Organizing Recipes

In the August edition of my monthly e-newsletter, Your Simply Organized Life (click here to sign up), I will answer a reader question regarding organizing recipes torn from magazines or newspapers.

Here is how I like to organize recipes in my own household. I have a simple one inch binder (shown below) for all the recipes I collect. This limits me from collecting too many that we may never try. If something isn't to our tastes, it gets recycled to allow room for another recipe.

Inside of the binder (see below) each recipe is housed in a plastic sheet. This is great when things get messy or the recipes are not quite the right size. I find this solution to be simple, easy and inexpensive.

Summertime!

Now that we are fully into July, summertime has officially arrived here in Michigan. My garden is in full bloom and looks so beautiful. The tree peony (photo below) blooms are long gone and have been replaced by lilies and lavender. This summer what are you doing to enjoy life more? Are you slowing down to "smell the roses" or "take in the warm sun"? Or are you finishing up some nagging projects? Remember this time is fleeting, just like the beautiful peony bloom. Take advantage of every day!

Donate Clutter in Dexter

Here's a great opportunity to get rid of your clutter (err, unloved treasures) in Dexter. Every day this week from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. St. Joseph Catholic Church in Dexter is collecting items for their upcoming flea market. Items can be dropped off at the Parish Center in the village.

If you cannot drop your items off this week here are additional dates and times:
Saturday, June 27, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
June 29~July 3, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
July 6~8, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Book Review

David Allen's 2001 Bestseller: Getting Things Done

This book has been on my reading list for a long time now. As I mentioned in my May 2009 Newsletter, Your Simply Organized Life, I finally figured out how to use my local library's on-line catalog to put books on hold and work my way through my "Books to Read" list. This is working great for me and it doesn't cost me a dime. Now if I could only read books faster than they appear on my list.

Getting Things Done, or GTD as it is commonly referred to is chock full of tips for organizing your time and your stuff. Overall, I learned some new things and felt the time spent reading GTD worth it; but did find it to be somewhat of a slow read.

What I like about GTD is that it incorporates tips not only for one's work (corporate) life, but also for your personal life. Some of systems David Allen recommends seem confusing and cumbersome (even for a professional organizer!). But there are some great tips to be had from this book. My favorite from page 99 "Keep the Drawer Less Than 3/4 Full" can be applied to organizing almost any physical space.

T-Shirt Quilts

If you cannot part with those old t-shirts, but do not wear them anymore you can hire someone to make your very own t-shirt quilt. I recently heard of a woman out of Olivet, Michigan who has a business called Too Cool T-Shirt Quilts.

August Shredding Event

Last week The Ann Arbor News reported that Recycle Ann Arbor's recent free shredding event was met with such success that it will be repeated for the third time in early August. Watch this blog and my monthly newsletter, Your Simply Organized Life, for updates.

Metal Recycling for Cash

Organizing is like pulling back the layers of an onion. Some of us have bigger onions than others. As an organizing consultant, I am no different. My clutter is just hidden better and my onion is probably a little smaller than most.

That being said, I have been on a slow and steady mission to declutter our garage. My husband told me early on in our marriage (10+ years ago) that the garage was his domain and I wasn't to organize it. This was even before I started organizing professionally.

Since then we have worked together to slowly let go of those things that we do not need in order to make our garage tidier. The previous owner of our home left a rickety metal shelf in the garage. This past weekend we emptied it of our stuff, took it apart and yesterday morning I took it to Razorback Metals in Dexter, Michigan.

Our old shelf was worth only $0.60 for metal recycling, but I had a coupon from the Dexter Leader (I write a monthly column for this local weekly) that gave me $10 for "gas money" by bringing my stuff to Razorback Metals. I still cannot figure out that business model, but I was happy to get rid of that old shelf and walk away $10.60 richer.

Letting Go

I see the biggest personal transformations in the clients that I am able to work with over long periods of time (6 months plus, about once a month). It is incredibly rewarding both for the client and myself.

This morning during our organizing session one of my long term clients proudly (and rightfully so!) told me about her practice of what I like to call the "one in, one out" rule. She had purchased new drinking glasses and while the new ones were in the dishwasher, she promptly (utilizing the "do it now rule") sorted out the old glasses for donating or recycling. This is something really simple, but something she probably would not have done in the past. Hurray!

If you are ready to let go of some of your old stuff, here's a great general guide to clearing out clutter.

Electronics Recycling Event

Once again the Ann Arbor Public Schools in cooperation with Apple Computers and the University of Michigan is hosting two events for local businesses, non-profits and residents to safely recycle old electronics.

On May 7 and 8, 2009 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. local businesses and non-profits can drop off old electronic equipment for recycling at the Washtenaw Intermediate School District at 1819 S. Wagner Road in Ann Arbor.

On Saturday, May 9, 2009 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. local residents can dispose of old electronics for free at Pioneer High School on 610 W. Stadium Road in Ann Arbor. This is a popular event, so line up early at the Main Street Entrance. Last year the event filled 11 semi-trailers with old equipment and kept an estimated 145 tons of waste out of local landfills.

Ann Arbor Book Festival

For two years (2006 and 2007) I served on the Planning Committee as Volunteer Coordinator for the Ann Arbor Book Festival. While I am no longer on this committee, current Volunteer Coordinator, Hillary Dorwart, needs your help for this year's Festival. Here's what Hillary has to say:

The sixth annual Ann Arbor Book Festival takes place May 15 - 17. Please volunteer your time and enjoy the community-wide event that celebrates reading, writing and literacy. View the full, exciting schedule at www.aabookfestival.org. Contact the Ann Arbor Book Festival at aabf@aabookfestival.org to volunteer today!

Ann Arbor Mom 2 Mom Sale

Over a year ago, I wrote about my first experience with a local Mom 2 Mom Sale. These sales are great places to sell the things your children have outgrown or pick up necessities for a fraction of the price of buying new. In Southeast Michigan you can check out www.mom2momlist.com for the latest sales in your area.

On Saturday, April 25th from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Ann Arbor Jaycees are organizing a Mom 2 Mom sale at the Best Western on Jackson Road in Ann Arbor. Check out the Jaycees website for more information.

Discounted Office Products

Approximately 90% of my clients do not need to purchase any organizing products when working with me, but for the remaining 10% I try to recommend products that will truly meet their needs. I should note that I am not affiliated with any products, so there is no conflict of interest.

A fellow organizer in New Jersey brought to my attention this week that Ultimate Office is going out of business. This is a shame, as their products seemed to be of high quality and were truly unique. Hopefully another company will fill the void as many of these products cannot be found at Staples or Office Depot.

