CS Team - Clear & Simple

Organize Your Kitchen

An organized kitchen is a happy kitchen!

It’s in the kitchen where the warmth of shared memories,

laughter and life create a recipe that spans generations.

– Yuvraj Kakodiya

The kitchen is the gathering place for family and friends. It is the place we go to nurture our bodies and connections. Because so much lands and happens in the kitchen it can get chaotic quickly. How often have you cleared the kitchen counter only to have it be cluttered up the next day?

SEE IT. MAP IT. DO IT.© is the 3-step organizing system that works for all the areas of your space and life. Let’s use it to transform your kitchen. Remember you can start small with one area and then move to others.

SEE IT – Take a look at where you are now. Have each person answer the questions below for the whole kitchen and then other areas such as the pantry. When you are done, take time to share with each other.

What’s working? You can be specific or general.
What do you love about the look, feel and function?
Are there things you know you want to change?
What isn’t working? What don’t you like?
Is there stuff that doesn’t belong here, like paper piles on the counter?
Are you doing things other than cooking and eating in your kitchen?

MAP IT – Make a written plan for what you want. Go after what you really desire. The kitchen is often a central gathering and connecting place.

How do you want your kitchen to look, feel and function?
Create an online board of images that inspire you.
Create a mind map showing all the elements you want.
Do you prefer completely clear countertops or to have some items out?
What colors would make you happy? What kind of decor?
What do you want to add to your kitchen, like new dishes or containers?

DO IT – Take the steps to make it happen. Look on your calendar and set up time for the transformation!

Choose an area to start with. We suggest starting small and building up from there. For example, you could start with the countertops and junk drawer, then go to other drawers, cupboards, refrigerator and end with the pantry.
Go through the S.T.A.C.K.S.© System for the area (Sort, Toss, Assign, Contain, Keep it up, Simplify). By following S.T.A.C.K.S.© the project will be easier and you will save money. Go to www.clearsimple.com/systems.
Enjoy shopping for the containers you want and need.
Once you complete each area, take time to celebrate. We know you will enjoy cooking and being in your kitchen. How fun would it be to schedule a family date night in your happy space?

Get the Kitchen Steps Guide

Clear & Simple, SEE IT. MAP IT. DO IT., Organize Your Kitchen

Your Guide, Marla Dee.

I love teaching the Clear & Simple Way to live free of clutter and get organized at last.

Simply Share

by CS Team

Share your hope, your insights, your fear, your gratitude, and your love

Share what is in your heart

as well as what’s in your head.

Kate Fehr

From Kate…

As someone who thrives on being outdoors and socially connected face-to-face, the quarantining and social distancing in 2020 and 2021 caused me great stress and, at times, spurred threats of rebellion. But as time went on, I kept noticing how sharing what was true for me from my heart supported me in feeling more positive and grateful. In response to all of that, I welcomed more video chats and made more phone calls than texting. I created more time to share my experiences and invited others to share theirs. I read and watched more of the goodness that landed in my email inbox and unsubscribed to distractions from the goodness. My invitation to you is to make time to share. Share your fears, your joys, your hope, your frustrations, your gratitude. Share what is alive for you today.

Here are three of my favorite articles shared during the pandemic whose messages are helpful any time.

Bari Tessler – “Emotional literacy and financial literacy are intricately intertwined.” Extra love + money support during this challenging pandemic
Tina Falk – “Whether it’s daily client calls, weekly meetings, or a few exercise classes a week, it is worth preparing you and your space on an energetic level before and after each and every call.” Good Feng Shui for Video Conferencing
The Minimalists – “Call it whatever you want: no matter which –ism you prefer, the only thing that matters is that it helps you live with intention. Just remember: labels help define you, but they are not you.” Enoughism, Essentialism, and Other Names for Minimalism

From Marla…
There is a lot of noise out there in our world. In the moment, it probably feels ok to repeat what you are hearing, without giving much thought to whether it is true for you and what affect it will have. I want to challenge you to be conscious about what you are sharing and how. One day during the pandemic I had two treats shared with me. My daughter Sarah sent me a short video of her flowers blooming in their backyard. This meant the world to me since I no longer live close to them. Then my brother spoke up on our family text line and asked that we no longer talk about the virus but focus on personal sharing and connecting with each other. So, I got to experience that sharing sweetness can be simple and standing up for honorable sharing matters. I know I want my sharing to add guidance, insight, wisdom and hope. What about you? What affect are your words having?

