Peace of Mind Organizing

Worth repeating (once again): Decluttering old papers and memories

11 August 2026

I wrote this post back in October 2015 and reading it today made me appreciate that not only can letting go of excess be liberating, but the process itself can be a wonderful trip down memory lane. I loved reviewing my accomplishments but was still happy to let go of the physical reminders of them. I’ve moved since then and let go of even more. Here’s the good news: In all that time, I haven’t missed any of the papers I purged!

Over the weekend, I faced down the challenging of decluttering a file cabinet full of old papers and memories. I love having these experiences that put me in my clients’ shoes and help me better understand what they’re going through.

A number of years ago, I moved my office four-drawer filing cabinet into the basement, replacing it in my office with an Elfa file cart. I didn’t bother decluttering the stuff that moved to the basement with the file cabinet. It was all papers related to achievements in my first two (and only) jobs, as well as administrative and project files from my decade as a dog writer, along with over 100 files of newspaper and magazine clippings of published articles I’d written.

They might have sat there until we moved, except that we’re doing a big repair and renovation in our basement, so the file cabinet has to be moved several times. It seems like a good time to (literally) lighten the load in that cabinet.

So I went to the basement and started going through the files. It was a fun and sometimes sad trip down memory lane. The tricky part was much of the material in that file cabinet pre-dated the worldwide web as we know it so isn’t available online (or at least not easily). I always caution people to give some thoughtful consideration to discarding irreplaceable items, but I also tell them that the more sentimental items they keep, the less value any of it has. So I was experiencing the push-me-pull-you of those two factors.

In the eighties, I worked for a non-profit on an international project that involved publishing magazine supplements in magazines around the world. I had a copy of each of those supplements. They really don’t have any value for me—in thirty years I’ve never once been asked about them. Yet they evoke some fond memories. (I traveled around the world and met those magazine editors.) And I don’t think they exist in digital form. What to do?

After a little thought, I decided to keep one of them and recycle the rest. That felt a little scary but also gave me that great feeling of lightening the load.

My next job was doing media relations for the Missouri Botanical Garden and I had kept some important clippings I’d placed. Back then I was able to garner some pretty significant attention for stories that felt like a very hard sell. Those clippings and the news releases I’d written to place them could be handy if I were every seeking a job in media relations. But the likelihood of that is close to nil. So I ended up keeping a little portfolio I’d created back then and recycling everything else.

Then I came to the more recent career—all the files from when I was a dog writer from 1995 to 2005, when I started Peace of Mind Organizing. I threw away all past project files, which was a pretty easy decision. Then I dealt with the clipping files. I wrote something like 150 articles and back in those pre-internet days one mailed photocopies of clippings with query letters to try to get magazine assignments. So I had made a bunch of copies of every article I published. Only laziness had stopped me from getting rid of the extras years ago. Yesterday, in the spirit of lightening the load, I kept one copy only of the more significant articles, like the ones that appeared in national magazines (I wrote quite a bit for Family Circle—that’s part of one of my favorite Family Circle articles in the photo above), the columns I wrote for a now-defunct magazine and a now-defunct website, and the articles for which I won awards. I went from hundreds of files to a single, fairly thick, file.

Going through this process was a great mental exercise. I got to revisit some achievements, which is always fun. I cried when I read the column I’d written after our dog, Scout, died in October 2001 and the one I wrote after our other dog, Kramer, died in December 2001. It made me appreciate, as I probably didn’t at the time, that those articles probably helped others who were grieving the loss of their pets. I’m glad I kept hard copies of those because they’d be tricky to find online.

Do you have ancient files or other memorabilia lurking somewhere in your house? I encourage you to bring them out into the light and go through them. You may jog some really fond memories. And you find it easier than you think to let go of this particular type of excess. Trust me, it can be liberating!

Leaving my comfort zone

31 July 2026

Yesterday, I saw the new Christopher Nolan film The Odyssey on a 70mm IMAX screen.

