Spring. It’s that time of year when so many of us are inspired to clear out the old to make way for the new.  It’s more than just “Spring Cleaning.” It’s nesting!

Though the term is typically associated with preparing for childbirth, according to the World Dictionary,* nesting is defined as:

“The tendency to arrange one’s immediate surroundings, to create a place where one feels secure, comfortable, or in control”

There are several times in your life when you may find nesting helps express your personality and emotion:

• At the start of a new season
• When you’ve just moved to a new home
• When your (last) child living at home leaves for college
• In the weeks before undergoing a medical procedure
• During a career search
• While recovering from a loss, divorce or breakup
• Preparing for a loved one who is entering (or re-entering) your home

If you are feeling the urge to “nest,” here are a few simple tips to keep in mind that will help you achieve a greater sense of clarity and control.

1. Focus on one area at a time such as your office, cubicle or bedroom and resolve to finish the task even if it takes more than one session.
2. Start by clearing one surface space such as a desktop or even a bed. Having one clear space is a great motivator to keep you going and you’ll need it for the next step.
3. Sort like items into three piles Keep, Toss and Not Sure. The goal here is not to get stuck on the “Not Sures.”
4. Remove the items you no longer want or need by placing them in containers (bags or bins) for donating or recycling.
5. Identify the purpose of each “Not Sure” item and ask yourself, “Does this still serve me or enhance my life in some way?” If not, consider letting it go, donating it or re-purposing it as something you would probably use.
6. Assign a permanent home for the items you know you will keep and contain them with other like items especially if they are small to help you find them again.
7. Clean and/or dust areas as you go. Create a fresh space to resume the activity you do (or plan to do) in that space.
8. Enhance your newly organized space with something fresh or inspirational such as a vase of flowers, a piece of art work or a photograph you love to bring new life into the space.

When you’re done, go out and enjoy the beauty of Spring!

When you begin an organizing project, regardless of whether it’s your closet, garage, kitchen or another room in your home, it’s likely you will come across something that you can’t decide about letting go or keeping. Choosing not to decide or “deferred decision-making” is one of the leading causes of household clutter.

So how do you know what to keep (or toss) if you’re not sure what it’s worth to you?

Here’s an easy guide to help you make a decision you can live with.

Start by placing the object you are trying to decide about in front of you then ask yourself each of the five questions below, in the order they appear:

1. Do I love it? This means the item gives you a great deal of pleasure, you associate it with a happy memory or you enjoy having it in your life now.  If not, ask yourself:
2. Have I used this item recently or do I expect to use it again soon in its current condition? Not everything you own, you’ll love but some things are worth keeping because they still serve you in some way. If you don’t love it, it needs repairing and you haven’t used it recently, ask yourself:
3. Would keeping this item add value to my day-to-day life now? Perhaps this is an item you know you’ll need at a certain time of year or for a particular event or purpose such as for travel or for the Holidays.  If you can’t think of a way the item adds value to your life now, ask yourself:
4. If I didn’t have this, would I choose to replace it? If yes, keep it. Otherwise, ask yourself:
5. Could someone else benefit from this item in its current condition? If you answer yes, then it’s time for the item to find new life somewhere else.  Consider donating or if it’s worth your time, sell it. If not, then recycle it or dispose of it safely.

Would you like to receive other useful organizing tips? Subscribe to Back On Track, the monthly eguide from  LET’S MAKE ROOM

I was dropping off boxes of items that are typically tough to recycle at my favorite recycling center, Universal Waste of Oakland, CA. Usually this is a stop, drop and go experience for me but today for some reason I decided to look around their “sale” area.  What I found inspired me to write this. I feel fortunate to live in a city that has a resource like Universal Waste that gives people and businesses an alternative to disposing this stuff in a landfill.

