Peace of Mind Organizing

Worth repeating: Decluttering old papers and memories

28 February 2019

I wrote this post in October 2015 and reading it today made me appreciate the big task I accomplished in getting rid of all those papers and memories. Here’s the good news: In the three and a half years since I let that stuff ago, I haven’t missed one thing. Not one. Letting go is definitely liberating!

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!

The kudos file, a great self-care tool

25 February 2019

What do you do with nice little notes you receive from people? You know, the ones that make you feel good or help you know you’re on the right track. I’m not much a keeper of cards and the like. I discard holiday cards when the holidays are over, though I have kept the lovely notes sent me after my mother’s passing in 2015.

But every now and then I get a card or an email that compliments me or lets me know I’m making an impact. Those notes make heart happy. And I don’t want to toss them. Years ago, I created a kudos file and that’s where I put those cards. (I’ve even been known to print out a particularly wonderful email and file it.)

I received a lovely card (pictured here) recently from my colleague Lynne Poulton of Wholly Organized complimenting the podcast I host with Shannon Wilkinson, Getting to Good Enough. It’s so rare nowadays for people to take the time to put pen to paper, especially when it’s so easy to email or text. I was so touched by her words and her effort and, of course, I filed it in my kudos file. While I had the file open, I was surprised to see how thick it was. I’d been filing into it but not really looking in it.

So today, I pulled out the kudos file and read through all the cards and notes in it. Most of them I don’t remember ever receiving. And I had a very enjoyable 15 minutes or so feeling the love. To me, that’s real self care.

Do you have a kudos file? If not, I encourage you to create one. (Pro tip: Jot a date on a card before you file it; I wish I had.) If you do have a kudos file, when was the last time you looked in it? It might be nice to pour yourself a beverage and curl up with it for some good reading. It’s bound to make you feel good.

An innovative pants hanger: Holding Hangers

22 February 2019

January 2022 UPDATE: Unfortunately, due to COVID, the company that makes these hangers closed and they are no longer being manufactured. C.Lee is no longer selling them.

Last year, I learned about Holding Hangers , an innovative style of pants or skirt hanger that had just been made available in the U.S. My colleague, certified professional organizer C. Lee Cawley of Simplify You in the Washington, D.C., area, had seen these hangers in Europe and decided to import and distribute them in the U.S.

I love supporting my fellow organizers (and I so admire those who are willing to take the final risk to deal in physical products), so I ordered a couple of sets. My initial response was very favorable.

These hangers are meant for any garment that doesn’t have a shoulder, including pants, skirts, strapless dresses and off-the-shoulder tops. They’re spring loaded and lock into the waistband of a pair of pants or a skirt. I was concerned at first that they might stretch out the waistband, but C. Lee pointed out that they apply less pressure than the wearer’s own waist.

After using them for over a year in my own closet, I’m convinced. Here’s what I love about Holding Hangers:

• They’re very easy to use—I don’t have to fold my pants prior to hanging.
• I can remove a pair of pants (or a skirt) with one hand.
• They’re very tidy in the closet.
• They don’t take up much space on the rod.
• They keep pants and skirts wrinkle free.
• They don’t leave marks on the garment like clips can.
• They come in four sizes (including kids).

When I told C. Lee I was going to blog about Holding Hangers, she offered my readers a discount! Between now and midnight (eastern time) on February 28, you can get a 20 percent discount on Holding Hangers by entering the code JANINE20.

If you try them, let me know what you think!

P.S. C. Lee had a great TV appearance recently, helping a TV reporter organize her pantry. You might enjoy it.

Perfectionism in Organizing - interview on Smead's podcast

14 February 2019

You know I love talking about perfectionism on the podcast I co-host with Shannon Wilkinson, Getting to Good Enough. So I was thrilled to be asked to be a guest on Keeping You Organized a weekly podcast presented by Smead, the big filing products manufacturer.

The topic of the episode is “Overcoming Perfectionism in Organizing” and I enjoyed talking with host John Hunt. They gave me permission to share it on this blog, or you can view it here on Smead’s website where you can also see a list of the talking points (and timestamps).

Audio-only version:

Video version:

I hope you enjoy it!

Developing a yoga practice

12 February 2019

I started my daily yoga practice on December 12, 2018. As I posted five days later in a post entitled Starting yoga where I am, I was able to get past all my barriers to getting started thanks to my wonderful niece, Miranda. I started the 30 Days of Yoga practice on the amazing Yoga with Adriene site and it has been wonderful.

Today marks two months of daily yoga. It’s gone from an obligation to something I look forward to every day, even on days when I feel tired. Adriene Mishler, the instructor, is a kind, loving and funny person. She always expresses her love for her viewers at the end of a session, and I found myself whispering “I love you” back to her the other day. Adriene makes me feel good about myself.

I started out wanting to do yoga in the morning, but it’s evolved into an end-of-the-workday practice. On a couple of occasions, I’ve not been able to do it until late evening and in those cases, I’ve broken from the 30-day programs and done one of Adriene’s bedtime yoga videos. Such a nice way to end the day.

