Tag Archive for: certified professional organizer

Sunday Reset Routine for a Calm and Organized Week

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Sunday reset

Sunday is my favorite day to prepare for the week ahead. I call it my Sunday Reset. It is a routine that helps me with weekday readiness with less stress and more intention. As a Certified Professional Organizer, I know that small, consistent habits make the biggest difference in how we manage our time, energy, and environment. Here’s how I use Sundays to set myself (and my clients) up for success for the week ahead.

Tidy and Refresh Your Spaces

I start with a quick reset of my living areas, including the kitchen counters, bedroom, and living room. Just a 15–20 minute tidy-up gets everything back to its “home.” Clear spaces help Monday morning feel easier.

Pro tip: Set a timer for each room and work as a team with your family for each space. Working together, you accomplish so much so quickly.

Review Your Calendar and To-Do List

A big part of feeling organized is knowing what’s ahead. On Sundays, I review my calendar for appointments and commitments, then look over my to-do list for priorities. I make sure everything is captured. I look to see the transition time between appointments and set the travel time.

Pro tip: Choose your “top three” priorities for each day. These Most Important Tasks (MITs) make the biggest impact if completed. This helps you focus and avoid overwhelm.

Plan Meals and Groceries

Nothing derails a week faster than the nightly “What’s for dinner?” scramble. I plan simple meals, make a grocery list, and prep. I often start my crockpot with a double batch of a soup or protein.

Pro tip: Think in themes to add fun to your meal prep. Think Taco Tuesday, Pasta Wednesday, Soup Sunday to simplify planning. One-pot or a one tray dinners make for less cleanup.

Prepare for Monday

Before bed, I do a quick Monday prep to make the morning smoother. I pack my bags, charge all my technology, prep my lunch bag, and get my water bottle ready. These small steps make a big difference in how you start your week.

Pro tip: Help everyone in your family be prepared for the week ahead. Pack all the bags and have these ready at the landing strip near the exit.

A Sunday Reset Is a Gift to Yourself

Your Sunday Reset doesn’t have to look like mine or include all the steps I do. It’s about creating a pattern and routine that helps you feel prepared and peaceful. Think of it as an act of self-care that keeps your week flowing and your home (and mind) organized.

Ready to Start Your Own Sunday Reset?

Start small and choose one area to reset this Sunday and build from there. Progress, not perfection, makes all the difference. Remember this is a work in progress for you and everyone in your home.

What Moms Really Want for Mother’s Day (It’s Not a Gift)

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what Moms really want for mother's day

 

 

As a certified professional organizer, I spend my days helping families clear physical clutter. That clutter often builds up when holidays arrive and you have the best of intentions. Mother’s Day is one of those days that you intend to share a lovely gift, but may be adding clutter instead. If you are honest, most moms aren’t wishing for another item to manage, store, or maintain. What they really want is something much simpler and more meaningful. They want to hear from you.

The Power of a Phone Call

A phone call may seem too small, especially in a world of curated gift guides and over-the-top Instagram-worthy luxuries. When you call your mom, you’re giving her your time, attention and presence. That matters more than you think. A phone call says, “I thought of you, and I didn’t let the moment pass.” It also says, “You still matter in my everyday life.” That is what Moms want to know: that they matter every day, not just on Mother’s Day.

Why This Matters More Than a Gift

Most moms have spent years giving their time, attention, and resources to their families, their homes, and their communities. They’ve managed schedules, solved problems, and often put their own needs last. What they don’t always receive in return is a simple, uninterrupted connection. Moms want time to connect above all other gifts.

Keep It Simple, Sweetie

Not sure what to talk about with Mom? What matters is sincerity and authenticity. Mom wants to know what is happening day to day, and also what has been a joy to you. Adding in a thank you to Mom is a wonderful wrap-up to your conversation. That’s it.

Less Clutter, More Connection

In organizing, we often talk about letting go of excess to make space for what truly matters. Mother’s Day is no different. Make time and space for what’s important to your Mom. She will truly appreciate this.

What People Say When They are Working with a Certified Professional Organizer

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CPO

Many people start with good intentions but quickly feel overwhelmed when it comes to getting organized. That’s where a Certified Professional Organizer® (CPO®) makes all the difference. Working alongside a trained and credentialed professional can give you the structure, accountability, and expertise needed to create lasting change. Here’s what clients often share with me about the value of working with a CPO.

“Writing out a less complicated plan helped me get started.”

When plans are overcomplicated, it is hard to get started or continue the project. You have a vision, but it lacks clarity. With a CPO, you can write out the organizing process to make sure it is accomplished in the most efficient way.