This is only the third film I’ve seen in a theater since the lockdown in 2020. That seems crazy, since prior to COVID, I was a big fan of going to the movies. (And I now live across the street from a movie theater!) But I became more comfortable watching films at home alone (or with my husband) since they’re now available online so quickly.

A friend reached out a week or two ago asking if my husband and I would like to go to see The Odyssey at a specific showing at a specific theater. My initial reaction was to say no. I don’t go to movies in theaters any more. I don’t like fantastical movies. I don’t like IMAX because in my past experience I had to tilt my head back uncomfortably. I figured I’d probably fall asleep since the movie’s running time is almost three hours.

But something told me to say yes to this invitation. I knew the movie was well-received and critics seemed to love it. I wanted to spend time with my friends. My husband was excited to go (though he would have been fine going without me). I decided to say yes.

For a week I dreaded it and wished I’d declined. When we got to the theater and paid $25.30 for 1 medium popcorn and 2 junior fountain drinks (on top of $36 for the tickets), I was aghast. We took our (excellent) reserved seats and then I endured four or five really loud previews for incredibly violent/horrific movies.

I started thinking about whether I could get the car keys from my husband and leave if I wasn’t enjoying the film.

Then the actual movie started and it was amazing. I was drawn in from the first scene and was never once even close to falling asleep. The 2 hours and 52 minutes passed by quickly. I am SO glad I saw it in the theater, on the giant IMAX screen.

As I left the theater I reflected on the lesson of this. How many great experiences am I missing out on by staying in my comfort zone? I love hanging out in my apartment and my neighborhood. I’m extremely happy and cozy in my comfort zone. But listening to my inner voice telling me to say yes to this turned out to be a very good idea.

I am going to remember The Odyssey every time I am on the fence about whether to do something out of the ordinary for me. Perhaps it will tip me into deciding to venture out more. I’m kind of excited to think what this new attitude my bring me!

Worth repeating (again): Lessons learned from a painful thumb

21 July 2026

I wrote this post almost exactly ten years ago today. When I re-read it, I nodded along with the insights. I was glad for the reminder so I thought I’d share it again today. I’m happy to report that my thumb remains pain-free, ten years after that cortisone shot!

I was diagnosed with trigger finger recently (trigger thumb, actually). Trigger finger happens when the tendon in a finger or thumb becomes inflamed, causing the finger to catch in its sheath. The finger then locks in the bent position and then releases with a snap.

As soon as I noticed severe pain in my thumb and experienced that tell-tale snap after waking up, along with a constant dull pain in the thumb, I made an appointment with a hand doctor. (My husband has had surgery for trigger finger twice, so I was clued in.) The doctor confirmed my self-diagnosis and suggested a steroid shot. I’d heard that the steroid shot was really painful, but I decided to give it a try.

What does this have to do with organizing? It brought to mind two things that I see in clients while decluttering and organizing.

First, the fear of the pain of the shot was worse than the pain itself. And while it was quite painful for about 10 to 12 (long) seconds, it wasn’t by any means unbearable. Once the pain of the shot was gone, the pain of the condition slowly started to fade away.

It got me thinking about the fear some clients feel about hiring an organizer or the prospect of going through the decision-making process of decluttering. It seems scary, but the pain is over pretty quickly. And once you’re past the pain of getting started, you can start getting relief.

After I got my steroid shot I was (unrealistically) expecting instant relief. That wasn’t the case. It took probably a week, but every day there was less pain in my thumb. Then one day there was no pain at all. I could grip items without pain and the constant dull ache was gone. And mornings were much easier, since I woke up pain free.

It probably took me a week to notice the absence of pain. That was a real a-ha moment for me. Once I noticed that my thumb no longer hurt, I was delighted. The shot had worked! I was amazed that it took so long to notice.

Isn’t that true of a lot of things in life, including organizing systems? We notice what isn’t working. We feel the pain and frustration of failing systems or the absence of systems. But when things are going well, we often don’t even notice. We’re missing an opportunity to feel good about ourselves!

