What? Nutrition affects clutter?
 
     Clearing clutter and getting organized require executive function skills such as defining tasks, planning steps, initiating tasks, staying on track, and following through. When our executive function skills are compromised through inadequate nutrition, our brain’s ability to function is diminished. So, yes, nutrition plays a critical role in supporting brain function and therefore aiding our decluttering ability. This concept may sound far-fetched but I will describe the logic and then list which foods to avoid and include for best brain performance. I will conclude with a bit of motivation. (Click on Read More)

     You would likely benefit from a strong body to successfully declutter your home, but this post is about strengthening the mind in preparation for decluttering. In a previous post on self-care, we learned that quality sleep improves brain function and in turn enhances the specific skills needed for decluttering and organizing tasks. To repeat, those skills include defining tasks, planning steps, initiating steps, staying on track, and completing tasks. Sleep is only one of the three basic components of self-care. The others are nutrition and exercise. Today’s topic is physical exercise and I will show how it strengthens the brain to enhance those skills. (Click on Read More to continue.)

     What does self-care have to do with organizing your home? In some cases – everything. Here’s why. Basic self-care (sleep, nutrition and exercise) improves brain function and good brain function supports effective decluttering and organizing skills. If you are challenged by clutter, overwhelmed by too much stuff, don’t know where to start or lack energy to make decisions consider self-care to bolster your decluttering efforts! Today’s focus is on the sleep component. Upcoming posts will discuss the value of nutrition and exercise.
​
     First, let’s identify the necessary decluttering and organizing skills.

​If you experience a lack of motivation to declutter your home try these solutions to get in gear!

    1. INVOLVE SOMEONE ELSE IN YOUR DECLUTTER EFFORTS.​ 
Enlist a clutter buddy, a friend or relative, who will work with you to keep you focused. They might even keep your spirits up and manage time for you.
 
Set up a declutter schedule on your calendar, then find someone to whom you will be accountable. Again, this might be a friend or relative. They don’t necessarily have to be physically on site. You can simply check in with them and follow up later with a progress report.
(click on Read More to continue)

(... with a coaching organizer.)
 
1. improve self-discovery and awareness
A coaching organizer uses coaching skills to help you learn about yourself. Through the transformative coaching process you realize your strengths, resources, goals and life values. You come to a new awareness of how to handle the issue at hand, whether it is a decision, problem, or roadblock, that keeps you from successfully decluttering.
 
2. ensure organizing tasks are aligned with life goals
The coaching organizer partners with you to ensure that your decluttering decisions align with your life goals and values. 
​(Click on Read More to continue)

July is here already! The past few months have incongruously flown and crawled by at the same time. It seems the COVID-19 pandemic kept me in an extended holding pattern - like a really long snow day – where I ignored lots of household tasks. Can you identify? Is it time to take control and tidy up your home?
 
Initiate a first step to get back into the decluttering swing of things. Here are some (short and sweet) ideas:
 

• Organize your car.
• Declutter a closet, bookshelf or kitchen drawer.
• Shred the waiting pile of papers.
• Clean, freshen and air out blankets.
• Re-arrange a room.
• Tidy up your house plants.
• Declutter newspapers and magazines.
• Thin out a coat rack or shoe rack.
• Clean out the freezer.
• Take a bag of donations to a charity.
• Organize hobby materials.

 
Take control - One step leads to more!

Is getting organized your number one New Year’s resolution? Here’s how to achieve it: AWARENESS! How can awareness help to declutter and organize? And how do you become aware? (Click on Read More)

Embarrassed by losing the same things (phone, keys) over and over again? For people with ADHD this problem is all too common. For the rest of us, losing items becomes a reality when we’re stressed or tired. There are serious consequences for misplacing important items: we are delayed getting out of the house, we make a bad impression, we disappoint ourselves, we arrive late to appointments and jobs, and we appear to disrespect friends, family and coworkers! There are viable strategies to help even the most absentminded.
 
A basic principle of organizing is to assign homes for all our things: papers, shoes, tools, sports equipment, photos, clothes and so on. The same is true for crucial items like keys, phones or store/gift cards. Not only do these items need homes but we must be consistent about returning them to their rightful places. How to do this?
​(click on Read More)

​In a previous post (July 2019), I described minimalism and my beginning progress on that road. To repeat a quote from Joshua Becker of the becomingminimalist.com blog, “minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of everything that distracts us from it.” Initially, I wondered what it would look like and how it would feel to declutter the things I did not use. Slow and steady progress has marked my experience. I am hoping to find clarity toward future goals as a result of the decluttering process. (Click on Read More to continue.)

     As we contemplate a new year, who doesn’t dream to make our lives better, eliminate bad habits or just take more responsibility for our lives? As I’ve blogged in the past, the New Year is a wonderfully energetic time to make resolutions. However, this year I’m approaching resolutions from a broader perspective. Simplicity - the state of being uncomplicated. What about intentionally working on simplicity as a way to bring about positive changes? Here’s my thought process:
 
Simplify  >  Focus  >  Achieve goals

(to continue click on Read More)