“Writing down my baby steps.”

The struggle happens when you have to remember all the details. Together, writing down the details makes your plan manageable. That might be a color-coded chart created together or a list your CPO writes and texts to you. Along the way, you are devising a manageable plan with real baby steps.

“Keeping me on track.”

You set a deadline, but it can be a long way off. Accountability is one of the most frequently requested parts of the organizing process. Staying focused on a project is often the hardest part. A CPO brings “loving” accountability and helps you maintain momentum, even when the process feels daunting. With someone encouraging you and being alongside you step by step, you’re less likely to get stuck or lose sight of your goals.

“Helping execute my plan.”

Many people know what they want their home, office, or schedule to look like, but don’t know how to get there. Getting started on your plan may be the hardest part. A CPO helps translate your vision into an actionable plan and works beside you to carry it out. Instead of facing endless tasks alone, you have a partner who helps break those tasks into small, manageable steps. Planning is a great asset, and so is execution.

“Giving me permission to declutter my stuff.”

Sorting through belongings can feel emotional and overwhelming. Those items may really be a burden while also feeling like a responsibility.  A CPO brings a fresh perspective, guiding you through decisions about what to keep, donate, or discard. With CPO support, you’ll create space and clarity in your environment.

“Changing my environment to be more productive.”

Your surroundings have a huge impact on your focus and energy. A streamlined environment is where productivity starts. A CPO helps you design systems and spaces that support productivity, whether that’s setting up a streamlined home office, reorganizing your kitchen, or creating routines for daily life. The result? A space that works for you to enhance and empower your productivity.

“I could not do this without you.”

If you could, you would! There are so many ways a CPO makes a difference. You have the plan, and a CPO arriving makes stuff happen. Your trust in your CPO creates a powerful partnership. A CPO can also act as a body double, giving you the energy and focus to complete your goals. I love making a difference in time and space in my clients’ homes and lives.

Working with a Certified Professional Organizer® is more than just tidying up.  It’s about building systems, habits, and environments that support the life you want. With expertise built on a strong foundation of education, you’ll feel empowered, supported, and set up for success.

What to expect when working with a Professional Organizer when you have ADHD

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adhd

 

Starting in the early 2000, I noticed my clients having similar challenges. It was usually a love hate relationship with time, paper and stuff.   That’s when I learned about ADHD.  Since that time, I have been working with clients with ADHD and helping make the changes they want in their lives.   Because of our work together, these clients have started living the life they have imagined.  What is it like for us to work together?

 

What to expect before we meet

My clients reach out through email or phone, bravely taking a first step.  It’s courageous because they have finally recognized how asking for help can make a difference. That courage comes from a deep longing to create systems and routines that have been unnatural for them.

 

When we initially talk or meet, my role is a listener. I am hearing what are the challenges.  I am not judging.  Because our work is non-judgmental, we are from the start creating a trust relationship.

 

It’s common that my clients can feel anxious about our first meeting. Perhaps it is about whether there is “hope” for a solution, or whether there will be judgement, or another feeling.  After we meet, that all changes.

 

What to expect when we meet

Our meetings begin with an assessment. It’s further talk and review of goals, expectations, and ho we will work best together.  There is a lot of verbal processing going on! My clients are talkers, who as they talk, ideas become clear.   We review the process of decluttering, organizing, and maintaining that we will work on together.

 

My clients and I establish a rhythm to our work for decluttering.  Our work always begins with “what to keep and what to let go.”  It’s a conversation at times and it’s a quick sort at times.   If my client gets stuck, at times we put something aside to talk further and at times we keep it for a while. My clients often don’t know what to let go of because it is not clear how much of an item they own.  We gather items together while we are decluttering.  In the end, I bring items to donate to facilitate decluttering.

 

As we organize, my clients and I determine categories together.  There’s grouping, there’s placing, and then there’s products to help.  Many of my clients have lots of products to help us organize. We can place these more effectively together.

 

What to expect after we meet

Organizing is a journey.  It’s not over after our series of meetings.  We discuss what maintenance looks like, how to create routines to maintain and what a maintenance visit together looks like.  These new perspectives on organizing help my clients keep organized. We talk about when we might meet again as needed.

 

What to expect

My clients have recently decided that they want to make a big change.  They have hit a point where the time has come to invest in that change on many levels.

The core of our work together is trust, education, support, and communication.  Knowing how my clients work best and sharing basic knowledge about ADHD are underpinnings of our work together.  My support and establishing a team to support my clients are part of our work together.  Communication, verbal processing, and non-judgemental discussions are elements that move our work together forward.

 

Curious about ADHD and getting organized?  Let’s connect!