The Blog

Decide Who Rules Your Home: You or Your Stuff?

09/30/2012 By Nancy Borg With 2 comments

Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed with the amount of stuff in your home?  Most of us have obviously have more things living in our homes than people, but when does it become too much?

For starters, it could be when you’re continually tripping over your things; kid’s toys, shoes, neglected clothing, magazine piles, or unopened delivery boxes.  Or maybe it’s when you can no longer sit down on the comfy couch because of all the random stuff strewn all over it?

Now that’s an interesting rethink; if your stuff has a place but YOU don’t, ask yourself, “who’s really the boss?”

Deciding what to keep and what to let go of is not a simple task.  But realize that any decision is better than no decision at all.  So decide to decide. Sharpening your decision-making skills will allow you to reclaim your spaces. This step is not an easy one, but perhaps these questions will instigate the process:

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    • Are you surrounding yourself with the things you actually use and enjoy? Acknowledge the changes in your habits and  lifestyles through the years and make your home a reflection of who you are today.
    • Do you accumulate new stuff but still keep the old?
    • Do you have an exit strategy?  So many of hang on to things we no longer use and never got around to tossing or giving away. Set limits on the incoming and create an outgoing. If you can donate your undesirables to charities, or recycle conscientiously, everyone benefits. This ONE decision will create a noticeable change and will eliminate needless clutter.

 

So many of us are still living with a historical trail of our outdated technology; old printers, TV’s, computers, cameras, and cell phones find their way more readily to basements, attics, and garages than they do out the door.  We continue to invite new pieces of furniture, lamps, and bedding into our homes, and yet we have trouble letting go of the old things we don’t even like anymore.  We tend to hang onto things.  Just in case.

If this sounds like you, no need to be embarrassed, it’s more common than you think.

Make your home a haven for living your life, not storing it. Don’t let the stuff take over any longer.  People vs. things.  Choose. Decide who rules the roost.

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The Junk Drawer Epidemic

09/20/2012 By Nancy Borg With no comments yet

junk-drawer_optYou are not alone.  Don’t beat yourself up for having a junk drawer,  everybody has one.  But fess up, how many do you actually have?  You know that drawer.  It’s the infamous miscellaneous drawer filled with random stuff.  It’s the drawer you throw everything into that doesn’t have a home.  It might be where you keep your collection of pens, batteries, flashlights, spare keys, matches, instruction manuals, bills, receipts, and much more.

No doubt, there are endless categories but the problem is, there is not endless space.

It happens so organically, doesn’t it? An overlycluttered drawer that barely closes  leads you to shove new things into other drawers.  And before you know it, like  creeping crud, the junk is spreading like wildfire into multiple drawers!

Your intentions were good initially, I’m sure.  You probably started out monitoring the junk drawer, but eventually it was invaded with random loose change, crumpled post-it notes with scribbled phone #’s on them, newspaper clippings, coupons, phone chargers,  Tylenol, and all sorts of new junk. With no free time, and little regard for designated landing places for these things, you were doomed.

I know life is hectic and it’s much easier to just tuck the clutter away inside a drawer. Everything “appears” neat on the outside.

But unfortunately,  this only results in time wasting consequences.  You’ll likely be spending valuable time opening too many drawers, digging through all the clutter and not finding what you need, when you need it. This would be the wake-up call time to organize and get some control back.

Sort through the junk and consolidate items into “like” categories.  Create designated spaces and consistent homes for items.  No need to tangle your rubber bands with band-aids, paper clips, or old pieces of chewing gum.

When you sort like with like items, you will be able to retrieve and return them with greater ease, efficiently evaluate your inventory, thereby minimizing duplicate purchases. Separate office supplies, clip receipts together, and store medications in a safe and exclusice space. Create a grab and go area for sunglasses and keys.

Stay on top of that drawer and weed often.  Don’t let the junk takeover.  If you let it, it can potentially live in every drawer.  Uh-oh, T-R-O-U-B-L-E.

You can reclaim order in your home by starting small,  one drawer at a time. 🙂

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Reflections, Wake-up Calls, and Change… sans Mirrors

09/11/2012 By Nancy Borg With 4 comments

You do not need to look in a mirror to realize your successes or failures, nor to measure your range of happiness.  If you are self-aware, you know the truth. But there are certain times of the year that inspire you to pause, look inward a little more deeply. How do you really see yourself?

When do you soul search and what makes you change?

