It is time to learn the simpler way to organize. Earlier we talked about the foundation system of SEE IT. MAP IT. DO IT. You start with the SEE IT – take a look at where you’ve been. Then MAP IT – make a plan for where you want to go. Now it is time for the DO IT step. Now we are touching the STUFF and trouble starts. Because this step is so loaded it gets its own set up steps called STACKS.
S – SORT
T – TOSS
A – ASSIGN
C – CONTAIN
K – KEEP IT UP
S – SIMPLIFY
Organizing can be overwhelming because we are trying to make many decisions at once. Should I keep it or let it go, where will it go, how did it get here, who will take care of it? It is exhausting and we typically give up after a couple of hours. STACKS breaks down the process into 5 distinguishable steps that you take one at a time. You ask one question at a time, make one decision at a time, and take one action at a time.
These steps make it possible to break down the process into bite sized pieces. And the steps build on each other. When sorting just sort! The toss is easier once you can see exactly what you have, then what’s left needs a place to go followed by what it will go in. Once everything is contained, it is time to ask how to maintain it and lastly, how to simplify? If you really give STACKS a try for a couple of small projects, you might get hooked.
I promise using STACKS will save you time, energy and money! And, by taking one step at a time, you will have more energy, think better, and get through the project faster.
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 pile up because there are just too many decisions to make. So we need a simple place to start. Try this three step system for any project of any size. For more details get the C&S Steps card here.
Take the 3 steps in order
SEE IT – What’s working, what’s not working and why?
Did anyone ever tell you that organizing is a SKILL that only 10-12% of the human population on the planet earth is born with (see note below)? Most people assume that everyone should just know how. Parents expect their kids to know how to clean up their rooms. Bosses expect their employees to know how to organizing their office. Yet, 90% of the human population on the planet earth really struggle.
So believe me when I say… – If clutter clearing was easy, the piles wouldn’t be there. – And if organizing was easy, the chaos wouldn’t be here.
If you are part of the 10% then:
Walking into a room filled with clutter and chaos gets you excited
Your hands get itchy and you want to start touching and moving the stuff
You go into a trance or creative zone when you are doing the work
You are often helping other people with their disorganization and maybe you have even started an organizing business.
If you are NOT born with the innate skill then:
You struggle with where to start, what to do and how to keep it up
Even thinking about clutter clearing or organizing is draining
Your attempts to get organized have left you feeling helpless and hopeless
You have probably ready many books and tried many approaches only to give up
My story of how it all began… It was April of 1999 when I met my first organizing client. I was there to work on her home office. I was excited and also terrified. We had only spoken on the phone so I didn’t know what to expect and I felt clueless about how I would help her. I had many tools and lots of experience to draw from but I didn’t have a system to take us through the process.
Throughout my first year I witnessed over and over again that my clients were wired differently from me. They got confused and didn’t understand the steps. This is when the Clear & Simple Systems were born. I realized I needed a way to teach them the SKILL. And I wanted it to be fun and easy.
Coming up, I will be sharing SEE IT. MAP IT. DO IT. and STACKS. These systems teach the SKILL. These simple steps are what make organizing easier. If you want more information now, go to www.clearsimple.com/systems
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WsdRs6WoT0
NOTE: In the last 20 years, I have consulted with hundreds of clients and audiences. According to my research only 10-12% of the human population is born with the organizing gene, with the innate skill. The other 90% really struggle.
Your Guide, Marla Dee – teaching the Clear & Simple Way to live free of clutter and get organized at last
Try working together rather than battling each other!
I am often called a marriage therapist by the couples I work with. I am in their home, I see the clutter and chaos, I hear the overwhelm and frustration. It can feel hopeless to create a home that is peaceful and inviting. Use these practical tips to help make organizing easier and get closer as a couple. Your partnership is the most important relationship in your life.
TIP 1: Let the bedroom be all about rest, intimacy and connection.
Remove all clutter, laundry, paper piles or projects.
After clearing the bedside tables, place items like candles, books or music that help you relax and enjoy each other.
Choose the furniture and items that you both love.
Keep the TV out of the bedroom.
TIP 2: Just like a weekly date night, schedule a weekly planning session together. Make this time meaningful and fun!
Choose a comfortable place, in or out of your home, where you enjoy being with each other.
Share your wins and disappointments from the week before. Genuine attention is the most precious gift you can give each other.
Have a shared calendar to track all the needed activities on.Look at the week ahead and share with each other what is happening and what kind of support you need. You can also handle meal planning and budgets during this time. Then it won’t be hanging over you.
TIP 3: Honor each other’s organizing styles. Each of you gets your “own space” to keep the way you want.
We tend to be attracted to and partner with our opposites. Each person needs their own space, their own hobbies and their own time to do their stuff. This will relieve stress and make time together more meaningful.
TIP 4: Share the load and/or delegate the keep it up tasks.
Our days are full of the keep it up tasks – cleaning, fixing, errands, calls, etc. Yet, we have really full lives and there just isn’t time to do everything. So, choose what maintenance things each person enjoys doing (you might love doing laundry or yard work). Then hire out the tasks that neither of you has the time, energy or skill set to do. Examples of this would be to pay a housecleaner, professional organizer, yard keeper or meal manager.
I invite you to sit down this week with your partner and choose your time of the week for Tip 2. Make this fun and get to know each other in a whole new way. Please share your success with me at info@clearsimple.com or
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 why. Why 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.
