Learning to Be Organized

Last week, I visited a client that I have been working closely with over several months, on  paperwork and project management. Before we got started on our normal trek to her basement office, she excitedly showed me her linen closet. Proudly, she said "Look what I did by myself!" She had applied the concepts of sorting, purging and organizing that I had been teaching her about her paper, making this beautiful space, complete with labeled shelves.
 

She had found that it was no longer difficult for her to see the excess that she accumulated in her closet and to make decisions about what she "really" needed and what was just visual/emotional distraction. I was super proud of her, as that is my goal for each client I work with; to become as self sufficient and independent as possible in managing their affairs. Everyone varies with this, in terms of each person's abilities and limitations of course, but I encourage everyone to reach their potential, whatever that may be.

I often get calls from Prospective Clients who want an idea of how much it will cost to "Get Organized".  First of all, this is a very difficult thing to estimate, as it depends, among other things on the scope of the project and the client's readiness for change. Sometimes, when they hear my organizing rates, they decide it is too expensive. I understand that. However, I encourage clients to see it for the investment it really is. When we purchase training  that broadens the mind and emphasizes development of a skill set which results in life changing results (such as a college education), it's not only a good decision; it truly is an essential investment.

Working with a Professional Organizer to learn the skill set to be organized and efficient is that same kind of high value, big payoff investment. When I work with a client, it's usually on a very intimate level, talking about vision, philosophy, previous relationships and experiences, unresolved issues, trauma, fears, hopes and dreams. While what I do is not psychotherapy, it is very therapeutic and occurs naturally as we handle different pieces of their life. Clients talk to me about the items and their relationship to them. What they eventually come to realize is that it is Hardly Ever About the Stuff. It is about the Emotions and Beliefs About the Stuff. Which, in turn, affects what we do with the stuff. This new found knowledge helps us to make better, more practical decisions that simplify our lives.

So my work involves talking about broad values, examining past ideas and habits, deciding intentionally how to believe and act from this point further, so that- based upon these new realizations- when the old system is dismantled and the new system is developed, it works because it is based on a well thought out, healthy, functional philosophy. As Stephen Covey says, when you get the the top you want your ladder to be leaning against the right wall.

So Kudos to my dear client! Who has worked so hard to make sure her ladder is leaning against the right wall, and who has achieved the highest goal in my mind; the ability to generalize her new skill set to a different project. I am proud and honored to be a part of your growth and success!

For help with any organizing project

simply call Linda, 716-631-5619.

Comments Welcome!

If the comment box is not visible, click on the "No Comments" link

~ Counter-intuitive, I know, but it's a Blogger quirk

A Lesson In Life

 

 I was driving home from church in June, east on Sheridan Drive between Youngs and the fire station. A little way up, on the other side of the road, traffic was stopped, so I slowed down. I couldn't see what the problem was at first, but since I was the first car in my lane, I could see that about 60 geese were crossing the road!

Adults and babies of all sizes were sauntering across, in more or less straight lines, following each other but with gaps of changing length between the groups. Just when it seemed a car might squeeze through, another gaggle of geese started across. Four lanes of traffic were completely stopped and although I was anxious to get home, I was smiling to myself about the cuteness of the sight in front of me. I had one of my 10 year old daughters with me, in the backseat, and she, too, was enjoying the geese.

Suddenly, a big, black SUV pulled up in the center lane facing West. Two men, a young man maybe in his late 20s, and an older man, got out of the car and the younger man released his large brown dog from the backseat. His dog raced at the geese and chased them all out of the street. Chaos reigned as geese began running for their lives. I watched in horror, as this giant dog, teeth bared, overtook the geese as they got onto the sidewalk and killed a goose, five feet from my daughter's window.

Of course, as soon as this happened, two things occurred simultaneously. One, the traffic started moving because the geese were no longer blocking the road, and two, the terrified geese began to return to the other side of the street, to escape. This created more horrible chaos and I watched helplessly as geese of all ages honked and cried to protect themselves and their babies.

By this time, the man had caught his dog and I was quite close to him. I pulled forward and yelled to him "Why did you do that?  You could have waited like everyone else. They were doing just fine on their own. That was the cruelest thing I have ever seen!" He laughed at me and said "The goose is fine." I said "The goose is NOT fine, it's DEAD and your dog KILLED IT and I have my child in the car. He killed it right in front of her!" by that time I had to move on, as the traffic was clearing. I was so shaken up and my daughter kept asking me "What happened"? and "Why did he do that?"

