Peace of Mind Organizing

Organizing my office one tiny space at a time

1 May 2020

I am spending a lot of time at my desk these days. Since I’m not going into clients’ homes, I’m probably at my desk at least eight hours a day, if not more. Some days I’m staring into the computer and barely looking around. Other days, the disorder jumps out at me. It’s time to do something about it.

I decided that next week I’m going to whip my office into shape. But I don’t want it to be a Big Project. Instead, I’m going to take it one teeny tiny project at a time. I’m hoping that each project will take no longer than 15 minutes. I’ve decided to keep myself accountable and on task by writing a post each day next week with the results of my tiny project.

I have lots of little projects to choose from. They include:

• My scanner stand with a stack of books and detritus
• My office supply closet
• Some action papers that have been languishing since my business slowed down so abruptly
• Some built-up scanning
• My under-desk file cart (that will surely take longer than 15 minutes)
• The snack area in my office
• My monitor stand
• My pens

And the list goes on. If I catch a wave, I may move on to other areas of the house.

If you’d like to join me, feel free to comment with the area you’re planning to tackle (or have tackled)!

YNAB to the rescue

23 April 2020

You Need a Budget is a website/app that has revolutionized the way I think about money. I am surprised that I haven’t blogged about it before (besides a brief mention in January). I did write a bit about it in the January issue of my newsletter .

Today I was reflecting on my gratitude for YNAB, as it’s called, during this current economic crisis. Because I’ve been using YNAB in combination with Profit First for Peace of Mind Organizing since November 2018, I now feel in control of my finances. One of the principles of YNAB is to give each dollar that comes in a job, which allows you to put away a little every month for an annual bill, for example. When you spend money, you tell YNAB which category it comes out of. And if you have unexpected expenses, you can move money from a category you’ve funded and make up for it later. (One its principles is that you should roll with the punches. I love a flexible system.)

The upshot of this is that I’ve had the delightful experience of having the money at the ready when big bills, like my liability insurance, come due. Because I took the time to write down and budget for these annual expenses (which YNAB calls True Expenses), I am aware of how much money it costs to keep my business going. Thanks to Profit First, I’m allocating all my income among the following categories: Profit, Taxes, Owner’s Pay and Operating Expenses. So not only am I paying my business’s bills, I’m paying myself, putting away money for taxes, and I’ve even amassed some reserves, thanks to the profit category.

Using YNAB has cut way down on financial surprises, which was a most welcome change. But then the biggest surprise of all came along: COVID-19. Because I work in people’s homes, my income slowed to a trickle after the stay-at-home order was imposed. Thanks to YNAB, I didn’t freak out about that. I had a very good first quarter. I actually have money in my bank account. And I know how much I need every month to fund my business’s monthly and annual expenses. That is such a huge gift for my peace of mind.

If you’re intrigued by YNAB, here’s what I suggest you do:

• Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB. (If you use that link, we each get a free month after your trial is over. YNAB costs $12 a month or $84 a year, if paid annually.)
• Read articles and watch videos at YNAB’s help center
• Check out YNAB YouTube videos (I particularly like the ones by Nick True.)
• Consider joining the YNAB Fans Facebook group and, if you’re a small-business owner like me check out the Fans of YNAB for Small Business Facebook group
• Figure out your monthly expenses and your true expenses and give YNAB a whirl!

My friend, Shannon Wilkinson, has been using YNAB for years. She’s been raving about it to me all that time and it took me forever to give it a try. I really had to change the way I thought about money, so it took a little while for me to really see its benefits. But I’m in it for the long haul now.

Shannon and I talked about YNAB in Episode 87 of our podcast, Getting to Good Enough. That episode is called Financial Peace. You might enjoy listening to that episode if you’re considering YNAB.

I should point out that while I use YNAB for my business (my husband handles our personal finances), it’s fantastic for personal budgets as well.

Worth repeating: The curse of the large house

20 April 2020

I originally wrote this post in 2016. And it’s as true now as ever. Now’s a great time to do some decluttering!