1. The Internet and specifically Google: Love it. I can’t imagine life without it. The other day I needed to explain something to someone who only spoke Spanish. I used an English- to-Spanish translator tool I found online and bingo, communication received and understood. ¿Qué más se puede decir?
2. Obsolete hardware, especially gaming devices, old computer monitors and cables: Hate it. I just came back from a local electronic waste-recycling warehouse that was filled with every kind of hardware imaginable. The waste produced by this stuff is overwhelming. The cell phone manufacturers are the worst. Every time they upgrade their phones, you need to buy a new charger cable.
3. Smart Phone: Love it. Here are two random reasons why:
Reason 1: I’m at the bank to make a deposit, realize I forgot to make a copy of a check, take a picture of it using Evernote and print it when I get home for my records.
Reason 2: Was shopping at my local grocery store when I see a type of olive oil I’m not familiar with. I “Google it,” read what it says about it and decide whether or not to buy it. I did and it was great!
4. People with smart phones: Hate them: Tried to cross a street yesterday and couldn’t get by because there were three people standing on the curb all looking at their smart phones instead of looking where they were going. Dumb.
5. Access to Technology: Love it and hate it. While a Twitter feed can ignite a people’s revolution, it’s created a bigger gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots.’ I don’t see a lot of working poor walking around with ipads or ipods.  When they do need access to a computer, they generally can only get one at a local library, assuming budget cuts have not shut it down.

What are 5 reasons why you LOVE/HATE technology?

I’d like to tag Cheryl over at the Breakfast Blogging Club since she gave me this idea, as well as Quinn’s blog, These New Boots, Margaret’s New Leaf & Co. Blog and Kristine’s Entrepreneurial Mindset

By the way, if you’ve been tagged, then write a post with your list of 5 reasons why you LOVE/HATE technology. As a courtesy, link back to the person who tagged you, (in this case, me) and then tag 5 more people you’d like to see answer this question.  Till next time…

How many times have you walked past the piles of clutter in your home or office and thought “I’m going to get that organized….some day.”

Embarking on a large organizing project can feel overwhelming and for good reason. It is.  Staying organized is easier than getting organized. Why? Because for most of us just looking at a huge pile of mess makes us want to close the door and pretend it’s not there.

A few people can play the pretend-game for a long time. Eventually though there will be a consequence; finance charges from a bill you can’t find, time spent looking for a vital document at a moment when you don’t have the time to spare (say the night before your income taxes are due) or sometimes worse things if you let it go too long.

So if you’ve finally made up your mind to organize that pile of papers and other junk on your desk or realized you can’t go another minute with the clutter creeping upstairs from your basement or out of your closets and into your living room, don’t just dive in blindly. If you do, within a short time you’ll want to give up and you’ll be back to square one.

Instead take a little time to plan.  With the right conditions you can be successful. What are the right conditions? As a professional organizer, I believe they include Support from others, adequate Time to accomplish your goals, a willingness to take Action, an incentive or Reward to keep you motivated and the Tools to help you get the job done efficiently.  If you forget them, just remember the word START.

Support
Organizing a large project can be lonely, tedious and overwhelming.  Start by setting a small, manageable goal and ask a supportive friend or family member to help you. You can do this in one of two ways. The first way is to ask them to be your “accountability coach” by helping you stay on track. The second is to engage their help as a “clutter-buddy.” The best candidates will have a knack for organizing and will not be judgmental or critical.   Before working together, tell them what you need (“I need support to help me meet my organizing goals”  and what you don’t need (I would like your advice about what to keep, what not to and why, but I prefer to make this decision myself.” Finally, once you’re work is done, acknowledge and thank them for their help. Take them out for a great meal or offer to return the favor.

Not surprisingly most of us can organize someone else’s things better than our own. If your home or office have become so cluttered that you are ashamed or embarrassed, consider talking about it to a counselor,  professional organizer or join an online support group such as “Messies Anonymous”

If you are a parent with young children, ask your spouse or a family friend to support you by taking the kids for the day so you can focus on organizing.

Time
You don’t need money to get organized but you do need time. Consider dedicating some time each week to your goal. For large tasks such as organizing your garage or closets, you’ll get a jump start if you set aside a few half day sessions at first. Then taper down once you have control of your space.

If you can’t imagine squeezing one more thing into your hectic schedule, consider the alternatives and what your disorganization is costing you in terms of lost time,  money or joy in your life.

You may also wish to consider using a couple of vacation days productively. Better to come home from a real vacation with your home or office in order than to have to face chaos the minute you walk back in the door.

Action
Wouldn’t it be nice to wiggle our noses and have all the clutter be gone like Samantha Stevens, the young witch from the movie and TV show Bewitched? Alas,  just like starting an exercise program,  you’ll find getting organized is both a physical as well as mental process that take effort. The good news is by taking action your own momentum will increase.  Physics has proved this. “A body in motion tends to stay in motion,” said the English physicist, Isaac Newton.