Last week, I tweaked my lower back somehow, which limited my ability to bend in certain ways. In previous attempts to create exercise routines, a hurt back would have meant letting myself off the hook for the exercise. But I didn’t want to do miss yoga. So I did Adriene’s Yoga for Lower Back Pain video for several days in a row, which I think helped my pain and alleviated my fear that I’d hurt myself. And it meant I didn’t miss yoga. Hooray!

Folks, this feels like a miracle.

Today I finish Dedicate my second 30-day sequence and will move onto another. (Miranda suggested I try Yoga Camp.) These 30-day programs are right in my wheelhouse. I love not having to choose what to work on. And I love the variety.

I’ve noticed a few benefits to my daily yoga, beyond the calm enjoyment. I can sit more comfortably cross legged (something that’s always been fairly excruciating for me). The other day I squatted to sort some papers for about 15 minutes with no problem. My core feels stronger. And I feel proud of myself. It’s the greatest.

If you’ve been thinking about doing yoga but don’t know how to get started, please check out Yoga with Adriene. If you pick a 30-day sequence you won’t have any more decisions to make. I was an absolute beginner and 30 Days of Yoga was not too advanced for me. And Adriene always suggests ways to make poses more challenging, so it’s not a beginners-only practice. If I’ve piqued your curiosity at all, please give it a try. I think you’ll thank me.

In my clients' shoes

8 February 2019

I had one of those great experiences yesterday that reminds me how my clients often feel when we work together. I had met a woman who was interested in pursuing a career as a professional organizer but had no experience beyond working in her own home and helping her family members get organized.

Since she was someone I might hire and train, we decided to do an organizing session at my house to see how she liked it and what her organizing style was like. (Turns out she’s a natural!)

I selected a small closet to empty and declutter with her. It’s sort of a catch-all closet in an extra room and it hadn’t been cleaned out in ages. We emptied it, she sorted items, I went through them and I let go of a whole lot of stuff.

I discovered items that I don’t remember having owned, some of which were no-brainers to toss while others were exciting surprises. Perhaps most exciting (if a little overwhelming) was quite a large collection of photos from my life, primarily. I didn’t take the time during the session to look carefully, but I did spy some photos of my husband and me looking impossibly young. There were also some wonderful old family photos in an enveloped marked, in my handwriting, “Vintage Photos.” There were some lovely 100-year-old photos in there, most of which were familiar to me. But the condition of these photos is better than what I already had.

My plan is to organize this photo collection and scan the ones I care about. Serendipitously, just the day before the organizing session, I’d been offered the use of an Epson FastFoto photo scanner for two months. I’ll use this high-speed scanner to scan the photos that are appropriate for it. So watch for a blog post about that experience.

Another interesting (to me) category in that closet was hand-knit items. I had a sweater organizer hanging from the rod, and I used to store a bunch of shawls, scarves, bags, sweaters and vests that I knit by hand over the years. Some, alas, had been moth eaten. It was easy to toss those. Others were in good shape but I’d never use again. I donated those. It took a few passes, but I reduced the hand knits collection to two shawls and one bag (picture above). The bag was the first thing I ever knit (as an adult, anyway). I’ll never use it—it’s a wildly impractical long-handled, bright-purple, garter-stitch bag made of cotton—but I don’t want to let it go. And that’s okay.

I was thrilled that my husband defied my expectations and let go of some things I expected him to hang onto—stuff that he’d had for decades. When we were all finished, everything fit quite nicely back in the closet, though a few things were moved to more logical spaces. We now know exactly what’s in that closet and we can find it easily.

The peace of mind this has given me is amazing. I open that closet daily because that’s where we store Bix’s supply of cow ears. The clutter in there was mocking me. I didn’t know what was lurking in there and I had trouble finding anything when I did need to try to find something.

It’s so nice to feel the thrill once again of letting go items that aren’t serving me. And to sensibly store the items that are. I love it when I get to stand squarely in my clients’ shoes!

Want to receive blog posts by email?

6 February 2019

For years, I used Feedburner to send my blog posts out to people who wanted to receive them via email. But recently I noticed that Feedburner hadn’t updated its feed in over a year, though my RSS feed was up to date. Go figure. It probably had something to do with my getting an SSL certificate and the rest is too boring to think about, let alone explain.

So I dropped Feedburner and had to think about how to serve those folks who want to receive blog posts via email. Here’s what I came up with:

My monthly newsletter will now have links to every blog post that was published the prior month.

Until now, I had listed four or five of my favorite blog posts in every issue of the newsletter. (And to be honest, some months there are no more than five.) But now I’ll go ahead and list all the blog posts.

So if you’re interested in receiving blog posts via email in one monthly email, just sign up for my newsletter. You can do that by clicking on the Newsletter link at the very top of this page. Or just click on the little envelope icon at the top of the blog. My newsletter comes out on the 15th of the month (like clockwork). In addition to the blog post links, you’ll get lots of other organizing info, in the form a feature story, a tip, a photo and maybe even a special offer.

If you’d rather receive the blog via RSS, you can Right-click or Control-click on the RSS icon at the top of this blog and select “Copy Link.” Then just paste the link into your favorite RSS reader. I use Feedly.