Recycling Vacuum Cleaners

Last week my old Eureka upright vacuum cleaner seemed to be on its last leg. It wasn't surprising since my mom had handed it down to me in the early 90s. I am not sure when she bought it, but I remember her saying once that it was a low end model.

Through a loyalty program I had the opportunity to get a new Oreck XL Classic vacuum for free. This is a great deal seeing that this vacuum cleaner retails for around $300 and in my mind that seems like an awful lot of money to pay for a vacuum.

My new vacuum arrived on Tuesday and I love it! It is so lightweight, adjusts easily between different types of flooring (I vacuum everywhere to save time) and is doing a great job sucking up dog hair.

I had planned to throw the old vacuum in the trash, but felt guilty about the environmental waste. My husband reminded me that Recycle Ann Arbor would probably take the vacuum, as he had recently taken an old copier for my mom and our old shredder for recycling there. I called and they will take the old vacuum for free or at most a $2 fee. Less clutter in my house, reduced waste in the landfill and clean floors! What more could one need for a Simply Organized Life?

Organizing Tips for Families

This morning I had the pleasure of presenting my seminar titled "Organizing Tips for Families" to the MOMS (Moms Offering Moms Support) of Northville group (I am in the green sweater). This is a vibrant secular group that meets twice monthly at the First United Methodist Church in Northville, Michigan.

The group has quite a roster of activities including a seminar from Dr. Bob Sornson of the Early Learning Foundation on March 16th and a Mom to Mom sale on April 24th & 25th. They are currently accepting gently used items for the Mom to Mom sale which benefits the group and local charities.

An Organized Medicine Cabinet

For 2009 I have replaced the "Ask the Expert" feature from my monthly e-newsletter "Your Simply Organized Life" with a monthly organizing challenge. In February I challenged readers to organize their medicine cabinets in three easy steps. This is a simple organizing project that can be accomplished in less than one hour.

Along with readers, I took up this challenge and found six items with expired dates (see photo). It was so easy to take these items to my local pharmacy for proper disposal. It also freed up a nice amount of space in my medicine cabinet.

Click here to sign up for the monthly newsletter.

Getting Out of Debt

In the last four plus years helping people get organized professionally, I have seen a high correlation between debt and clutter. I recently read in my local newspaper that the Dexter United Methodist Church is offering a course for couples called Financial Peace University based on the teachings of a gentleman by the name of Dave Ramsey.

Interestingly enough, I heard of Dave Ramsey a few months ago from a participant of my seminar titled "Secrets of a Simply Organized Life." Mr. Ramsey's teachings are based on Christian principals, but I think they can benefit folks of any faith. Here is a link to his seven baby steps.

Kindness of Strangers

Last Sunday my family experienced the kindness of strangers in our friendly little Michigan community. We were all in the car (my husband, child, dog and myself) returning from a visit to my mother about two hours away. Our little one was getting antsy in the car, so we turned on WKAR for the classical music which always seems to sooth our child. My husband, driving, was enjoying the music so much he totally missed the entrance to our neighborhood. Then he seemed paralyzed as to what to do at the next road and ended up pulling into an unplowed side road.

Our car has all wheel drive, so I was not concerned until I realized we were clearly stuck in the snow. Shortly after my husband got out to push and I took the wheel, a kind couple stopped to help us out. Being a professional organizer I really should be prepared with a winter car kit like the one described in this article, but I was not and have never been stuck in 20 years of Michigan winter driving. Fortunately, our good Samaritans were prepared with a shovel neatly tucked into the back of their car. Five minutes had not passed and another gentleman stopped to help push us out.

It really made us feel good that folks in our community are so helpful. We hope we can do the same sometime soon.

Organizing for a Career Change

I have received some great questions from the readers of my monthly e-newsletter, Your Simply Organized Life (sign up here). This month I wrote about "Feeling Fine in 2009." Here's one reader question and my response:

Q: Do you have any ideas for organizing yourself during a job search/career change?

A: This is a great question, because it is so important to stay organized when searching for a new job or possibly making a career change.

When searching for a new job, I recommend creating an electronic file folder on your computer and a paper file folder (this can be a section of a three ring binder or a hanging file folder) for each position you are interested in. If you are really tech savvy you can skip the paper file, but I find most people still have tons of loose papers to pull together. I like to label the folders by employer name. This way you can customize your resume and other application materials for that particular employer. If you apply to more than one job at an employer, just create sub folders.

As for a career change, this is a much bigger project that should include extensive research and may even require additional training. To get you started, set up a three ring project binder with sections for research, training, etc. As you conduct your search, additional categories will reveal themselves.

While going through this process be sure to manage your time appropriately with goals for each day or week.

Routines

The holiday season was a real whirlwind for me this year. It seemed to blow in and blow right back out in a flash. While I enjoyed the season, getting back to my normal daily routines is reassuring. Now I seem to have a reasonable handle on the clutter that creeped in during the holidays, including the household paperwork. What routines do you need to reinstate now that the holidays are pretty much finished?

Organized Gift Wrapping

This afternoon I took a few minutes to wrap two Christmas gifts (shown at right). These are the first of just a few gifts that I will purchase or assemble for the holiday.

I must be honest that I do not really enjoy wrapping gifts and am not particularly good at it, but I do think my tips can help the average person keep their wrapping supplies organized and at hand when they need them.

My strategy at Christmas (and for birthdays) is to buy one jumbo roll of a seasonal pattern that will work for just about everybody. This avoids the clutter of multiple rolls of leftover wrap for the remaining 11 months of the year. If this is too boring for you, you can purchase one pattern for each family member.

For all those odd ball shaped gifts (and for giving gifts while traveling), I use gift bags that I occasionally buy but in most cases I just reuse the ones I have received in good shape. The red bag in the photo contains my gift bags and tissue paper. I also like to reuse ribbons, bows and tissue paper. I keep those items in the tall bag, but as I use it up I will eliminate the tall bag and combine those items with the gift bags. All of my wrapping supplies are stored together in the corner of a closet.

If I lived closer to Royal Oak, Michigan (and if her services were affordable) I would probably give up the gift wrap altogether and use Lisa's Gift Wrappers. Lisa also has a blog with many for tips for gift wrapping.

Financial Organization

On Wednesday, December 10, 2008 I had the pleasure of presenting a joint seminar on financial organization at The University of Michigan's Center for Education of Women with my colleague, Rob Oliver, of Oliver Financial Planning. I am pictured above (in the middle) with Kirsten Elling, Managing Director of CEW and Rob Oliver. We had a great turnout for the seminar and would like to thank all of the attendees who braved the cold to learn more about planning for financial success.

