Peace of Mind Organizing

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.

Expert help with coronavirus challenges

1 April 2020

I’m a huge fan of B.J. Fogg and his Tiny Habits program. (Just six weeks ago, I blogged about his Screentime Genie to help you reduce screentime.)

I’m on his email list, so I pre-ordered his new book Tiny Habits: The Small Changes that Change Everything. I’ll be honest and admit that I haven’t read it yet, but I have heard him on a variety of podcasts as he promotes the book. Just this morning I finished listening to his interview on Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard. (Warning: there’s explicit language on that podcast.) If you’re looking to create some great habits with ease, I heartily recommend looking into Tiny Habits.

During this worldwide coronavirus crisis, B.J. Fogg and his Tiny Habits coaches have created a series of free zoom classes addressing ways to use tiny habits to address various challenges this crisis brings up. You can see the list of upcoming classes to register for (there are 17 currently) and also, on the same page, find links to recordings of more than a dozen previous classes. Last night I watched the recorded class Tiny Habits for Cultivating Gratitude and this afternoon I’m planning to participate in the live class, Tiny Celebrations for Staying Upbeat. Friday I’m registered for Tiny Habits to Help Your Supplies Last Longer.

I think this is a tremendous service they’re offering and I encourage you to check it out. I love that these short classes add a little structure to my otherwise empty calendar. And I love the positivity and, most of all, easy applicability of the lessons.

My quarantine sanity savers

26 March 2020

In these strange times of COVID-19, gratitude feels important now more than ever. For me, the stay-at-home order means that I cannot work in clients’ homes. And I have lots of time to do the stuff I’ve been waiting to do when I have time. But actually getting myself to do that stuff is another matter.

So I’m thinking a lot about personal productivity and when I come up with some amazing solutions, I’ll be sure and let you know. In the meantime, I thought I’d share a few things that I’m really grateful for as I seek to keep my time at home as pleasant and productive as possible.

• The stay-at-home order issued by St. Louis City and County. Our state has not issued an order, but I’m grateful our local leaders were brave enough to order people to stay home. It gives me hope that we can slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.

• Spotify. I love that I can pull up playlists that meet my needs at any moment. This morning, it’s 70s ballads. Last week, it was 80s dance music that kept me energized as I filed a backlog of papers. (I’m showing my age, aren’t I?) A while back I sprang for the $9.99 per month subscription so I don’t have to listen to commercials.

• Social media (with limits). Social media has been a great source of entertainment and inspiration. But it can also be a source of stress, since the news is so distressing. I’m trying to set limits on my consumption. A timer helps.

• Streaming services. I don’t have cable TV but boy do I have options in things to watch on TV! I created a list in Trello of shows and movies to stream, in an effort to keep from getting overwhelmed. (In case you’re interested I made that Trello board public.) I binged The Morning Show on Apple TV+ last weekend (wow!) and, in addition to the shows I watch weekly on Hulu, I’m just starting a planned binge of Justify. (Have I mentioned lately how much I love Hulu without commercials? In my opinion, it’s absolutely worth $11.99 a month!)

• My yarn stash and knitting works in progress. Last fall, I decluttered my abandoned knitting projects, so now I have plenty of knitting to work on—and I can easily access them without feeling overwhelmed. My main focus is the Tempestry project I’m working on in honor of the 30th wedding anniversary my husband and I are about to celebrate. (I’m creating wall hangings for 1990 and 2020.) But I have plenty of other projects in the hopper!

• The Libby app that allows me to borrow Kindle and audio books, free of charge. It’s connected to both my library cards at St. Louis City and St. Louis County libraries. I’m now reading two books at a time, one on my Kindle and one audio book. And I’m not paying a dime. Something tells me I’ll make my goal of reading 50 books this year without a problem.

I could go on and on, but I’ll stop. I’ve always felt lucky that I grew up in a small community with not a lot to do, so I don’t bore easily. I’m not anywhere near feeling bored or frustrated by the stay-at-home order. But I am grateful that I don’t have to leave the house to be productive and entertained!