During last week’s Declutter Happy Hour class, we discussed the challenge of decluttering sentimental items. They can be so hard to let go of, even when you’re motivated to downsize.
Tagged with: declutter, declutter happy hour
Each Wednesday in February, my podcast co-host, Shannon Wilkinson, and I taught a Declutter Happy Hour to a group of 15 lovely participants. It was such a success, we’ve decided to offer it again. The next session of the four-part class will be held April 7, 14, 21, and 28 from 6 to 7:30 pm central daylight time.
Tagged with: declutter happy hour, dhh flypaper, events, shannon wilkinson
If you’re a long-time reader of this blog, you may remember Declutter Happy Hour. It was a teleclass that life coach Shannon Wilkinson and I created back in 2009. We did it a couple of times as a live teleclass and then morphed it into an ecourse before we retired it. We didn’t know it then, but it was a precursor to the podcast that Shanon and I now host, Getting to Good Enough.
Tagged with: declutter happy hour, dhh flypaper, events, shannon wilkinson
I wrote this post five years ago, but it still rings true. Recently, I purchased a greeting card whose front bears this quotation from George Addair: “Everything you want is on the other side of fear.” Distinguishing between when your fear is protecting you and when it’s limiting you can be a tricky thing._
Tagged with: declutter happy hour, decluttering, emotions, fear, self-care, shannon wilkinson, silvercreek glider club, worth repeating
It can be overwhelming when you know guests are coming and your home doesn’t feel quite up to snuff. (My brother’s visit has me scurrying around taking care of small decluttering projects.)
Tagged with: clutter, company, declutter happy hour, decluttering, quick clutter fix, shannon wilkinson
I love working one-on-one with clients (or supervising a team of organizers to help a client) and we get great results. But sometimes budgetary or geographic constraints make that impossible.
That’s why I’m glad to bring up some opportunities for ways you can tap into my expertise even if you’re on a budget or you don’t live in St. Louis.
Tagged with: allison collinger, declutter happy hour, decluttering, events, jill farmer, mail, organizing products, organizing resources, shannon wilkinson
Where are you on the New Year’s Resolution Continuum?
Tagged with: declutter happy hour, empowerment, goals, products, shannon wilkinson, teleclasses
I’ve had to learn a new skill set. And I didn’t make it easy on myself.
I decided to sell downloadable products of my own creation on my website. By the end of the month, I hope, I’ll have organizing guides and an e-course for sale in a new Products section of this website. (And I’ll be offering a new coaching program.)
Tagged with: declutter happy hour, fear, organizing products, procrastination, productivity, wendy cholbi
Having just spent four days with professional organizers, who are among the most supportive and helpful groups of people I can think of, I’m pausing to think about how important support is.
Tagged with: declutter happy hour, decluttering, felder rushing, napo, professional organizer, shannon wilkinson, support
I gave a decluttering talk the other day and of the audience members asked, “But what if I get comfort from having all my stuff around me?” I told her it’s not a problem to be surrounded by her stuff — unless it is a problem. I asked her whether being surrounded by her stuff was affecting her ability to function. She said yes. So we talked a little about what happens when the cost of keeping stuff is higher than the cost of letting go of it.
Tagged with: clutter, declutter happy hour, decluttering, disorder, guest post, quick clutter fix, rubbermaid, shannon wilkinson
Spring has hit St. Louis. It’s been in the 80s this week. The fruit trees and redbuds are starting to flower. Daffodils are out. It’s fabulous.
Tagged with: closets, declutter happy hour, decluttering, order
I wanted to update you on a few recent blog posts:
Tagged with: aby garvey, container store, declutter happy hour, elfa, linda samuels, napo la, napo st. louis, shannon wilkinson, shred and protect
January is almost over (already). As I’ve blogged about before, for the last couple of years I’ve been trying to add one big habit per year that will help me be happier and more productive. In 2008, it was clearing my desk at the end of the workday. In 2009 it was whittling my email inbox down to 15 or fewer messages every day. I’m going gangbusters on both of those.
Tagged with: declutter happy hour, empowerment, goals, habits, routines, shannon wilkinson, teleclasses, telephone coaching
Where are you on the New Year’s Resolution Continuum?
Tagged with: declutter happy hour, empowerment, goals, shannon wilkinson, teleclasses, telephone coaching
2009 was a year of ups and downs for me. I’m pretty sure I’m not alone. As I finish inputting data into Quickbooks for the year, I realize that my revenue is down, which isn’t great. I’m chalking it up to the economy. But so many really great things happened in 2009 that I view it as a year of success and progress.
Tagged with: aapo, accomplishments, accountability, declutter happy hour, napo, napo st. louis, nsgcd, speaking
I wrote just over 150 blog posts in 2009. Last week, I clicked through them and picked out some of my favorites to share with you in this post. The first go-around, I selected 24. But I figure that’s more than you care to see in one post. So I’ve cut that number in half.
Tagged with: blogging, declutter happy hour, decluttering, emotions, fear, hiring a po, nanowrimo
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m really lucky because we never host Thanksgiving dinner, so Thanksgiving isn’t a holiday I have to get ready for. My husband even does the cooking for our contribution to dinner. But I know I’m unusual. Many people are looking around their houses this week, thinking of what they have to do to whip it into shape for guests.
