A New Normal Holiday Season
/4 Comments/in Holiday organizing/by Ellen
This year the holiday season will be different. Holiday celebrations will be smaller and more intimate. Temples and churches will have different ways to celebrate the meaning of the season with zoom. There will likely be less holiday travel. No matter these differences, there are meaningful ways we celebrate together as family and friends. It’s an even better reason to be organized this holiday season.
Family planning
A meaningful holiday starts with a family meeting about what is most important to each family member. Some of these may be different this year. Acknowledge the differences and sadness about this. Think about what will make this year special. Be open to new ideas and new ways to celebrate. It remains important to add all these dates to your family calendar.
Family travel
A greater percentage of families (51%) are choosing to stay home this year. It’s a family to family decision. If you decide to travel, remember your wellness packages with extra hand sanitizer and multiple face masks.
If you find that you need a new way for your long distance family to gather here are a few ideas.
- Compete in a family virtual scavenger hunt.
- Play a family game together online like Psych, a guessing game.
- Play virtual card games like Crazy Eights
If you are travelling, there are ongoing changes to restrictions. Be sure you are knowledgeable about these changes.
Family gifts
This may be the best year to change up your gift giving. It may be making this a smaller budget, deciding the number of gifts you are giving or deciding to donate to charity instead of gift giving. Be thoughtful and intentional about what you are sharing.
Homemade gifts have a special meaning during the holidays. Set aside time for your family tradition of making homemade gifts together or start a new tradition. Cooking, baking, canning, sewing or other crafts are a wonderful way to spend time together and share your holiday joy.
Family dinner
Everyone can be a chef during this year’s holiday dinners. Divide up recipes and every can cook (and clean) together. Your family of chefs can complete like Chopped with unusual ingredients. It’s a great year to teach your family how to roast a turkey or make your family’s special toffee recipe.
Family time outside and in
Especially this year, plan family time outside. It can be taking part in a virtual fun run, taking a walk on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, a family football or soccer game or any other outdoor activity. Running around and enjoying time outside will give everyone a change to get some energy out or get energized.
No matter the new normal, now is the time to delegate to your family. Everyone can wrap, decorate, cook, bake and team up. Make assignments early so you are organized and can enjoy the time together.
I wish you a very merry holiday season filled with an abundance of joy and meaning.
The New Organizing Vocabulary and The Home Edit
/4 Comments/in Home Organizing, Uncategorized/by EllenFile fold: to fold your clothes to appear like a file folder in a drawer
Decant: to empty items out of the original container to a clear container
Roy G Biv: to color code according to the rainbow colors of Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet
Have you seen the Netflix show, The Home Edit? It’s real life organizing in celebrities’ homes. The show depicts organizing with a glossy final product.
This show gives a new spin to organizing.
- There are new vocabulary words to do with organizing. This updated vocabulary reminds us that there are always new strategies, tools and tips to share with our clients in our work together.
- We always knew that keeping the final product in mind is important. The impact is clear with this show that cute counts overall.
What’s not new are the basics of organizing.
- The essential concept is functionality. That’s essential on our new normal to lower stress. The more functional your space, the easier life will be.
- Keeping the end in mind is critical to organizing success. Know what you and who you work with want to see and feel at the end of a project.
- Not surprising is that value of labels. Labelling makes it easy to maintain the organizing system you set up.
- Organizing remains a top priority in the 21st century. We are blessed with abundance and we continue to have a need to keep it edited and organized.
Having a new organizing show on Netflix is a happy thing for everyone!
Working with a Professional Organizer: Same Day. Same Intentions. Difference results.
/4 Comments/in ADD and ADHD, Closet Organizing/by Ellen
Because of COVID-19 we have lately had more time to declutter and organize our closets. We have the best intentions, however it is hard to get started and still harder to let go of items. We may have the skills to declutter and organize like professional organizers. What we are learning is that it was not necessarily a matter of how much time we have. It is a matter of procrastination. It’s easy to put off getting started and getting organized. Here is a tale of the same day with the same intentions with different outcomes. Names were changed to keep client confidentiality.
Working without the support of a Professional Organizer
Sandy knew that it was time to let go of professional attire and suits. For weeks she had told friends she intended to organize her closet. Finally, she set a date on her calendar to work in her closet. At 9 am she walked with a friend. At 10 am she called another friend. Continuing on with the day, she continued to procrastinate. Before she started, she offered to drive her cousin to work, offered to practice driving with her daughter, and ordered lunch. She texted to find out when the nail salon would be open. Finally at 2 pm she started editing.
Decluttering was harder than Sandy thought. It was much harder and taking more time. There were many items that did not fit so these were easier to declutter and donate. Sandy would pull out an item only to put it back. After two hours, Sandy took a break to assess. She had 3 bags to donate. She was not making the progress she wanted to make and felt discouraged.
Working with the support of a Professional Organizer
My client and I set a date and determined we would meet for a 3 hour session to organize closets. After discussing the goals and taking a tour of the closets, we decided that best place to start would be a place where clothes have been stored rather than edited. The client admitted that it was easier to move the clothes to another closet than eliminate. We started working in auxiliary closets that are in spaces for less frequently worn clothes. We pulled each item out to review whether it was in good condition and still fashionable. We started to declutter and after 2 hours had over 250 items to donate to local charities.
This strong start to decluttering led to organizing the remaining items. We grouped the clothes by short sleeve, long sleeve, sweater and suits. Then, we placed the items accordingly in 2 closets. Donation places will be open soon so I took the clothes with me to drop off at local philanthropies. The entire process took 3 hours to start, finish and exceed the client’s goals.
What’s the result
When we invest time and energy in decluttering and organizing, we want big results. Working with a professional organizer helps you accomplish your goals efficiently and productively.
- Having a professional organizer with you, it’s easier to let go of more items. The gentle pressure of another person guiding you helps you make decisions.
- A professional organizer helps you get started and finish up. There’s no procrastinating with a professional organizer working along side you. Because items leave at the end of the session, there is no regret or back sliding.
- Bonus of organizing! We found some treasured keepsakes too! In one closet was a cherished cub scout uniform to pass along after taking photos.
Regardless of motivation and intentions, working alongside a professional organizer has multiple perks. We are here to help and support you throughout the decluttering and organizing process! Accomplish your goals and get the results you want when you work together.