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Closing Your Year with Presence

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Let the closing of your year be like the setting of the sun!

How will you close your year? Will you stay busy, distracted and unconscious? Or will you choose this precious time to slow down, to reflect, to soften and to heal? Let the closing of your year be like the setting of the sun. It is a time to slowly surrender into the nighttime energy of stillness.

Get our GIFT to you here – the simple guide to close your year

Each day, each year and even a life follow a cycle set by nature. This cycle contains an opening, working and closing. The opening is the natural time to awaken and get present. The working piece is about engaging and movement. Last, the closing time is to slow down and reflect.

Our nature guide for this cycle is the sun, our source. Each day the sun shows the way to align with our natural rhythm by rising, shining and setting. And isn’t it sweetly perfect that our bodies are attuned to follow the sun’s lead?

The rising sun slowly works her way over the horizon, taking her time to lighten the night sky. The invitation to your body is to slowly wake up by opening your eyes, stretching and changing from soft nighttime clothing to daytime.

The shining sun offers warmth and light. She gives you the energy to move into action and creation. This is the time to engage with the changes presented by life.

After a full day the sun sets and surrenders back to the earth and darkness. When the outside world gets dark it is time to stop! You know how your body feels at the end of the day. Just imagine sitting by a fire, in your most comfortable chair, and letting your whole body and being relax. You slowly close your eyes and your mind drifts through the day. You let your body be the setting sun.

To deepen this gift, set aside a day to let yourself wander back through the year and reflect on the following:

  • What did I accomplish?
  • What were my disappointments?
  • How did I heal?
  • What did I learn?
  • How did I grow?
  • Who have I become?

Then take your insights and create a simple theme for the next year. It can be a word, a phrase or a picture that inspires you to create what you long for next.

Such as… I open and close each day with sacred stillness.Yearly Close Catalyst

We will be here to support and witness you,
Marla, Kate & Team

The article “Life Matters: Closing Your Year with Presence” first appeared in the Catalyst Magazine.

Slow down and savor this sweet time…

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How long has it been since you’ve spent time just sitting & sharing?

December can be a time to slow down (rather than speed up). Waking up sipping a cup of tea and talking quietly is a precious gift. Or, since the sun sets earlier, we now have long evenings to sit, read, write and share with each other. Before technology came, we sat around a roaring fire or the big, wood dining room table and we talked. Wouldn’t it be sweet to give yourself this softer way of being?

So before you get too busy with the holidays and start bringing more stuff in, we invite you to take an honest, deep look at your life. By simply getting still and going inward, we can open to what truly has meaning to us!

We invite you to set aside a morning or an evening to ask and answer the following queries. Then share with your loved ones and ask them to share.

From Marla – I just did this with my wonderful partner and was truly surprised and delighted at what he had to say. I felt our love deepen in those moments.

What means the most to me right now…

  • in relationship with myself?
  • in my intimate relationship?
  • in my family?
  • in my home?
  • In my friendships?
  • in my work or creations?
  • in the next steps of my path?

** Get a printable version here.

Joyfully surrendering to the slowdown,
Marla, Kate & Team

Celebrate Your Garage

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A clutter free and organized garage is worth celebrating! Can you celebrate parking your car in the garage? Marla Dee It’s time to celebrate! We’ve spent the month clearing out the garage and the car. These are big areas that collect a lot of clutter so...

The More of Less…The Book is Coming!

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Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own

“The first step in crafting the life you want is to get rid of everything you don’t.” – Joshua Becker

We could not agree with this sentiment more. As many of you know, the last few years Marla and Kate have been on their own downsizing journeys. It started as sacred accountability with each other to clear out the unsupportive “stuff” and ultimately became our own versions of minimalism. This can look and feel very personal. It is *not* about living with nothing, but living with what means the *most*. Personally, we are loving having less stuff and less stress!

We want to introduce you to one of our favorite messengers – Joshua Becker, the creator of Becoming Minimalist.com.  This is why we follow him and want to share him with you –

  • He is a family man who walks his talk.
  • He knows what life is like here in America with all the temptations and distractions.
  • He consciously chose to change his life and the life of his family.
  • Joshua gives simple guidance that creates real change.Clear & SIMPLE, Joshua Becker

We are thrilled about his new printed book The More of Less.