There are all different kinds of triggers that awaken us into self-evaluation.  Sometimes it’s brought on by a happy life-cycle event like a birthday or anniversary.  Reflection is also inspired by commemorating a sad time with an anniversary of a death or a tragedy, like 911.  But typically for most, it’s the finality of the year’s end that generally punctuates personal reflection with the coveted new year’s resolution.

These are all annual reminders and wake-up calls.

But seasonal changescan invite self-analysis as well.  Personally, I am a very introspective person and the change in seasons always affects both my mind and my soul.  It’s not simply a physical change.  As the weather changes,  my thoughts are infused with change.  I’m so very cognizant about the changes around me.  I pay attention.  The physical change stimulates my mind and alerts me to assess the past in a very natural way.  It’s an automatic comparison to connect the then with the now.

As Fall encroaches, I actually feel different.  I switch clothing, I switch gears.  I’m already thinking about the days differently. The summer beach towels are stored away and my days are organized with a new mindset.  Another year or another season, it makes no difference.  For me, it doesn’t take much to give pause and reflect.  I’m a thinker, bordering on “over”-thinking.  But I’m working on it, or at least “thinking” about it, lol.

Reflection is cathartic. We all should make time to engage in the process.  It can breed change but it doesn’t necessarily have to.  When you reflect, you are self-evaluating and that can be very validating.  If all is good, no need to make changes.  Enjoy the positivity of the reflection.

As the Jewish New Year and the High Holy Days approaches, it is the ultimate time for personal reflection.  We look inward and recognize our shortcomings and atone for our transgressions. We reflect with gratitude.  Grateful for the past healthy year and my loving family, I pray that the coming year is a repeat.

What does it take for you to ignite reflection? What wakes YOU up?

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Skills That Last a Lifetime: Teach Your Children Well

09/05/2012 By Nancy Borg With no comments yet

Back to school could mean back to old habits.  If you want to give your child the best possible opportunity for both academic and personal success, teach them fundamental organizational skills, outside the classroom.

In most cases, you can be sure that the A+ student is an organized one.  A student who earns high grades not only has the obvious aptitude, but in addition, probably relies on a particular skill set of organizational tools to manage the work efficiently.

And yes, it starts as early as Kindergarten.  As a parent, you can only provide your child with the necessary tools and teach them how to apply them. Creating independent little thinkers is vital to their development.

Particularly, at the Elementary School level, be there to check their assignments and aid them in completing the tasks.  Avoid doing the work for them. It’s easier said than done, I know, but they can only achieve if they actually learn it. Letting go of your child’s schoolwork is the  “tough love” required for them to grow.

Assign them their own consistent drop off zone to unload their knapsack, (it could be a cubby, shelf, or hook) so you can supervise its contents; fill in particular forms, return signed permission slips for school trips, etc.  Make them responsible for putting things away; snacks, toys, or finished homework.

It is important to designate special homework time and set guidelines.  Implement good study habits early in their schooling.  Most importantly, you must encourage them to be accountable for their own school organization.  Guide, but don’t hover.

Create a positive and dedicated workspace for which they can do their homework (not in front of the TV or on their bed). There’s nothing wrong with having a workspace in the kitchen, so perhaps you can keep an eye on them while you are preparing dinner.  Being supportive from a distance can still be very effective.

Make it fun to organize their school stuff with them, and reward them for knowing where all their stuff is.  You will be surprised how much more pride they will take in their work, when it is indeed theirs.  When they are in control and once they succeed and see results, the lesson has been learned.  Be their motivator, not their drill sergeant.

By the Middle School level, they will need to be prepared each day and be more on top of all their schoolwork and long term projects, without your direct involvement.   They cannot achieve these goals  if they are disorganized.  Submitting homework on time, respecting project deadlines are an integral component of learning how to manage time. Time-management is a challenge they will face their entire lives and so making this a common practice can only strengthen these skills.

Learning how to study well, and being responsible for quality work can only be possible with some keen sense of paper -management.  Keeping a tidy notebook and organized file folders is paramount.  It is most helpful to create a timeline and a visual calendar board so they can see, at a glance, what is on their to do list.

Instilling the values and benefits of being organized is so important. These are sustaining skills to utilize throughout one’s life. By the time they get to the challenges of High School, they will be fully prepared, hopefully operating at their optimal potential.  As parents, this is all we can do to help them excel in their academic careers throughout college and beyond.

So plant those good habit seeds early, they will blossom well.  The goal is to nurture your child,  yet  foster independence and self-esteem.  Teach them well….and they will thrive.

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