One important note: Don’t forget to take care of yourself while you’re organizing. Keep some water nearby and munch on healthy snacks or listen to music to keep your energy up. If you have limited mobility, consider asking a friend or professional organizer to help you. Organizing can be good exercise too so if you’ve been sedentary, getting organized can get you moving again.

Reward
Before you even begin, think about what will be different and how you will feel once you have everything just the way you want it. Ask yourself, “why do I want to get organized in the first place?” To entertain more?  To feel in control of your life? To gain a room of your own to pursue a new hobby or an old interest? Yes, your newly organized and clean space will feel like a reward in itself but don’t stop there.  Imagine what it will mean to you.

Every one of my clients has discovered a side of themselves they didn’t know they had before they got rid of their clutter. Getting organized is not only about clearing the physical space around you, it’s about opening up the space in your mind for other ideas and unrealized needs to emerge.

Tools
Finally, make sure you have what you need to sort, move or dispose of your stuff.  There are certain tools that are indispensable when it comes to starting a large organizing project. I recommend the following “tools.”

* Trash receptacle, a large one, preferably one on wheels for big jobs such as your garage.
* Heavy duty trash can liners that fit the receptacle
* Cardboard boxes, collapsible storage cubes or paper shopping bags for sorting – each one labeled for things you plan to keep, donate, shred, repair, recycle and one more for things that go elsewhere
* A few basic office supplies such as envelopes and file folders
*Permanent markers for labeling
* A rag or dust cloth for wiping off sticky residue or dust. (Note: Consider hiring a professional cleaner for the nitty-gritty stuff when you’re done.)

Once you’re done, be sure to regularly maintain your changes because clutter has a way of creeping back.  That’s because organizing is not a destination, it’s a practice.  Practice and before long you’ll not only be more organized, you’ll be more of who you are and you may even discover who you were meant to be.

One of the most common causes of paper clutter is simply not knowing what to keep and what can safely be tossed. Inevitably, it’s common to keep much more than we need, “just in case.”

To hold on to something when you don’t know if you will need it or not, is like carrying an umbrella with you every day “just in case” it rains.

“Better safe than sorry, ” we say to ourselves and end up cluttering our surroundings, drawers or surfaces with piles of paper. Then, when we do need that important document, we end scrambling and making ourselves crazy, “I know it’s here somewhere!” Keeping more than we need actually ends up costing us more, both in time and money.

A common example I see as a professional organizer is receipts.

If you buy an item and pay cash, you only need to keep the receipt as proof-of-purchase based on the store’s return/exchange policy – generally not more than 30 days and typically less.  If you pay by credit card, the same applies and your credit card statement will serve as your proof-of-purchase.

If you make it a habit of checking your purchases (receipts) against your credit card statement, you shouldn’t have to wait more than 30 days to view it as the majority of credit card (and debit) purchases are posted within a few days or less.  After 30 days, you can recycle these receipts as well.

The only exception to the 30-day system is if you bought the item with cash for a business expense (not for personal use) in which case you can record it in whatever bookkeeping system you use (ask the advice of your bookkeeper or tax adviser) or follow your organization’s policies for submitting business-related cash expenses you expect to be reimbursed for. Hold on to it until you are reimbursed by your organization then recycle or shred it if it contains personal identifying data such as a Social Security Number or account number.

In summary, if you don’t own a business or submit receipts for reimbursement, there really is no reason for you to keep cash or credit card receipts past 30 days.

For those who are self-employed, simply file the cash receipt with your other business-related expenses, by month.  I use a letter size accordion file such as this one from The Container Store.  Until you are ready to toss them, you can keep them in your wallet or in a small container or desktop file with the most recent on top. Just remember to go through them every month or so.

Recycle them once their purchase date exceeds 30 days (same goes for ATM receipts too). One final note, since you paid cash they shouldn’t contain account numbers or identifying information but if they do, then shred them.

Interested in more time- and money-saving organizing tips? Subscribe to Back On Track, the e-guide to organized living from LET’S MAKE ROOM

When I first launched my company, LET’S MAKE ROOM, several social networking experts (still can’t believe there is such a thing) told me that by adding dynamic content to my website, aka a “blog,” it would improve my ranking in Google and thus, in theory, help people in need of my professional organizing services find me on the web.