Organizing Challenge--Make-up

Today's organizing challenge is to take a good look at your cosmetics. Toss out anything you no longer use and everything over one year old (some doctors even recommend shorter periods). If you are using some old products, this is the week to replace those products with new ones. That's what I did today.

I do not wear much make-up or buy many products, but recently realized that some of the stuff I have been putting on my face is quite old. Over the years I have downgraded to mostly drugstore brand cosmetics that I tend to buy at Target. I do use one item from Clinique that I am embarrassed to say was quite old. So today, I marched into Macy's with my old item in my bag and replaced it. I didn't wait for the free gift offer, which is probably a good thing seeing my item didn't cost that much. Besides, who really needs another cosmetic bag with a bunch of samples never to be used anyway.

Reinhart Coat Drive

News of Reinhart Realtors' annual coat drive came to me twice in one week. This is a great opportunity to clean out your coat closet and help someone in need. During the month of November, you can drop off coats in good condition at any Reinhart sales office or Reinhart Sunday open house. All of the coats will be professionally cleaned and distributed locally. They especially need children's coats. Daytime temperatures have been in the 30s this week. Winter coat weather has officially arrived!

Ann Arbor Job Opening

Okay, this probably doesn't fall under the usual stuff for my blog, but I figure it's my blog and I can write what I want. Besides this could really help someone in need of a job, not to mention my friend who is looking for an administrative assistant for her office downtown Ann Arbor. Here are the details:

• Administrative Assistant for Downtown Insurance Office. 8-5 daily.
• College educated, highly detailed oriented and computer skilled.
• Challenging position in the financial services industry.
• Multi-tasker with great accuracy and ability to follow up to completion on many different tasks every day.
• Salary range is $10-12 per hour. No benefits . Bus Pass provided .
  

On-line Productivity Seminar

I came accross this on-line seminar earlier this week in a random fashion. This seminar about time management and personal productivity runs for about 35 minutes. There are some great tips to make it worth your time. I particularly like what Eben Pagen has to say about multitasking.

Until last week I had never heard of this guy. It turns out he has made millions as some sort of dating guru. Not something I am particularly interested as a happily married mother, but the guy does know a thing or two about personal productivity. That being said, stick to his free videos and keep you hard earned dollars in your pocket.

Shopping at Target

Like many of you I shop at Target for household items. Ever since my child was born I find it difficult to get out of the store spending less than $100. This last shopping trip was no different. I did everything right....shopped with my electronic list (and didn't stray from it) and used about $5 worth of coupons. Upon closer inspection I found out diapers and Tide pushed me over the $100 mark. Maybe it's time to downgrade to store brand laundry detergent?

In reviewing my receipt I also noticed that Target is now categorizing items on its receipts. Of course, I love how organized this is and how it will save me time when categorizing my purchases. The categories on my receipt were: baby, cleaning supplies, grocery, health-beauty-cosmetics and home. This is a little more detailed than my normal categories, but it will be easy to combine categories which helps in day to day budgeting. Hopefully, on my next trip the bill will fall under $100.

Free Shredding Event

As a Washtenaw County Waste Knot Partner, I recently received notification of a free shredding event to be held next week in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Here are the details:

There is a FREE Paper Shredding Event taking place at the Drop-Off Station in Ann Arbor on October 17-18, 9:30AM-4:30PM. This event is open to all Washtenaw County residents AND businesses. There is a limit of 100 lbs per customer, but if you have more than this amount you may call the Drop-Off Station (734.971.7400) before the event to make special arrangements. Please see the attached press release for more information.

This event is sponsored by Recycle Ann Arbor.

Too Many Books?

I am a big fan of local consignment bookseller Books by Chance; however, they are currently at capacity and cannot take in any more books right now. That is why I was excited to hear about Page Avenue Books. Here's what Bob from PAB has to say:

"Page Avenue Books (PAB), an Ann Arbor-area online bookseller, is on the lookout for more used books to add to their inventory. If youʼre a book-hound tripping over boxes full of donʼt-wanters, or you just inherited your late auntʼs library and have no place to put it, send an e-mail to Page Avenue Books at page.books@yahoo.com. PAB isnʼt a junk-removal service, but theyʼll quote you a modest per-box price for clean, undamaged books. PAB especially likes hardbound non-fiction, collectibles and estates, will consider others. Any books that PAB cannot sell are sent to the Ann Arbor ReUse Center or recycled."

Kids' Clothes

In the August edition of "Your Simply Organized Life" I wrote about organizing kids' clothes for back to school. My own child has very few clothes and I do laundry regularly. In my opinion this is the only way to go for kids and adults. The clean clothes stay organized and this forces mom (or whoever does the laundry) to keep on top of it (bonus: no mountains of wash to do).

The old adage "less is more" is so much a part of my daily life that I was particularly annoyed last week while shopping at GAP for socks for my child (their socks stay on the kid's foot!). Because I am organized, I knew that my child only needed two pairs to add to the collection of socks for fall.

The saleswoman at GAP was so pushy in insisting that I buy "5 for $10 for only $4 more". Of course I could have easily afforded the extra $4 for three more pairs of socks, but the woman didn't seem to get that I didn't NEED five pairs of socks. I only needed two.

My point is: it's not a bargain if you don't need it. Sometimes we forget this among the bright lights and pushy salespeople at the mall. Hold firm next time you're out shopping.

Travel Tip

My family and I just got back yesterday from a road trip to Atlanta, Georgia. We were there attending the wedding of the fine young man pictured at right, a cousin of mine. The gray haired man in the background happens to be my brother (I like to tease him about his gray hair).

Today's tip is intended to help you make the transition from a long vacation to "real life" easier. If at all possible, schedule an extra day at home following a vacation. This gives you time to unpack bags, readjust your body to your regular schedule and get back to your normal routines.

We love to travel, but even more, love coming home--especially after a 13 hour day in the car with a small child! Today's transition time has allowed me to throw in a load of laundry, readjust my child to being home and even download photos from the wedding!

15 Minutes of Fame?

This is a quirky little snapshot of me (center) with Gail Nicklowitz (left) and Carol Kamm (right) at a Women Business Owners of Southeast Michigan meeting earlier this summer. I remember my colleague, Hillary Handwerger, taking this photo but was surprised when it appeared on the WBO website recently. It just goes to show that you never know where you will show up on the web these days.

I was also surprised yesterday while driving by the Photo Generations studio in downtown Dexter. Low and behold there was a big portrait in the window of my two children! Let me know if you are downtown Dexter and see the "boy and his dog photo" in the window. It's our little 15 minutes of fame!

Internet Secretary

Here's a new concept. Or at least new to me. "Sandy" is a internet based free secretary for daily reminders. You e-mail or text Sandy your requests for reminders and she will get back with you at the appropriate time.