My husband and I own a house that’s larger than we need. It was built in 1908 as a two-family house and when we bought it, we lived in the upstairs apartment and rented out the downstairs apartment. The upstairs apartment, which has two bedrooms and is 1600 square feet, was plenty big for the two of us. But we rather hated being landlords, despite the fact we had good renters. (Truth be told, we’re born renters.)

We moved to Brooklyn, New York, for four years and in that time rented out both units of the house, with the help of a property manager. Our rent in Brooklyn was twice the mortgage payment of our St. Louis house. So when we moved back to St. Louis, we decided to live in the whole house and avoid the stress of being a landlord.

So we literally have twice as much space as we need. (More than twice a much, actually.) Plus we have a full basement.

Recently I’ve been decluttering some deep storage in our home because we’ve waterproofed our basement and now have the ability to store stuff down there. I came across items that we put away in 2001 when we moved back to St. Louis. This is stuff we haven’t used in 15 years. Stuff we didn’t even miss. Or remember owning. (I’m talking about items like tablecloths, games, and a bag marked, in my handwriting, “Barry’s shirts.” What was I thinking?) Most of it has been donated.

The longer I’m a professional organizer the more fervently I believe that life is better when we have less stuff. I believe that owning fewer belongings leads to more freedom. And I see it in my clients as well.

I have two clients looking to put their houses on the market on February 15. Both clients own spacious homes. Consequently, both clients have lots of stuff. I am encouraging them to let go of as much as possible as we pack up items for storing for staging purposes. As my team members and I are handling these items, I just keep thinking about how much better off we all would be dragging around less stuff.

If you live in a small home that is bursting at the seams, you may think the answer to your clutter problem would be moving to a larger home. I’m here to tell you that it isn’t true. When we have large homes, we tend to acquire more. (Just like when we have higher incomes we tend to spend more.)

At some point before long, I suspect Barry and I will sell our house and move. Believe me, I will be advocating for a much smaller space! As challenging as the downsizing might be, I’m confident having fewer belongings will lead to happiness and peace of mind.

Sign up for free organizing expert webinar series hosted by Samantha Pregenzer

16 April 2020

I don’t know if you’re familiar with Samantha Pregenzer of SO | Home and the Simply Organized Blog . Chances are good you are: Her simplyorganized account on Instagram has over 200,000 followers and she is an organizing rock star.

She’s also a member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals (NAPO), as am I. Recently, Sam reached out to her NAPO colleagues to put together a two-week live webinar series in which she will be interviewing NAPO members on specific topics outside her expertise.

I’m happy to say that I’m one of those experts. I’ll be talking with Sam about getting started in genealogy and organizing genealogy research on Thursday, April 30.

The Safe-at-Home Organizing Expert Series kicks off on Monday April 20 at 1 pm eastern/10 am pacific. Sam will be interviewing one expert per day at that time. You can read all about the lineup for the first week on Sam’s blog and you can sign up for the series (it’s free) on the Crowdcast website.

I think this will be a great way to learn from a lot of good folks about a variety of topics. And I’m delighted to participate!

Look around: What tiny project can you do?

14 April 2020

So many of us are at home now. Some are working from home. Others aren’t. But one thing is pretty sure: We’re spending lots of time with our stuff.

When social distancing started, I attacked a few organizing projects around my house because I suddenly had time to do them. But my enthusiasm for them waned pretty quickly. Now, one month in, I’m starting to address some teeny, tiny projects that will remove some irritations without much effort.

Case in point: I do yoga in our guest room. I keep the yoga mat down and it’s easy for me to take my computer in for at-home yoga. When I do twists over my right shoulder I see the full bookshelf in that room. And I’m continually distracted by the thought, “I should get rid of some of those books.” Then my thoughts go to, “Well, I can’t make any donations right now, so what’s the point?” This is in the middle of a yoga practice, which is pretty counterproductive.