I encourage you to think about the things in your life that are working well. Notice the absence of frustration. Think about what you’re doing right and apply those lessons to the frustrating aspects of your life.

Noticing the absence of pain isn’t easy. But it can be rewarding!

Photo by Tash Williams on Unsplash

Our 300th episode!

1 July 2026

The podcast I co-host, Getting to Good Enough, hit a milestone a couple of weeks ago. We published our 300th episode! I co-host the podcast with my friend, life coach Shannon Wilkinson. We started it in 2018, published weekly for five years, and took a two-year hiatus before reviving it in 2025.

The 300th episode is special because Shanon and I were together when we recorded it. We typically record it over the internet from our homes in Portland, Oregon (Shannon) and St. Louis (me). Since the reboot, we’ve also recorded video for our YouTube channel. The 300th episode shows us sitting side by side, rather than in a split screen. If you’re interested, you can watch it below. (Feel free to click over to our YouTube channel and subscribe!)

The theme of the podcast is letting go of perfectionism so you can live with more ease, less stress and a lot more laughter. It’s a theme can apply to so many topics. Early on we identified a truth that underpins all our discussions. It comes up in our conversation almost every episode. And I wanted to share it here:

The key to letting go of perfectionism is identifying what’s important to you.

Once you are in touch with what’s important to you, decisions become easier. When you let what’s important to you be your touchstone, things fall into place.

Shannon and I started the podcast because we thought it would be fun. And it is. (Though it does require some work.) We certainly don’t do it to make money. But I get to talk with a seasoned and talented life coach every week, which is not only fun it’s beneficial. Exploring themes around perfectionism has made me aware of when I’m letting perfectionism get in my way (despite considering my self a “good enough” person). It’s helped me make improvements in my life and productivity.

If you’re not listening, I encourage you to check it out wherever you get your podcasts.

And if you have a dream of starting podcast (or really, doing anything that might feel outside of your comfort zone), I encourage you to give it a shot! If we can do it, you can too. The tools available in 2026 make it much easier to start a podcast than it was in 2018. Just don’t let perfectionism get in your way!

Worth repeating: Figuring out what to watch on TV

15 June 2026

I wrote this post back in 2017 and I when I stumbled on it this morning I was struck by how the struggle has not gotten any easier over the last decade. In fact, I think it’s harder for me to figure out what to watch! There are so many excellent choices that it can be paralyzing. Rereading this post made me want to try a little harder to stay focused so I maximize my quality TV time.

I’ve learned over the years how easily overwhelmed I am when I have too many choices. I blogged a few years ago about how I prefer buying Apple computers because they limit your choices. I know that one of the reasons I love my tiny wardrobe is that I don’t have to choose from a lot of options when I get dressed.

My most recent struggle with too many choices is television. I love TV and usually watch some TV while I knit or color in the evening. But I find myself yearning for my childhood days when I had a choice of about four things to watch. I cut the cord on cable five years ago but now there’s more to watch than ever before.

With all the choices available to me on Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, plus various other channels on my Roku, I can’t settle on anything! And it’s making me a little crazy. Last night I found myself killing an hour watching a new game show for heaven’s sake (The Wall, not worth my time)!

For some reason I’m turning TV watching, which I do to relax, into a source of stress. That’s ridiculous. I think I have to do something to narrow down the options, so I’m not stressed out by deciding what to watch. Here’s what I think I’ll do:

• Pick two shows (a comedy and a drama/action show) with the intention of watching each in its entirety, because I love doing that. I’m selecting two so I can choose depending on my mood.
• Give the shows on the current lineup at least three episodes each before abandoning.
• Keep a list in Evernote of shows I’ve tried watching, shows I’d like to check out, and shows I’ve seen before that I’d consider streaming again. (2026 comment: I now use my Bullet Journal for these lists.)

I just found this Rolling Stone article on the 100 best TV shows of all time. I’ve seen many of them (and would rewatch some) and it reminds me of some renowned shows that I’ve been meaning to watch. I think it will help me create a few lists to narrow things down so can get past this frustration.