On a totally unrelated note, some months ago I mentioned my friend, Laura Jannika, who is a Creative Memories Consultant. Laura has a new blog titled Power of Flower where she showcases her digital scrapbooking and flower photos. It's beautiful!

The photo above is from my garden and was taken by our friend, Michael, who visited us from Germany in early July.

Fancy Soaps

This morning I headed out to the Dexter Daze festival in Dexter, Michigan with my child. We had a great time chatting with the vendors, listening to live Caribbean music (who would have thought here in the Midwest?) and stopping at Bearclaw Coffee for our morning snack.

This year there was a new vendor by the name of Paper Street Soap. The folks from Paper Street out of Dundee, Michigan (famous for Michigan's Cabela's location--this is the Midwest, after all) had beautiful wonderful smelling soaps.


The thing is that I am a pretty frugal person (okay, I did spurge on a cup of joe, but packed our snacks) and $7 seems like a lot to spend on one bar of soap, especially when Ivory serves me just fine at about $1.50 for three bars! I wish the folks at Paper Street success in their new business and hope they find lots of customers who, unlike me, are willing to splurge on soap.

Clutter for Charity

In speaking with a friend of mine today, I learned of a wonderful organization based out of Rochester Hills, Michigan called Project12Baskets. This organization takes the excess (a.k.a. clutter) of donors, donates or auctions the items off on eBay or live and the auction proceeds go to your charity of choice. Businessman, Barry Olson, founded the company leveraging his supply chain management experience to find a new way to raise funds for charity.

The for-profit organization will even take care of entire estates, by coming in with their team, emptying out the home and sending 70% of the proceeds from the items sold to the charity of your choice. Project12Baskets earns their 30% fee only after items are sold. Heirs to an estate need not be bothered with emptying a home and have the satisfaction of knowing loved ones belongings will benefit others. A great solution for busy people.

Community Shred in Ypsi

This is quite short notice, but I just saw an ad in The Ann Arbor News for a community shred day tomorrow (July 26, 2008 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.) at the Ypsilanti Area Federal Credit Union. This might be of interest to my readers. For more information click here.

Summer Solstice

It's that time of year again where everything seems to be in bloom, including this rose from my garden. Being organized should give all of us time to stop and smell the roses.

Virtual Assistants

Yesterday I wrote about my colleague, Laura Jannika, who appeared in Scrap and Stamp Arts Magazine. I don't know how Laura got the magazine to me so quickly, but it arrived in my mailbox yesterday afternoon.

It is quite a nice article and in it she mentions using a professional secretary or virtual assistance for some transcription work. I happen to know Bonnie Myhrum, who was mentioned in the article and has a real eye for detail.

Virtual assistants, or VAs, as they are sometimes referred to can be a great asset for all kinds of projects that you cannot find to do yourself, particularly if you are self employed. To find out more check out the International Virtual Assistants Association.

Scrapbooking

Things have sure been busy with Simply Organized Life lately! If your life is anything like mine, you probably think you are too busy to stop and scrapbook. I know I feel that way, but do take 10~15 minutes now and again to put photos in super simple scrapbooks. It's easy to set up and clean up with just a few supplies in one place.

My colleague, Laura Jannika, who is a Creative Memories Consultant might find my scrapbooks quite bland and boring, especially with her recent appearance in Scrap and Stamp Arts Magazine. I have yet to see a copy of the magazine, but am really proud of Laura. She is a wonderful business owner, artist, mom and gardener!

Michigan Organizers

I am a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) and also NAPO's Southeast Michigan Chapter. If you are looking for a Professional Organizer or an Organizing Consultant, such as myself, be sure they are a member of NAPO and have attended annual conferences for continuing eduation. I always enjoy these events and for the last three years have attended conferences in San Diego, Boston and Vancouver.

Outside of annual conferences, organizers that belong to a local chapter get together for education and networking. On May 8th, I was honored at a luncheon at Andiamo Novi for my past service as Director of Professional Development for the Southeast Michigan Chapter of NAPO. I am pictured above on the left along with fellow Michigan Organizers: Karen DeClark, Debbie Tebbie, Carol Seneker and Carrie Vance.

Why Organize?

Yesterday, I attended the Ann Arbor Book Festival's day long writer's conference. Some of the sessions were so-so, while others were really great. The best, in my opinion, was Lisa Garrigues' "Writing Motherhood" session, which takes a pragmatic approach to writing for busy mothers like myself. Ms. Garrigues also had great handouts and was well prepared, so it is no wonder her books sold out at the hallway table.

Another great session was on blogging. It was more of a Q&A session with Ron Hogan and Claudia Mair Francis Burney. I must admit that I am not really very literary. I love to read, but find time mainly for non-fiction, so I had never heard of either blogger. Interestingly enough, Mr. Hogan did a great interview with Peter Walsh of TLC's Clean Sweep and more recently, Oprah, fame. Mr. Walsh is so right when he says that organizing is "never about the stuff" and "you're organized because it makes your life easier." I couldn't have said it better.

Antique Appraisals

I have no clue how I got on their list, but I have been receiving e-mails lately from Brighton, Michigan based Insights Group, which to my understanding is a business networking group. At any rate, Insights Group is holding an antique appraisal fair in Brighton on Saturday, June 14th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This is a great opportunity for those of you that have some antiques that you need appraised for resale or insurance purposes.

I always recommend my clients work with non-dealer appraisers to avoid a conflict of interest. A great way to find an appraiser in your area is through the Appraisers Association of America.

Tax Records

Hands down, the number one question I hear from seminar attendees is "What paperwork can I keep and what can I throw away?" I am always very reluctant to answer this question, as it really varies on the individual's situation. In addition, I am not a CPA (Certified Public Accountant) or an attorney.

Ann Arbor based CPA, Ms. Holly Hall Polopolos, addressed the issue of tax records in her April 2008 e-newsletter. I hope my readers will find her information useful.

Shred Day in Ann Arbor

I was sorting out my junk mail yesterday, when I noticed something interesting. United Bank & Trust, a small regional bank, is hosting a shred day at their Ann Arbor (Scio Village) and Tecumseh (West Chicago) bank branches. This is a clever marketing technique and a way to help the public with their excess shredding, something that I wrote about in my March and April 2008 newsletters.

Both events will be held on Friday, May 16, 2008 from 3 to 7 p.m. You can bring up to three banker-type boxes of personal documents that will be shredded for free while you watch. You will also be provided a certificate of destruction. Please post a comment if you are able to attend this event.

Electronics Recycling

News of this Ann Arbor, Michigan event just came through to me from fellow organizer, Michael Ann Rose. Apple is sponsoring a public event to recycle electronic items such as computers, televisions, monitors and related equipment.

