Organizing Experts Share How To Declutter With Simple Tips

Aug 15

simplify your morning so you can relax into the day

Want to Simplify Your Morning? Do These 5 Things!

By Diane Quintana How to Declutter: Use Simple Strategies

Do you dream of having a quiet and peaceful morning? Maybe you dream that you are sitting at the table enjoying the first steaming hot cup of coffee while reading the headlines waiting for the day to unfold. You can simplify your morning when you retire or maybe sooner than that by tweaking your routine slightly. The morning rush The reality is that we rush around in the morning. There is nothing peaceful about it. We gather the things we need for the day, get breakfast, and make sure that everyone else in the family is also prepared. Then we…

Apr 27

Something is Better Than Nothing

By Jonda Beattie How to Declutter: Use Simple Strategies

Have you ever been told that doing something is better than nothing? This expression applies to almost every circumstance you may come across. Below is a scenario that occurs frequently in my house. I wonder if it has happened to you? A Dinner Party You just prepared a fantastic dinner for a couple with whom you enjoy spending time. The food was fantastic. The company was great and the bottle of wine they brought was simply perfect. They leave about 9:30. You are feeling happy and replete. Then you go into your kitchen and see the natural disaster that has…

Apr 20

Are You Tired of Paying Late Fees? Use These 3 Tips & Be in Control of Your Paperwork

By Diane Quintana How to Declutter: Use Simple Strategies

If you have ever paid late fees, I’m sure you would agree that no one wants to pay more than the invoice lists. However, when bills go missing in a pile of paper or digital files you have no choice but to pay the additional late fees. Is finding your bills, knowing where to keep them, and figuring out how to get them paid on time adding stress and anxiety to your life? You are in the right place. No one wants to pay late fees and none of us need to add stress or anxiety to our lives. As…

Mar 23

The Best Reason to Incorporate Laughter into Your Organizing Sessions

By Diane Quintana How to Declutter: Use Simple Strategies

I love to laugh and bet you do too! In fact, I always smile at people when I’m walking outside and find that they smile back at me. It makes me feel really good when that happens. Generally speaking, I’m a happy person and tend to look for the bright side in every situation. Because of this I find that incorporating laughter into organizing sessions is one of the strategies I can use to help my clients make lots of progress. Let me give you the best reason to use laughter. Right now, I’m visiting my son and his family….

Mar 16

Organizing in 10 Minute Blocks: Coat Closet

By Jonda Beattie How Long Will it Take to Organize X, How to Declutter: Use Simple Strategies

Coat closets, if you are lucky enough to have one, can become a dumping ground for items without an immediate home. You can shut the door and put it all out of sight – at least until you open it to hang a guest’s coat. Since the closet is used for guests’ coats as well as your own stuff, it should be tidy, functional, and well organized. My Coat Closet My coat closet holds coats, jackets, sweaters, a couple of tablecloths, and a bag of bags on the rod. The shelf holds hats, gloves, lint cleaner, a flashlight, and a…

Mar 02

Honoring National Read Across America Day

By Diane Quintana How to Declutter: Use Simple Strategies

March 2 is National Read Across America Day. If it were up to me everyday would be a reading day. I love to read and often have several books going at a time. My frustration is in finding the time to read. This should be an easy fix for me. I’m an expert on time management so why is this a problem? Most days I have scheduled more things to do than time to do them. This means that I must have a triage plan and spend my time working on the tasks I feel are the most important. To…

Feb 02

Simple Strategies Need Simple Rules

By Diane Quintana How to Declutter: Use Simple Strategies

My mother used to like to say, ‘keep it simple, stupid – KISS’. She was right. The simpler the strategy the easier it is to follow. This is why the primary rule I follow in organizing with my clients is to ask the questions: do you love it? Are you using it? Is it beautiful – to you? When a client answers ‘yes’ to one or more of these questions then the object in question is something to keep. Sometimes people over-complicate the strategies they use to get organized by creating impossible rules to accompany the strategies. This can cause…

Jan 05

7 Tips for Putting Away Holiday Décor

By Jonda Beattie How to Declutter: Use Simple Strategies

The holidays have come and gone and now it’s time to put all the lovely holiday décor away and make a clean sweep for the new year. While it would lovely if we could just say “Alexa, un-trim my tree!”, it is not going to happen. This is our task, and we want to do it right. Take your time with this effort. Carefully put each item away in its storage container where it belongs. The next year you will thank the now you for doing it correctly this year. I have seven tried and true tips to make this process…

Dec 22

5 Tips to Make Your Celebratory Meal Enjoyable for You, Too!

By Diane Quintana How to Declutter: Use Simple Strategies

There’s a lot that goes into making a celebratory meal. These big event meals don’t just happen. You plan a menu, figure out how to make the different dishes (if you haven’t made them before), shop, prepare, cook, set the table and the list goes on. Wow! I’m exhausted just writing about it! This list of things to do to prepare the meal for others is endless. The one thing not on the list is that you want to be able to enjoy the meal just as much as everyone else! The key to making a celebratory meal and enjoying…

Dec 08

a person with so many thoughts they are consciously stuck

Are You Consciously Stuck?

By Diane Quintana How to Declutter: Use Simple Strategies

Do you feel stuck? Picture this: you have a list of things to do, you know how to do everything on your list, but you can’t get yourself to do anything. Are you frustrated by this feeling? Maybe your list of things to do is so long that you feel overwhelmed by all you have to do. I took a class last week presented by Dr. Sasha Heinz. She calls this being consciously stuck. Dr. Heinz says there’s a divide between good intentions and action. You can want to do lots and lots of things but until you create a…

How to Declutter: Use Simple Strategies

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