SIMPLIFY SIMPLIFY!!!
Posted by Joanna on May 17, 2008
If you are like most of us (me included) there is a TON of
information that comes at you every day - by email, snail mail,
radio, TV etc.
Decrease the volume and you will find it easier
to stay organized.
Mind you, it takes an odd kind of bravery to be able to admit,
“In reality I DON’T have time to read that __________ every week.”
It takes courage to say, “I know enough about that topic for right
now. I can go to the library or re-subscribe when I REALLY need
more info.”
BUT piles of unread magazines or dozens of unread e-zines won’t make
you happier or smarter. I promise.
Once you are clear about that, you CAN (yes- you really can)
cancel a subscription. Sure you can GIVE away the extra magazines
AFTER your receive them, or delete an e-zine but even that takes
time and attention. It IS possible to unsubscribe!
If you feel burdened by the ton of subscriptions piling up… try
cancelling at least one and see how it feels.
How Much is Enough?
Posted by Joanna on May 14, 2008
This is definitely a question that comes up often in my work.
A while back a sweet young Mom asked me HOW MUCH STUFF was the
right amount for her daughter.
At that time her daughter (I’ll call her Sara) was 4. Toys,craft
materials, and children’s books were taking over the kitchen and
living room as well as Sara’s bedroom and it was making the whole
family miserable. These young parents wanted to provide as much
opportunity as possible but knew that something wasn’t working.
We talked about it for a while and I finally asked,”How much can
she (Sara - not the Mom! ) manage well. What I meant was — what can SHE cope with/use and then put away so it isn’t all over the place and what does she REALLY love?”
The answer to that was simpler than either of us expected and working with that as our measuring stick we were able to figure out how much should be available for daily use, what should be tucked away, and what was way too much for any little girl (and her parents) to have to manage.
The question of manageability has continued to be one of the key concepts in helping folks make their spaces work for them.
***
Then last week a long time friend and I stayed at a lovely monastery for a
brief retreat. During lunch one of the monks asked what I do and we
were instantly into a discussion about clutter - yes, even monks!
Asked for my most important piece of advice, I said, ” If you are
doing what you want to do and clutter isn’t causing problems, then
don’t worry about it. After a few seconds I added, “and less is more.”
There are so MANY helpful strategies. I keep a running list of them to
share with you over time, but bottom line, you have my most crucial
advice right here:
1)If you are doing what you want to do and clutter isn’t causing
problems, then don’t worry about it
and
2)Ask yourself: How much (of _______ ) can I manage well?
Give it a try… and let me know what you discover.
Organizing & Feng Shui etc.
Posted by Joanna on May 9, 2008
Amelia Kinney kindly gave me permission to use her email to me
in full - has some great ideas and alternate perspectives!
Thank You Amelia!
I want to also wish you all - a HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY! The way I
see it- we all (female and male) take on the mother role at times !
From Amelia:
Dear Joanna,
I’ve been doing massive deep cleaning, sorting, purging and
organizing for some months now. And I’ve been following your tips,
after having hired a Feng Shui specialist two years ago.
In regard to your 3/13 e-tip, I would have to differ. I decided I
could not wait to buy organizing tools, having lived with heavy
chaos for the past 11 years. I purge, sort and organize all at the
same time. I’ve found that having and using organizing tools
before I’ve finished purging and sorting gives me some peace of
mind while tackling the rest of the task at hand.
I began my creating order odyssey with my smallest room, the
bathroom; it happens to fall in my Wealth Gua. And I knew I needed
money or wealth to complete the rest of my home. I organized and
painted the bathroom so well that magical money and resources
landed in my lap that enabled me to go back to school and start my
own business. I didn’t even have a car that would drive me back &
forth to my school. But the car happened, too.
I was tackling my work desk the other week and I realized that in
order for me to keep my sanity and to keep up my motivation to
continue purging, sorting and organizing I had to use organizing
tools as I went along–not at the end. Even if only one corner of
one room is clear and organized, that space provides clarity of
mind. In fact, as I think back, I began my efforts two+ years ago
with clearing the kitchen table, that is, taking everything off of
it and wiping it down. A clear kitchen table: just that amount of
external clarity provided enough internal clarity not to be
overwhelmed with a whole houseload of chronic and severe chaos.
I also hire a friend from time to time to help me keep up with the
basics, like doing dishes and vacuuming. When I have no money I
barter services or goods for services. In the beginning, in
exchange for an hour’s cleaning I would cook a complete homemade
dinner. That way we both ate and my house was clean–if still
cluttered.
Get a paper shredder. I got mine off of Freecycle.com
Getting bookshelves was a very important event for me.
If you’re are like me, make sure you date boyfriends or girlfriends
who like to clean and organize. That helps immensely. Myself, I
hate cleaning, sorting and organizing. It’s just not where my
aptitudes lie.
- The past is the past is the past: when in doubt throw it out.
- When shopping for new or recycled things: when in doubt, leave it out (don’t buy it).
Sincerely,
Amelia Kinney—Yes, you can use any of my suggestions!
Your “Spare” Time & STUFF!