“…this is a book about owning less—but it’s more than that. I have practiced and studied and written about owning less faithfully for the last 8 years. This book contains almost everything I have learned about it. It is both inspirational and practical. But this book is about more than owning less. It is about passion and generosity and learning to pursue happiness in more fulfilling places than the acquisition of money or possessions. It’s not just about owning less stuff, it’s about living a bigger life because of it.”

Read more from Joshua or go straight to pre-order it.

“Pre-order now and also get FREE access to Uncluttered. Uncluttered is a 12-week online course with videos, interviews, webinars, articles, weekly challenges, accountability, and community strategically packaged for one purpose: to help you declutter your home, own less stuff, and find space to live the life you want. The course sells for $89, but anyone who pre-orders my new book can register for the Spring Edition for free. It is my gift to you—a special thanks for being one of the first to buy the book!

To redeem your gift, pre-order The More of Less (print or ebook) before May 2 through your favorite online retailer. Your purchase is your registration. Visit the Uncluttered Registration page with your receipt and use the number to complete the registration form.”

We want YOU to experience the FREEDOM that comes from surrounding yourself with the stuff, the people and the actions that support you. This is your life and your choice.

We would love to hear from you – Marla, Kate & Team

Get Organized for the Holidays

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The Holidays are a favorite time of year! We love them and can also get stressed by them.

I am sharing my top organizing tips for the holiday season. These tips may seem simple but they help.  Have fun watching my segment on Fresh Living! Also, get our Top Ten Tips for Home & Holidays eBook FREE – see below.

Here are my top tips for decreasing stress and adding JOY.

1.     Choose one theme for your decorations and gift-wrap to make it easier. You can really simplify by having one color gift wrap for all your holidays.

2.     Make Memories! Have fun making gifts along with favorite family traditions. Sit down together as a family and choose what would be the most meaningful time.

3.     Keep all your lists handy either in a small notebook or an app on your phone. I love the free app Wunderlist for all my lists.

4.     Get a fabulous container for the kitchen counter to handle the incoming paper and stuff.  Get one with a top so you can cover it up when company is coming over.

During November and December, get our FREE GIFT – TOP TEN TIPS for Home & Holidays eBook.

My team can come help you create a beautiful & organized home for the holidays as a GIFT to yourself. You deserve a joyful and stress-free holiday season!

I love my life and want you to love yours, Marla Dee

Organize Your Year

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Organizing your year begins with organizing yourself! Your life matters in this world – your gifts, your choices, your message, your love, your thoughts, your feelings, your struggles and your growth. You are worth spending time with. So before you dive into the...

The NEW Clear & SIMPLE Way!

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TRUE CLUTTER CONFESSIONS from Marla & Kate

– the Creators of the Clear & SIMPLE Way to live free of clutter and be organized!

This last year has been all about creating and then clearing, over and over again! We had a blast launching our new brand & website, traveling to London, offering new eBooks and workshops, sharing the Powerful Staying in Business a Decade & Beyond – and so much more.  It all led to creating our own form of chaos. The ladies always touting “Keep it Simple” had to take a long look at why we were making everything complicated. Ha Ha!

We sadly realized that in our frantic efforts to give you so much, we weren’t aligning with our core values – Simple, Joyful, & Soulful.  We are sorry for throwing you more stuff than anyone could handle; more information than connection. In December we took a “time out”.  We spent time clearing our own clutter, opening to sacred conversations, and constantly asking what we MOST want to give you in this New Year?

So, in true Clear & SIMPLE fashion, we’ve gone through SEE IT, MAP IT & DO IT to create a meaningful way to stay connected this year. Since you have signed up to receive content from us we want you to know what it will look like…

Our 2015 THEME – Organizing can be simple & fun!

