Simplify Your Life (Part 2 of 2)

Living a simple life is easier said than done these days. Many of us are overwhelmed by the vast amount of information and stuff in our lives. We crave organization and simplicity, but often do not know where to start.

Here are some easy ways to simplify your life. With these tips, I hope you will find getting and staying organized a positive experience. 

1) Create Empty Space

This is meant both literally and figuratively. Carving out empty space in our homes, offices, schedules and minds can be very freeing. For the month of May, pick one small area in your home or office that you can empty out. Be careful not to overbook your calendar and leave some empty space, just for you.  

2) Limit Distractions

There are so many ways to limit distractions in daily life, but we overlook most of the them or perhaps feel the need to be distracted or "busy". Some of the distractions I try to avoid include: multitasking, text messaging, recreational shopping, television and magazine subscriptions (although I am a huge fan of the free magazine exchange at my public library). 

3) Learn to Say "No"

This one is particularly difficult for those of us who are people pleasers. I have seen it over and over again, where wonderful people (mostly women) take on too much at their own expense. Taking on too much can run you ragged and leave little time to maintain organization at home or work. 

If you need help simplifying and organizing your life, please contact Carolyn to schedule a complementary telephone consultation. 

Carolyn Anderson-Fermann is a public speaker, organizing expert and founder of Simply Organized Life. Carolyn will be presenting "Spring Clean Your Clutter" at Ann Arbor Rec & Ed. on May 10, 2013. Register now with Ann Arbor Rec & Ed. Bring a friend to this seminar and you both will receive a free 1 hour consultation with Carolyn via telephone. Just introduce yourself on May 10th to sign up. 

Simplify Your Life (part 1 of 2)

Photo Credit:  Carolyn Anderson-Fermann

It seems that finally spring has sprung here in Michigan. Today was the first day I sent my children off to school without winter coats, although they insisted upon wearing their hats and mittens, perhaps feeling naked without them after a long winter. 

I look forward to washing and packing away all our winter gear in the days and weeks ahead. I want to simplify and create space for the new season.

Spring and summer are always such busy times that can make us feel disorganized, stressed and overwhelmed. A little simplification can go a long way in helping us enjoy our warm weather days more. 

I would love to hear what you will do to simplify your May! 

Carolyn Anderson-Fermann is a public speaker, organizing expert and founder of Simply Organized Life. Carolyn will be presenting "Spring Clean Your Clutter" at Ann Arbor Rec & Ed. on May 10, 2013. Register now with Ann Arbor Rec & Ed. Bring a friend to this seminar and you both will receive a free 1 hour consultation with Carolyn via telephone. Just introduce yourself on May 10th to sign up. 

Planning for International Travel with Kids

Photo Source: List Mama, www.listplanit.com

Do you have family overseas? Do you dream of expanding your vacation horizons, but worry about traveling internationally with your children? 

Check out my guest blog on planning for international travel with kids over at ListPlanIt, a membership based website full of any list you could imagine. Why reinvent the wheel?

My guest blog is a time-line based list of steps for any family planning a trip overseas. Many of the steps can apply to domestic travel as well. Enjoy!

Travel Tips

Carolyn in Torun, Poland, circa 2005

Today's post is an oldie, but goody, originally posted on this blog in May 2006. 

Having left a corporate career in sales and lived overseas, I have traveled a lot. My last trip as a corporate road warrior had me off to Japan with all of four days notice. When I showed up at the airport my male counterparts were surprised that my only luggage was an 18 inch Travelpro carry-on and a purse large enough to hold my computer.

With a little bit of organization, you too can be jetting off to far flung places at a moment's notice. Here are my tips for packing light and enjoying the ride:

1) Pick your bags---Try to limit yourself to one small sturdy bag per person. This can even save you money with the airlines’ nickeling and diming for baggage charges these days.

2) Pack your bags---If you travel frequently, keep small sample sized toiletries in your travel bag at all times. This saves packing time and avoids forgotten items.

3) Start with your itinerary---For business or pleasure, you should have an idea of your daily travel plans. This will help you pick out the necessary clothes and shoes.

4) Get back to the basics---When traveling, stick to easy care mix and match separates or suits in the same color palette. I always try to limit myself to two pairs of shoes of the same color: one casual and one dressy.

5) Use every nook and cranny---Rolling knit items can save space. You can also pack socks and undergarments inside of your extra pair of shoes that are covered with plastic bags. Neatly folding dirty clothes inside of plastic bags saves space on the way home.

6) Relax---Don’t worry if you forget something. Unless you are traveling to a very remote part of the world, you can almost always buy what you need or wash clothes at your destination.


Carolyn Anderson-Fermann is a public speaker, organizing expert and founder of Simply Organized Life. To receive a free copy of Carolyn's "Secrets of a Simply Organized Life"and a monthly subscription to the e-newsletter "Your Simply Organized Life" sign up here. 

Crazy Ways to Simplify Your Life (Part 2 of 2)

Carolyn at an organizers' luncheon.