I had no answer but that he was an arrogant man who wanted to prove himself to the world that he could take care of the problem. I was very close to home and found my husband and collapsed into tears of grief for the geese. I hadn't realized until that moment what I needed, but what I needed was to go back, to see what had happened to the geese.

He and my 19 year old son took me back and we found the dead goose, which we then realized was a baby. My husband and son gently picked him up in a box and took him back across the street and left him in the woods, while I mourned the innocence and fragility of life. We slowly drove down Sheridan wondering if any had been hit by cars as they were crossing.

Just at our street, we saw a solitary baby goose wandering alone, pecking at the grass. We realized that he had become separated from his flock and was unable to cross busy Sheridan Drive by himself. We knew we had to help him. My husband and son managed to catch him in a towel and we brought him into the van. My son held him on his lap and soothed him. We drove behind Wegmans and the AAA looking for his flock. We finally found them, far from the original crossing site, on a lake in the corporate park. We released him to his family, where about 30 baby geese were roosting with their parents. He quickly waddled off to rejoin them, welcomed back by the others.

I don't know who that young man was, but I hope he reads this or someone recognizes him and shares it. I hope he allows himself to acknowledge and regret his impulsive and careless decision to release his dog to "solve" the problem. Life is fragile and special in all of the earth's creatures and to hunt something down in cold blood is neither admirable nor brave. Everything we do has an impact on others and the world is a series of interconnected emotions and experiences. As my daughters learn in school, he should "Stop, Think, Go." I am grateful that each of my four children demonstrates empathy, compassion and patience; that they know that the response to bullying and violence is to stand by and protect the victim. I am grateful that my husband is a strong, sensitive, loving man who supports me unconditionally and doesn't hesitate to help when I say I want to rescue a baby goose. He just grabs the keys and joins me.

For help with any organizing project, including aligning the priorities in your life,

simply call Linda, 716-631-5619.

Comments Welcome!
If the comment box is not visible, click on the "(No) Comments" link
~ Counter-intuitive, I know, but it's a Blogger quirk

Stuck in the Maze??

At some point in our lives, we all become stuck. For all kinds of reasons. Some of us stay stuck for a short time, a few minutes, a few days, weeks or months, some of us for years. Some are stuck with emotional stuff, some with physical, but dealing with it has to happen inside first. In my organizing business, I don't just reorganize clients' stuff--- I reorganize their brains!! This is so important to lasting change.

One of my favorite books about dealing with Change is "Who Moved My Cheese", by Spencer Johnson, MD. As the inside cover states "Written for all ages, the story takes less than an hour to read, but its unique insights can last for a lifetime."

The book is about 4 characters, two humans; Hem & Haw, and two mice; Sniff & Scurry, who all live in the maze. Each day they go to Cheese Station C where they find "Cheese". Cheese is a metaphor for what they want in life; happiness, power, money, success, family. The humans become complacent in their Cheese and begin to take it for granted while the mice continually look around them and anticipate change. When the Cheese in Cheese Station C starts to dwindle, they are not surprised and they begin to prepare to change. The humans, ignore the signs and one day when no more Cheese is left, the mice quickly run back into the maze to search for more cheese, but the humans, being caught up in their analytical ways, with their complex brains, resist the idea that change is needed and continue to search for the missing Cheese in Cheese Station C. They even dig out the wall and try to find it. Haw finally begins to see the "Handwriting on the Wall" and the futility of their behavior and he tries to convince Hem to go out into the maze and search for new Cheese.

Hem is absolutely stuck. He is terrified to make any changes. He won't even look out into the maze for alternatives, despite Haw's pleading. Haw is indecisive and asks himself "What would you do if you weren't afraid?" Finally he decides that change is essential to his survival. He simply cannot get different results unless he makes a change and takes a risk. Which he does.

Meanwhile, Sniff & Scurry, who were not hampered by the humans' complicated analytical brains, have long ago found new Cheese in the maze at Cheese Station N. When Hem decides to take a risk, he learns so much about himself AND he learns to laugh at himself and some of his self-limiting ways. He even goes back to encourage Hem, but Hem is unwilling to change and so Haw reluctantly goes on without him.

Finally, Haw arrives at Cheese Station N, where Sniff & Scurry have found an ample supply of New Cheese. Despite the seemingly endless supply and variety, all three continue to keep noticing things around them and preparing for change so that when they need to, they can deal with it. What happens to Hem? Well, he is still stuck.... or is he? Read the book to find out; hard copy or kindle. Also, here are links to a great (10 minute) movie on YouTube based on the story and a brief Power Point for additional ways to understand and experience this life changing parable. While my story is a brief summary, these two links will give you all the depth and insight that is woven into "Who Moved My Cheese?"