Posted by Joanna on Apr 18, 2008
I haven’t forgotten you though last week’s TIP DAY went right by
without a peep from me. In fact( in my thoughts) I was talking with
you most of last Sunday while I sat on my living room floor weeding
through ancient papers. And ever since then I’ve been having an
ongoing “conversation” with you about time,energy and STUFF!
Here’s a short summary…
Luckily Sunday was cold so it wasn’t so bad spending the WHOLE
afternoon and evening - NINE HOURS- inside reading old letters etc.
There were a couple of sermons my grandfather wrote in 1915;letters
my mother wrote to my grandmother in 1944 - and letters I wrote
in 1955 and so on. Yoiks! Reading those letters corrected some
of the “facts” I thought I knew about my life. But do they matter?
Here’s the thing — the plus and minus of stuff.
There are current activities I really care about…the El
Salvador scholarship project, learning Spanish, time with my family,
my 91 year old dad and so on.
I think there is a real questions about the importance of old papers
(sorry historians). If my mother hadn’t held onto those boxes after
my grandmother died and if I hadn’t kept them when my Mom died –
would I be any worse off?
I think of my dear friends in the little village in El Salvador who
have NO boxes of old papers — does that make their life worse or
better? And their kids have no toys or at most ONE…yet they play
joyfully.
I’ve agreed with my daughter that I will keep a SMALL sampling of the
old papers to pass on to her- ONE BOX. But I really do think that moment
by moment or day by day it comes down to a decision of HOW DO I WANT
TO SPEND MY TIME? What matters most to me- TO YOU?
STUFF definitely uses up time.Today I leave you with a QUESTION.
How do you want to use YOUR spare time?
Letting Go - Try it!
Posted by Joanna on Mar 28, 2008
With Spring arriving - slowly in Vermont- more quickly further
south, I am beginning to hear lots of conversations about SPRING
CLEANING and have decided to take a moment with you to consider
the touchy subject of LETTING GO. I know personally, as well as in
my work, that it isn’t so easy!
What about one client’s photo albums from 30 years of teaching?
What about the Doonesbury cartoons from the ’70s? For me - it’s what
about all the letters I’ve saved? And what about the 12 years of
newspaper articles on organizing?
The spaces I currently have for storage are full and I have NO desire
to create additional storage. I know by experience that at some point,
someone will have to deal with my stuff. So what to do?
If I want to declutter I have to take some time to consider my
personal reality with questions like: When I have free time how do
I truly choose to use it? Is that likely to change radically? If I
couldn’t go anywhere (due to physical challenges) how would I
actually spend my time? What IS this stuff all about for me?
I know that the Doonesbury books were taken to a used bookstore
where you can put credit on an account for future book purchases. I’ll
let you know what the teacher does with her albums.
And me? I’ve decided to do a major paper sorting in the next month and pare
way down. I’m not a historian and have no desire to be one. So I’m
going to try keeping SAMPLE letters and SAMPLE articles and see how
that goes. I’ll also follow my own advice to write the date of when
I make the KEEP decision - on each item. Then on down the road I
can see how long it takes me to look again at the things I’ve kept.
What is the STUFF that gives you trouble? Want to make April the
month for dealing with it? I’d love to hear what you do! And if
you get stuck, feel free to email or call.
DON’T BUY Containers - Yet!
Posted by Joanna on Mar 13, 2008
Working with a new client the other day I was reminded of how
tempting it is to think that buying organizing STUFF will solve the
problem. Catalogs show beautiful,serene spaces trying to convince
you that all you need is to buy a new SOMETHING.
My strong recommendation is DON’T!!! Don’t buy new shelving , new
containers nor another file cabinet. Not yet.
First - find out what you really need and want in your space. There
may be a lot of things you almost never use. Say it’s a bunch of
bowls that you want to keep for the future when you have more
time for company… Rather than purchasing a new cupboard and
filling up your daily living space … put the extra items put in
a clearly marked space in the attic or basement or even in the
back of a closet.
If you want less clutter, the first thing to do is consider
what you want to see(admire) or use everyday …
Once you KNOW for sure what you really need and want in your
active( most lived in spaces), then it MAY be time to buy a
container.
So FIRST - declutter!
Keeping Your Treasures
Posted by Joanna on Feb 14, 2008
It seems to me that Feb 14th is good day to mention a couple of
ways to enjoy items you treasure even when it no longer makes sense
to keep them.
I was reminded of one strategy by a lovely woman visiting from New
York who stopped by our neighborhood yard sale last Fall. She and I
got to talking about clutter (imagine that!)and how space is at a
premium living in the city. She said she was pretty good at
keeping her small space livable. For the fun of it, I gave her a
copy of my Decluttering 101.
A few days later she emailed to tell me something she’d been doing
for quite a while with treasures that didn’t really fit in her life
any more. Photographs were her solution! She’d made a “Treasure
Album.” When she wanted to pass a treasure on BUT didn’t want to
forget it, she wrote a brief note, took a couple of photos and
could then appreciate that piece of her past without having to pay
for and/or search for it in storage.
