by CS Team
Breathe. You don’t have to decide *yet* what to do with the stuff.
You have gone through the SEE IT. © and MAP IT. © steps and are ready to begin the DO IT. ©. This means touching the stuff. This is loaded. When you are looking at the piles of paper everywhere or that spare room stuffed with boxes and bags, the mere thought of really starting brings up the urge to run away. You can get hung up before you even start because of the heaviness (mentally, emotionally and energetically) of all the decisions to be made; the heaviness of what to do with it all.
Most of th
e advice out there says pick up each thing and make a decision. If it were that easy the piles wouldn’t be there. So at C&S we break it down into bite size pieces. The DO IT. © Step now gets it’s own system called S.T.A.C.K.S. ©. It’s the ACTION system.
Part of the brilliance of The Clear & SIMPLE Systems © is the step-by-step approach, with each step building upon the previous. This helps us stay present in each moment and releases the weight of the project, by asking us to only answer one question at a time. When we finally dive into touching the stuff with S.T.A.C.K.S. ©, we start with SORT, and only sort!! You are asking one question and making only one decision – what is it?
SORT
- Question: What is it? Trust what comes into your brain.
- Action: Sort into piles of like with like. Keep it simple, general categories are good enough.
- Tip: Place items into bankers boxes. Label each box with a post-it note for steps ahead.
- Reward: You will know exactly what you have. You will be amazed at how freeing this is.
By asking one question and making only one decision at a time, you WILL be able to get through all of the stuff. When you can see how many months worth of electric bills you have, how many of the same black shirt, how many pens & pencils, the TOSS step is much easier.
NOTE:
One of your Sort piles can be Toss for the stuff that you know easily is give or throw away, shred or recycle.
Stay tuned in upcoming weeks as we continue through the S.T.A.C.K.S. © process.
With you each step of the way,
Marla, Kate & Team
by CS Team
Your Right & Left Brain can now work together!
“When sitting down to create a mind map all you need are two things; an idea and a brain. You put your idea in the centre and let your brain do the rest.” Andrea Leyden
Mind Mapping is our favorite tool for the MAP IT. © Step. Remember MAP IT. © stands for Make-a-plan. But often this is confusing and overwhelming. Mind mapping to the rescue!! “Whenever I get STUCK in my day or any project, I whip out paper and do a mind map. It has become an essential tool. I also go to this tool first when planning any new project or for my week and day.” Marla Dee
WHY – No matter what the project or the size, mind mapping makes it simple. And whether you are a left brain list maker or a right brain artist, mind mapping will work for you. You can use mind mapping for planning out:
- Your year, month, week or day
- Any size project, large or small
- A paper, report or any writing project
- A creative project such as a website
- Creating to do or task lists
- An upcoming trip or event
HOW – Here are some simple tips and resources for learning how so you can use this tool all the time.
- The ideal size paper is 11×17 but 8×11 works just fine – grab printer paper.
- You can use pictures, words or a combination of both.
- Draw or write your main image or project at the center of the page.
- Then ask what parts come to mind that are part of this project and draw them around your central theme.
- One by one as the thoughts come to you, expand on each element.
- Keep going until you have dumped out everything in your brain related to your theme.
- If there is one part that turned into a loaded area, you can do a separate mind map just on that.
- You can also do this joyfully and easily on the COMPUTER. There are all kinds of digital mind mapping software; both FREE and PAID. These are just examples. A quick internet search will bring up a lengthy list of options.
Make-a-Mind-Map click here for detailed step-by-step instructions that make it simple! You will also see some great TIPS.
Have fun with this. Make it a ritual that is supportive and rewarding to you. Please share your stories with us!
Marla, Kate & Team
by CS Team
How do I want my space to look, feel and function?
The second step in The Clear & SIMPLE Way is MAP IT.©, which stands for Make a Plan for what you want. When we are confronted with all the stuff in our space, it can feel impossible to know what we really want. Marla Dee defines clutter as “delayed decision and/or holding onto the past.” The stuff seems to pile up because there are just too many decisions to be made. So we need a simple place to start.
Here you go! Choose one room, area or project (like the living room, hall closet or kitchen counter).
The SEE IT. © Step question
How does my space currently look, feel and function? Let your answers be super simple. The point is to get it out of your body and your brain.
Then ask the Magic MAP IT. © question…
How do I want it to look, feel and function?
Here is an example for the living room.
SEE IT. © – Right now it looks ok but also cluttered. It feels like nobody takes care of it because there is stuff everywhere – on the couch, tables and now piles on the floor. It isn’t working because I can’t have anyone over – there is no place for people to sit and I would feel ashamed of the mess. And it is too dark (no wonder I don’t read in here).
MAP IT. © – I want it to look like I live here and everything has a place. I want it to feel warm and inviting. I want some new soft comfy blankets (scary how old mine are). I want there to be a clear area for sitting, reading & relaxing. And I want more light. Ok, now I am ready for the DO IT step.
Isn’t this easier to answer than “what am I going to do with the stuff?” So pick your project and let us know how it goes!
Marla, Kate & Team
by CS Team
How to get along when we attract our opposite! Organization can help or hinder.
Why is it that “Mr. Organized” partners with “Ms. Chaos”? The universe is funny that way, always trying to balance things out. 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. Sometimes our work feels more like therapy, especially when it comes to couples. 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 and ask 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 away.
- 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.
We hope we have given you inspiration and guidance to bring more peace and joy into your relationships.
We would love to hear back from you – what happened? Please share your stories!!
Marla, Kate & Team
by CS Team
Creating and caring for a home together is often challenging. We each have a relationship with our stuff and patterns that show up in our space. When it comes to mixing our stuff with someone else all kinds of issues can arise…
- I need stuff out where I can see it and he wants it all tucked away
- I like a simple space and she is a collector
- What do we do with all the double’s now that we are living together
- Why do you need these old T-shirts that are 30 years old – or your grandma’s china
Our TOP THREE TIPS for creating shared space are –
1 – A Room to YOURSELF. Each of you gets one room (or space) that is ALL YOURS! It gets to look the way you want, have the stuff you want and function how you want. It is your space to keep your way. This tip is critical for long-lasting relationship contentment.
2 – A Room you both LOVE. It is vital to have one room in the home (preferably the bedroom) that you both love to be in together. You have each shared in the choices for furniture, colors, the stuff and the feel. It is free of clutter or other people’s stuff. This is your sweet space to share with each other.
3 – The MAGIC Question? When it comes time to organize another area, or to do any kind of project together – start with the magical question. This question brings together the SEE IT.© (take a look at where you are) and MAP IT.© (make a plan for where you want to go) Steps and makes it simple. Ask how do you want the new space to look, feel and function? Each of you write your answers and then share with each other. You will get insights, save time & money and decrease your stress by doing this.
These TIPS are taken from almost 20 years of working with hundreds of couples. Since we all tend to attract our opposite in some way, these tips can make a huge difference in your relationship. We would love to hear from you!
Marla, Kate & Team
SEE IT.© MAP IT.© – click here for more info
