by CS Team
Travel can be stressful so enjoy our tips that simplify & help you organize all your trips!
We have used all the tips & tools below to radically reduce the stress and struggle that travel can bring. These tips are the SEE IT. MAP IT. & DO IT. steps for travel. Try them out and let us know what you think!
Marla sharing her personal “bag lady” story and more…
- The perfect suitcase is the key.
- Size, weight, color, material, design
- Each person needs and deserves their own suitcase
- Have an ID tag that is current (no address)
- Simplify the clothing
- Choose a capsule wardrobe so you can mix and match easily
- Choose to roll your clothes or use the pack-it systems
- Apps and online resources that help: clearsimple.com/travelapps/
- Use Wunderlist – have a standard list for your different types of trips and then easily adjust for current trip. Yes a list makes a difference. You can even print the list so you can check the items off.
- Use Last Pass for all your key & private information
- Tripit stores all the trip details
- Get AAA or similar service for travel troubles
- Uber and Airbnb are some of our favorites
- Get your TSA Precheck to save time every plan trip
- Check out Costco Travel – especially for car rentals
- Get an extra set of all electrical cords and chargers. Keep these packed and ready to go.
- Have your body care items already on hand – refill after each trip. Use smart containers for your body care items.
- Find the perfect tote or carry-on bag that can hold all you need and feel easy to carry.
- Carry-on Essentials Kit ready to go in the perfect carry-on.
- Medicines (get the small plastic medicine pouches)
- Soft light sweater or jacket and socks
- Toothbrush, wipes, body care & eye mask
- Book to read or game to play
- Easy water bottle like the collapsible water bottle
- Gum and food snacks, including protein
- Ear buds or head phones that you love
- Safe holder for passport, id and credit cards (make a copy that stays home with an assigned person who can help). Use Last Pass to hold all the vital information.
- Check out The Container Store for some of our favorite bags and tools.
- The Power of One. Try taking one book, one notebook, one technology device, etc. Then decide one purpose (most important) for your trip. clearsimple.com/travelstuff/
by CS Team
Digging in the dirt takes us right back to being a kid. There is nothing else like it.
When Spring comes, our hands start itching to go digging in the dirt. For thousands of years spring’s arrival meant it was time to till and plant. This primal instinct is wired into us. We need this time with the earth. It is healing unlike anything else. So we feel ourselves called outside, driving to the plant store and co-creating with mother earth.
But like everything else in life, the project of planting can feel overwhelming, especially for someone like me. I am not a born gardner like my daddy was. He started each day outside, wandering through his yard and garden, picking weeds, talking to the plants and digging in the dirt. He could get things to grow that no one else could. He had a way with the earth. Growing up I wanted to work alongside him and learn but it felt overwhelming. Sadly I never did.
As an adult, when spring arrived, I would have the urge to go plant but didn’t know where to start. So one year I thought why not start small. I started with one pot on my front porch holding one plant. I let myself enjoy this sweet & simple ritual. Then everyday I was greeted by the bright flowers when I came home. Overtime this has grown to a flower garden in front of the house and more in the back.
Just getting ready to write this blog, I had to go get new plants for our new office. This spring let yourself go dig in the dirt and take in how fabulous it feels to your body and spirits.
Let yourself play! Marla Dee
by CS Team
Donating your stuff, your time and resources to a cause you care about is FREEING.
Why would we fill up our cars with our client’s donations? Because letting go of our stuff and deciding where to donate our resources are loaded decisions. We want to make it easier. We have seen over and over again that when our clients choose an agency or cause they really care about the letting go is easier.
We define clutter as delayed decisions and holding onto the past.
We are asking you to help your family and loved ones find a place to donate and a cause to contribute to. Please see the list below for ideas on places you can support.
We are sharing our chosen cause below and would appreciate your help.
The Utah Professional Organizers are donating 200+ hours of our time and skill.
The Utah Professional Organizers are excited to help The Road Home organize supplies, donations, and storage closets at Palmer court. This wonderful organization helps find permanent housing for homeless individuals and families in our community. We need donations to make this project a success! Everything helps.
We have found through the years that donating stuff, time and money to a cause you care about makes a big difference. We would greatly appreciate your help in this transformation.
Please go here to make a monetary donation. Or if you want more information about the Utah Professional Organizers go here.
Here are some additional links for national agencies that will make it easy for you to let go of the stuff that is keeping you stuck!
Please share your own stories with us! Marla, Kate & Team
by CS Team
SPRING is here! Time to weed out your cluttered closet and create a happy one!
Spring is the best season for clearing out the clothes closet. And yet the project can also feel overwhelming. Enjoy our juicy tips for transforming your closet so you get excited every morning.
Pull EVERYTHING out to clear out. It just doesn’t work to go through this while leaving the stuff in it’s old place.
Tip for the brave – Try EVERYTHING on your body and ask, “Is this really me, and is this me now?” Be prepared to laugh and cry. Do this with a friend. You might find it impossible to put the item back that no longer works.
Use S.T.A.C.K.S.© – SORT, TOSS, ASSIGN, CONTAIN, KEEP IT UP & SIMPLIFY on the clothes, shoes, jewelry, and accessories to really get the job done and have FUN!
SORT first so you can see what you have. This makes all the other steps easier.
TOSS comes next and you will want to be honest with yourself. Do you love it, wear it often, and/or need it?
ASSIGN strong zones for all the different types of stuff including shoes, purses, hats, etc.
CONTAIN – Get consistent hangers in all the same color and type. This makes it easy for your brain and body to focus on the clothes rather than be distracted by the hangers. You will also want to contain all the little stuff on the shelves rather than having it loose.
KEEP IT UP by putting dirty clothes in the laundry basket and putting shoes where they belong at the end of the day.
SIMPLIFY your clothes closet by aligning with your body and wardrobe type. We love the powerful system called Dressing Your Truth.
Check out this closet makeover from a student in one of our live workshops. We loved her example because it reflects REAL LIFE! By simply going through S.T.A.C.K.S.© you will transform your closet and love it again.
Please share your stories and pictures with us! Marla & Kate
by CS Team
Spring is a time of renewal, of light, of growth.
Clearing & organizing are easier when we align with nature. Mother earth is masterful at letting go of old & dying materials to make way for new growth. So, we often need to clean out the garden patch before we plant new life. As we say hello to spring, take 5 minutes to pause and ask –
“What is one habit I am holding onto that is keeping me stuck or cluttering my space?”
From Marla – “I am releasing the pattern of going to the computer in the morning before I do my meditation and journaling. When I go to the computer first, it throws off my whole day. When I take my quiet, grounding sacred time first – my whole day flows. What are you ready to release?”
From a client – “Right now I am letting go of trying to do everything myself. Forcing the ‘I can do it ALL’ mentality has really taken a toll on me energetically, emotionally and physically. I’m practicing delegating some things to free me up. Then I can do what I most want. What is one thing you could hire out or ask someone to help with?”
Here are examples of old habits that can outlive their usefulness:
- Keeping all the emails in my inbox rather than setting up simple subfolders such as read, action and pending.
- Doing my meals and grocery shopping on the fly rather than weekly planning.
- Going to bed too late – forcing myself to stay up. Or sleeping in too late and skipping my morning time.
- Plopping all the incoming mail and paper on the kitchen counter (rather than an incoming container).
- Walking by piles of stuff day after day rather than a weekly restore to put everything in it’s home.
Once you get clear on what you are ready to release, you can ask what new habit you want to bring in. What would feel good and supportive for you life now?
We would LOVE to hear your ideas!
Marla & Team
