One of the most daunting parts of the decluttering process can be getting started. Whenever I’m working with a new client and they’re feeling especially stuck, I have them ease into things with simple wins that will help build confidence and motivation to keep them moving forward. I’ve mentioned in previous posts that trash is a great starting point - it requires almost zero decision-making and can provide some quick visual encouragement - but in the hopes of keeping the ball rolling beyond that, here’s a list of a few more no-brainer items to which you can easily feel good about saying goodbye.

Well, it’s late January and that means I’ve officially shifted into hibernation mode: I spend 90% of my time at home bundled up in sweatpants and cozy socks, have to pep talk myself when it’s time to get out of a hot shower, and my down comforter has wound up as a line item on my daily gratitude list more often than not. The bad news is that it’s likely that we still have a few months before any signs of spring here in Columbus, but the good news is that holing up at home is a great excuse to tackle some quick organizing projects! January is a great time for a linen closet refresh to ensure that those fluffy towels, flannel sheet sets, and sick kits are primed and ready to get you through the sluggish winter weeks ahead.

Happy 2019, everyone! I love the possibility that comes with the turn of any calendar page, especially an entirely new year, and as I write this I’m feeling focused, determined, and excited for what 2019 will bring. If you’ve promised yourself that this will be the year that you finally tackle all of your organization woes, you’ve come to the right place! Not knowing where to start can be the hardest part of any big change, so in the hopes of easing those first steps forward I’ve rounded up my top five organizing essentials:

We’re still in the thick of the holiday season, but January will be here before we know it and soon enough it will be time to pack up all of that holiday decor for another year. As tempting as it may be to throw things into bins or boxes willy-nilly in your state of post-holiday exhaustion, your future self will thank you for not having to untangle lights or dig through broken ornament pieces next year. Here are a few of my favorite tips for an organized approach to un-decking your halls:

You know the drill: the holidays arrive and you swear that this year will be the year of your most gracefully executed fireside season full of meaning, but before you can say “cotton-headed ninny muggins” you find yourself on a last-minute Target run for more Scotch tape in some fourth-day sweatpants, nursing a sugar cookie hangover and wondering where it all went wrong.

One of the hardest parts about organization is the ongoing maintenance, the daily/weekly/monthly upkeep that can easily fall by the wayside when life gets in the way. That’s exactly what happened to our refrigerator recently after a particularly busy few weeks of fall sports and packed work calendars and so, to assure everyone once again that even a professional organizer’s house isn’t perfect all the time, I present to you our late October fridge:

Found yourself hitting a roadblock in your efforts to live a more organized life? Read on to see if any of the Don’ts below are holding you back!

Back to school! The time of supply lists, new shoes, bus schedules...and parents everywhere bracing themselves for an onslaught of paper coming home in backpacks each day.