A similar solution for any sort of cloth item that is no longer
useable (t-shirts, sweatshirts, tablecloths, whatever)is a “Memory
Quilt.” Keep a small part of the cloth, perhaps a logo or a part of a
sleeve and sew the pieces into a quilt. However,if you are unlikely to ever make a quilt, a photo could work here too.
It makes sense to me to figure out one way or another to actively see
and enjoy those things you consider treasures!
Here’s a proposal- send me a strategy that has worked well for you -
I’ll send you a complimentary copy of Decluttering 101.
The Junk Mail Problem
Posted by Joanna on Jan 17, 2008
Imagine not having to deal with ANY mail that you consider junk!
What if everything arriving in your mail is something you
“love, or(a bill for) something you use, or a treasure” of some sort?
What would that be like? Really think about it for a minute!
I know I’ve written about a number of ways to reduce junk mail- but
I’ve only recently learned about doing it online! This could be super
for you who love using the internet. Seems to me that junk mail
reduction is very much a win/win since you end up with less clutter
and the environment is better off as well.
NOTE: I am told there are similar services in other countries - my
apology to readers who are not in the USA as I haven’t looked up
who you would contact. Could you let me know?
In the US, http://www.ecocycle.org is a free service that links you
to a number of mail reduction sites including one for credit card
offers.
http://www.greendimes.com charges a fee of $15 but plants ten trees
when you sign up and gives you some assistance with the process.
There are a number of other sites. Almost all of them quote bunches
of factoids to spur you on to action. Here’s one: ” Each of us will
spend an average of eight months of our lives dealing with junk mail
(Center for a New American Dream).” Yikes!
No matter how you decide to do it- give yourself and the earth a
break in 2008. Find out just how much junk mail you can stop BEFORE
it arrives!
Making “breathing space” for YOU!
Posted by Joanna on Nov 16, 2007
Does it seem to you that November is just racing by …How can it be only a week till Thanksgiving (for the US declutterers) and then a week later December
arrives? YOIKS! Can you sense your treadmill about to lurch into the highest speed - just when it would be so great to have the time to
be kind and gentle with yourself as well as others in your life?
In addition to time pressures there’s the pressure of STUFF- perhaps more than at any other time of the year.
SO how to make a bit of space? How to slow down just a tad?
Here’s SPACEMAKING TIP #1 ONE LESS TASK
Take a deep breath and search for ONE thing you are doing that you will deliberately let go of for the next 6 weeks.
One activity that you will specifically put on the back burner for the next six weeks. And then reassign THAT pocket of time for YOU!
Rest assured that the people in your life who are counting on you will benefit from your IN-ACTION.
(It would be super to hear what you choose and how it goes. Want support? Check the Breathing Space blog to find out
what and how others are doing with this. www.breathing-space.com
SPACEMAKING TIP #2 The SCOOP METHOD
There’s that pile of stuff that is driving you nearly crazzzzzzy. You can’t bear the thought of dealing with it.
When you imagine trying to sort it out your shoulders scrunch up,your jaw tightens and you want to do ANYTHING else
but that! So you do your best to ignore it but still it’s there nagging at you.
Get a free cardboard box from the grocery and SCOOP that pile! JUST SCOOP! Almost pretend your eyes are closed
because it’s crucial that you DON’T deal with the stuff at this moment. Toss it ALL in the box and immediately write on the box
SCOOP - the location where the pile was and the date. You have probably moved stuff out of the way “for company” other times in your life. This has a slightly different edge– you are doing this for your own sake AND you have marked the box
in BIG BOLD letters with a date on it which will help you track just how important the stuff is that went into the box. If you don’t look at it for half a year it’s going to be either saesonal stuff which you will be rady to use again OR
stuff you really don’t use - so no wonder it was in a pile!
Yes- now you have to put the box somewhere and yes- sometime soon it would be good to sort the stuff and get it where it
belongs but if you have marked the box you are already in better shape than before. You have begun to give yourself some SPACE.
The specific steps for dealing with the SCOOP are outlined in Decluttering 101. Available at www.breathing-space.com
Post-Summer Space
Posted by Joanna on Oct 18, 2007
As cooler weather once again moves your world toward the indoors,
it’s time to take a look at your prime real estate . What’s that???
That’s what I call the spaces you use most on a daily basis:
kitchen, bedroom,living room,office…
It is here where the keep test is most relevant. Ideally you can
move around these spaces- feeling supported, maybe even blessed by
your surroundings. For that to be possible I believe that those
items that occupy your daily space need to pass the most rigorous
questioning of: Do I LOVE this? Do I USE it? Is it a treasure?
Otherwise chaos can quickly take over your most lived in spaces,
taking away the security of knowing where the things are that you
really need and want.
The way I see it, there is so much stuff that comes in every day
that, if you want a sense of comfort and clarity, the items you
hold on to need to PROVE themselves worthy of belonging in your
space.
Rest assured, this is something I regularly have to work on myself.
This week it’s in my office (sigh) where it’s either me or the stuff.
So please don’t feel alone in your process…and DO feel free to email
me with your struggles, questions and/or victories.
