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iRAFT Your Paper

Are you drowning in a sea of paper pain?

Did you know you can handle all of your incoming paper in less than an hour a week?! We know paper comes at you from all directions and you think it’s impossible to ever manage it all. Behold… iRAFT©! We have created a system that simplifies all your interactions with the paper & information.

Marla Dee & Kate Fehr

EVERY piece of paper and information that comes into your life can be handled using the iRAFT© steps beginning with Incoming, where it lands into your life and space.

  • Incoming – every paper item that comes into your life
  • Read – magazines, articles, letters, cards
  • Act – requires you do something (make a call, pay a bill…)
  • File – file it quickly and be able to retrieve it easily
  • Toss – shred or recycle

*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 connect with us.

Get iRAFT© For Your Paper in our free Paper Guide

INCOMING: In the same way that incoming emails land in the inbox, it is vital to create a container and spot for mail, thoughts, and information. The key elements when establishing a place for incoming communications are:

  • The location of the container needs to be close to the place of entry.
  • The container size needs to take into account the volume of information coming in.
  • The container should ideally be vertical with a large, open entry. If you use a horizontal container, select one that is open and comes with a lid.
  • The design of the container is important. Match the environment & personality of the user.
  • Process weekly into R.A.F.T.© – READ | ACTION | FILE | TOSS

READ: Choose a container for fast reading on the go, like a mesh folder in your briefcase, and a larger container/location for reading while you are sitting, both for personal and work. Keep the following in mind:

  • The right size of container is critical.
  • Location of the container is key. Put it where you will do the reading.
  • There is a difference between “quiet” and “active” reading.
  • There needs to be a system for when the reading happens.

ACTION: Everyone needs an action system for the communications that require action. Please keep the following guidelines in mind:

  • It is imperative to have a container for papers that need immediate attention, action, and decision.
  • The container for your action file should be visual, vertical, and easy to sort into and work out of.
  • Coupled with the container needs to be a system to address how often you will take action weekly.
  • Refer to the action system section below for details on these areas.

FILE: In this container place items that are ready to be filed as reference, storage or archive.

TOSS: It is so helpful to have recycle, shred and trash bins close to your processing area.

Download your FREE Paper Guide

Clear & Simple, Marla Dee, Kate Fehr, SEE IT. MAP IT. DO IT., iRAFT, Organize Your Paper
Clear & Simple, Organizing, Systems, See It Map It Do It, STACKS, iRAFT, Marla Dee, Kate Fehr
Clear & Simple, Organizing, Systems, See It Map It Do It, STACKS, iRAFT Marla Dee, Kate Fehr

Check out the entire iRAFT© System here.

Your Guides, Marla Dee and Kate Fehr

We love teaching The Clear & Simple Way© to live free of clutter and get organized at last.

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. As she starts to tell her story, I feel her sadness and shame.

Using the See it. step, I ask my client how things got like this? What happened? Well, her life is a busy one. Between raising 4 girls, work that she loves, and many interests, there isn’t time for her own stuff.  Her bedroom, like so many of my clients, became a dumping ground for homeless and undone items. It’s the one room in her home where she doesn’t have to hold it all together. It’s only now that her girls are grown and gone that she can take time for herself.

As we move into the Map it. step, she gets to share about her vision for this bedroom.  She’s been dreaming about it for years and has gathered lots of pictures. She wants a sanctuary. What a joy to witness her and put the plan on paper.

Now she is excited and ready to dive into the stuff and make choices that support her vision. Following STACKS (Do It.) one step at a time makes going through all her things possible. We start with the floor, move onto the bed and side tables, and end with her dresser and closet, completely transforming the space into her dream room.

She looks at me with tears in her eyes and exclaims, “I did it!”

Marla Dee & MJ

SEE IT. MAP IT. DO IT.© is the 3-step organizing formula that works for all the areas of your space and life. Let’s use it to transform your bedroom.

Get Your FREE Bedroom Guide

SEE IT – Take a look at where you’re at. Have each person answer the questions below for the whole bedroom (we will do the clothes closet later). When you are done, take time to share with each other.

  • What’s working? You can be specific or general.
  • What do you love about the look, feel and function?
  • Are there things you know you want to change?
  • What’s not working? What don’t you like?
  • Are there things in your bedroom that don’t belong there?
  • Are you doing things other than rest and intimacy in your bedroom?

MAP IT – Make a written plan for what you want. Go after what you really desire as this is the most important room in your home.

  • How do you want your bedroom to look, feel and function? Have FUN!
  • Create an online board of images that inspire you. Go for it!
  • Create a mind map showing all the elements you most want.
  • Is there a theme for your room such as beach house?
  • What colors and textures would make you happy?
  • What do you want to add to your bedroom, like a reading chair?

DO IT – Take the steps to make it happen. Look on your calendar and set up time for the transformation. Try playing music and make this joyful.

  • Choose which area you want to start with. We suggest starting small and building up from there. For example, you could do the bed and side tables, then go to the dresser and rest of the room.
  • Go through the S.T.A.C.K.S.© Steps for the project (Sort, Toss, Assign, Contain, Keep it up, Simplify). By following STACKS the process you will save time, energy and money.
  • Once you complete each area, take time to celebrate. Why not have a date night in your new bedroom! We promise you will sleep better and wake up happier.

Get Your FREE Bedroom Guide

Clear & Simple, SEE IT. MAP IT. DO IT., Marla Dee, Kate Fehr, Organize Your Bedroom

Your Guide, Marla Dee.

I love teaching The Clear & Simple Way to live free of clutter and get organized at last.

Declutter HOW?

Do you have clutter in your space and chaos in your day? On the fun YouTube show That’s so true Lynn and her guest star Marla Dee give you straight forward advice on how to start organizing your home and life. Marla will help you know where to start and how to get it done. Learn about her simple system of STACKS. Marla has been an organizer for 20 years and she knows the pain. Watch the segment and get inspired to cut the clutter and live in a well organized space.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PI_-vRLlS8g
Marla & Lynn having FUN talking about clutter and organizing

If clutter clearing was easy, the clutter wouldn’t be there. If organizing was easy, the chaos wouldn’t be there. Since only 10% of the human population is born with the organizing gene, most of us need help learning HOW! After watching the video above, check out the page below for more depth on the STACKS system.

https://www.clearsimple.com/systems

Please share your stories of using STACKS with me – Marla Dee

STACKS: The 5 Step Organizing System

The 5 Steps to get organized at last

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.

Get your copy of the C&S Steps Guide here.

Marla Dee – Your Guide to getting organized at last!

Were you born with the organizing gene?

Were you born with the organizing gene?

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