Has your Cheese moved?

What would you do if you weren't afraid?

For help, simply call Linda, 716-631-5619.

The Body Double

This is a term described by Judith Kolberg in her books Conquering Chronic Disorganization  and ADD Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life. In these wonderful and very readable books Judith mentions many suggestions and strategies to help people with challenges get on top of their tasks, and one of them is the use of a Body Double. This she describes as someone who will hang out with you while you tackle your task and will act as a mirror and an anchor until you get the job done. This could be a friend, relative, colleague or I suppose even your dog or cat, as much of the time all is needed from the other being is simply to be present. In fact, at my desk my dog Whisper usually sleeps at my feet and my cat Jasmine sleeps on a shelf at my right elbow while I work. It is very comforting to me and keeps me anchored.

Right this minute I am writing this article in the office of my friend, Dr. Elvira Aletta who runs a psychotherapy practice called Explore What's Next. We are seated across from each other, laptops open, coffee by our side, tip tapping away on our blog articles. Several months ago we had discussed our frustration that we often left blogging to the last minute, putting more urgent and pressing matters ahead of writing. We agreed that having a designated blogging time would be helpful and that we could encourage each other further by meeting together during our writing time to cheer each other on. This has resulted in a bi-weekly Monday meeting where we get together at each others home or office for an hour or two and crack out some writing. Being each others Body Double has been a huge help to each of us, with the added benefit that we can process other business and personal issues to the benefit of our well being and productivity.

I often serve as an anchor and support for my clients as we tackle the To Do List. I presort, put like with like, simplify the presentation of the task and clean up as we go along. While the decisions need to be and are made by my clients, I can help stage them so that it is easier to see the choices. It makes the job for my client much more efficient, effective and enjoyable. Plus it gets it done!

Could you benefit from a Body Double?
For help with this or any organizing project,
simply call Linda, 716-631-5619.

Comments Welcome!
If the comment box is not visible, 

please share by clicking on the "(No) Comments" link
~ Counter-intuitive, I know, but it's a Blogger quirk!

The Dynamic Dining Room Table

Ready for a Family Dinner

I have a confession. While occasionally it looks like the above photo, most of the time I have stuff on my dining room table. Yes, stuff. I am sure that my readers are shocked, as one may have the bias to think that a Professional Organizer would have a perfectly clear table, shining and polished, at all times of the day or night. Maybe some do, it's just that it's simply not me, at least not at this stage of my life. I am not advocating right or wrong here; just sharing my experience from my little corner of the world.

Now let me clarify a bit with an explanation of the difference between static and dynamic, according to Dictionary.com:

Static: pertaining to or characterized by a fixed or stationary condition; showing little or no change; lacking movement, development, or vitality.

Dynamic: pertaining to or characterized by energy or effective action; vigorously active or forceful; energetic.

Our table after our recent camping trip.

Some tables are static. You know if you have one of these. It is the kind of table whose layers could tell you something of the way the the clutter formed. If one excavated, one may find fossilized papers or objects, long since disappeared from recent memory. This kind of table is rarely used for any kind of relationship building or nourishment, as it is nearly impossible to find the surface of the table in order to use it properly. Things on it are fixed in time, move very rarely, if ever, and lack the energy of change. If you are lucky enough to have a clutter free table, then static may be a good thing, and open the door to spontaneous activities allowing the use of the table top! But of course, if this is your situation, what are you doing reading an organizing blog..... (directed at my sister-in-law K, who I know reads religiously, and whose table is always ready for action!) ;-)

My table is far from static. Although there may be various piles of things on it, it is totally energetic in nature and reflects the current projects our family is involved in at any given time. For example, this summer, it has been the point place for the assembly of two large tri-folds of photos for my son's graduation party, the packing point for my three daughters' overnight camp sessions, the packing and unpacking of our family's camping trip in Canada, and this week is transitioning to the packing point for my son to go to college and the assembly of school supplies for the rest of the kids. For the past several years, during July and August the table has also been a caterpillar nursery and butterfly hatchery, although this year, the monarch's late arrival prevented us from hosting them (you can read about the caterpillars we have hatched in the past here, here and here). Throughout the summer, in between all the projects the table has often been cleared for friend & family gatherings to celebrate special occasions.

Packing for our first trip to China, in 2008, to adopt Megan!