So today I spent a total of 15 minutes going through the books. I decided to reserve the bottom two shelves for books I would donate. I shuffled books around so that the bottom two hold donations and the upper shelves are books to keep. I didn’t move any of my husband’s books to the donate shelves and I’m hopeful I can get him to designate some for donation. (That will require a little more rearrangement, but that’s okay.) Once I’m able to donate the books, all I’ll have to do is remove the ones from designated shelves and move some of the books around.

I know it’s hard to tell whether the photo above is a before or an after, but it’s an after. It didn’t make a huge visual difference, but I think it will make a psychic difference. Tomorrow morning when I do yoga again I can’t wait to find out whether the bookshelf is no longer be a distraction because it no longer represents a task I need to do.

I’m wondering if you can do the same. Is there anything bugging you that 15 minutes can take care of? Maybe it’s your water bottles or commuter mugs. (Those are the kitchen-cabinet shelves I notice get most cluttered in clients’ homes.) Or food-storage containers. Perhaps it’s pulling the expired foods from your pantry. Or inventorying the contents of your freezer.

When all this is over and we’re back to our busy lives I think it will feel good to have taken care of these little projects. With 15 minutes of daily effort, we can make a huge difference in our homes!

ETA: When I did yoga the next morning, it was a great relief to have gone through that bookshelf! Having checked off that task gave me mental peace.

So much to be thankful for, even in these uncertain times

9 April 2020

It’s hard to articulate all the feelings I’m having as I stay at home during this COVID-19 crisis. I try to push away the fear of the health and economic repercussions of the pandemic. I try to keep a positive attitude. And, most of all, I try to practice gratitude. Even though things are falling apart around us, I have so much to be thankful for.

I thought I’d list some of those things today:

• I’m healthy, as are my husband and my other family members and friends.
• While I’ve stopped earning, my husband is still working (from home).
• Our refrigerator (and wine refrigerator) and pantry are full and my husband is an amazing cook.
• I’m free of the time pressure I’m accustomed to feeling.
• Having grown up in a small, isolated community, I’m not easily bored.
• Yesterday, I finally started working on some back-burner projects that have been waiting for me to have more time (and boy do I have that). It felt great to make progress!
• A robust internet connection and a full complement of streaming services.
• This 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle (pictured above) that I am thoroughly enjoying. And I’m using my five pieces at a time method to extend the fun.
• All the money I’m saving on makeup.
• This microwave corn popper
• It’s spring and we’ve had some beautiful weather. I think it would be much more challenging to be dealing with this social distancing if it were commencing in November or December.
• I’ve been more in touch with long-distance friends than usual (typically via Zoom).
• I can still make a difference by writing postcards to voters, which I’ve been doing since June 2018. (I’m just about to reach the milestone of 2,000 postcards sent!)
• I think one of things I’m most grateful for is Adriene Mishler of Yoga with Adriene. Since I now have time for morning yoga, I have been able to create a habit of doing it each morning before getting dressed and walking Bix. I’m revisiting her yummy Home — A 30-day yoga journey, which is simultaneously nurturing and energizing. And I know that if I start feeling bad about what’s going on around me, I can make use of her Yoga for Uncertain Times playlist. I am so grateful that Adriene shares her gifts with the world free of charge (and am happy to be one of the millions who are participating).

I think it’s important to recognize and communicate (even if it’s just with myself) the things I am grateful for. What about you? What are you grateful for doing this unusual time?

Some Good News for Hamilton lovers

6 April 2020

I’ve adored John Krasinski ever since The Office premiered 15 years ago. Last week, when he published his home-produced YouTube show, Some Good News, I told everyone I knew about it because it was so delightful.

Then this morning, I awoke to a text from a friend alerting me to a second episode of Some Good News. And this one absolutely made my day. I don’t want to give too much away, in the event you don’t know what I’m talking about, but if you, like me, are a fan of the musical Hamilton, you’re going to want to watch this all the way to the end. If you’re not (yet) a fan of Hamilton, I encourage you to watch it all the way to the end anyway. Enjoy.

This doesn’t really have anything to do with organizing, but it has a lot to do with self care, one of my favorite topics. I plan to watch this video over and over to offset the bleak news of the day.