Here are shares from three of my favorite messengers.

Erin Elizabeth Wells – “This is the time to practice radical responsibility. Will you slump into being a victim of life or will you claim your role as the captain of your ship?”
Renee Trudeau – “As you reflect on what your life is trying to tell you, invite in curiosity, compassion, and ask for support from trusted friends. And remember, just because the veil has been lifted, doesn’t mean you have to rush to action.” What is this time illuminating for you
Michael A. Singer – “Our primary job is to have clarity on the inside so we can take right action on the outside.” An interview by Tami Simon of Sounds True. Resilience in Challenging Times

Lastly, our funny share comes from Karen Kingston, author of Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui. Karen lives in the UK and she pokes fun at our toilet paper panic during the early COVID days.

We hope that you are sharing and receiving what you need. Trust, be open, grow, give and thrive.

Your Guides to a Simpler Life, Marla Dee & Kate Fehr

We love teaching the Clear & Simple Way to live free of clutter and get organized at last.

Simplify Your Life Homepage

Clear & Simple, SEE IT. MAP IT. DO IT., Simplify Your Life

Deepen the transformation with our Simplify Your Life eBook.

The Simple Life… ha! We get the absurdity of even uttering those words. With all of the roles, responsibilities, relationships, children, 4-legged children, tasks, events, emails, papers, belongings, needs, wants, and more, life is anything but simple. It is complex, multi-faceted, and ever-changing. So, is a simpler life even possible? Is there really hope? Yes, you can craft a different kind of life. Enjoy reading about simplifying change, choices, play, sharing, growth, and more.

By simplifying, you will be more present and available for what life puts in front of you. You will enjoy the small things. And you will live with grace and gratitude.

Welcome to Simplify Your Life. This eBook will set you at ease, inspire you to play, awaken your senses and open you to new ways of being. No matter how big, complicated or busy your life is, it can be simpler. Are you ready to love the life you already have?

Buy Now

Tips for a Stress-Free Holiday Party

by CS Team

By Guest Blogger: Haley Keiser of O2E Brands

The season of warm company and home cooked meals is here! No matter how much comfort the holidays bring, they are often accompanied with a moderate load of stress, especially if you’re hosting a gathering for all your family and friends. Although your list may seem daunting, take a deep breath and use this preparation guide to leave the stress behind!

Eliminate Clutter

Regardless of the size of your home, you’ll want to start with clearing the space to plan for the increase in foot traffic – especially if you live in a small apartment. Walk through each room that your guests will be spending the most time in and rid it of accumulated clutter. It’s easy for guests to feel crowded and uncomfortable with a lot of people in one space, opening up space will not only put your guests at ease but also make a much safer space.

In each room, have three bags or baskets on hand. Place any clutter into one of the following piles, “Move Elsewhere”, “Donate”, or “Throw Out”. Everything stored elsewhere should be in a location that your guests don’t have access to, such as the garage or a storage room. If you’re in a crunch, use a service that will sort and pick up your clutter for you. We highly recommend 1-800-Got-Junk.

For those that have no idea where to start, hiring a professional organizer to ease your stress might be worth it. Lucky you, we can help!

Rearrange Furniture

Exposed chords or wires are a disaster waiting to happen. Either rearrange the furniture or temporarily cover them with a rug or duct tape. Move any coffee tables or centerpiece furniture away from the couches so guests have an easier time getting to a seat.