My decision to start blogging was a business decision that I didn’t take to very willingly.

What I didn’t know at the time, was that websites themselves would soon be superseded by blogs.

The solid foundation that I thought would attract new clients to my website was fast becoming a kind of electronic fault line, something I know a little bit about living in Northern California.

It’s nothing short of ironic that I heard someone mention this recently on the very same day I finalized all the changes on my website. It reminded me of President Obama’s recent state of the Union speech in which he spoke about how innovation and technology has caused some of us to “feel like the rules have been changed in the middle of the game” or as the saying goes, “Just when you think you have all the answers, they change the question.”

Starting a small business in midlife in the 21st century has forced me to think about innovation and what role it plays in my business, even when it sometimes makes me feel like George Jetson on his out-of-control treadmill.  My blog is a perfect metaphor for this love/hate relationship to technology.

When I first started blogging, I thought it was dumb. Why would I want to spend my time reading some stranger’s  inner musings let alone expect someone to read mine? My husband has to listen to me on a a daily basis and it’s no day on the beach for him either.

It was marketing expert Cheryl Liquori, founder of the Breakfast Blogging Club who really changed my mind about blogging.

Every week for nearly a year, Liquori has done for beginning bloggers what Julia Child did for Julie Powell. (Powell’s blog, the Julie/Julia Project, documented her daily experiences cooking each of the 524 recipes in Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking which later inspired Nora Ephron’s acclaimed movie, Julie and Julia starring Meryl Streep.)

For the past 30 weeks, Liquori has been sending out engaging tips, hints and gentle nudges to aspiring bloggers everywhere. She gave me what four years of journalism school could never do. She got me writing every week (or almost).

Now, I have complete strangers from all over the world commenting on my blog (yes, Mr. Friedman,  the world is indeed flat, as you proclaimed) and this completely astounds me since it never occurred to me that anyone would.

The Breakfast Blogging Club is true to its mission. It offers a supportive, creative, productive and fun way for entrepreneurs to build awareness for their businesses. But more than that it has helped people like me feel connected to the world in a much bigger way.

So with more than six month’s worth of blogs behind me, I am dedicating this blog to Cheryl Liquori.

Now, if I could just learn to cook Julia Child’s recipe for Sole Meuniere.

“What is necessary to change a person is to change his awareness of himself.”
-Abraham Maslow, Psychologist

Several months ago some marketing experts told me that it would help people find my organizing business, LET’S MAKE ROOM,  on the internet more easily if I had content on my website that changed periodically.

One of the ways they suggested I do this was to create a blog that was viewable from my website. This, they said would make my website more “dynamic” which I guess is like superfood for Google and other search engines.

What they didn’t tell me was that it would necessitate a complete revision of my site design, not to mention, an overflowing fountain of brilliant ideas and stories to share on a regular basis.

Well the good news is I did revise my website. As for the brilliant inspirations that translate into daily blog posts…not so much. It’s more like biweekly (or is it bi-weekly?) Anyway, I don’t even think Hemingway could have lived up to today’s standards when it comes to opening our minds to the masses.

As a self-funded, small (but growing) business I have learned being an entrepreneur is as much about personal growth as it is about learning new skills.

One of the first decisions I made was to not run away from technology. I resolved to “feel the fear and do it anyway.”

If you’d told me then that in less than two years I would be saying things like search engine optimization, web strategy, hosted links and plug-ins, let alone have a clue about what they meant, I would have thought you were, in the words of Robin Williams, “one sandwich short of a picnic.”

The other day I was meeting with a group of Graduate Students in Marketing who are helping me by developing a public relations plan for LET’S MAKE ROOM.  They are all as comfortable in technology as somebody my age would expect. So imagine how flattered I was when they told me I had done a great job saturating the world of “Social Media.”  It wasn’t so hard really. I just linked my Facebook site to show my ‘tweets and ensure my Yelp reviews would translate to my Google analytics page and I was all set.

OMG, did I just say that?

I guess it’s never too late to be a student again.

Have you ever wondered why you can’t seem to get organized?

You’re an intelligent, productive, talented human being.

The truth is organization has less to do with your space and every thing to do with your mind.

What you believe?
What you feel?
What you assume is the correct way to live and work?