On Saturday, May 10th from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. you can bring your old electronics to Ann Arbor's Pioneer High School parking lot. Last year, they had 700 cars and are looking to beat that record. You do not have to be an Ann Arbor resident to attend. For more information contact John McMahon of Apple, Inc. directly at 734-389-5525.

It is important that these items are recycled appropriately to keep harmful substances out of landfills.

Ann Arbor Book Fesitval

For two years, I served on the Ann Arbor Book Festival's planning committee as Volunteer Coordinator. I stepped down last fall to focus more time on my family and my business, but am happy to announce that Lucy White is doing a great job as this year's Volunteer Coordinator.

If you will be in Ann Arbor, Michigan from Thursday, May 15th to Saturday, May 17th be sure to check out the festival and maybe even volunteer. If you would like to volunteer send an email to: aabf@aabookfestival.org or call 734-369-3366.

Kosher Kitchens

I love to read, but due to limited time I am quite selective about what I spend my time reading. Just yesterday I recently finished reading a mini-book (24 pages) titled "How to Organize the Kosher Kitchen" by California based organizer, Lisa Mark.

Lisa's guide is great for professional organizers of any faith, for Jewish people who keep Kosher or for folks who just want to learn more about Kosher Kitchens. I particularly liked her personal story at the end of how she went from being a non-practicing Jew to spending hours preparing her Kosher kitchen. Lisa also lists a great resource for color coded labels and utensils. Something that seems essential if you want to keep Kosher in a small space.

Garage Sale Season

If you read my post from last week, you know we are still waiting for spring here in Michigan. When the warm weather comes, garage sale season also begins. While I do not recommend my clients hold garage sales themselves (it just doesn't pay off for most people), I am a fan of donating good used items to local charities for annual rummage sales in the community. For most folks the tax deduction is well worth it.

At the end of this week, the Dexter, Michigan Knights of Columbus will be gathering good used clothing and household items for their annual rummage sale to be held April 10~12. They are not accepting any furniture, computers or exercise equipment. If you live in the area and have such items to donate, the Knights of Columbus will be accepting donations April 3rd through 6th. Check out their website at www.dexterkofc.org for more information.

Waiting for Spring

I am probably one of those rare folks that actually enjoys winter. But...now that the first day of spring and Easter have passed, not to mention that it is late March, I feel like telling Mother Nature "enough already". Here in Michigan, we still have a few piles of snow on the ground.

However, weather is an unpredictable thing, so I am hoping for winter to pass and preparing for spring. Here are five things to do now to get organized for spring:

1. If you have a lawn mower, tune it up now or hire someone to do it for you.
2. If you have a lawn service provider, contact them for the upcoming season.
3. On those warm days spend 15 minutes or so removing the dried remains from last year's flowers. Warm is relative, so my neighbors have seen me out with my trusty pruners in hand on a few 45 degree F days.
4. Spend 5 or 10 minutes to sweep off the salt and other "gunk" that fell of your car in the winter.
5. Wash the windows in your home one room at a time.

When the warm weather does come, hopefully you will have accomplished a few jobs that will allow you the time to just sit and soak up the warmth. In the meantime, I will enjoy my garden photos from last summer (the flower above is a peony, one of my favorites).

Baby and Toddler Stuff

My general philosophy toward "stuff" of any kind is less is more. This is especially true when it comes to baby and toddler stuff (how come such little people "need" so much stuff?!). As a parent, I try to practice what I preach by buying clothing for my child only when needed and only what will fit into a small dresser. The other household rule is to only purchase toys for birthdays or special holidays. My husband likes to break this rule occationally and we have also been blessed with a lot of great hand me downs from friends, family and neighbors.

For my household the whole idea is fewer, higher quality items. That being said, I always like to find a good bargain, especially for truely needed items. So, this morning we went to our first "Mom to Mom Sale" at the St. Joseph's Parish in Dexter. My husband convinced me to buy 2 books and 2 toys (including a loud police car toy that I think he really wanted for himself!). I found 5 clothing items that our child can use. All together, we spent a little more than $10 including $1 per person entry fee. It was also a nice little outing for us (we really do not get out much!).

Come to find out, almost every weekend you can find these mom's sales all throughout the Detroit area and Southeast Michigan. There is even a website called Mom2MomList.com that compiles all of the local sales, which are usually organized by churches, like St. Joes, or parent groups. If you need stuff, or more likely, need to get rid of stuff this can be a great way to recycle your abundance.

No Water! (Storing Manuals)

My family and I live in a semi-rural community and we depend upon our own well for water. This morning while I was taking a shower, I noticed that the water pressure was not at its usual level. Then, after a bit, it just stopped. There was no more water.

I called my husband (who already had his shower!) and he checked our tank in the basement. The pressure gauge showed zero (not that I needed confirmation). We had no water.

Fortunately, by 10 a.m. this morning Cribley Drilling came to the rescue. Unfortunately, we needed a new pump and tank ($$$!). The guys from Cribley installed the new equipment and after writing a large check, we now have water again.

I was also left with the manual for the pump, which is outside in the ground, in our well. Being a professional organizing consultant, I do have a file for manuals, but know that if the water ever goes out again we would first go to the basement (not to my office) and if we ever moved the manual should stay with the house.

My solution was to put the manual for the pump in a plastic sleeve, use packaging tape and tape it to the basement wall near the water tank. Now it is there for me if I ever need it. I also wrote the date, company name and years of warranty on the manual for future reference.

Now, I just need to get back to my normal routine for the day!

Carlos Ghosn's Calendar

The Wall Street Journal has an occasional feature called "Boss Talk" where they typically interview CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. Today's Journal featured an interview with Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan and Renault. This article was of interest to me having spent nearly 10 years working in the automotive industry and nearly all of my life in Michigan, where our economy has been hit hard due to our strong ties to this industry.

What I didn't expect to find in this article is confirmation of something I often teach in my seminars. The "5 Tips from Carlos Ghosn on Managing a Global Workforce" included using one calendar (or time manager) for keeping track of all appointments. My seminar attendees as well as my clients often hear that one calendar is better than two. If this tip is good enough for a CEO that splits his time between Tokyo and Paris, it should be one that the rest of us can follow as well.

Packing Decorations

In the January 2008 edition of "Your Simply Organized Life" I answered a reader's question regarding packing holiday decorations.

Since quite a lot of you probably still have your holiday decorations up (over the last few years as a professional organizer I have seen quite a lot of holiday decorations well into February and March) I thought I would revisit the packing of holiday items here.

In the e-newsletter I recommended using 66 qt. or smaller totes for storing holiday decorations. The photo above shows the totes I use for my own holiday decorations. They are labeled on the ends and stack nicely on my basement shelves.