Clean the Place

Once the clutter is cleared and the furniture is in its place, the process of cleaning will be much easier! Similar to decluttering, start in the rooms where your guests will be. This way, if you run out of time, the extra rooms that weren’t able to be cleaned aren’t such a big deal.

Begin with dusting and surfaces in all of the main areas of the house, such as the kitchen and the living room. Vacuum or mop the floors, depending on your flooring style. The day before your guests arrive, make sure to give the house a second sweep. Clean the bathroom toilets and mirrors the day before so everything is fresh and shiny!

Add a Taste of the Holidays

After the place is tidy, add a few tasteful decorations in each room. You don’t need an abundance of fancy decorations to impress your company. Your guests understand that you aren’t the Hilton.

Hang a simple wreath to your front door and welcome your guests with a small chalkboard sign in the walkway. Drape holiday-themed tablecloths over your tables and add a small DIY centerpiece. Really get your guests in the holiday spirit with a few holiday scented candles or air fresheners.

The day of the party should be dedicated to cooking and greeting guests. After all, the beauty behind the holiday season is the time spent with the people you love most. If you find yourself stressed, don’t be afraid to ask for a helping hand.

You’ve got this!

Organizing Tips for a Smooth Move!

by CS Team

Moving can be one of the most stressful things we go through. Whether you are a single person, a family or a business, it can be overwhelming and chaotic. As a professional organizer for 19 years, Marla has seen the pain her clients go through. She also sees how often the boxes are still unpacked months or even years later!

TIP 1 – Clear the clutter FIRST! Start a couple months before the move. Schedule a couple hours at a time, or a whole weekend, to go through and clear the layer of stuff you know you no longer need or want. You don’t have to do it all but everything you release saves you money. Get help from a friend, family or a professional organizer. Get help from our eBook The ART of Letting Go. You can download it on www.clearsimple.com/art.

TIP 2 – Create a simple plan for each area of the old home and the new. Go to google to find wonderful checklists!

TIP 3 – Get the right TOOLS:

Use the real moving boxes. They are extremely affordable. They make the move easier because you have the sizes you need, they can stack easily, they have handles where you need them, you can reuse or recycle them when done.
Get moving labels that make it easier to identify what it is the box. I love the ones that are a different color for each area. You can go to Amazon to see a variety of options,
Get the packing tape and tape guns to get the job done quickly.

TIP 4 – Hire professionals to pack and to move you. It will save you stress and money in the end. However, be picky and interview different companies until you find a great fit for you. Often times professional organizers are less by the hour than moving companies and they do a much more organized job. They can also help you put your home together on the other end.

Text your email address to 801-463-9090 and type “move” or email info@clearsimple.com to get a free digital version of our Organize Your Move Book. I want you to get organized and have fun doing it.

Make this next move the one you celebrate because it is smooth and has much less stress. The Clear & Simple Team.

Simple Travel Planning

by CS Team

Yes, you can have less stress with all your travels!

Some of you have heard about our very humbling and eye-opening experience of traveling to London in 2014 with too much stuff and the sad comments we received regarding all of that stuff. We were so embarrassed to be representing organizers and Americans as a whole. Needless to say, our packing and travels were NOT Clear & SIMPLE…

Through conscious practice each time we travel, we now travel much more simply and LOVE to share about all that we have learned. We still experience the initial freak out when it is time to start getting ready., but then we remind ourselves to do the See It and Map It steps first. This helps us stay present with one thing at a time.

See it – Take a look at what the trip is about. Then you can gather all the details in one place (see the apps below for help).

What will you be doing?
Where are you going?
What is the purpose of the trip?
Who are you traveling with?

Map it – Make a plan for what you want. This relieves the stress in your body and brain.

Why not make a Mind Map for your trip? This makes it fun.
Create your spending plan ahead of time.
Make the lists for packing as soon as you can.

We have shared about our favorite travel planning apps, including Wunderlist (now Microsoft ToDo) and TripIt for making the planning stages so much easier. We pull our general trip list in Wunderlist and then customize it for each new trip. TripIt keeps all the important details together and on the phone.