Although most of my guests enter through the front door, there are times when they do come in the side door. This is also the door that the family uses most of the time. I like this area to be warm and welcoming. I have hung and placed whimsical art here just for fun. This is also an area where incoming and outgoing items are held. Current outerwear is left here on hooks. Cloth grocery bags, when unpacked after a grocery run, are hung here until the next person makes a run to

When I start to work in any zone in my home, 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 welcoming presence. We want a calming, relaxing feel and a place to feel happy. We like soft light but still have enough light available to read. My husband meditates here so the room should have an uncluttered, peaceful feel. I use the whole month to work on this zone and I divide the tasks into four sectio

The reality is that it would be overwhelming to tackle the whole house, so this January I will begin with my office. I have been using the Zone Plan for many years and by the end of this year I will have touched everything in my home. (http://timespaceorg.com/services/) Over the past year, my files have gotten overfull, project bins need to be updated, new items have come into my office and now the office is feeling a bit crowded. Now is the time to follow the program and wor

The storage hall in my laundry has many purposes. I have an elfa wall unit to hold overflow from other areas of my home. This one wall holds entertainment supplies, recycling bins, a cat box, extra litter, bird seed, tool kits, cleaning products, extra file crates from the office and a hanging rod for clothes taken from the dryer. What a hodgepodge! Surprisingly, this zone works well. However, as I go through this zone, I look closely at what is there. I am sure some of the i

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

Clutter and unfiled papers Projects not in bins Files too full Too much laying around and screaming “DO ME” 2. How do I want my office to look and feel? Look clean and uncluttered Look and feel welcoming Have empty spaces to allow for growth Feel productive 3. What do I need to do to make this vison come true? Sort and label all loose papers Clear out all desk drawers and desk surface Purge files and put into a project bin all I will need for taxes Shred and archive papers De

How does virtual organizing work? First there is a free phone consultation to determine if virtual organizing would work in this given situation Once it is determined that it is a good fit, a questionnaire is filled out to help solidify intentions and goals for the sessions If appropriate, pictures of the target area are sent A vision of what the area will look like and how you will feel in this area is explored A brainstorm list is put together of all tasks that need comple

One of the first things I do when I set up my calendar is divide my home into 10 zones. Every month except July and December, I work on one zone in my home. The goal is that by the end of the year I have touched everything I own and have let go of things I no longer need or love. I have also organized the items I have decided to keep. This has worked so well for me over the years that a couple of years back I set up a Zone Plan Teleclass to lead others through the process. I

The year is drawing to a close. It is a good time to find some quiet time and reflect on the past year and look forward to the new year. I challenge you to try this exercise. List at least 3 experiences or events that were wonderful this past year. What insights did you receive from these delightful experiences? Think of a couple of things that did not go quite the way you wanted. What did you learn about yourself from this? What is your vision for the upcoming year? Brainsto

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

August is the perfect time to tackle your laundry room zone because: You are coming out of vacation mode and are now washing and putting away those clothes You are going into a new school year and have school clothes and sports clothing that need washing You want your laundry zone to be organized and efficient for the upcoming season Laundry zones can be large or small and located in many places. Some older homes have the laundry zone in the basement. Some are in a hallway or

This year we get to enjoy a rare phenomenon: a full moon on the shortest night of the year. The last time tis happened was in 1986 and the next occurrence will be 2062. In ancient China the summer solstice was the yin to the winter solstice’s yang. It symbolized the harmony of life, with the influence of yang reaching its peak and the switch to yin. It was all about finding the balance. The solstice is celebrated around the world. It is a forerunner of life, fertility, and go

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.

OK, it is really December and the days are speeding up for sure. I feel a combination of excitement and panic. I’m looking forward to some parties and church events. I am looking forward to enjoying my decorated home. I am enjoying the holiday foods and music. But, wow! There are a lot of things that are not done. Most of the cards have not been mailed. Some gifts still need to be purchased – still unsure of what to even get a couple of people. I still have more baking to do.

One of our sessions let by David L. Marcus was a powerful insight into how parents sometimes (usually?) push their dreams and expectations onto their children. The vision of the parent is not always the vision of the child. The skill set of the parents is not always the skill set of the child. The learning style of the parent is not always the learning style of the child. You get the picture. Dave advises parents to “help your children find their hidden talents,” and “teach y

If you are following my zone plan, this month is a good month to work on organizing your bathrooms. If you have a linen closet, include it in this zone. Your bathroom is one of the smaller rooms in your home but it is also one that is heavily used and 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. Minimize what you actually store here. Look

You look around your space and you know you have too much “stuff.” But it all seems important to you. After all, you either bought it or it was a gift. How do you go about making the decision of what goes and what stays? Look at your motivation. Why are you considering getting rid of this “stuff” at this time at all? Are you moving? Do you want to entertain? Do you want clear open floor space? Are you just tired of all this stuff? Your motivation will help you with making dec

Whenever I work in a zone, I start with my vision for the space. Since I share this room with my husband, we must form this vision together. Last year we decided that we wanted our room to have a soothing, calming, and supportive look. When we are in this space we want to feel secure, relaxed, and happy. We like soft light yet still have enough lighting for reading. In the past year we have painted this room a very soft yellow to help capture the light and changed some of our

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