Ritual is a great way to anchor your intentions. It helps you to massage and soften and release tough holding patterns and bring to conscious reality the longs of your heart. Stephanie Bennett Vogt
To help you really enjoy this Spring, we are sharing our top ten organizing tips throughout the month. Get a printable version of all of our TOP TEN TIPS for Spring.
This week is about simple rituals to embrace spring:
Try this unbelievably simple, yet profound practice of only one minute a day for seven days. You will have a shift in your space and in your being. Click here for the video and feel spring energy move into your own body.
Clear & SIMPLE’s Tips on ritual…
1. Invite fresh, clean energy into your space.
On a warm, sunny day, open up your windows and doors, turn on some music and let the freshness of spring flow through your space. This helps move the stagnant winter energy to rejuvenate all the moving molecules. Then let yourself enjoy the new energy and what you are inspired to do throughout the day.
8. Dig in the dirt – or simply plant one pot.
Ahh, the yummy feeling of dirt in your hands – dry, rough, wet, packed, smooth – so many sensations just waiting for you. Spring is the time to let your inner child go outside, get your hands dirty and connect with the earth. For those of you that love gardening, you know how healing this time is. Give yourself permission to put earth time first and love every minute.
If gardening isn’t really your thing or you don’t have the time, just pick out one cool pot, find an already created flower arrangement and plop it in. Place it on your porch, where you can enjoy the beauty every day when you arrive home.
Take time to celebrate the big and little things! We love everything about our kitchen now! We spend more time there than anywhere else. I’m so glad we took the time to do it right! B.P. You deserve to celebrate! This year of 2020 we are helping you transform all...
What does organization have to do with relationships you might ask?
Why is it that “Mr. Organized” partners with “Ms. Chaos”? Think about how often you are at odds with someone in your life because of organization issues:
Not being able to find what your boss is looking for.
Arguing with your child about the way their room looks.
Being accused of throwing important things away.
Always being asked where something is.
As professional organizers we constantly witness the stress in our clients relationships over organization styles and decisions.  Too often those with the ability to organize do not understand when others cannot maintain their environment. Those that are organized need to keep in mind that our research shows only 10 – 15% of the population is naturally organized. Hence, the need to be able to communicate and get help when lack of organization gets in the way.
This barrier between those who naturally know how to organize and the other 90% who don’t is why our main focus is teaching people how.  The foundation for any organizing project or communication is three simple steps outlined below.
SEE IT – take a look at where you’ve been
Begin by taking a realistic look at where a lack of organization is impacting your life and relationships. Choose just one area or issue. What’s working,  what’s not and why?  Keep it simple. Then look at it from both sides and try to see what is at the heart of the conflict. Often our relationships serve as mirrors to look at ourselves. Once you have clarity, why not share your truth with this person or persons and then ask for them to share.
MAP IT – make a plan for where you want to go
Now that you have each shared your truth, each person can create a simple vision for what needs to change.  Try asking – what is the single most important change that needs to happen?  What is one action you can take? Let this be enough. It is imperative to the relationship that each person has a chance to share their vision and what is important to them.
DO IT – take the actions to make it happen
How you choose to implement your changes or DO IT will be very specific to the relationship. Some may come up with a way to do it together, while others might call in outside help, and still others will compromise on different levels.
Some examples of this are:
A family sets up a system for incoming mail and an active paper system together.
A mother and child call it fun time, put on music, and make a game of putting everything back in its’ home.
A couple decides to hire a professional organizer because they would rather enjoy their time together hiking or taking dance lessons.
A boss and assistant set up a weekly 1 hour focused time to go through all the lists and questions.
Two friends or buddies get excited about helping each other one weekend a month with the clutter areas – We all have them you know.
New life and fresh ideas abound. The urge to create has been building all winter long. Sadly, it can also be overwhelming because of all the fun choices. Just imagine taking a trip down to the local gardens and gazing at the abundance of flowers. Where do you start?
To help you really enjoy this Spring, we are sharing our top ten organizing tips throughout the month. Get a printable version of all of our TOP TEN TIPS for Spring.
This week is about the Practical & Pretty:
3. Keep it simple by choosing one project for the season.
It can be overwhelming to think about all the clutter clearing and organizing projects in your home, which can block you from ever starting. So begin with choosing just ONE project for each season and over time your space will be transformed. Also, each season has it’s own feel.
Spring is the perfect time to transform your closet, garage or craft area.
Remember to write a vision of what you want to create before you dive in (the MAP IT Step).
6. Get inspired and bring in new life with bright colors.
How often have you caught your breath at the sight of a flowerbed in full bloom? Just like the blossoming flowers, bright containers make us happy. Our brain and bodies react to color first. So make your space or project one you will love to spend time in with bright, fun colors!
To find containers for all areas of your home in gorgeous colors, we love & recommend The Container Store!!
Share your stories and photos on social media, #TheCSWay. We LOVE hearing from you!
Everything is more fun with a trusted friend – especially organizing!
Let’s face it – most things are more fun when done with a friend – shopping, movies, dining, hiking, travel, and hobbies. What is it about organizing that makes us think we have to suffer, have to force ourselves to get it done? It is always on the list but typically the last thing we want to do on the weekend, right? There seems to be shame around letting our friends see our chaos. And yet inviting someone to help is a powerful solution!