Our dining room table is a special spot in our home. It is a place of energy and love, relationship building and achievement of goals. It is a place of sanctuary for things which are not quite finished, and things yet to be. It is Dynamic, not Static, and definitely not empty and polished!

Tell us about your dining room table. How does it function in your life and home? Does it work for you or is it a hindrance to your energy and goals? If it is a hindrance, imagine how it would feel to free it up!

For help with any organizing project, including freeing your dining room table,

Simply call Linda, 716-631-5619.

"What If?" and "Why Not?"

Some days I wake up and I feel like can conquer the world. I have dreamed all night about Ideas and Problems That Need Solutions and before my eyes are even open, I have a list a mile long of Things To Do! That day, I begin to set things in motion.

THEN, the Very. Next. Day. I feel like I can't even get out of bed. I ask myself WHAT was I thinking!!!??? It all seemed so reasonable yesterday!! The thoughts of what to do swim before my brain and one merges into another growing larger and more nebulous, colliding with what feels like a growing headache.

Anyone else feel that way? Anyone surprised to hear that a Professional Organizer feels that way?

This is really the story of my life. A High Achiever, and somewhat a Naive Optimist, I am always thinking "What If?" and Why Not?" I will admit that my constant striving to change myself or my world, can be difficult. But yet, it is what makes my life interesting and exciting. When I follow my "What If?, Why Not?" line of thinking, beautiful things happen to me and my family.

For example, years ago, I spontaneously responded to an email and entered a contest sponsored by Rolodex. I had to design an systematic plan to meet the needs of a fictitious client with organizing challenges due to an attention disorder. I immediately got to work, and being a school psychologist for 16 years, quickly and easily wrote an assessment and plan to meet his needs, emailed it off and forgot about it. Months later, I received a registered letter inviting me to attend the National Association of Professional Organizers annual conference as a Semi-Finalist Winner in the Rolodex Office Makeover Challenge. I was shocked and thrilled. I had a ball at the conference and ended up winning the grand prize; a trip to Hawaii for my family!!! It was amazing and all because I was open to the idea of "What If and Why Not?"

The Big Island, July 2007 (pre-adoption of Megan and Shanna!)

Some people are "If, Then" thinkers. They are constantly aware of the consequences of their choices and carefully evaluate each possibility before acting. This is sound and prudent thinking and in many instances, essential. I can think this way, but it is harder for me. I admire so much people who can do this effortlessly. My husband and my oldest daughter are two of these reliable souls. I can always count on them to help me flush out the unrealistic pieces of my plan.

While neither philosophy is right or wrong; there is a need for balance. To live one's whole life as a dreamer can be exhausting and lead to the roller coaster of energy like what I described at the beginning. To live always in the predictability and safety of routine and consequences may not expose us to the right amount of fun, freedom or joy.

Somewhere in the middle is the answer.

For help with reaching balance or any other organizing project,

Simply call Linda, 716-631-5619.

Living with (some) Chaos

Click here to see this garden in the fall

I just love the springtime. It brings me such joy to shake off the winter blues and bask in the warm sunshine. I love to uncover the garden and get it ready for the bulbs and shoots that start to poke their way through. Along with the springtime weather outside comes a big change inside the house, too. Suddenly, there are shoes and jackets everywhere as people start to shed their bulky layers  for sundresses, tee shirts, and shorts and shoes for bare feet. And the delivery of a huge pile of dirt in the driveway gives way to the reality that some of the inside chores are going to suffer as that pile gets moved and dealt with. The constant traffic from the front door to the back door, through the kitchen results in dirt, clothing and general tableware strewn about from our children who are helping themselves because we are busy. Laundry piles up and dinner is delayed. Adding to the mix include the "extra" children that we encourage to gather at our home on the trampoline or swingset. It puts a smile on my face to see them all enjoying the weather and reviving forgotten activities, as I push my wheelbarrow full of dirt to and fro.

Typically, my tips tell you how to conquer the clutter and order your world. This one is just going to tell you that if you feel like you are living in chaos, that sometimes the best thing to do is to enjoy it! The moments pass so quickly, and despite being a "perfectionist" I have come to realize that tolerating a certain level of chaos is not only possible for me, but even healthy and freeing, and especially for the rest of the family! I know I will pull it back together eventually (and having an underlying system to the household helps with that), and this enables me to have some disorder, even over several days or weeks as things transition from one season or holiday to the next.

Enjoy the Spring!

