A friend of mine asked me today, "What is one thing you can tell me to do to help me be better organized?" Without knowing what area she needed help in I said, "Start with your mail!" So many people bring the daily mail in and dump it on the counter or in a basket and then forget about it until it's overflowing onto the floor and the power company is threatening to turn off your service! This obviously is not a good strategy. So my suggestion to my friend today, and to all of you, is deal with your mail immediately! As soon as you bring it in the house sort out the junk and throw it in the recycle bin; open the bills, write what is owed on the calendar and post the bill & envelope together on a bulletin board; place the catalogs you want to peruse in a basket near your favorite chair, and voila! No more mail taking over your life.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Are You Chronically Disorganized??
Check out this questionnaire...
Answer the following questions yes or no-jot down your answers for each number.
1. Has disorganization been a factor in your life for many years?
2. Does your level of disorganization interfere with the quality of your
daily life or negatively affect your relations with others?
3. Has disorganization persisted despite self-help attempts to get organized?
4. Do you own at least one organizing book?
5. Are you an “info maniac” (saving many articles, newspapers or books you’ve
read)?
6. Do you suffer from “fear of filing”?
7. Do you feel every paper must be kept in sight or you’ll never find it again?
8. Do you lose or misplace papers and items despite keeping them out?
9. Does your filing system cause difficulty in retrieval?
10. Does it take you more than 3 minutes to find most papers in your office?
11. Do you like to collect things?
12. Are you a shopaholic?
13. Do you accumulate possessions beyond apparent usefulness or pleasure?
14. Does your disorganization cause you embarrassment or humiliation?
15. Are your desk, floor and/or countertops covered in papers?
16. Did you feel deprived as a child, either emotionally or materially?
17. Is it difficult for you to part with things even though they have outlived their
usefulness?
18. Do you consider yourself a packrat?
19. Do you have a wide range of interests and several uncompleted tasks and
projects?
20. Do you find it difficult to stay focused or are you easily distracted?
21. Do you tend to lose track of time?
If you answered “yes” to numbers 1, 2 & 3, and some of the other questions, you could be chronically disorganized. Chronic disorganization is found at the extreme end of the continuum, differing from severely disorganized. CD is marked by its longevity, interference with quality of life and resistance to self-help efforts.
If you answered “yes” to several other questions, don’t panic. We have solutions. There are many types and levels of disorganization relating to the areas of paper, time and clutter management. Anyone can be taught to increase his/her level of organization. It is never hopeless. Professional organizers can help you succeed where self-help falls short, while saving you countless hours of effort trying to discover the most effective solutions for yourself.
NSGCD Fact Sheet — 001
By Diane Hatcher © 2003 NSGCD
Answer the following questions yes or no-jot down your answers for each number.
1. Has disorganization been a factor in your life for many years?
2. Does your level of disorganization interfere with the quality of your
daily life or negatively affect your relations with others?
3. Has disorganization persisted despite self-help attempts to get organized?
4. Do you own at least one organizing book?
5. Are you an “info maniac” (saving many articles, newspapers or books you’ve
read)?
6. Do you suffer from “fear of filing”?
7. Do you feel every paper must be kept in sight or you’ll never find it again?
8. Do you lose or misplace papers and items despite keeping them out?
9. Does your filing system cause difficulty in retrieval?
10. Does it take you more than 3 minutes to find most papers in your office?
11. Do you like to collect things?
12. Are you a shopaholic?
13. Do you accumulate possessions beyond apparent usefulness or pleasure?
14. Does your disorganization cause you embarrassment or humiliation?
15. Are your desk, floor and/or countertops covered in papers?
16. Did you feel deprived as a child, either emotionally or materially?
17. Is it difficult for you to part with things even though they have outlived their
usefulness?
18. Do you consider yourself a packrat?
19. Do you have a wide range of interests and several uncompleted tasks and
projects?
20. Do you find it difficult to stay focused or are you easily distracted?
21. Do you tend to lose track of time?
If you answered “yes” to numbers 1, 2 & 3, and some of the other questions, you could be chronically disorganized. Chronic disorganization is found at the extreme end of the continuum, differing from severely disorganized. CD is marked by its longevity, interference with quality of life and resistance to self-help efforts.
If you answered “yes” to several other questions, don’t panic. We have solutions. There are many types and levels of disorganization relating to the areas of paper, time and clutter management. Anyone can be taught to increase his/her level of organization. It is never hopeless. Professional organizers can help you succeed where self-help falls short, while saving you countless hours of effort trying to discover the most effective solutions for yourself.
