Why I am not other Organizers

Someone recently emailed me this link:

http://newyork.metromix.com/style/article/closet-case/253539/content

There is this part of the interview:

What’s the strangest question anyone’s asked you about clutter?
“Why do I have to let go of my child’s umbilical cord that I have here in a Ziploc bag on my refrigerator door?

Now, my goal is not to speak ill of others, but the strangest question to me is, why on earth is an Organizer forcing someone to get rid of that?!

I am not other Organizers...and should it be relevant, I write this tempted to save any umbilical cords that may come my way.

Keep Going!

Today I was thinking about the topic for today's blog, and I decided on the notion of continuing forward, no matter what. Thinking hard, I nodded to myself at the wisdom of my future writing. Upon arriving outside, I realized I had left today's pressing errand up the many-flighted haul. Looking down at my six layers and two bags and sweating in anticipation, I considered avoiding the climb for tomorrow.

However! I imagined the stress of not having completed the errand, the ensuing relief upon its completion, and not least of all, the topic of this blog....

There are different kinds of exercise (mental and physical) involved in doing what you need to do. It may not always be as convenient as we'd like, but the necessity does not go away. The reward is particularly great when we persevere despite our inclination to avoid.

It's not easy, but keep going, and I shall try to do the same!

Dealing with the Mail

Yesterday's client was frustrated about the ever-returning pile of mail on the kitchen table.

"It starts," she told me, "and it just gets worse."

1. Separate- We separated out what was hers, her husband's, recycle, and shred.

2. Recycle/Shred

3. Separate further- We separated her file pile from her to-do pile, and the same for her husband's pile. A common pending pile emerged.

4. Do what's easy- The pending pile found a home with an already existing pending pile nearby.

5. Search elsewhere/condense- Upon going through all the papers on her desk in the other room, all fit into one of the piles.

6. Separate again- within the file pile, there were those papers with preexisting files, and those which needed new files made for them.

7. Check for strays- in pausing to think, one often inadvertently creates a new pile or places things in unrelated places. Look again with fresh eyes to see if there is anything else that sneaked by the sorting process, or that suddenly shouts that it does not belong.

How many piles are left?

My client had four: Husband, Preexisting files, Create-a-file, To-do.
Why was there mail on the kitchen table?

Two reasons: it's the first place to put things upon entering the house, and there is no real filing cabinet/system large enough for all files. Both of these reasons can be dealt with. Although the mail did not magically go away, much of the pile did, making the chores of filing and doing much less daunting.

As far as the furniture/lack of comprehensive system is concerned, to be continued....!

As simple as...

"I have no room in my kitchen," he said, chopping vegetables on top of the microwave, somewhere around hunched shoulder-height.

We looked at the items in his kitchen.

"Do you use this here?" I asked, pointing to the empty paper towel holder on the counter.

"Well, it goes there, but I can't use it, because everytime I do, it falls on the floor. So I leave it there, but tend to put the paper towel roll wherever I leave it..."

We moved the paper towel holder next to the sink where it filled a spot too small for anything else, but was supported from falling.

Watching him chop vegetables in his newly-freed up precious counter space, I felt my own shoulders relax.

Sometimes the tiniest things make all the difference. We may need new and bigger kitchens, but there's a good chance we just need to reorganize the awesome kitchens we already have.

To the smallest of adjustments with the largest results!