In 2012 living a simple life is easier said than done. Many of us are overwhelmed by the vast amount of information and stuff in our lives. We crave organization and simplicity, but often do not know where to start.

Here are some crazy ways to simplify your life. With these tips, I hope you will find maintaining organization a little easier. 

1) Create Empty Space

This is meant both literally and figuratively. Carving out empty space in our homes, offices, schedules and minds can be very freeing. For the month of May, pick one small area in your home or office that you can empty out. Be careful not to overbook your calendar and leave some empty space, just for you.  

2) Limit Distractions

There are so many ways to limit distractions in daily life, but we overlook most of the them or perhaps feel the need to be distracted or "busy". Some of the distractions I try to avoid include: multitasking, text messaging (see last week's post), recreational shopping, television and magazine subscriptions (although I am a huge fan of the free magazine exchange at my public library). 

3) Learn to Say "No"

This one is particularly difficult for those of us who are people pleasers. I have seen it over and over again, where wonderful people (mostly women) take on too much at their own expense. Taking on too much can run you ragged and leave little time to maintain organization at home or work. 


Carolyn Anderson-Fermann is a public speaker, organizing expert and founder of Simply Organized Life. For more organizing tips and a free gift sign up for Carolyn's monthly e-newsletter, "Your Simply Organized Life". Carolyn will be presenting "Secrets of a Simply Organized Life" at My Urban Toddler in Saline, Michigan on May 18, 2012 (childcare is available, check with My Urban Toddler for details). 

Crazy Ways to Simplify Your Life (Part 1 of 2)

Carolyn presenting
"Secrets of a Simply Organized LIfe"

How can it be that May is already here?

April was a busy month in my household. We celebrated Easter, a birthday and had three sets of house guests; including a surprise visitor from Germany, who arrived in the night. The whole family was sleeping and I thought someone was trying to break into our home!

During a recent conversation with our latest house guest, this time an Italian, I mentioned that I choose not to utilize text messaging and have requested the feature be disabled by my cell phone provider. I think our visitor was astonished by my stone age views and perhaps many of you reading find it crazy too. 

Now, I am not asking you to stop text messaging, particularly if it serves a purpose in your life. For me, I find texting a distraction and unneeded extra expense; both of my time and my money. It is an easy way for me to simplify my life.

Next week I will include other crazy ways to simplify your life. Give one or two of the ideas a try. You might just find yourself more organized and more happy too!

Carolyn Anderson-Fermann is a public speaker, organizing expert and founder of Simply Organized Life. For more organizing tips and a free gift sign up for Carolyn's monthly e-newsletter, "Your Simply Organized Life". Carolyn will be presenting "Secrets of a Simply Organized Life" at My Urban Toddler in Saline, Michigan on May 18, 2012 (childcare is available, check with My Urban Toddler for details). 

Stress Free Holiday Tip #7

Tip #7: Clutter Free Gifts

As we get closer to the holidays it is natural to feel a little pressure to get that "perfect gift" for a family member or friend. Rather than rush out to the mall or the nearest big box store, consider gifts that are both useful and clutter free.

What is a clutter free gift?
I consider clutter free gifts to be anything that the person receiving has requested, can use or will not take up much space. This can include consumable items such as food, home spa items, bird seed, or basically anything that will be used up in the months ahead. Clutter free gifts can also include services such as organizing, oil changes, snow removal, spa treatments or any kind of service that offers gift certificates. Charitable donations were also mentioned in stress free holiday tip #6.

A clutter free gift does not have to cost anything but your time and can be homemade. A friend told me that she (along with her siblings) prepares and gives complete frozen meals to their elderly parents. What a wonderful way to share and care for someone you love!

A note about gift cards
Gift cards are great, but are not always clutter free and some do expire. When working with clients, I often stumble across unused gift cards. Please be sure that the gift card is for a store or restaurant that the person frequently visits and that using the gift card will not add more clutter to their space.

Being organized is not about being perfect. In my next post I will write about accepting imperfection during the holidays and every day.

Carolyn Anderson-Fermann is a public speaker, organizing expert and founder of Simply Organized Life.

Stress Free Holiday Tip #1

Tip #1: Keep it Simple!

Complexity adds stress. It is that simple.

The key to avoiding stress during the holidays is to keep things simple. I know that is easier said than done especially with all of the media messages, stores all decked out and expectations from family and friends. However, with frugality coming back in style, I believe simple holidays are a breath of fresh air for many.

One of the ways to keep things simple is to focus only on the things that you enjoy during the holidays. This may take a little thought, as there are so many things we do "just because". Think about what you and your family enjoy during this season and why. For example, if you enjoy putting up a tree is it because the way the tree looks when you are finished or is it because your kids have so much decorating it with simple things? Asking yourself these questions, will allow you to focus only on the enjoyable elements and keep it simple!

As for those things that always stress you out (and maybe you never seem to get done) if it is not necessary, eliminate it from your holiday plan. What!? No holiday plan!? We will talk about making a simple holiday plan next time.

Carolyn Anderson-Fermann is a public speaker, organizing expert and founder of Simply Organized Life.

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.

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.

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.