NSGCD Fact Sheet — 001
By Diane Hatcher © 2003 NSGCD
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Hoarding, Clutter & Obesity
You may wonder why I'm talking about obesity on an organizing blog, but there's an intense link between being morbidly overweight and having an extreme amount of material things in one's home. The emotional attachment we have to our possessions can become so magnified it becomes impossible to even throw away items most people consider trash. It can get to the point of not allowing visitors into the home, of not being able to open doors into rooms and having piles of things that create pathways through the home. If this short description rings true for you or someone you know. I can help. I feel really passionately about healthy eating as well as organizing, and I have some background as a life coach so it's the perfect match of experiences to help you overcome the challenges in your life that keep you from living life to it's fullest.
Here's a beautiful story of a woman who was able to overcome the chaos in her home as well as drop serious weight. It's an ongoing challenge, as it is for any major life change, but it's so worth it!
Please don't let it come to this...
Here's a 10 question quiz, not necessarily a good assessment tool, but it had interesting info.
Compulsive Hoarding Study by UCLA
Here's a beautiful story of a woman who was able to overcome the chaos in her home as well as drop serious weight. It's an ongoing challenge, as it is for any major life change, but it's so worth it!
Please don't let it come to this...
Here's a 10 question quiz, not necessarily a good assessment tool, but it had interesting info.
Compulsive Hoarding Study by UCLA
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Great Reasons To GET ORGANIZED!
In no particular order here they are (if you have one to add, send me a comment):
1) Save money-you won’t over buy things you already have like that spare bottle of shampoo, or the hammer lost in the garage. How 'bout late fees for bills unpaid cuz they're in a pile of papers, somewhere... or fines for overdue library books...
2) Spend more time doing what you really want, and less time looking for lost items. Isn't it frustrating when you're trying to get out the door to go do something fun, but can't find your keys, wallet, sunglasses, cell phone...?
3)
4)
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Befores & Afters Gallery
This page is dedicated to all the before and after photos I take of jobs I've done. Check back often as more will be added on a continual basis.
Washer/Dryer-Before
Washer/Dryer-After
Washer/Dryer-Before
Washer/Dryer-After
Walkway-Before
Walkway-After
Coat Hooks-Before
Coat Hooks-After
Under bathroom sink-Before
Under bathrrom sink-After
Bookshelf-Before
Bookshelf-After
Dresser-Before
Dresser-After
Closet-Before
Closet-After
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Healthier Alternatives to Common Household Cleaners & Chemicals
Another one of my passions is living a healthier life free of chemicals. About 10 or 11 years ago I started reading up on ingredients in personal care products that ought to be avoided, because the lists kept crossing paths with me. Usually a good indicator that it's something a person needs to pay more attention to. So I started there, with personal care products like shampoo, conditioner, soap, deoderant, etc. I went through my whole bathroom with said list of products to avoid and was astounded at how many of them there were and how many of them were listed near the top of the ingredient list on the products I had-not good.
From there on out ingredient list reading kind of became a hobby of mine. I know, don't I have better things to do? Well cancer runs in my family and I'm determined to change that pattern. Many of the ingredients on the avoid list are known carcinogens (cancer causing agents). And we wash our hair in that crap? Yes, we do!! Well, not me anymore, but my whole life before then I sure did!
And how does this relate to personal organizing?? you might ask. Well, if you are committed to living a healthier life and you start organizing your bathroom cabinets... Guess what? You're gonna end up with a whole trash bag of expired personal care products that you haven't used in 5 years full of nasty chemicals that could give you cancer. Or at least that's how it usually goes.
To get you started, here's a handout that I created for my clients. Click on the picture to see it bigger. The handout lists several common household cleaners and chemicals that you may have in your home with a healthier alternative and where you can purchase them.
From there on out ingredient list reading kind of became a hobby of mine. I know, don't I have better things to do? Well cancer runs in my family and I'm determined to change that pattern. Many of the ingredients on the avoid list are known carcinogens (cancer causing agents). And we wash our hair in that crap? Yes, we do!! Well, not me anymore, but my whole life before then I sure did!
And how does this relate to personal organizing?? you might ask. Well, if you are committed to living a healthier life and you start organizing your bathroom cabinets... Guess what? You're gonna end up with a whole trash bag of expired personal care products that you haven't used in 5 years full of nasty chemicals that could give you cancer. Or at least that's how it usually goes.
To get you started, here's a handout that I created for my clients. Click on the picture to see it bigger. The handout lists several common household cleaners and chemicals that you may have in your home with a healthier alternative and where you can purchase them.
If you already have the handout and or you'd like a more detailed list of ingredients to avoid, what they're made from, what they do in our body, and why you would want to avoid them, or you're already committed to living more naturally and wholistically and want support making the transition and cleaning out the junk, all you have to do is leave a comment at the end of this post with your e-mail address and I will contact you.
Let's celebrate You, the Earth and a Healthier Home!
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Paying for your Services
I now accept credit cards through PayPal
Gift Certificates are also available
Gift Certificates are also available
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