There are several reasons why people put things off or delay getting started.

Do you have "Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda Syndrome"? 

Give some thought as to why you are avoiding a project or a task and then take the steps to change:

Are you overwhelmed?  If the task is too overwhelming, break it down. If it is still too overwhelming, break it down again.  Taking smaller steps to get something done is much more productive than not doing it at all!

Are you being realistic?  It's possible that if an item keeps showing up on your to-do list and is repeatedly bumped to the next day, it might be because it isn’t that important to you. Ask yourself if it is really your goal. It could be someone else’s goal, or their goal for you. Figure out if you want to do it or let it go by either delegating it to someone else or just not doing it at all!

Are you DISTRACTED?   It is important to set aside a specific time to accomplish the task.  You might need to go somewhere quiet where the interruptions of children, television, the telephone or your computer will not interfere. Figure out what is causing you to be distracted and make the necessary adjustments to eliminate those interruptions. 

Do you just HATE the job? Try swapping the task with someone else who is willing to do the job you hate and then return the favor and do something for them that they don't want to do.  

Do you feel UNDER-QUALIFIED?  Perhaps you have not tackled a project because you don't know how to do it or don't think you can do it correctly.  Don't be afraid to ask for help!  If need be, do some research, take a class or hire a professional to show you how to do it or have them actually do the job for you.   

With these tips, you will get rid of the "Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda Syndrome", stop procrastinating and get those tasks done!

If you need some help getting organized, you are feeling overwhelmed and don't know where to start, don't hesitate to contact me.  I will be more than happy to cure you of  the Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda Syndrome!

Have a great week!

Are you sick of the clutter in your home but don't know how to even begin to get rid of it?  This is a common problem - getting started.  Why not take advantage of the cold temps outside and take some time today to get started?

If you follow the following 5 rules, you will be well on your way to eliminating the clutter.

1) Don't keep things you don't like.

This may sound obvious to you, but so many people have things in their homes that they're really not fond of. It could be a sweater that you never wear because you don't like the style any more or how it fits, but you're keeping it anyway because it was an expensive purchase.

It may be an old, beat up and ugly piece of furniture gathering dust in your storage area and the only reason you are keeping it is because it belonged to a loved one. The bottom line is, if you don't like it, it should not have a place in your home. Donate it to someone who will enjoy it.

2) You're keeping it for someone else.

Remember that your home is not the town storage facility! If you're holding on to things for your daughter who is now married with kids, give them to her and have her decide whether to keep or toss them. They belong to her, not you!

If you and your next door neighbor had a yard sale over the summer at your home, and your neighbor's goods that did not sell are still at your home, have them come over and pick them up today.  If she doesn't want them, offer to have a charity pick them up instead.  Just get rid of them!  Your storage space should only be reserved for you and the family members currently living in your home.

3) Reduce by a definite number.

When getting rid of clutter in a specific area, have a goal in mind. Be specific.  Saying you want to get rid of SOME clutter is very vague. However, saying you want to get rid of 20 items, or 50% of the clutter, is very specific. Focus on reaching your definitive goal.

4) Out with the old and in with the new. 

This classic saying applies to this situation.  When you buy something new, get rid of something old. If you just keeping adding possessions, without getting rid of anything, your home will soon be overflowing. Avoid this overflow by simply following the one in, one out rule to create balance in your home.

5) Never say never.

Lastly, if you constantly feel like you're drowning in clutter and you don't believe you'll ever be able to surface, the chances of you getting rid of your clutter are pretty slim. Never say "I'll never get rid of this clutter!". Always have a positive, can-do attitude and believe in yourself. Never allow your clutter to rule your life. Remember, you are in charge!

If you are feeling overwhelmed with the prospect of getting organized and you want a better space, don't hesitate to contact me and I will be glad to help.

In the meantime, stay warm and have a great week!

What are you supposed to do if you are organized and your partner isn't?

This situation is more common than not when it comes to relationships.  I get contacted all the time by people who feel that they are neat and organized and their spouse is just the opposite and they are at wits end.  Ying and Yang. 

Although I find that both parties tend to contribute in some way to the situation, there can be a lot of frustration when you are living with someone who is very disorganized and you are forced to live with it.  It has an overwhelming effect on the entire household and your relationship.

I want to help you if you feel you are a mismatched couples.  (I don't mean that you aren't meant for each other, but rather, you are in a situation where one is clean and organized and the other is messy and disorganized and, as a result, there tends to be animosity.)

If you’re already in a living arrangement and are disappointed by your partner/roommate’s level of order, you need to have a conversation. Yelling and passive aggressive behavior isn’t productive and damages the relationship. Having a calm, sincere, and respectful conversation has the possibility of yielding powerful results.

