see what’s working and not—and conversely defer those activities that are not delivering on your investment of time and money. A well-thought out marketing plan is like giving your business tough love… it may be painful at first but it works!

For more information contact: Janet Peischel, Top of Mind Marketing http://top-mindmarketing.com/

This Thanksgiving, I’m doing something a little different. I’m not cooking. My husband and I are still hosting this year’s “gratitude feast” at our home. There will be ten at our table and I’ve asked each person to bring an assigned dish. Instead of making a turkey, one of our friends inspired me when he said he was hankering for a smoked turkey. Having no inclination to smoke a turkey myself, I am having a popular BBQ shop smoke our turkey for us. I am making a few traditional favorites and we’re supplying the libations but other than setting the table, I’m feeling pretty relaxed.   Knowing that I don’t have to dedicate an entire day to cooking and then cleaning afterwards makes me feel like I’ve just kicked off a pair of tight shoes. The lesson in this for all of you is that preparing for the Holidays need not be an ordeal. Here are 3 other tips for having a stress-free Holiday Season.

1. Delegate: Hosting the big holiday meal doesn’t have to mean stressing and missing out on all the festivities, even if that includes all the drama of your family.  Why not finally take up the offer you’ve heard your guests ask time and time again, “What can I do to help?”  Ask your friends to bring something to share or help with set up or clean up. Why shouldn’t you be able to have your smoked Turkey and eat it too?
2. Do a clutter-check: Have you seen the commercial where the mother uses a leaf blower to blow all her household clutter into a back room?  Funny and probably not a bad idea, during the holidays.  Scan your kitchen, dining and living areas for clutter you would be uncomfortable having on display when guests arrive. Instead of sorting through it all now, plan on tackling it early next year. Did you know January is the official Get Organized Month?  Check back on our website for our special Get Organized savings in January.  For now, simply toss all those loose papers in a box and hide those extraneous items in a room or closet your guests don’t see. Then make it a New Year’s resolution to Get Organized in 2015 and add it to your to-do list!
3. Create an action list.  Feel like you have a jumble of to-dos in your head that are adding to your Holiday jitters? Sit down for 5-10 minutes and write down everything you think you need to do between now and December 31st.  Include your one-time tasks such as pay bills and order Thanksgiving Turkey as well as bigger projects you have planned such as buy a new car or do Christmas Shopping. Then assign an A, B, or C priority to each item. A items are both important and time-sensitive, B items are important but could wait and C items are time-sensitive but not important to you (though they may be important to someone else). Don’t do any of the B’s or C’s before you do any of your A’s. If you get stuck, just ask yourself, “Is this really worth my time?”

Happy Thanksgiving!

Helping people get organized and decluttered at home, as someone said to me recently, is a “first-world” problem.

It’s true. Much of the so called “third world,” representing 80% of the world’s population, couldn’t even imagine having a cluttered home, let alone pay  to have it organized and cleared of unwanted items.

I work with all kinds of people. People who live in large homes and small apartments. People who are moving in and moving out.  People who are downsizing and people who are “resizing” or remodeling. The one thing each of these people have common is their desire to simplify their lives. Not one of them says, “I want more!” It’s just that having less is not as easy as they think.  It requires time, and often physical as well as mental endurance to decide what is truly essential.

I am rarely surprised by what I find when I first meet with a client. What surprises me is how much people believe what they own is “essential.”  I have always held that clearing our physical space helps us to discover what’s truly meaningful to us and opens up the space in our minds to discover who we really are. In thinking about simplifying your life, I invite you to ponder these questions that speak to why getting organized is never about our stuff and really is more about ourselves.

1. How do you decide what’s essential?
2. Do you believe what you own defines who you are, at least to the world?
3. How do you find value in your life other than through the things you own?
4. Are you willing to let go of what’s usable when you have no use for it?
5. How will you overcome your reluctance to purge what no longer serves you?
6. Do you assign meaning to objects that remind you of people, places or other experiences just to hold onto those experiences and if so, what would it take to let them go?