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Posted by Sue on Dec 12, 2008
3705 Quinaby Rd NE, Salem, OR 97303, USA
November Hurrah!
Posted by Sue on Nov 5, 2008
What an incredible time in our lives! I believe both John McCain
and Barack Obama said it eloquently last night. Now is the time as a
nation and a world to work together on what really matters. We CAN
make things better!
* * *
In my workshops I always say that a DECLUTTERED and ORGANIZED space
is not the end all and be all. In my universe it isn’t even a major
goal. If your space works well enough for you- if it helps you do
what you want to do – SUPER.
But, with that said yet again — please email me about your specific
most troublesome or annoying space and clutter problem! You can
be sure that you are not the only one dealing with it. And
solutions for you will also be helpful to other readers.
My upcoming tips are planned to be VERY hands on – ABC – XYZ kind of
things. Yet for sure, we all – worldwide – are living in a bigger
world that affects us every day at least as much as our spaces.
So just before heading to the basement/attic or closet I want to
mention a fantastic new book that is VERY readable and VERY timely
given our current world with all it’s challenges and opportunities.
The book is called The GREEN COLLAR ECONOMY : How One Solution Can
Fix Our Two Biggest Problems by Van Jones, foreward by Robert J.
Kennedy, Jr…I’m going to be reading it in the next few weeks-
want to join me?
HAPPY NOVEMBER! Joanna
Getting Clear
Posted by Sue on Oct 16, 2008
If you have a second- stop reading and make a cup of tea or hot cider NOW ! I will. I’ll be right back.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ahhhhhhhhhhh. Now take a long deep breath – and have a sip.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It’s early morning here. The moon is going down in the west over the rosy red/gold trees that seem to color the air even before the sun comes up.
It seems to me that this is very much a time in our lives,in our country and in our world for GETTING CLEAR. What I mean, from a Breathing Space perspective and also a spiritual one (whatever your personal faith)is that this is a time to be quiet and get clear – for me too. I am very much including myself in this.
It seems to me a truly right time to get clear
About what really matters to you
About what you truly need
About how to live according to your highest principles.
Perhaps this is the key to what I experience on Sister Parish trips El Salvador. In the small community I go to there is almost nothing of the daily stuff that we might consider NECESSARY yet I get a tangible sense of the people having a huge amount of love and joy.
So maybe now is our time to practice a bit of what they seem to know — for getting clear about priorities.
In the world of STUFF — it’s a good time to again look at all the stuff you already have … and yes, to use the “KEEP TEST”. A really good time to consider what you have around you and why. Does it feed your heart and soul?
If there is something in your space that you neither use nor love, if it doesn’t make your heart sing…pass it on to someone else who WILL love or use it!
As a result, you will have more time and energy to focus on the people you love and the things you love to do.
A small example — Three weeks ago I brought home some very nice corduroy slacks from a church rummage sale thinking I would add to my Fall/Winter choices. They were by donation and looked nice when I tried them on. BUT – for some reason the pant legs REALLY aren’t long enough.
I could keep them around and keep on trying to make them work- but do I really need them? Will they make my life easier in any way?
NO!
I figure I will take them to our local Hospice store today and someone else will be able to get a warm pair of nice looking pants at almost no cost…and I won’t keep wishing they were slightly different. Why spend even one second more wrapping my brain around my pant legs!!!
Although I have had bunches of other tips that I’ve been planning on sending to you– this is decluttering at it’s most basic.
Wishing you a growing sense of peace and clarity with warmest regards, Joanna
Dad’s Shortwave – Dealing with Treasures
Posted by Sue on Aug 9, 2008
Here’s a super idea from a reader that I was given permission to share with you!
“When I read your request for additional strategies that have worked
(it was in regard to keeping treasures), I thought you’d be
interested in one that I’ve come to use quite a lot, especially
after I had to help clean out my parents’ house and its five
decades of clutter.
There were a number of family “heirlooms” that I had a hard time
parting with: the Hallicrafters shortwave radio my Dad kept by his
bed for 50 years, a funky early Sixties sunburst wall clock that
hung in the kitchen of my childhood, and so on. On a whim, I
looked for these and other “irreplacable” items on eBay, and found
other people had sold these identical items for much less than I
ever would have guessed. Almost the entire contents of my parents’
house could be purchased on online. The advent of eBay has made a
fallacy out of most one-of-a-kind claims, and it eliminates a
powerful excuse for keeping “treasures.” I now regard eBay as a
long-term storage locker all the “treasures” I have eliminated from
my life. If I ever really want that shortwave radio badly enough, I
know where I can get one. In the mean time, eBay is storing it for
me safely, out of sight, and rent-free.
A natural corollary to this is the public library, which I regard
as my own personal library, neatly and efficiently maintained
somewhere else by someone else. I was able to purge an impressive
number of books simply by finding out whether or not the local
library had a copy. If, like 99.99% of books I own, it wasn’t
something I needed to refer to on a daily or weekly basis, I’m
content to store my copy virtually at the public library, with the
added benefit of letting others in the community share it and enjoy
it as much as I once did (and may again).
Both of these mindsets are useful strategies that can ease the pain
of parting with objects that we perceive as being more unique than
they really are.”
On my part- I am not sure that “unique” is my criteria as much as
the “warm fuzzies” that come from some treasures but it certainly
could help lots in some situations. Any questions?
Check it Out before Sending Onward!
Posted by Sue on Aug 9, 2008
A couple of weeks ago (almost a month actually) I learned an important lesson that I want to share here. I think it could help decrease cyber clutter.
What happened was that I forwarded some warnings that I’d received in my email because I felt that I SHOULD share the information. I was hoping to be helpful. HOWEVER , I hadn’t verified the info before I shared the warnings. Thankfully, readers were very patient with me and asked me to PLEASE check things out before I send them onward- for many reasons including using up people’s energy, forwarding incorrect data and even causing worry rather than the opposite.