It is good to have ground rules for what to do when frustration takes hold. Here are some productive rules you might consider establishing:

No nagging.  This is a problem that effects both of you and nagging someone about it will not benefit either one of you.  Try to find a reasonable solution that works for both of you.  Create a plan.  

No backpacking. Set a time limit for how long after something happens that it is discussed (like one week).  If you don’t bring up the frustration within that time limit, you have to let it go. You can’t fester or stew on a frustration. Also, if you’ve already discussed something, you can’t bring it up again. The reason it’s called backpacking is because it’s like people carry around another person’s wrongs in a backpack and pull every wrong out of the bag when there is a disagreement. Backpacking isn't fair. 

Discuss the real problem. If you’re upset that your wife/husband/partner or roommate repeatedly leaves dirty dishes strewn about the living room, your frustration has very little to do with dirty dishes themselves. You’re upset because you believe they don’t care about the cleanliness level in the living space. So, talk about the real problem and use the dirty dishes as an example of how that lack of caring is being expressed and how it makes you feel.

May times, the person who is messier than the other doesn’t care one bit if his or her living arrangement is disorderly or orderly. When this is the case, and if you’re the one who prefers a more orderly home, prepare to possibly take on the full responsibility for cleaning up after the other person. Do it because you’re the one who gets the sense of joy from an organized space.

If a pair of shoes in the middle of the living room floor annoys you, just move the shoes to a location that doesn’t annoy you. The five seconds it will take you to move the shoes are less than the time you will be angry over the shoes if you don’t move them. 

Arrange that you will do this for them if they agree to do something for you that you dislike or don't care that much about.  This will make it feel more like you are sharing responsibilities and they are not just falling onto one person.  Everyone has their strong suits.

Perhaps the problem is that there aren’t any systems in place to deal with the mess where it happens. For instance, perhaps your husband stores his wallet in a valet in your bedroom. Perhaps you store your purse in a cube near the front door. He puts his wallet in his pocket first thing in the morning and takes it out at night before he goes to bed. You only grab your purse as you are entering and exiting the house.

If your purse was supposed to be stored in a valet in your bedroom, I can guarantee you that it would never be in the bedroom. It would be on the dining room table or living room floor or wherever you happened to have dropped it.

So, a storage cube near your front door is perhaps the best place for your purse because it’s a storage location that works for you. Think about how you live and find solutions that meet your actual needs.

If need be, designate "clean rooms" or "messy rooms" in your home. You can decide that all public spaces are "clean rooms". This would mean that the rooms visitors will see when they come into your house must be free of clutter at all times. (Generally this is the first floor of your home.)

Visitors rarely come upstairs to your second floor, so perhaps the rules can be less stringent.  Things can’t be dirty (no food or bug-enticing items), but if objects are left out of order in these spaces, it’s less of an issue. Schedule a once-a-week cleaning for these areas.  

Finally, if you’ve tried all of the previous options and nothing is working for you, try seeking outside help. This help can be in the form of a professional organizer or perhaps a couple’s counselor. You want to work with someone who isn’t a part of your relationship and can see it more broadly.

I don’t recommend using a friend or family member for this task.  I find that they tend to impose their own agenda (not out of a wanting to help, but, rather, from lack of professional knowledge and experience). Also,   how they want you to get organized is not the system that would work best for you. 

This situation must be dealt with a mutual agreement between the parties; agreeing that it is something that is important and needed.  Otherwise, the one party might feel resentment towards the whole process.

Professional help could also be in the form of a cleaning service coming into the house twice a month. However, most cleaning services will request that the clutter be eliminated so that they can do their job properly.  I get contacted many times before a cleaning service is hired.  I come in and help eliminate the clutter. After all, they can't clean the floor if they can't find it!  Letting someone else handle the deep cleaning will make the light housework is less of a burden.

If you’re a part of a Ying and Yang couple, what effective strategies have you employed? I would love to hear your thoughts and I’m sure that everyone would benefit from reading your positive results in the comments below.

If you are overwhelmed with the prospect of getting organized and are living in a "ying and yang" situation, don't hesitate to give me a call.  I can help you find the middle ground that will work best for both of you.

In the meantime, have a great week!

So, the New Year has begun and a new decade too, for that matter.

Everyone is on the "resolution" band wagon the past few weeks and I want to let you know that I don't make "resolutions".  I set goals instead.  Resolutions tend to be so definite and so structured.  You either reach them or you fail.  What I mean by that is there tends to be no wiggle room.  Therefore, those resolutions tend to be so impossible to achieve.

Instead I set "goals".  I set them for my personal life and for my business each year.  I don't just have them floating around in my head, I write them down.

Most people do best when they write things down.  Not only do I write down what it is I want to achieve, but the steps I can take to reach my goal.