How about you? How do you handle deciding what to watch on TV? Also, do you have any shows you think I should add to my short list?

The power of incremental progress

4 June 2026

I just achieved a big fitness goal and I’m thrilled. Back in October 2025 I set a goal of being able to walk from the ground floor of my high-rise apartment building up to my 35th floor apartment. I thought of it as 35 floors, though I realized late in the game that it’s actually 34 to my apartment. So I changed the goal to being able to walk from the first floor to the 36th. (That’s a photo of my building on the left. In case you’re curious, there are 18 stairs per flight for most of the flights. A few have 20 stairs.)

Why that crazy goal?

• The initial inclination was a practical consideration. I wanted to feel comfortable walking to my apartment if the elevator went out. The building has three elevators but there have been times when we were down to one (crowded) elevator. Knowing I can walk up if I need to is liberating.

• I wanted a fitness goal that is achievable with measurable progress toward success.

• I wanted it to be as easy as possible. I didn’t want to have to leave the building to train and I didn’t want to spend a lot of time doing it.

I’m proud to say that on Tuesday, May 27, I walked from the first floor to the 36th floor!

I started with 15 flights. Initially I walked down 15 flights to the 20th floor and then back up to 35. But once I got to about 19 flights, I noticed my quads were hurting from walking downstairs. So I curtailed walking down and focused on walking up.

In January, I was at 19 flights and got serious about a schedule. With the help of my AI assistant, I created a schedule that had me walking the stairs twice a week, adding one floor per week. I was able to add more flights before resting. By the time I got to 35 floors, I was down to two rest stops per workout.

I made a little chart in my Bullet Journal to keep track of my progress. I noted the number of flights, the number of rests, my average heart rate and my maximum beats per minute. I also noted the time of day (and discovered that the earlier I walked the stairs, the easier for it was for me) and how long the workout took.

Looking at the data, my heart rate patterns remained steady as I added floors. And of course, the time I spent went up but the average time per floor went down, partly because I was taking fewer rest stops. It took me 11 minutes, 15 seconds to walk 35 floors earlier this week.

It blows my mind that I can do this. I’m a a 63-year-old dyed-in-the-wool couch potato. I am working out with a great trainer weekly, which has made a huge difference in my fitness. But I think the key to my success with the stairs challenge is the incremental progress.

By adding just one floor per week over the course of seven months, I was able to achieve my goal of walking up 35 flights of stairs without dread.

Now that I have achieved my initial goal, my plan is to keep walking the stairs twice a week with a new goal: I want to walk from 1 to 36 without stopping. Of course, my first interim goal is to do it with just one stop. Then I’ll make my stopping point a higher floor (perhaps one higher per week) until I can walk to 36 without a rest. This week, I walked from 1 to 15 without stopping for a rest. (Back in March, I was only walking six floors until I had to rest and I was taking four stops on a 24-floor trip.)

ETA: On July 25, I climbed the stairs from Floors 1 to 36 without a rest! I’ve managed to do that each time effort since. I now put a water bottle on the landing on Floor 26, so I can grab it on the way up. That little bit of effort makes a huge difference!

For me this workout is a complete package that helps strengthen my legs and heart and has a practical application. I can do it without leaving home, without seeing others (except in the elevator down) and it’s less than 15 minutes out of my day.

When it comes to exercise goals (or really any goals), making the activity as enjoyable as possible and making slow, steady progress really sets you up for success. I’d like to apply this to many things in my life!

Podcast guest spot on the role of organization for folks with chronic illness

14 May 2026

I was interviewed last month for the podcast, Life at Pancake Rocks, which is hosted by Christina Schulze, an advocate for people living with chronic disease. Christina has cystic fibrosis and had a double lung transplant almost 20 years ago. Her podcast covers a variety of topics that folks who are grappling with chronic disease.

I enjoyed our conversation and her thoughtful questions around organization and how it can be helpful for her audience. I provided some ideas about keeping a manageable home a little easier (like letting go of “should” and giving yourself grace).

Watch below or on YouTube: