The Blog

Assessing the Now: Have You Outgrown Your Clutter?

05/28/2014 By Nancy Borg With 1 comment

clutterLook around.  Room check.  Some of your spaces may be seemingly crowded. But imagine that there’s a chance that some of the clutter that’s hanging around just might be irrelevant to you now. Wouldn’t that make it easier to part with?

So let’s start there. It’s hard enough to manage and organize all the things that we are currently using, so let’s go the easy peasy route first.  Here’s the long and the short of it;

Assess the now. Time changes us and we continually evolve.  And so it would make sense that even the clutter should align with our current lifestyle and priorites.  Let go of those things that no longer provide value, any longer. Above all, don’t feel bad about it.  You can make space for new things to enjoy.

Recently inspired from a colleague’s interview with Erin Rooney Doland, author of Unclutter Your Life in One Week, I’ve realized that so many of us hold onto things we’ve outgrown. It’s simply there because, it just is.  Ignored, neglected, perhaps even invisible, but probably for good reason.  It’s just not that important to us anymore.

Here’s a great way to think about letting go of the insignificant. Erin refers to clutter like a bad book you don’t want to read anymore, it’s OK to let it go. Just because you bought it, that doesn’t mean you have to torture yourself to finish it. If it no longer interests you, no need to keep it. It’s just taking up unnecessary space and certainly not deserving of prime real-estate in your home.  Apply this simple thinking to all of your possessions.  Are they a good “match”?  Do they still “fit”?

My favorite depiction of how personal change impacts our values is in Erin’s claim that “one day, a pair of earrings can be your go-to piece of jewelry. You’re a little heartbroken if one earring goes missing from the pair. Two years later, the same pair of earrings is taking up space in your jewelry box and you wouldn’t even remember it was in there. The object hasn’t changed, but how you value it has.” How true. We are indeed capricious.

Time is the operative word for just about everything. Time can ‘manage’ us, time can ‘heal’ us, and time can also ‘change’ us. With the passage of time, we all evolve, and so our priorities shift along with us too. Hence, our clutter changes and so does its significance in our lives.

Have you checked your clutter lately? Ask yourself if it reflects who you are today.  We’ll talk about organizing it all another day, another blog 🙂

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Has “Spare” Time become “Rare” Time?

05/14/2014 By Nancy Borg With 2 comments

tea timeHow many times have we all said “I’ll get to this or that in my spare time?” Too often, I fear.  We cram our schedules with jam-packed to-do’s, we never seem to get there.

Unfortunately,  it’s the by-product of being popularly “busy” in today’s culture.  On a good day, we take on too much and don’t carve out sufficient time to get it all done, so it spills into the next day.  And on and on it goes.  We all struggle with time on a daily basis, it’s seems highly unlikely that we’ll end up with any extra batches of it.  Gone are the days of spare time.  But is it a lost commodity? It doesn’t have to be. What if I told you that you can reclaim it?

Here’s some ideas to chew on;

Schedule it. If you don’t schedule the spare time, it’s never going to happen. So just like booking the haircut, picking up the dry cleaning or getting the car washed, add the spare time onto your to-do list too.  Maybe a time to catch up on reading, enjoy a DVD you’ve been wanting to watch, call an old friend, or just plant yourself on a chaise lounge and just chill.  Don’t you deserve that?

Evaluate the have to’s and the want-to’s.  Think about those things that have to get done… but not necessarily by YOU. Opt to delegate and make room for the want-to’s.  Beyond the nonnegotiables, create space for your sanity. It’s essential for life-balance.

Consider the obstacles.  Can you define what is in your way?

    • Time-management skills. I  frequently write about managing the “busy” because poor time-management habits usually heighten anxiety and exacerbate disorganization. Sharpening those skills can free up valuable time.
    • Working long hours? Does your workday come home with you? Working from home can easily impede on spare time.
    • Technology could be one of the greatest time robbers that could be eating up your spare time. As if the days aren’t busy enough, our affinity to stay connected on or off the computer is a huge distraction.

     

Tweak the busy. If you’re overwhelmed and feeling out of control, perhaps this is a red flag that you may be a little too busy.  Align your schedule with your prioritizes.  Adjust.  Change what’s no longer working for you.  Life changes readily, so tweaking is an ongoing and necessary process.

Capture the opportunities.  It’s easier in this cycle of season to be encouraged to take more breaks, steal some time, and take advantage of the beautiful weather.  The days are longer and may even inspire you to carve out some extra time you may be craving.  Remember, spare time is “your” time.  When or how you choose to use it, is your prerogative. What’s important is that you find some.

I revel in my spare time and know when I require it.  This is a time that I catch the wind in my sails, and I capitalize on these opportunities.  For me, I’m a summer gal and so my stolen spare moments will probably be outside somewhere. With blue skies above and the sun shining brightly overhead, I am more apt to get up and be ready to work hard… but play hard too.

Reclaiming spare time is doable, what will YOU choose to do with yours?

 

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The Big Picture: Can You See the Forest?