Sane Living

Chris Wucherer, a colleague of mine in Ann Arbor, Michigan just started a new blog called "A Woman's Guide to Saner Living." Since most of my clients are busy, high achieving women---with a bit of disorganization---I thought this new blog would be of interest to all of you.

In addition to my life as a professional organizing consultant and business owner; I also have one small child, one large dog, one great husband and a household to manage. As a result, my life isn't always sane or "perfectly" organized. My life is organized well enough for us to live a healthy well balanced life (and invite unexpected visitors in), but I am sure I can learn a few things from Chris.

Organizing for Health

A friend of mine send me a link to a great article in The New York Times on clutter and health. Click here to read it. It is written by Tara Parker-Pope, who recently left The Wall Street Journal. I often enjoyed reading her health column in The Journal. This article and a related blog entry also on January 1, 2008 is valuable as it focuses on changing habits (not bins and boxes) as a way to get organized. The researchers mentioned have been studying the links between being organized and healthy living.

Tooting My Own Horn

Okay, it may not be polite to toot my own horn, but I was so excited when I noticed that this very blog was listed on Organize Magazine's Community Page AND the OrganizingLA website.

Organize Magazine is a new magazine dedicated solely to organizing topics. Admittedly, I am not currently a subscriber (although I can get a discount as a NAPO member), but I did purchase my first copy while at CVS in November. Even organizing consultants need to buy stuff once in a while.

John Trosko of OrganizingLA calls himself an "Organizing Evangelist" and has been featured on Daily Candy as well as with several LA media outposts. If you have lots of time and want to learn more about how "the other half" organizes out on the West Coast, be sure to check out the OrganizingLA blog. In the meantime, we will keep living our Simply Organized Life here in the Midwest.

Holiday Hubbub

The last few months have been extremely busy for myself and Simply Organized Life. Hence, it has been almost a month since updating this blog. Since we are now in the midst of all the "holiday hubbub" I thought I would give you all an update and some tips for staying grounded at this time of year.

In early November I attended the Professional Organizers of Canada (POC) annual conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (see photo at left). This was a great opportunity for me to take a step back and evaluate how I can better serve my clients.

Likewise, the holidays and the new year are great times to slow down (even just a little bit) and evaluate how you can better serve yourself, your family and your clients, if applicable. This holiday season I am taking some time off to spend with my family, tackle some household projects and maybe sneak in some time for the business as well.

The biggest challenge for me (and for many of you too!) will be not to over schedule myself so I have time to step back and reflect on the many blessings in my life. Happy Holidays!

Cost of Disorganization

It has been over a month since my last post, as things have been busy with Simply Organized Life. Most notably, in early November I attended the annual conference for Professional Organizers in Canada (POC) which was held this year in Vancouver. I look forward to sharing the new things I learned at the conference with all of you.

In the meantime, I came across an interesting internet resource that will help you calculate your cost of disorganization. Smead (the company that makes file folders) has a section on their website called "Organomics" which includes a calculator for the cost of disorganization.

The calculator is geared toward corporations, but if you want to calculate your individual cost of disorganization just type in 1 person, your hourly rate and the amount of time you think you waste daily due to disorganization.

Hint: Newsweek Magazine reported in 2004 that most Americans waste 55 minutes a day looking for things they know they own but cannot finds. So 1 hour is a good starting point for most people.

Green Organizing

If you are an avid reader of this blog and subscriber to Simply Organized Life's e-newsletter, you know that Carolyn is a huge fan of green organizing. Carolyn also is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers' (NAPO) special interest group for Simple and Sustainable Organizers.

A fellow member of the Simple and Sustainable group was recently interviewed by the Toronto, Canada's Vitality Magazine. In its October edition, Vitality featured a great article on "The Green Approach to Organizing and Decluttering." The article is well worth a read.

Children of Hoarders

The OCD Foundation of Michigan is sponsoring an event this Saturday, October 6, 2007 in Warren, Michigan featuring a speaker from the organization Children of Hoarders. For more information on how to register click here.

Until this week, I was unaware of the Children of Hoarders organization, but am happy that such resources exist. Occasionally, I will receive telephone calls from adult children of hoarders and unfortunately, I cannot help their parent(s) if the parent is unwilling to get help. In the most extreme cases it is imperative that the hoarder also be receiving the help of a qualified therapist.

Computer Back Up

It was about a year ago now that my computer crashed on me. I was fortunate that I didn't need to buy a new computer and am still using the same one that suits me fine (at least for the time being), but I spent hours on the telephone with someone in India reinstalling everything. It was a real waste of time.

I was also fortunate that all of my important files with the exception of a few e-mails were backed up. Funny thing is that I have referred to very few of those important files in the time since, which gets me thinking about how we hang onto things thinking that they will be useful in the future.

Experts in the organizing industry say we really only use 20% of the stuff we own 80% of the time. So rather than buying another bin or putting up an elaborate system to store the 80% that we don't use, perhaps we should take a cold hard look at that 80% and see what we can share with others less fortunate.

We Caved!

Two weeks ago today I posted a short essay titled "Free from TV" and promised to let you all know how it goes. I even received a great comment from fellow Professional Organizer, Jeri Dansky, who incidentally posted an interesting essay on her blog yesterday about the various organizing shows on television.

It is with a little embarrassment that I post this message. After I cancelled my cable service the cable company contacted me with a new "offer" for really bare bones cable service. Basically, my husband and I caved in taking the cable company up on the offer for $5/month cable service that includes the basic local channels, PBS and a smattering of other channels. Interestingly enough this bare bones service still includes about 20 channels, which seems like a lot to me.

My reasoning for keeping the cable is that I still like to be able to check the local channels for weather (and somehow protect my family from Mother Nature?). Earlier this summer I heard the tornado warning sirens screaming from town and was able to see on the local channel exactly where the storm was, while www.weather.com didn't give me that type of up to date information.

My husband's reasoning is that he likes to keep up on football and catch the tail end of the golf tournaments on Sunday. I suppose I couldn't step on such manly pursuits.

In a nutshell, we are less than perfect beings that do like a few minutes of television now and again. I guess $5/month is the value that I put on that bit of leisure. And without HGTV or TLC, I am certainly watching a lot less TV.

Lead Paint in Toys

As a parent the recent repeated news of lead paint contamination in children's products terrifies me. As a consumer I wish I had more options to purchase safe products made domestically for my child. However, economic and social factors (namely our thirst for lots of cheap "stuff") have made that nearly impossible. So what is a parent to do?