This is our best tip for making organizing fun & freeing! Invite a friend to do it with you. Let go of the fear and embarrassment of your friends seeing the chaos and open up to a transformative experience. We have seen hundreds of people be set free when they let themselves receive help from an organizer, a friend or family member.
From Marla – “I just experienced this in a POWERFUL WAY. I got to spend 8 days with a long time friend who had recently lost her husband. Together we got through the garage, project room, closets, finances and more. We told stories, laughed and cried, moved stuff, cleaned and cleared. In 8 days together, we freed her from the blockage and buildup so she could move forward with her life. Because we loved our time so much, we decided to do this every year for each other.  This kind of teamwork is life changing.”
The important elements are:
Pick someone safe who won’t judge you.
Do the project in small pieces of 2-3 hours
Make it fun by playing music or having snacks
Try taking turns and helping each other
Choose someone that supports you making a change
The last few weeks we have given your our Top Tips for Spring Organizing. By combining these tips with the support of a trusted partner, you WILL experience joy and wonderful results.
Even as professional organizers we often invite other organizers to support us with our projects. It’s very different to work with our own things (vs. someone else’s) since we have to face our own attachments, emotions and stories. Our Utah Professional Organizers Group even chose to buddy up this year for our service project and we were all sold on the power of getting support from a trusted person.
*Please note that we recommend implementing this system and starting in present time. Once you are familiar with it and have every step in place, then go to the piles, filing drawers, etc. to clear out and clean up. Paper is its own beast and is very overwhelming. If you desire the help of an organizer, please contact us.
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iRAFT begins with INCOMING:
As we mentioned above, the information is coming from many places; the mail box is only one. Think about how much easier it is to start into your email because it is in your INBOX. So for the paper, choose a container that will hold a week’s worth of incoming paper and put everything there!  This includes mail, flyers, notes, etc… You also need a place for thoughts, conversations and such to land.  You might use an app on your smart phone, Evernote or a small spiral notebook.
Then once a week (or more often if needed) you will take all the incoming and sort it into four piles. You simply ask do I need to Read, take an Action, File or Toss. Then take the paper (or move the emails) into the each container or folder.
READ:
Choose a cool container for your reading that is staying at your desk, your reading chair and for on-the-go.
ACTION:
Every home and office needs an action container for those papers that need your attention such as bills to pay, errands to run and items to discuss with someone else. We suggest making your container vertical so that it is easy to find what you need and leave the other items organized. It is also nice to have it portable so it can move around your space.
FILE:
We often ask our clients to describe how they feel about FILING. We hear words like yuck, overwhelming, impossible, always behind, drawers are full. And there is a constant theme of not know what to keep or for how long. So start with setting up a “to file” container and then schedule time once a week or once a month to file, depending on your volume. If you really hate filing then get someone else to do it.
TOSS:
By sorting once a week into RAFT, your tossing of the paper is now easy. Have fun noticing how much of that paper pain is really toss papers. Of course you can still throw away junk mail and such before it even lands in your space.
To summarize the SYSTEM:
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Daily – plop all the incoming paper and information into the container.
Weekly – take 5 minutes to sort into 4 piles – Read, Action, File, Toss.  Then take each pile to it’s proper container.
Weekly – set your TimeTimer for 30 minutes and do the action papers that need to get done that week.
Monthly – take your To File pile and file into your FreedomFiler system.
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...
Stop using raggedly old luggage or pieces you don’t like. Â How many pieces of luggage, backpacks, purses, etc. do you have? How many do you actually use? Â – Marla Dee In 2019, the global luggage market was valued at approximately 22.11 billion U.S....
Information is coming at us nonstop from every direction. Â How can we make clear choices and decisions when our brain is already on overload. One tip for sanity is to claim 15-30 minutes each day just for clean out of all the build up and to give yourself a break from the new coming in. Â Some of my favorite ways to do this are:
Sit quietly with a morning cup of coffee or tea. Â Just let your mind wander where it will.
Do a BRAIN DUMP – write down anything and everything that is chattering away in your brain.  Let it out.
Go for a walk around your block and take in the sites, sounds and smells. Â Let the earth clear you.
Journal in a free style format. Â Let whatever thoughts, ideas or wonderings that pop up go down on paper.
Have a conversation with yourself. Â Yes, just talk out loud and be amused at what is going on inside you.
Do a simple breath meditation just focusing on your inhale and exhale. Â Set the intention that with every exhale, old information will leave your body and your brain.
Get our TOP TEN Organizing Tips for the New Year and More!
Tip #3. Have a one-page master map for your year that inspires, empowers and supports you. Here is the form that we use with our clients. It’s our gift to you! If you would like a personal session with Marla to expand on this, click here.
Get the rest of our top tips from Marla who will be speaking ONLY twice, so mark your calendars!
Saturday January 10th @ 10 a.m.
Sunday January 11th @ 11 a.m.
Visit our Booth #1540 near the Design Stage to enter our drawing and receive special offers!
We’ll be giving away tickets next week on Facebook, so make sure to Like Our Page and check in each day!