For example, if you say that you are going to lose weight this year, that is too broad.   That is a resolution that will most likely be broken quickly.  Instead, you can decide that you want to watch what you eat and lose two pounds a week for the next 10 weeks. 

Now, take a piece of paper or a post-it note (bright colored is best) and write down "I will lose two pounds this week".   Post it somewhere visible that you can see it each and every day (perhaps your bathroom mirror or your refrigerator door). You want to say this statement aloud to yourself (I have no problem with you talking to yourself!) and make that statement yours.  See it, feel it, believe in it.

Also, you want to think about "how" you are going to reach your weekly goal.  Using the example above, you can decide you are going to exercise, cut out junk food, drink plenty of water, use a smaller plate for your meals.  These are steps you can take to reach your "weekly" goal and before you know it, you will have reached your overall goal. 

Now, isn't that much better than setting a "resolution"?  I think so.  Just remember to write it down!

So, what are your goals for 2011?  I would love to hear about them.  Do they involve getting organized?  If so, I can help you take that overwhelming project and break it down into smaller, more manageable steps so you can reach your goal! 

I wish you much success in whatever goals you set for yourself this coming year.

Enjoy your week!

One of the biggest and most common New Year's resolutions made every year is "I HAVE TO GET ORGANIZED"!!

Disorganization causes arguments, frustration, lost opportunities, embarrassment, stress and much more.  You can't find things when you need them and clutter takes over your home.  There is always too much to do and not enough time to do it.  There's no time left for YOU! 

The list of negative results from disorganization is sad and long.

I happen to know a secret - When you are organized you are free to live the kind of life you've always dreamed of, one that is free of clutter and stress, and full of time for the people you love AND all the fun things you want to do.

If one of your New Year's resolutions is to get organized in 2011 and you are ready to live the kind of life you have always dreamed of - one that is free of clutter and stress, then NOW is the time to take that first step.

I am an expert in residential organizing and have been helping others just like you since 2004.  I can help you too.  Take that first step and contact me.  Find out what A Better Space can do for you!

Wishing you a happy, healthy, prosperous and ORGANIZED New Year!

The end of 2010 is only days away. With that in mind, this is a great time to do some tasks to prepare for and be organized in the New Year.  Here are some things you can do now to make 2011 more organized:

Reconcile financial accounts. Now is the time to get all of your financial paperwork for the year completed so you’re ready to file your taxes when your forms arrive.

Year-end personal goal and resolution review. Review all you accomplished over the course of the year and create goals and resolutions for 2011.

Back-up all digital data. Even if you do this daily, it’s good to take a final snapshot of the digital year.

Review beneficiary information on all investments and policies. If your family has grown or changed in the last year, now is the time to make sure your beneficiary information is current. Additionally, it’s a good time to do a general review of these investments and policies.

Review systems and routines. Are the systems and routines you follow meeting your family’s and home’s needs? If not, now is a good time to create new practices to implement in the new year.

If one of your goals is to create a budget for the coming year, I invite you to check out my "U Can Do It Budgeting System" in the ABS Store.   http://www.4abetterspace.com/abs_store

If you need some help getting more organized and creating some new practices to implement in the coming year, don't hesitate to contact me.  I am here to help.

Best wishes for a happy, healthy, prosperous and organized New Year!

Have you ever heard of the ripple effect?  I'm sure you have.  Did you ever think about how it might relate to organization?  Well, it does!

I picture myself as a small drop in a large body of water.  I believe that my purpose is to drop my knowledge, information and value into that large body of water so that it can ripple and touch others' lives.  Then, the lives that I touch will pass their knowledge, information and value onto others.  That is the ripple effect.  I simply do it through organization.

I was speaking on the phone the other night to a new client and she asked if what I would be teaching her in the process of us working together would help her children.  Without a doubt, it would. 

We start by my teaching not only how to get organized, but, more importantly, how to stay organized.  With this newly learned knowledge, understanding and skills, it is easy to pass that information onto the others in your household.  You end up teaching them.

Many times, my clients were just simply never taught these skills - it's never too late.  I believe that my purpose is to stop the process of disorganization that might have been passed down from generation to generation simply because it was never taught.

With your new found knowledge, you become the teacher and are able to show your children, not only through conversation, but by example, how to control and manage the clutter in their lives.

These skills are so valuable and will carry them through the rest of their lives.  That is how the ripple effect works.  Are you ready to be that drop in the large body of water?  Simply by learning and passing your knowledge on, you will be doing just that!

If you are overwhelmed by the process of getting organized and don't know where to begin, contact me.  I will be more than happy to help you create your own ripple effect.

Have a great week!

Do you have an off-site self-storage unit that you rent each month?  Is this an extension of the clutter in your home?