05/07/2014 By Nancy Borg With 2 comments

forest_optWe all have our moments of not “seeing the forest for the trees.” How many times are we so immersed in what we’re doing that we may be missing what is right in front of us?

When we focus on the small details we may succeed in targeting a specific goal, but sometimes, there is a bigger picture to consider. Stepping away can change our perspective, but it is certainly not always an easy task to look at our situations with an objective eye.  These may be the probable causes;

1. We don’t know where to begin to look

2.  We’re in too deep in the forest

3.  We’re too involved in our day-to-day matters.

Yesterday I was hired to organize a client’s home-office. While the immediate goal was to sort the paper piles and create an efficient filing system, there was evidence of significant chaos beyond that space.  But interestingly, the client living with the daily mayhem, failed to notice it.  He could not see the forest from the trees. He was in too deep and too involved in his day-to-day needs.

As a Professional Organizer,  the stepping away piece is the most valuable objective support I provide for my client.  Together, while our plan is to continue to focus on the home-office,  he is now more mindful of the bigger picture as well.

Sometimes I get overwhelmed too.  After all, I am human.  When I’m overcome with busy and stress,  I become short-sighted and cannot see beyond that moment.  I tend to get lost in detail.  I can easily feel defeated with too many things to deal with and admittedly, cannot see the forest for the trees.

Here’s some personal tips that may help clarify the big picture for you;

Share:  When you share with a another person (family member, friend, or professional) you can get a completely different point of view. Just talking it out provides great value.  Others may see things that you cannot and will perhaps confirm one of my favorite idioms,  “don’t believe everything you think.”

Slow down:  Sometimes it could be about the actual pace that obstructs the big picture.  Often when we are in a hurry, we are rushing around so much, we fail to notice what’s going on around us. Stop and smell the roses, trees and forest included.

Simplify: You can’t see the whole situation clearly because you’re looking too closely at small details, or because you’re too closely involved. Break it down.  Keep it simple.

Life can get busy and can sometimes feel un-manageable. Maybe take a step back. What do you see?

 

 

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Abundant and Redundant Possessions: What is Your “Enough”?

05/01/2014 By Nancy Borg With 2 comments

shoes_optA typical day in a life of just about every woman I know….

You went shopping and gravitated to a really pretty black top.  You did what the average fashionista would do. You bought it. Yep, yet another (but new) black addition to the already abundant and redundant collection of your other really great black tops.

Shoes are arguably a different story, because there is a variety of color, style, and heels to consider. These purchases can be more easily justified. Ditto to dresses, but how many pairs of jeans do you really need?  Skinnys, flared, and boot legged; black, blue, and colored, I get it.  But when is your ‘enough’?

Let’s be clear, this is not gender-specific. Men love to shop too. I’ve witnessed many men’s closets with abundant collections of ties, belts, dress shirts, golf shirts, belts, sport caps, and sneakers.  Seriously.

The caveat: This behavior does not suggest you are a compulsive shopper.

Compulsive buying disorder (CBD) is “characterized by an obsession with shopping and buying behavior that causes adverse consequences. According to Kellett and Bolton , compulsive buying “is experienced as an irresistible–uncontrollable urge, resulting in excessive, expensive and time-consuming retail activity [that is] typically prompted by negative affectivity” and results in “gross social, personal and/or financial difficulties”.  CBD is frequently comorbid with mood, anxiety, substance abuse, eating disorders, OCD, and mania.

There are many people who love to shop and acquire that do not suffer from this addiction because they have the ability to set limits or they can afford the impulse. It could also be more about a realistic mindfulness of finances and/or physical space.

Whether it be small to large acquisitions or gender-specific, we all have our moments when we succumb to our individual weaknesses.  These unique indulgences are hard to defy and can span from big boy toys like cars and large electronics, to even smaller new and shiny toys for our irresistable children. Embellishing our homes with new decor are purchases that may be an ongoing process too.  Chotkes may fill our hearts with joy but they can ultimately fill and overwhelm the home, if there’s little or no regard for ‘enough.’

Yet even with the parameters in mind (affordability and space), there is still a danger in over-acquiring.  Just because you can afford to, doesn’t mean you need to have it. So when does it become too much for you? 

Could it be when…

    • You’ve realized you don’t wear 80% of your wardrobe? (You tend to wear the newest items when you want to look your best)
    • Your closets are noticeably getting more crowded?
    • Can’t find what you’re looking for anymore?
    • Too many options and too many choices have complicated decision-making (you’ve noticed you have a lot of the ‘same’) How many black tank tops are too many and how many do you actually wear?
    • You’ve noticed you have an increasing number of junk drawers?
    • Every horizontal surface in your home has too many frames or chotkes on them?
    • The kitchen gadget drawer is out of control (and you don’t even use most of them)
    • Keeping up with the ‘latest’ technology is costing you money and space (let go of old and ‘dated’ smart phones, TV’s, computers, and printers)
    • Your collection of sunglasses needs its own terminal.
    • The garage has more bicycles and cars than people living in the house.

     
  • These are just some of the red flags that might alert you that ‘enough’ is indeed enough.  Do any of these resonate with you? When and what are your ‘enoughs’?

 

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