For help with developing an "underlying system" to your chaos, or any organizing project, simply contact Linda! 716-631-5619

Managing Adult ADHD through Professional Organizing and Coaching

Maybe you know someone who has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder; either diagnosed or not. For children, there tends to be a plethora or tools and services at their disposal, but for many adults who have it (and may not know it) simply managing daily life can present a trying set of circumstances.

How does ADHD interfere with optimal functioning, from an organizing perspective?

Adults with ADHD tend to be highly energetic and creative people who love to start projects and involve themselves in several different causes/arenas at once. They thrive on the excitement of chaos and the fast pace of life. Unfortunately, they can't always keep up with the details of the pace that they set for themselves and find that they have misplaced important items or missed important deadlines. Despite really wanting to be successful, they often cope by engaging in more distracting/avoidant behavior, which fuels the cycle of feeling overwhelmed. Often people like this try inventing "systems" but the systems only work for a short time and they then implement a "new" system, on top of the old and so on and so on. Sometimes people are three or four layers deep before they realize there is a problem and by then, they have no idea what is wrong.

Although ADHD is called an Attention Deficit problem, it seems to me to be more of a combination of overfocus on certain things (and tuning out other things) and an inability to perceive essential from unessential detail. This combination creates a situation where someone might spend hours organizing their calendar but forget to stop and make dinner for the family. Often times people like this fail to percieve the passage of time and are shocked when they find that many hours have gone by. These people are sometimes unfairly judged as scattered or lazy (because they don't follow through) but they are usually trying their hardest with their systems, but they just aren't working.

This type of person is an ideal candidate for coaching sessions with a NAPO Professional Organizer. Organizers can very quickly identify personal learning styles and strengths and tailor a system that can work. Often clients know what they need and an organizer will help them discover how to get it; through assessment of  the environment (home or office) and the client's strengths and challenges, with the goal to maximize productivity and work flow. The organizer will also discuss personal priorities and commitments and assist clients to make sound and realistic choices about how to spend their time.

Organizers will save their clients time, money and effort by helping them choose products that will complement their needs, rather than pile up in the closet because they looked good but didn't work. Many clients will benefit most from an ongoing regular weekly, bi-weekly or monthly sessions with their organizer to handle daily personal tasks, especially scheduling, paperwork and financial record keeping. Training goes on during the sessions so that over time the person learns to self-monitor and become more independent with their organizing. This is a good approach because systems may need to be tweaked over time as the client tries things out to see how they work. Open feedback is very important so that the organizer is aware of pros and cons of any intervention. As with any change, new habits are hard to form so the coaching model is an ideal way for the habits to become firm over time. As new habits and skills are developed, coaching sessions are slowly stretched out so that success is maintained.

For help with managing ADHD, Coaching or any organizing project, simply contact Linda! 716-631-5619

Find Small Ways to Simplify Your Life

Happy New Year!

January is National Get Organized Month. It's an ideal time to rethink what is important to us and to take action to change things to improve our efficiency, productivity, space, or simply to reduce the "clutter" in our lives, be it relationships, excess commitments or excess material goods.

I hear from many people that they "just don't know where to begin". I know that feeling. Even professional organizers may struggle when facing a large personal task. Breaking it down into small, manageable pieces is what we do when helping clients, ourselves (or our family members) to accomplish their visions. Matching the expectations and goal to the client (those "getting organized") is very important, too. I have a very good friend who shared with me her recent experience. On New Year's Day she announced to her family of five that they were each going to clean out the Top Drawer of their dresser. I was so impressed with her restraint at not asking (expecting) them to do the WHOLE dresser (which is what I might have done). She instinctively knew that would be too much to expect at once, so instead she set a reasonable goal, they each accomplished it and they were all proud of their success.

I am always looking for ways to rein in my own High Expectations. I am a classic Over Achiever. By nature I complicate my life by adding in when I should be holding steady, or subtracting. I also have realized over the years (as one good friend and organizer recently reflected about herself and it rang true for me, too), despite being good at many things, I am NOT a good juggler. I like to have long periods of intense focus on projects, but obviously, as a wife, mother to three kids, home owner, business owner, pet owner, daughter and a multitude of other undefined roles, it is NOT an option NOT to be a juggler. So over the years I have learned (and am still learning) to make careful choices about where I spend my time, and try to stick with things I like and can blend well into my life. For example, rather than volunteer for lunch monitor in the Elementary School (which quickly learned I did NOT love), I am typing this tip from the comfort of the tiny High School store, where I have a brief, busy time in between the period changes, and relative peace during the 40 or so class minutes and can do some work. It is fun for me to see the kids and their enthusiastic personalities. I get to see the current hair and fashion styles. I cleared up some business with the PE teacher, I read the school newsletter and learned that course selections were taking place now (no, my son had NOT told me) and got to see my son just a few minutes ago. Yes, it is a great volunteer match for me and I am happy to be able to help out in this way.