Did you know that there is more than 2.3 billion square feet of self-storage space in the United States, according to The Self Storage Association. Some of this space is used wisely — by people serving overseas, people storing personal things while they sell their homes, or for other temporary situations — but a lot of self-storage space is used as a very expensive extra room to hold people’s clutter.

Unfortunately, when people stop making payments on these units, they are sealed off and the contents are put up for auction. The television network A&E is tracking this auction phenomenon in a new series called Storage Wars:

"A&E presents the new original real-life series "Storage Wars," which follows four professional buyers and their teams as they scour repossessed storage units in search of hidden treasure. Part gamblers, part detectives, these seasoned veterans have found everything from coffins to the world’s most valuable comic book collection, paying as little as ten dollars for items valued in the millions."

The series began airing last night (Wednesdays at 10:00 p.m. EST/9:00 p.m. CST) with the episode "High Noon in the High Desert":

According to A&E it’s a showdown in the high desert as the buyers crack open a trove of abandoned storage lockers. Barry Weiss unearths the personal possessions of rap magnate Suge Knight. Jarrod Schulz and Dave Hester throw down their bankrolls in hopes of scoring a classic organ. And Darrell Sheets reveals a historic, one hundred and fifty thousand-dollar find. Classic items, wily personalities–let the storage wars begin!

I’m interested in seeing how A&E handles this material. I believe the editing of the show Hoarders ignores the mental health aspect of hoarding and instead focuses on wowing viewers with shock and awe. As a professional organizer who has worked closely with hoarders in the past, I think the show can be dehumanizing. (Please understand that it is the editing of the show that is dehumanizing this issue and not the actual professional organizers and psychologists who are working with the hoarders.) 

I am not sure whether or not Storage Wars is going to forget that there are real people involved who once owned the possessions that are being bid on. Although I missed the first episode, I’ll watch try to catch next week’s episode to see how this sensitive topic is handled by A&E. I hope they have found a way to highlight the self-storage problem in the United States without ridiculing or embarrassing the people who are losing their things.  I find it very sad.  It's an issue that can easily get out of hand.

If you get an opportunity to watch this show, let me know what you think of it and whether you believe it deals with the personal side of this issue.

Also, I am curious to learn whether you rent a separate off-site storage unit and what you tend to store in it. Is it for short-term or long-term storage? Did you rent it because you ran out of room in your own home to store your possessions?

Have you given any thought to eliminating the storage unit if it is intended for long term storage? I can't help but think about how much money you could be saving over the course of a year or more! But that’s a blog for another day!

In the meantime, watch the show, let me know what you think and have a great week!

As always, if you are feeling overwhelmed with your clutter and don't know where to begin, contact me at A BETTER SPACE and I will be glad to help.

For most, this time of year evokes a feeling of family.  You tend to want to reach out to those you have not seen in a while and catch up.  Perhaps they live close by and you just can't seem to get together often enough throughout the year.  Perhaps they live far away and the only way you would get to see them is to travel by plane, train or automobile for many hours.  Perhaps you cannot afford to do that.

A great way to stay in touch with your family and keep them up to date with what is going on in your life is to send out a newsletter.  Have you always wanted to write a newsletter to send out to all of your relatives during the holiday season?  Are you having trouble figuring out how to write it and where to start?

The first thing you need to do is create a list of everyone you want to send the letter to, including their full name and address is using traditional mail or email addresses if you are choosing to send it by email.  (I tend to be old-fashioned, I guess, and still believe that  traditional mail is more personal.)  

Next, you want to make a list of the topics or items of interest you would like to mention in your newsletter. This may include vacations you've taken this past year, notes about various family members about what they have accomplished this year or what they are doing these days, thoughts of the season and so on.  At first, don't worry about putting them into story form, or even sentence form.  Just jot down all of your ideas using bullet points on a piece of paper.

Once you have all the ideas written down, choose one topic at a time and write a few sentences about that subject.  This can be handwritten or done in a Word document on your computer.  (This is preferable because it is easier to edit what you write.)

After you have finished writing about each of the subjects, you can prioritize the subjects and put your paragraphs in order accordingly.  

Finally, return to the top of the newsletter document and write an introduction, putting your various topics underneath.  Then, finally, add a closing at the bottom.   

That's all it takes! 

It's nice to mail out your newsletter to each person but, the alternative is to send it via email with some graphics or family photos thrown in for good measure.  Encourage other relatives to do the same.  It would be fun to receive newsletters from them too! 

If you start preparing your newsletter now, you can have it done and sent out in time for the holidays.  You can send it out anytime in December.  It would not be too soon.

So get started and share your stories with your relatives (and even friends) to keep everyone abreast of what is happening in your life. 

Wishing those of the Jewish faith a Happy Chanukah!

Wishing everyone an organized week!