One very thick file that I have not addressed in the past few years is my medical file. The older I get, the more doctors I have and the bigger this file grows. In the past, I have just had a file folder for each doctor with their business card as the tab. But some doctors have retired and have been replaced by new doctors. Some paperwork in there is probably duplicated elsewhere. And some information I want to find quickly without searching through fat files. I realize that

As you prepare to work in this zone, first decide how you want to use this area in your home. You might include on your list storage of: Seasonal decorations Seasonal house items like fans or heaters Household items you wish to keep but are not currently using Toys, clothing, or other items you wish to pass on to friends and family Out of season clothing or sports equipment Suitcases Archival paper Plan out a zone in your storage area for each category. Items you access frequ

Before you begin on this project, take a good look at the way it is now. Look at what is working (don’t mess with that area) and what is not working. How do you plan to use this zone? Do you plan to: Park your car Store trash cans/recycling Store tools and accessories Pot or repot plants Work on projects and store tools Store bikes and other sports equipment/outdoor games/camping gear Store entertainment supplies Store extra products Now bring the things outside. If it is a s

When you work on any project, you want to see the job completed and then put away. Marilyn Paul in her book, It’s Hard to Make a Difference When You Can’t Find Your Keys, talks about the rhythm of organizing. This rhythm is cyclic. With any task you first get ready for action, you then take the action, this causes a natural disorder, and then you need to restore order. Many people do not do that final step and so have a series of natural disorders building up in their environ

Summer is a wonderful time to work on a few hot spots instead of big projects. Walk through your home and note a few things that could use some work. Maybe the towels in the linen closet are all askew. That cutlery drawer in the kitchen is a mess. You know some of your cosmetics need to be tossed. You’re pretty much keeping up with bills, but filling has fallen behind. Make a list of some of these small projects that could be either knocked off or improved in an hour or less.

Every now and then I have a project that makes sense to use a team. I love this model and wish it came up more often. Some jobs I am the team leader and some jobs I am working under another leader. I enjoy both scenarios. When does the team model make the best sense for a client? A huge project that needs to happen quickly. Ex. An estate trying to empty a cluttered house or a family moving with short notice and needs to downsize. A person overwhelmed working on a project and

Anytime I work in a zone, I start with a vision. Because I share this room with my husband, it needs to be a shared vision. We want this room to have a calming and soothing feel and be a place that sparks joy and happiness. We like soft light but enough for reading. My husband meditates here so the room should have an uncluttered peaceful feel. I allow one month to work on this zone and divide the area into four sections. The easiest way to do this is to assign one wall to ea

If you are one of those one in 11 American households that rent a storage unit, you will want to keep it organized and decluttered. Treat this unit like another zone in your house. When organizing follow these steps: Determine the purpose of the unit. Is it mainly to store seasonal decorations and party supplies? Is it storing items while your home is being renovated? Are you holding grandma’s items there until you can decide on what to do with them? Have an inventory of what

When I look at my guest bedroom and focus on the functions of this space, I note that there are many. The room has a closet used for offsite office storage and some personal pictures. There us a dresser that holds off season clothing, gifts, holiday cards, and some memorabilia. There is also a cat condo (and who am I kidding, also the bed) that is used by my cat to sleep in the sun. But when overnight guests arrive, this is their room. I want the area to be open and inviting

I recommend designating one or two places in your home to stash these gifts. If you have children you may need to get a bit creative to hide their gifts. I like to tag the items with the name of the person I had in mind when I made the purchase. I tend not to buy large items so I use a drawer in my guest bedroom for my gift zone. I have seen clients use a shelf in their basement, an under the bed storage container, or an area in a closet. These spaces do not have to have supe

Before you start your project, take a good look at the way it is now. Notice what is working (don’t mess with that area) and what is not working. Envision how you want to use this zone. Your vision might include a place to: Park your car Store trash cans/recycling Store gardening tools and accessories Pot or repot plants Work on projects and store tools Store bikes and other sports equipment/outdoor games/camping gear Store outdoor entertainment supplies Store extra products

Your bathroom is one of the smaller rooms in your home but it is also one that holds many items. A bathroom can get disorganized and cluttered quickly, so it is important to have a vision and a plan for how you want to use this space. Keep clutter to a minimum. Look at the storage space you have available. Do you have room to store your medicines and first aid material here? Do you have room to house any cleaning materials? To keep your bathroom uncluttered, some of what you

Every month, except for July and December, we concentrate on a project. Because I have a smallish home and have done this on my own for years, by the end of each year I have touched everything in my home. This month I am working on my entry area, a storage wall in my laundry area, and finally just cleaning a back hallway. My vision for the back entry area is to create a space where incoming and outgoing items are held. My husband hangs a couple of pieces of his seasonal outer

Kitchen Strategy: Look at your motivation. What is bothering you at this time in your kitchen? Are your counter tops cluttered? Do you have trouble finding needed items in your pantry? Do you have items taking up space in your freezer that you can’t even identify? Create your vision. How do you want your kitchen to look and how do you want to feel when you are in your kitchen? Do you want an open light filled space? Do you want space in your kitchen to do larger school or ch

I use a zone plan when organizing my home. This month I concentrate on the bathrooms and linen closet. Most bathrooms are small but are also heavily used with many items stored there. Bathrooms can get disorganized and cluttered easily if there is not a shared vision and plan for using the space. To keep clutter at a minimum, only store here what you use daily. Take a good look at the storage space you have available. What areas are overcrowded? Some of what you are currently

Seriously, I thought by now CDs and DVDs would have gone the way of the old VHS tapes and cassettes. I know a lot of teens do stream music, listen to their music on YouTube with videos, and “bump” music from iPhone to iPhone. Movies are watched from the computer or Netflix. But, I can tell from my clients’ homes (and my own), there are still tons of CDs and DVDs out there. We have quite a few of both at my home but it seems we rarely listen to them or watch the movies. We are

As organizers we love to go into an unorganized area and within hours have it looking pretty good. We love those before/after shots and love the look of adoration on our clients’ faces. But hang on. If we always strive to work in this style, the look we may see is utter panic and loathing instead of adoration. Some of our clients simply cannot handle a quick clearing of spaces. The client might have OCD, Hoarding tendencies, PTSD, TBI, Depression, or just not ready for this.

Now that school is out, more people are traveling. Than means that we are more likely to have guests, either just for an overnight stay on their way to another destination or just to hang out for a few days to visit. Sometimes I know way in advance that guests are coming and sometimes I have very little prior notice. Either way, I love having family and friends come to stay. It helps to have a plan in place for guests. I am lucky in that I have a spare bedroom (even though it

Join me for the 10 month Zone Plan Group Coaching Program, starting Friday, May 1, 2015. We will benefit from exploring 10 months of 2 open line calls a month (recorded for your convenience), one personal closed call to each member, motivating content and exercises, a pdf copy of my workbook, and a closed Facebook group. All of this is designed to set you on your path of living in the home you envision so that you control your space. Each month (skipping the months of July an

I follow a zone plan for my home. My home is divided into 10 zones and every month (except July and December) I tackle one of these zones. March is the month that I organize my living room zone. Spring is around the corner and I want my living room fresh and ready. The first step in organizing the room is to review my vision for this zone. As this is a shared room it also needs to have a shared vision with my husband, Rob. At times we both use this room singly. I start my day