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Simply Play

I learned how to play from my daughter. Play is the spark that keeps our fire burning! Marla Dee My daughter Jessica is in her late 20’s. All her life, she has taught me how to play. I tend to forget that play is a part of life. I forget that play happens every day. I...

Simplify Choices

Taking responsiblity for my choices takes courage. The impetus of all human behavior is the yearning for freedom. Freedom is to be at-choice in every condition or circumstance. Most of humanity is rearely at-choice: we simply repeat the old reaction patterns. This is...

Simplify Change

Change has the power to destroy us or transform us. An old saying: There is no pain in change. There is no pain in growth. There is only pain in resistance to change and resistance to growth. Unknown We live in complicated times where change is happening faster than...

Organize Your Paper

Are you drowning in a sea of paper? Are the piles taking over your space and your life? Do  you remember when getting a letter in the mail was a treat? The purpose of paper and information is connection, education, growth, creativity and productivity. Sadly, we have...

Organize Your Bedroom

Is your bedroom a peaceful sanctuary or a cluttered disaster? A client story…  We stand side by side in the doorway to her bedroom, looking at the clutter that has taken over the bed, floor, and all horizontal surfaces. She can’t even sleep in this room anymore....

Organize Your Year

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...

Letting Go of Your Old Self

Let go of the old you to make room for the new you! It takes slowing down to spend time with yourself  It takes humility to be honest with yourself  It takes courage to let go of what’s blocking you  It takes trust to let a new you emerge Marla Dee This new year...

SEE IT. MAP IT. DO IT.

The 3 step foundation system to get organized! When we are confronted with all the stuff in our space, organizing can feel overwhelming! We don’t even know where to start. Marla Dee defines clutter as “delayed decision or holding onto the past.” The stuff seems to...
Where to Start Getting Organized!

Where to Start Getting Organized!

Marla’s Monthly Message

At the beginning of a new year, the inner urge to finally get FREE of clutter and disorganization can hit hard. Yet it feels impossible and overwhelming. We don’t even know where to even start. Let me make this simpler for you.

I want to start with where “getting organized” began for me. 20 years ago I read a line that changed my life. It was from Karen Kingston‘s book Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui. She said, “Imagine how it would it feel like to be surrounded only by the things that you use and that you love”? When I read this, I was struck with lightening. I wanted to know what this would feel like. But I didn’t know where to start. So, I decided to just do a drawer, which led to a closet, then my kitchen and within a year my life was radically different.I got hooked. It was so freeing.  This led to my business being born because I wanted so much to share this feeling of freedom with others.


So let me ask you….WHERE? If you could start anywhere with your organizing, where would it be? If you could do one area, one layer or one project this year what would it be. I want you to be clear on this. Is it your bedroom, your kitchen, your paper? Maybe it’s your calendar? By knowing where you want to start, everything gets easier because you can let go of the others. Honestly if you get one project done each year, that is good enough.

Then I want to ask you… WHY? Why do you want to start with this area? What is the meaning for you? This whole month we will be exploring your whyWhy do you want to get free of the clutter in this area? Why do you want to get organized in this space? When you are clear on the personal meaning you will be motivated to make the change.


And now, at the beginning of 2019, I can honestly say that I know what it feels like to be surrounded only by the things that I use and love. I am deeply grateful to be living in a quiet country town surrounded by nature and open space. I joyfully get to fill my days only what I most want to do. I want to be a messenger of hope. I want to help you get free of the clutter or chaos that is keeping you stuck. I would love to have you share your where and why with me. This will help me support you throughout this month and this year.

Please know that I am here for you. Let me know if you want to talk or if you want help in any way. I want to be your guide and witness your success.

Your Guide, Marla Dee
and the Clear & Simple Team

Simple Travel Planning

Simple Travel Planning

Clear & Simple, Simple Trips & Travel

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.