During 2010, find small ways to simplify your life. E-mail me at simplybacktobasics@gmail.com and let me know how you do it. If I get enough responses, I can post a list of successes. Or just comment on this post. I will cheer you on!

Cheers to the New Year and Get Organized!

For help simplifying your life, or any other organizing project-Simply Call Linda. 716-631-5619.

10 Minutes At a Time

At any given time, I have about 20 projects going at once. Some are BIG, some are Small, some are Urgent and Important, some are Important, but not Urgent. And admittedly, some are a probably neither all that Urgent nor Important, but just things I would like to do. In addition to the everyday things that are expected such as cooking, cleaning and general home care, getting even one project completed can be a significant challenge, let alone a whole variety of projects.

I was recently lamenting over this mountainous hurdle with my colleague and fellow organizer Ann Michael Henry of Mise En Place, who said that she advises clients to tackle their big projects 10 Minutes at a time. Rather than approach the whole project at once (ie: weeding the entire garden), work on it for 10 minutes and attempt to get a specific section of it done, even if it is only 1/10th of the garden. She stressed the importance of allowing oneself to feel proud and accomplished when the 10 minutes are done. After the initial 10 are up, one can decide to go another 10 or go on to something else. I thought this was a very helpful frame, as it releases one from the pressures of having to do the whole thing in one sitting, which is pretty impossible for me with a busy family of 5 (yet, I continuously expect myself to be able to do so).

I tried her idea this weekend, and worked on several projects for 10-30 minutes each. In this way, I was able to finish a framing project I had been working on for months, decide about some excess furniture that had accumulated and was no longer needed, rearrange the remaining furniture and prepare for a Mother's Day dinner at our house. I used her frame of doing it in small chunks and remembered to tell myself that whatever I accomplished in each 10 minutes was great progress and that I could go on to something else that needed my attention, if I chose to.

Even writing this tip is an example of five 10 minute segments of time. Three took place while my daughter had OT this morning and the last two are happening while she is napping this afternoon.

My sister, Sue, has given me permission to share that she has accomplished the cleaning out of her entire home in exactly this manner, over the course of many months. She had never really done much purging before, mostly accumulating and by her own description, she was afraid to get rid of things but was smothering living with them. Several changes in her life and attitude (see last month's tip Thinking About Change? Change Your Thinking!) resulted in her being able to begin to let things go. She easily got overwhelmed when she thought of the enormity of the task before her, but breaking things down into smaller chunks, doing it frequently, and only spending a little bit of time, each time was the key for her.

Judith Kolberg, a very well known organizer, owner of Fileheads and author of Conquering Chronic Disorganization and ADD-Friendly ways to Organize Your Life, suggests a similar visual-tactile adaptation of this idea. She encourages overwhelmed clients to hold up a paper towel tube to their eye and focus it on one spot in the room and begin there. She says to only organize the space the falls within the small circle of the tube before beginning the next space. I have used this technique myself and with clients and it also works well.

My 10 minute window is running out for this project, and I need to move on to the next, but as usual for help with this or any other organizing task, please contact Linda!

Thinking About Change? Change Your Thinking!

Often times the simplest ideas are profound and powerful. My friend and colleague, Linda Birkinbine of Keep it Organized (Buffalo, NY) shared this wisdom with me, which she learned while attending a Professional Organizer's Conference in Canada, last year.

Instead of saying "I want to ______________, but I am afraid" switch it around to say "I am afraid, but I want to ______________".

Doing this switch does two things. First it re-frames the thought into "possibility language". Instead of hearing the barrier last, the brain processes the "want" thought as a possibility that can be realized. Second, it moves the person to action by allowing the fear of change to be set aside for the moment, and a step forward to be made. These are powerful thoughts and can be taught to and learned by those of us who find that fear often gets in the way of change.

Another really great, simple idea comes from Peter Walsh, author of Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat, and It's All Too Much. He says, when feeling stuck and connected to clutter from the past, ask yourself;

Are the best moments of your life behind you or ahead of you?

Honest response to this question can often reveal a shift in thinking that will free you to move forward in your desire to achieve the vision of the life you want to have now.

Happy Organizing.