In my opinion, the first thing to do is to consume consciously. Buy less and seek out products that promote high standards. My family has been blessed to have been given a few Haba wooden toys manufactured in Germany, which I hope has higher safety standards as a fully developed nation. These types of toys can be more difficult to find and more expensive; however, I am a firm believer in buying fewer higher quality items (this can be applied to almost any consumer good).

Even if you are already a conscience consumer, your child (like mine) probably has also been given many plastic or metal toys manufactured in China and other developing nations. For these toys, you can check the US Consumer Product Safety Commission's website at http://www.cpsc.gov/ for recent recalls. You can also purchase an at home lead testing kit at your local hardware store or on-line. I have decided to try LeadCheck Swabs for their ease of use.

As for the contaminated toys, I am at a real loss as to what to do and would love to know of recycling options (please share your comments). I hate to see the toys end up in a landfill and donating them clearly is unethical.

Free from TV

I finally did it. I just called to cancel our cable television service. Over the years as our local cable company kept raising their monthly rates, I kept downgrading our channel lineup. Not once did we regret this decision.

After reading an article in The Wall Street Journal about the potential links between television viewing and autism in children (which the organization Autism Speaks disagrees with) my husband encouraged me to get rid of the cable service completely. In theory, I agreed and dreamed of an even more simplified life without television. However, I must admit that I enjoy watching television and was quite happy with our basic service at $22 a month.

Then last week when the cable company messed with our channel line-up and I found my beloved Home and Garden Television replaced with the Sci-fi channel, that was it. So, today I did it. On Friday, September 7th our cable will be disconnected and I will find out if life free from TV brings our family more simplicity. I will keep you posted.

College Shopping

I happened to stop by the Target store in Ann Arbor, Michigan yesterday to pick up a few mundane things for our household (toilet paper, plastic wrap, that sort of stuff).

It hit me in the face that the University of Michigan students are back, along with their parents and the parents' wallets. It seems that this sort of shopping voyage is a part of going away to college these days. Target even had their own college marketing materials throughout the store.

When I ventured off to Michigan State University at the end of the '80s, I remember my mom purchasing some sheets and towels as they appeared on sale throughout the summer and then simply dropping me off at the dorm. There was no shopping trip to Target or any other store. Call me old fashioned.

The families I saw yesterday seemed to be in a buying frenzy purchasing things like hangers, electronics, hairdryers and let's not forget the containers to store all of this "stuff." What struck me as strange is that the type of items being purchased seemed to be things that any high school student would have. I wonder if the families checked their "inventories" at home before venturing out to Target.

I am not sure if it is the kids or the parents or the stores pushing this type of college consumerism, but what I know for sure is that if people continue to consume excessively, my job should be secure.

Organizing for Kids

Through one of the organizer list serves I belong to, I came across this article from the Washington Post regarding teens and clutter. I felt the article was well written and has some great expert quotes, particularly with regard to the excess amount of stuff that most teens have these days.

I love it when I get the chance to work with school age kids from ages 6 or 7 all the way through college. The thing that excites me the most about working with children and young adults is the opportunity to teach organizing skills early on.

Many of the parents that hire me to work with their kids have struggled with organization nearly all of their lives. They invest in a professional organizer for themselves and their children because they fear their children will struggle as they have. What a wonderful and brave step to take!

We all want the best for our kids and if hiring an organizational consultant will make life just a little easier, it is well worth the investment.

Tiny Houses

I am a true believer in simplicity and limiting the amount of "stuff" in our lives, but this is a bit extreme even for me! The woman that lives in this 84 square foot home, intentionally limits herself to only 300 items!

There was a similar home shown recently on Oprah. Come to find out, you can purchase your very own tiny home through the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company.

Home Based Business

In my practice as a professional organizing consultant, I often work with owners of home based businesses. I help them set up spaces that encourage efficiency and order. In the process, I hope that this also improves their bottom line.

On Tuesday, July 10, 2007 CNN.com featured an interview with a successful home based business owner. Interestingly enough, one of her recommendations for success was to hire a professional organizer. See the bottom of the article for this tip.

Spiritual Organizing

At the 2006 NAPO Conference in Boston, I had the pleasure one evening to sit at the same table as California Organizer, Claire Josefine. Claire is the leader of the Simple and Sustainable Organizers e-mail group that I belong to and the author of The Spiritual Art of Being Organized. She had some great things to say about the topic in a recent internet radio interview.

Keeping Up

In my last post, written over two weeks ago, I wrote about my broken dishwasher and dryer. The dishwasher turned out to be a very small problem, but the circuit board on our dryer was literally fried by an electrical storm in our area during the last week of June. Just yesterday, the dryer was repaired and finally put back to use.

While my dryer was on the fritz, I kept up with the laundry by doing a load every day and hanging the items out to dry. I love the idea of saving all that energy, but must admit that I hate towels as scratchy as sandpaper. But had I not kept up on the laundry and exfoliated my skin with those sandpaper towels, I would have had mountains of laundry to catch up on this weekend.

Many of my clients have had what I like to call "organizing blitz weekends" where they spend their precious free time organizing their belongings only to see it all fall apart in a few days or weeks. One of the keys to staying organized is keeping up, which can be extremely difficult in our busy lives these days. However if we simplify our lives and do a little everyday (whatever that activity might be: laundry, e-mail, etc.) it can make a huge difference in staying organized or at least organized enough.

When Things Go Wrong

When things go wrong it's good to be organized. This week both our dryer and dishwasher broke. This may not seem like a big deal to some, but it has put a little kink in our normal household routine. Fortunately, we have repairs scheduled for tomorrow and we are organized.

Being organized kept us from piles of undone laundry. As the person in charge of laundry in our household, I try to keep on top of laundry. For me, it's easier to do one load every day or so, rather than trying to do it all in a weekend. In addition, we do not have that many clothes, so we need to keep them in circulation by doing laundry frequently.

My husband is the one in charge of cooking in our household, which I translate to all things kitchen. He's also great about keeping the dishes done and put away, so when the dishwasher went on the fritz we only had a few breakfast dishes to hand wash. In fact, thanks to my husband the rule is no dirty dishes left in the sink at our house.

This may all seem a little rigid, but it just takes a few minutes daily and now has become a habit.

826michigan

826michigan is a non-profit tutoring and writing center for children in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This is a great organization that helps to promote writing and literacy in our community.

From July 20th to 22nd 826michigan will be having a rummage sale to raise funds for the organization. For more information or to donate, please go to the 826michigan website.

Summertime

The Summer Solstice officially arrives next month on June 21st, but with all the hot weather we have been having lately here in Michigan it makes me feel that summer has already arrived. Memorial Day passed us by on Monday and the kids will be getting out of school soon.



