February 22nd, 2007
Getting rid of clutter for clutter’s sake is not very rewarding. It brings you face-to-face with the accumulation of your life; memories, poor purchases that never delivered the feeling you sought in purchasing it, possessions you have long since outgrown or no longer need. It can feel like trudging through a morass of mud and sludge.
Yet, when motivated by a higher purpose we often find it easier to part with things. Following Hurricane Katrina millions of Americans purged their homes of items they thought would better serve the hurricane survivors; clothing, blankets, household items, furniture and more.
When assisting clients we often find the motivation of “repurposing” possessions a powerful motivator. Things begin flying into boxes and bags to be transported to some worthwhile non-profit organization serving a population in need. (see earlier blog, “One Man’s Trash Is Another Man’s Treasure”)
I want to share my latest find. A wonderful non-profit with a higher calling that we can all help support while lightening our own loads. “Open Books” is a newly founded non-profit used bookstore supporting literacy in Chicago. I recently learned of Open Books in DailyCandy Chicago when they highlighted the tremendous work of this dynamic duo, Stacy Ratner and Becca Keaty. After successful careers in other non-profits and start-ups, these two formidable and energetic women made a conscious decision to combine their vocation and their avocation.
Open Books will fund literacy programming through the sale of used books. And this creates a wonderful WIN/WIN for all of us storing boxes of dusty …
January 12th, 2007
With getting organized near the top of people’s lists of New Years resolutions, it is easy to understand why the National Association of Professional Organizers (www.napo.net) worked to get January named GO (Get Organized) Month.
When PhD and internationally acclaimed author, Sonia Choquette published her book True Balance; A Commonsense Guide for Renewing Your Spirit, in 2000 she detailed the attributes of each of the seven chakras, psychic energy centers in the human body. The first chakra, when balanced and healthy provides the foundation for your Life. Sonia (www.inner-wisdom.com) asked me to contribute an article on getting organized in the new year because of its importance to a healthy, balanced state of being.
The beginning of the New Year provides us with the opportunity to reflect on what is working and what is not working in our lives. We pause intentionally to examine the quality of our life and to consciously choose to make shifts in order to experience a more satisfying life. We are, after all, a higher order of being and are granted the gift of free will, the power to consciously choose or not to choose.
Therefore, getting organized takes on more importance. Organization enhances our ability to focus and to not be distracted in a meaningless way by irrelevant “stuff”. And increased focus aids us in living more intentionally, some might call it more productively, each and every day. And intention is what enables us to be more satisfied, more content each and every day, through the exercise of true choice.
So, …
December 15th, 2006
I believe that everyone has an organizational “style” and that, as a Professional Organizer, my role is to help them find it. There are many benefits to this approach:
1. We move into solution mode following a fairly brief assessment. There is no time for judgment.
2. Our clients never feel embarrassed and if they do, we help them get past that momentary feeling.
3. We seek the best solution for our client. We never apply the same cookie cutter approach to every client because it wouldn’t work.
So what’s your organizational style? Your organizational style is often related to your learning style; a) Visual, b) Kinestetic, or c) Auditory.
If you are a visual learner, you will most likely prefer to see everything. Fortunately, that doesn’t mean everything must be out. It does imply the use of bright colors and clear containers for your papers and possessions. In an effort to reduce the visual clutter that often characterizes the homes and offices of visual learners, we find it helpful to create Guides directing them to categorized areas of things. The visual style of learning is the most dominant and typifies creative people.
If you are an auditory learner, we employ a more “logical” style of organizational system. Files may or may not be colorful, but will be categorized topically and then arranged alphabetically within the category. Color does not enhance the sense of order and foundation for an auditory learner. The “architecture” of organization must be logical and orderly for an auditory learner.
For kinestetic learners, we focus …
