Monthly Archives: June 2021

Oftentimes I think a client could:  Open up a Hallmark Store… Could open up a hair salon… Could open up a volume discount store!  Why?  Once I organized a gift wrap room for a client who had over 50 rolls of holiday wrapping, 60 rolls of all occasion wrap and piles of gift bags.  That’s a huge inventory, but I get it… the after Christmas sale was such a deal. 

Why does an elderly couple need 100 rolls of paper towel?  And can’t you turn down the hair dresser who sells you a different product every appointment?  It’s fine if you have the room to store it all, but most of us don’t.  Say no!  Use up what you have!  Check your inventory before you buy!  If you don’t like what you have, dispose of it instead of accumulating it! 

I could open an exclamation point store… but really, truly seriously… get the point?! 

A label maker is a household staple.  I always bring mine to every client and it especially helps with kids.  They can read where things go and are more apt to put things away properly.  Trash cans can be cute and are necessary with family living.  One in each bedroom and bath… gum wrappers won’t make it in the trash if there is no can.  Hooks for towels in the bath, coats in the entry, clothes you can’t get your kids to put away, those reusable grocery bags… all need hooks.

Cedar blocks/sachets not only make a drawer smell pleasant, they keep pests away.  Revive the scents every 6-12 months

I recently helped a family prepare their child for college… not academically, but how to live with others in a dorm.  Especially if you have a child who is a bit “messy”… how will they get along with a roommate in a small dorm room?  If both roommates are messies, then ugggh, but usually one is a neatnik and the other a messy, thus a dilemma.  Teach your child to make the bed every morning.  If under bed storage is needed contain items in a bin designed for that purpose.  No food or empty soda cans allowed under the bed!

Wash clothes often to avoid that smelly room.  Fold clothes and fit into drawers or bins.  Sprays cover up smells, they don’t eliminate them.  Disinfectant wipes are a must for healthy living and work well in those mini-fridges.  Minimize make up or hygiene supplies and store in a carry-bin.  Perhaps share shampoos/conditioners with the roommates to minimize the bottles in the shower.  Keep tidy!  This can be accomplished by learning these skills at home before entering college and roommate bliss will be your friend.   

Are you a planner?  A list maker?  Your mind is already in organizing mode.  I’m a bit OCD and used to find myself adding to a list just for the satisfaction of crossing it off!  Hard to admit, but true.  Batch and schedule tasks.  Set a time each day for phone calls or emails and stick to that time frame. 

If you still work with paper filing, file documents all at once at the end of each day.  Set aside a few minutes for meditation or thinking.  When arriving home from work or shopping, put your “stuff” away before you start another task like dinner or homework help.  If you schedule these things into your day, you will stick to it and none of these tasks will become un-doable. 

I recently heard it said: “Have more, want more.  Want more spend more.  Spend more worry more.”  Truer words were never spoken.  The more stuff we have the more we seem to crave and want.  Then we go buy more, perhaps on credit but no matter what method we use to purchase more, then we worry about paying off that debt or why we have less cash.  Or we worry about where we are going to store the stuff.  Life becomes chaotic and zaps energy that could be used elsewhere.

So, I revised the quote to: Have less need little.  Need little spend less.  Spend less worry less.  Life is good.