Summertime is a great time of the year to get organized and get your children involved in the process. By involving the whole family, you can teach your kids the life skill of organizing. If you do not know where to start, a professional organizer or organizing consultant can help. I often work with entire families to help them get organized.

Here are a few areas that are great summertime organizing projects:

• Kids Artwork: Sit down with your children individually to pick out favorite works of art from the previous school year. The "keepers" can be stored in a decorative box.
• The Basement: On the hottest days, it's great to work in a cool basement. I recommend working on your own in blocks of 1 hour or less. You can work longer if you have the guidance of a professional organizer or organizing consultant.
• The Garage: Summer is the best time to organize the garage because it is warm and it is the time you are using tools stored here. This will make it easy to get rid of all those things that collecting dust unused. I will be teaching a new class with Ann Arbor Rec & Ed this summer called "Get the Garage in Order".

For more tips on summer organizing, please feel free to sign up on our website for Simply Organized Life's free e-newsletter sent out on the first of every month.

Cleaning Products

When helping clients organize their homes, I often find that homeowners have enough cleaning products to fill a toxic landfill. Due to disorganization (or perhaps warehouse club memberships) homeowners do not realize what they have on hand and end of buying more cleaning products that add clutter under every sink in the home.

In my own home, I try to limit the purchase and use of heavy duty chemical cleaners when possible. One great way to do this is to use good old fashioned vinegar and baking soda. The website DoItYourself.com has some great uses for these old standards.

To avoid cleaning product clutter, buy only what you need when you need it. Not only will you conquer the clutter, but you will save money too!

Dexter Quilt Show

If you are a quilter, or just have an appreciation for the art, you might be interested in attending the annual quilt show at St. Andrew's United Church of Christ in Dexter, Michigan on Saturday, May 5th from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

There will be 100 quilts, demonstrators and vendors related to the fiber arts. This year's raffle quilt is a queen size quilt made from Grandmother's Flower Garden pieces. Admission is $4.00 and lunch (available from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) is $4.00 also.

Quilting is a wonderful hobby that takes a lot of talent and a little organization.

Often clients ask me what to do with old baby clothing or other fabric memorabilia. Fortunately, those of us that do not have the talent for quilting can outsource the work to company's like Ticche and Bea out of Chicago or perhaps you can find a quilter at the Dexter Show that hires out.

Clean Car

Did you know that April is National Car Care Month? Neither did I. I must admit that over the winter I neglected the cleanliness of my car a bit. This is particularly embarrassing for me as I come from a long line of clean car fanatics.

Just in time for National Car Care Month, yesterday I spent a little time to get my car back in order and I am much happier for it. As an organizer, my car is rarely cluttered, but it did smell of my 70 pound dog and there were remnants of winter salt on the mats.

Here are a simple few tips for keeping your car clean and organized:

1. Your car should not be used as a storage facility. Not only is it uncomfortable for passengers, but it can be very dangerous if you are in an accident.
2. Every time you fill up with gas, take a minute to toss out any garbage such as food wrappers.
3. At the end of every day bring in any items that do not belong in the car.
4. Schedule time in your calendar to vacuum out your car 15 minutes at a time. A little bit of cleaning at a time does wonders!

Money Savers

One of my passions as a professional organizer and consultant is to help families save money. I truly believe that living a Simply Organized Life can help families in so many ways, one of the most important being financial management.

In this month's Parenting Magazine there is a great little article titled, "Instant Money Savers." I was so happy to finally read a magazine that linked the correlation between being organized and saving money! I know that my simple organizing strategies have helped my family and my clients' families save tons of money!

Read the article, take what applies to you and watch your bank account grow!

Novi Event

The Novi Chamber of Commerce is hosting their 8th annual "Threads of Power Breakfast" on March 23, 2007 at 8 a.m. at the Wyndham Garden Hotel in Novi, Michigan.

This year's slogan is "clean your closet for a cause." Attendees to this event are asked to bring gently-used business attire (clean and on hangers) to donate to local organizations. What a great way to organize your closet and bless others on their professional journeys!

The cost for this event is $15 and reservations are required by March 20, 2007.

Hoarding

In this month's on-line version of Reader's Digest, there is an article about hoarding as a clinical obsessive compulsive disorder. To read the article, click here.

If you believe that you or someone you know suffers from hoarding as a clinical obsessive compulsive disorder, it is important that they get help from an experienced social worker, clinical psychologist or other licensed professional with a specialty in this area.

As an organizing consultant and a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), I am happy to state that most people that have clutter are not hoarders. However, those that are hoarders deserve the best possible help to overcome the disorder when they are ready.

Wedding Registry

It's that time of year again! Wedding season!

In addition to our organizing services, Simply Organized Life also provides event planning services for weddings and other festivities. I do recommend that brides and grooms register with a favorite store for items that they both want and need. This also helps them to avoid clutter down the road of marriage.

A friend of mine, who incidentally will be a June bride, brought to my attention the I Do Foundation. This organization partners with retailers to donate a portion of the registry sales to a charitable organization selected by the bride and groom. What a wonderful way to celebrate a marriage and give back to society!

Clutter and Oprah

Earlier this week, Wednesday, February 7th to be exact, Peter Walsh of TLC's Clean Sweep appeared on the Oprah show. On Friday, I was able to watch a recording of the show with five other experienced professional organizers.

In the hour long show Peter Walsh was able to transform a young family's home from chaos to something that looked like the Pottery Barn catalog. However, I worry that the general public was given an unrealistic view of how organizers really work with clients.

First of all, I felt that Oprah and at times, Peter Walsh, were insensitive to the negative feelings that the family (particularly the mother) had surrounding their clutter. As an organizing consultant, it is not my job to judge clients nor their clutter. Peter Walsh went so far at one point to basically tell the woman that she was a bad mother because her house was cluttered. I felt that this was unnecessary and demeaning.

The other complaint that I have with the Oprah show--and basically all television organizing shows--is that it all happens so quickly with so much additional consumption of bins, boxes, etc. The mother of the cluttered family on the show actually worked at The Container Store, which is proof that containers do not organize people, but rather good habits organize people.

On a positive note, Peter Walsh was right on when he said that clutter "robs you psychologically" and one cannot be a peace while living with clutter. I find that once my clients can get rid of the clutter, their lives are opened up to many more blessings.

Auction Event

From time to time, Simply Organized Life donates services to local charity auctions. This is the second year in a row that we have donated a non-transferable gift certificate to the Performance Network Gala Auction. The Gala will be held on February 16, 2007.

In addition to supporting the auction, I have a few raffle tickets to sell for the Gala. The grand prize is a pair of diamond earrings valued at $3,500 from Schlanderer and Sons in Ann Arbor. Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing one ticket for $20 or three for $50.

We believe in giving back to our community!