At LET’S MAKE ROOM, I work with you to understand what keeps you stuck and disorganized. We do this work together by talking about the beliefs and assumptions you hold onto about your living and working spaces and yourself.

I invite you to talk about how you feel about your disorganization and what you think would make a difference. Then I work with you to implement a system you can maintain because it reflects how YOU think and work.

A “one-size fits all” approach to organizing won’t work over the long term. It’s not just about putting things in pretty containers. If you’re feeling unproductive and unfocused, your space will reflect that. Just organizing a specific space alone may temporarily treat the symptoms of disorganization but not the cause. Before long you’ll find yourself back where you started.

My training is in Psychology, Behavioral Health and Human Development and my expertise and understanding can help you transform your personal beliefs and habits so you will feel motivated to finally get your life and space in order.

I can help you transform your space in a way that fits you.

Here’s a true story about one of my clients.

Julie, a Leadership and Organizational Consultant, helps other businesses become successful. But when it came to her own office, Julie was feeling overwhelmed and it was starting to impact her productivity.

Julie hired LET’S MAKE ROOM to help her organize her office. She had stacks of piles on a small desk that were creeping on to her floor. She was losing focus and worried about it impacting her business. Before consulting with LET’S MAKE ROOM, Julie considered investing in a bigger desk and possibly even an entire new “office system.”

I asked Julie about her space and how she liked to work. It turned out Julie did her best work standing up. She described the way she worked much like a modern artist paints; creating ideas across a wide canvas. It became obvious that a desk of any size was just not the right “canvas” for Julie’s creativity.

So I found a dry erase wall covering to fit the way Julie actually worked – in images, words and color. Our goal was to create a space that could both free her mind to create, as well as function as a professional space to conduct her business.

Julie’s previous “belief” was that she was not productive unless she was sitting at a desk. Yet, sitting at her desk she would find ways to get off-track and distracted by all her clutter.

Through her work with me and LET’S MAKE ROOM, Julie came to realize she was a creative person who felt better working another way. This “new belief” freed her up to think creatively again.

She told me, “working with you was truly a transformative experience. I had a huge “aha”about what I need and how I need to work to be productive and successful.”

“I could have moved my furniture or bought new furniture but I couldn’t have discovered how to be truly engaged and productive without you. Now I have a whole new framework for how I work now that frees up my spirit, my creativity and my productivity.”

Music to my ears.

Need some basic tips for organizing the most used rooms in your home?  Here is a room-by-room checklist that will help you get started.

Bedroom

☑ Decide what you want at your fingertips and what things can be stored

☑ Go through your closet and pull out everything you have not worn in the last year and donate those items

☑ Hang like items together—group shirts together, pants together, dresses, etc.

☑ Donate to local charities or friends and family items that are still in good condition but you no longer need. Schedule a donation pick up with DonationTown.org

Kitchen

☑ Determine the flow of activity in your kitchen before you decide where to place items

☑ Things that work together should be stored together, such as baking supplies, plastic containers (with lids), pots and pans with lids, and large platters and bowls

☑ Drawer dividers are a good way to keep smaller items separated

☑ Place glasses near the sink or the refrigerator for easy access to beverages

☑ Put healthy snacks for your kids in an easy-to-access drawer or cupboard

Home Office/Den

☑ Make sure you have a good chair, good lighting and ample workspace. Without them it’s harder to be organized and effective.

☑ Keep only supplies you need on a daily basis on your desktop

☑ Assign a contained space or “in-box” for your incoming documents and only use it for items that haven’t yet been reviewed such as paper mail, receipts, and catalogs.

☑ Make a decision about what action or task you need to take with each document (including recycling) and follow through during dedicated “admin” appointments

☑ Keep the most recent papers in the front of the file. Whenever you open it, the current information will be on top.

Garage/basement

☑ Sort, purge, and then decide the proper storage containers or fixtures for the treasures that you must keep

☑ Design a floor plan for storing items and stick to it

☑ Get rid of things that don’t work

☑ Clearly label both the tops and the sides of containers

☑ Consider floor-to-ceiling possibilities for shelving, racks, stack-able drawers, hooks and pegboards, and don’t forget the rafters

REMEMBER: When you are done organizing, make sure you donate clothes, books, furniture and other household items to a local charity.