In these days of so much computer traffic I think this is a valuable decluttering and organizing tip to share.
If you don’t already know about and USE the following two sites-please join me in the commitment to check out information before sending it on to others. Got a warning in your inbox? Confirm that it’s valid by going to http://www.snopes.com or http://www.truthorfiction.com
Even though I’d heard about these sites before, they had not truly established themselves in my radar. They are worth being kept in place for all of us. If anyone has additional information on this topic- you are invited to share it.
At the least, using the above sites will save you and others both time and energy. It may also prevent unneeded worry or even troublesome misinformation.
Here’s to a less cluttered future for us all!
Getting Unstuck!
Posted by Sue on Jul 24, 2008
Last week I FINALLY tackled something that has been even more of a
SHOULD than writing to you. As I finished up I thought – THIS is
what I will write about for my long overdue tip — the sense of
oppression that can come from a not faced, not done task. And the
immense relief that’s possible. Perhaps you have experienced what I
am talking about … maybe at this very moment you have some of
that very frustrating glue keeping you stuck.
You know, people often think that because I help people get
organized, I am EXTREMELY organized myself. Well…. Though I do
like the space around me to be as clutter free as possible, at times
I get mired myself, especially when I’m avoiding something that
needs to be done.
What was my glue this time? Well, way back on June 2nd, after a
pretty difficult day, I was typing at my computer when suddenly our
downstairs neighbor was hollering to me! When I rushed to see what
was happening I discovered a major waterfall streaming onto the floor
from my kitchen sink. I hadn’t heard a thing! Turning off the water
I raced downstairs and found water pouring out of her ceiling light.
Oh my gosh! Turn off the electricity. Get flashlights and towels!!!
We live in an old house- with plaster, lath and so forth and the
downstairs apartment has a painted tin ceiling! I dealt with the
immediate water and mess but over the next few days the ceiling
started breaking out in rust spots. Since the problem was 100% my
creation, it was also mine to fix.
The reasons why I didn’t get to that ceiling? I can’t remember half of
them. Every time I saw the ceiling I would mentally cringe. Meanwhile
other things that felt hard to do were adding up. I’m talking about
WEEKS of avoidance… and luckily a very patient neighbor.
But this afternoon as I write to you whole project is done. Once I
started it only took me a COUPLE OF HOURS and nine dollars at the
hardware store to do the job. PLUS, I got several other things done
while the primer dried! Oeeeeeee.
So.. .dear reader, may you use this tip as a magic wand. It comes with
my hope that in the next couple of days you will jump in and tackle
ONE task you have been avoiding like the plague… don’t THINK about
it any more, just take the first step! Go get the ladder and start.
Wishing you a fine two weeks … do let me know if you there’s any
specific organizing challenge you’d like to have discussed!
Radical Changes In Your Space
Posted by Sue on Jul 17, 2008
When did you last make a major change in your home or office?
Having lived in our current home for 4 years this month, we finally solved a space problem by taking a somewhat radical step. It’s worked out GREAT!
Why didn’t we do it before? I think because the idea was too “out of the box”, at least our box.
In it’s briefest telling – what we did was shrink our living room and music room/dining room into one room, making the living room which had been seldom used into our bedroom and making our bedroom into my office. Voila! A) No more renting office space, B) We are relaxing more on the sofa in the living room because it is now central, and C) We love our new bedroom!
From our bed we can look out into the trees instead of at the house next door and the French doors to the porch make the bedroom feel quite luxurious whereas we hardly saw them when they were “living room” doors.
Why am I telling you all this?… Because, I want to encourage you to consider your current use of space. Is there a way to rearrange things to create a space you’ve been wanting? Whose rules are you following? And whose home is it anyway?
Do send news about any radical space changes you make! OKAY?
p.s. Questions? Ask away!
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Posted by Sue on Jun 24, 2008
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While the weather is still good
Posted by Sue on Jun 20, 2008
It’s a great time to
1) Relish life …
2) Let go of things you don’t love or use…a super time for FREE
at the curbside or yard sales if you enjoy them! (Or just take
the stuff to your local good will!)
With all best of wishes, Joanna
p.s. Basements are good places to declutter on TOO HOT days – other
indoor spaces at times when it is truly too rainy to be outside. Tackle
a small area with gusto – and get outside again soon!
Flowers & You – Organzing Tip
Posted by Sue on May 22, 2008
I hope Spring has been treating you well… here in Vermont a
hundred shades of green have finally replaced the images
of the long white winter.
Working at my computer I can see the lilacs in the vase on
the corner of my desk as well as breathe in their wonderful
smell. When I mentioned this on the phone to my colleague May
Johnstone of www.delicioushealing.com the other day she said,
” Oh I LOVE them but they always wilt right away when I
bring them inside!”
I told her something I realize now that I learned long ago. She
emailed back,”Aaah, the scent of lilac wafting over my desk! I’m sooo
grateful for your tip. Bet others would be too, how about it?
Sure here ’tis:
Lilacs or any other flowers with a woody stem need more access to
water than they can get via a normal straight cut. The secret is
to mash an inch or two at the end of the stem with a hammer or
mallet. This spreads out the stem and greatly increases the area that
can bring in water.
The hammering can seem a bit awfull but since lilacs are so delicious
and disappear so soon after they bloom – it seems worth it to me to
enjoy them inside your home as well as outside.
All best wishes, Joanna
p.s.FLOWERS are a great inspiration for keeping a table or desk top
uncluttered. When you have something beautiful to look at, it makes
it harder to let stuff pile up around it. Do consider placing flowers
in your daily spaces.