Tagged with: declutter happy hour, decluttering, holidays, quick clutter fix, shannon wilkinson
…which explains why the blog writing has dropped off a little. I’m very excited that I’ve been able to work on my novel-in-a-month piece of fiction each day since November 1.
Tagged with: deadlines, declutter happy hour, decluttering, goals, nanowrimo, shannon wilkinson, writing
I can’t believe Thanksgiving is just around the corner. I love Thanksgiving. And I’m really lucky because Thanksgiving doesn’t mean work for me. We’ve had turkey on the fourth Thursday of November every year since 1988 at the home of dear friends. My husband cooks our contribution. All I have to do is show up and eat. (And contribute to conversation.)
Tagged with: clutter, company, declutter happy hour, decluttering, holidays, shannon wilkinson
If clutter is an issue in your life, the prospect of having a dinner guest or houseguest can be panic-inducing. (Flylady calls it living in CHAOS, or Can’t Have Anyone Over Syndrome.)
Tagged with: clutter, company, declutter happy hour, decluttering, quick clutter fix, shannon wilkinson
As Shannon and I discuss in Declutter Happy Hour, sometimes people don’t want to work on clutter because it’s just plain scary.
Tagged with: clutter, declutter happy hour, decluttering, emotions, empowerment, fear, procrastination, shannon wilkinson
Recently my husband and I went to a family reunion held at a ski resort in Pennsylvania (it was the end of June and there was no snow). He and I rode a chair lift up to the top of the mountain to enjoy the view. I don’t ski and I’ve only been on a ski lift a handful of times. Neither of us heard the mumbling attendant’s instructions to pull the restraining bar over our heads and lock it in place in front of us. So we were riding up the mountain with nothing preventing us from falling out of the moving chair.
Tagged with: declutter happy hour, decluttering, emotions, fear, self-care, shannon wilkinson, silvercreek glider club
Okay, “miracle” is completely overstating it. But I was amazed at my office’s transformation the other day when I set my timer and got to work for 30 minutes
Tagged with: declutter happy hour, decluttering, productivity
In my newsletter, which goes out today, I mention the power of focus and how by setting a timer for a short period of time, I can get a lot done. (This is a refrain here on the blog too). I also mentioned that sometimes instead of (or in addition to) a timer, I’ll play a playlist of songs that ends after a set period of time.
Tagged with: 15 minutes, declutter happy hour, decluttering, motivation, music
At the end of March, life coach Shannon Wilkinson and I started offering a four-week telecourse called Declutter Happy Hour.
Tagged with: clutter, declutter happy hour, decluttering, emotions, empowerment, encouragement, shannon wilkinson, telephone coaching
In working with my life coach, Shannon Wilkinson, I’ve discovered that my driving force is ease. I like things to be easy. That’s why I love living in St. Louis, where the living is easy (recent highway closures notwithstanding) and didn’t like living in New York City, where the hassle factor is high. Ease trumps excitement in my book.
Tagged with: declutter happy hour, michael neill, productivity, shannon wilkinson
As part of the preparations for Declutter Happy Hour, the four-week teleclass I started offering with Shannon Wilkinson last month, I’ve been doing a lot of small decluttering projects around the house.
Tagged with: 15 minutes, clutter, declutter happy hour, decluttering, shannon wilkinson
Over at the wonderful blog, Unclutterer last week, guest blogger Gregory Go offered up a guest post on the Seven Benefits of Decluttering. If you had any doubt of the benefits of lightening the load and letting go of excess (and they include financial benefits!), hurry on over there and check it out.
Tagged with: declutter happy hour, decluttering, shannon wilkinson, unclutterer, zen habits
I’m writing this at 6 p.m. Six flippin’ p.m! I usually blog in the morning and when I mess up my routine, things tend to fall through the cracks.
Tagged with: declutter happy hour, exercise, productivity, shannon wilkinson
Gretchen Rubin who writes the blog (and upcoming book) The Happiness Project also blogs for Real Simple (and for Slate).
Tagged with: declutter happy hour, decluttering, gretchen rubin, happiness
Our first “Declutter Happy Hour” session begins tomorrow, March 31, at 2 p.m. central. If you haven’t signed up yet but are intrigued, head on over to the Declutter Happy Hour website and check it out.
Tagged with: clutter, declutter happy hour, decluttering, emotions, empowerment, encouragement, shannon wilkinson
A decade ago, Flylady told me to set my timer for 15 minutes and declutter. She told all of her followers, “You can do anything for 15 minutes.” I’ve put that into use over and over again through the years. And I blog about it a lot because it’s so true.
Tagged with: 15 minutes, clutter, declutter happy hour, decluttering, flylady, shannon wilkinson, time timer
Recently, I’ve been blogging quite a bit about how hard it can be to get rid of clutter, not just because it’s hard work that’s difficult to find the time to do, but because of emotional barriers to the work, or unhelpful beliefs that get in the way.
Tagged with: clutter, declutter happy hour, decluttering, emotions, empowerment, shannon wilkinson, telephone coaching