  • Daily sharing on Social Media of things that inspire us and make life easier. Like our Facebook Page.
  • Weekly Ezine – a simple offering: Inspiring Idea, Tool or Tip, Cool Container or Simple System. Sign Up Here.
  • Monthly Newsletter –  a simple email with a small roundup of the month’s Featured Favorites
  • Spontaneous Blogs & Video’s showcasing our favorite products, tools and solutions

 

We hope you will join us on the fun journey and please let us know what you want anytime!

801-463-9090 | info@clearsimple.com

Marla & Kate
Clear & SIMPLE, The New Way

 

COOL TOOLS for Spring Organizing!

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Cool Tools for Spring Organizing!

Get the Cool Tools to make the job easier. – Everyone knows that having the right tools is essential for getting the job done.  As professional organizers, we want to share our favorites that every home (and most offices need)

    • 30 banker’s boxes are the minimum for a home.  We use them to sort, contain and move the piles, stage the stuff during large projects, and free our clients from the distraction of all the stuff.
    • A labeler is essential.  Having your containers and shelves labeled not only makes it easy to find what you need but mostly makes it easier to put things back where they belong. We recommend the Brother PTouch.
    • The time timer is a brilliant tool that allows us to stay focused and “touch” time. This amazing tool comes in many sizes, can be used by all ages and has hundreds of uses. Go here to check it out

Clear & SIMPLE, Labeler

Our Resource Page  has all our favorites that will help you even more!

Happy Spring Cleaning, Clearing & Organizing!

Marla & Kate

4 Powerhouse TIPS for Traveling!

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Want to take the STRESS out of packing? Wouldn’t it feel great to be all ready the day it is time to leave?

Get Ruth Hadlock’s 4 simple, yet powerful Tips for Travel. We are here to tell you they work!! Ruth is the owner of Streamlined Space and has a gift for making everything SIMPLER!  Use these travel tips and ENJOY!

Watch the VIDEO below along with reading the TIPS!

My clients tell me they spend the day before their vacation running around in circle, frantically trying to pack for their trip! How can you make this process stress-free? Here are 4 suggestions.

Clear & SIMPLE, Ruth Hadlock, Travel

  • Create a packing list. This sounds so remedial, but do you actually do it? It’s easy nowadays to keep a checklist in an app on your phone. It’s not that I’m trying to convince you to pack lighter; I’m simply encouraging people to pack the appropriate items for the trip you will be experiencing!
  • Staging. As with so many organizing projects, you need a place to lay out all your clothes and items. Do this at least 48 hours in advance. I’ve found that my clients pack too little or too much or not the right items because they do it last minute without thinking clearly.
  • Pack Correctly. Pack shoes against the edges of the suitcase. Roll your clothes rightly, placing larger, bulkier items at the bottom and ending with smaller, lighter ones. Put your toiletry kit and accessories on top. This way, you won’t have to sit on your suitcase anymore to be able to zip it! if you have dress clothes you don’t want wrinkled, lay them a the bottom of the suitcase, with the ends hanging out over the suitcase edge. Then fill the space with your rolled items and carefully fold the dress clothes ends on top. You can even use dry-cleaning bags to decrease wrinkles. Because the bag is slippery, creases won’t set in as much.
  • Get the right luggage and accessories. Here are some of my favorite items, in no particular order:

Compression Bag | Bag Bungee | Toiletry Kit

VIEWER HOMEWORK: On your next upcoming trip, commit to using a packing list and staging your items ahead of time. You can view my favorite items on the Resource Page of my website streamlinedspace.com.

Ruth is a Clear & SIMPLE Certified Organizer™ (CSCO). Read about our 3-tiered training program.

We are all having adventures this summer and embracing tips that make traveling simpler. Let us know if these helped and what you are up to.

Marla, Kate & Team

C&S 30-Day Clutter Clear Out Invitation!

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Are you ready to easily and joyfully release clutter from your life?

It’s time for our annual Clutter Clear Out Online Event and we are getting so excited! We are also challenging you to get REAL about the clutter in your life.  To look at your excuses and step back into a place of personal power.  You can be free of a layer of clutter.  You can start now. (more…)