Professional Organizer | Clearing Clutter | Motivational Speaker | Salt Lake City, Utah

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1 Successful Tip for Clutter Control Challenge

Monday, February 28th, 2011 by admin

Monday’s Clutter Control Challenge:

Get a BE basket. A BE basket stands for Belongs Elsewhere. Pick a room and place everything that doesn’t belong in that room in the basket.

 This saves a lot of time as you aren’t running back and forth putting things away one at a time. Not only that chances are you’ll find other places that have clutter that you’ll start in on.

 After you have gathered everything that doesn’t belong in that room; take them to their “homes”. If they don’t have a home consider if it is something you want to keep. If it is then make a decision right then and make a place for it and put it in its place. If it is not important to you, put it in the trash, recycle bin or donate pile.

Clutter control is easy when it is done a little at a time and you make it simple.

What are you using for your BE basket? How much time did you save using your BE basket?

Posted in Challenge, Clutter Control | 2 Comments »

Organizing Product Creates Peace In Bathroom

Friday, February 25th, 2011 by admin

 Organizing Product Review Friday

We drove 6 hours through blowing snow and white out conditions across Wyoming last week to get to Colorado. I was glad when that drive was over! My daughter who is a party planner is putting together a Bee party so we went to a wonderful bee store in Ft. Collins for some supplies.

On the counter among all the bees wax, honey candy and honey lip gloss was a framed sign. “Changing the toilet paper roll does not cause brain damage”. I was surprised it was on the counter instead of being in a bathroom but I found it funny never-the -less.

This T.P. holder is probably one of the best organizing products I have in my home. If you don’t have them in every one of your bathrooms, run right out and get it. With this organizing product no one in the house ever leaves the holder empty. How cool is that?

Who would think such a simple product would eliminate nagging so easily?

Posted in Bathroom, Organizing Products | 3 Comments »

Getting Organized & Practical, Yummy Chicken Recipe

Thursday, February 24th, 2011 by admin

This is a delicious-oucious salad. Very easy to make. I like the crunch from the almonds and potato chips.  This recipe makes clearing clutter easy as it’s a low maintenance recipe!

Hot Chicken Salad
From: Marilyn Bohn                                                                                              Serves: 6-8
Mix all ingredients together. Put in shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with crushed potato chips. Bake for 30 min. at 375 degrees.
3 C. cooked chicken, cubed ¼ tsp. pepper ½ C. slivered almonds, blanched 1 ½ C. celery, diced
1 Tlb. onion, minced 1 C. mayonnaise
1 ½ tsp. lemon juice1 ½ C. cheese, grated
1 ½ C. crushed potato chips

Are there days you are in the mood to cook and days you aren’t in the mood? Are there days you are in the mood for clearing clutter and other days you aren’t? That is how it is with me. When I am in the mood to cook I like to do several meals ahead and freeze them. Then on busy days all I have to do is pull out a casserole and pop it in the oven.

When I am in the mood for clearing clutter I always set my goal after deciding what I am going to declutter. Then when I lose interest I refer back to my goal and keep on going until the project is finished.

What do you do to keep yourself motivated when clearing clutter? Is it o.k. to just stop before your done and leave a big mess?

Posted in Clearing Clutter, Recpies | 3 Comments »

Clearing Clutter Winner!

Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011 by admin

Today is the free giveaway. I guess only one person wanted the MAGLITE because there was only one comment. I did get a comment on YouTube who said they wanted it but they didn’t pop over here and leave a comment. So (drum roll please) Pantha you are the lucky winner. I will send it clear over the pond to England very soon. Congratulations!

I don’t know if it was the 10 inches of snow we got at our home on Sunday that made the clutter control bug bite or what; but for the last two days a couple of hours a day I have been Clearing clutter  in my fabric closet sorting and folding and donating fabric like crazy. It is done and it sure does feel wonderful to open the closet and see everything organized.

This is a case of thinking everything was pretty well organized but knowing I could make it better. Clearing Clutter makes me as happy as can be. I keep going to my closet and sliding the door open just to see how nice it looks.

Do you ever do this after you have done some serious or not so serious clutter control?

The weather people are saying Friday we will get another big storm (but they aren’t sharing how many inches of snow is expected) so who knows what clutter I’ll find to get rid of on Saturday.

Posted in Clearing Clutter, Giveaway, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

6 Hot Tips For Clearing Clutter

Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011 by admin

BEFORE Clearing Clutter

Show ‘N Share Clearing Clutter Tuesday

How on earth do things get so cluttered without me even knowing it? Do you have this same thing happen to you? I have three tiny stationary drawers which I want to eliminate all together. (The stationary, not the drawers) I have a plan but am not quite ready to implement it.

Anyway these drawers needed some serious clutter control. This is what I did:

• Took everything out.
• Looked at everything (and shook my head in wonderment that I had kept all this stuff).
• Recycled cards I didn’t like because I know I would never use them.
• Consolidated cards.
• Put blank envelopes where they belonged.
• Ate some Club crackers and pear sauce as a reward.

Why do I resist clearing clutter? Because I don’t even realize it is cluttered I guess. This sure does feel good. Now  when I have plan the time I will do the third drawer.

AFTER Clearing Clutter

Posted in Clutter Control, Drawers | 4 Comments »

2 Options For Clutter Clearing Challenge

Monday, February 21st, 2011 by admin

Monday’s Clutter Clearing Challenge:

Today we celebrate George Washington’s birthday. He was our first president and a great man. He retired to his home, Mount Vernon.

Mount Vernon is a beautiful historic place I visited a few years ago as part of a candle light tour. When we walked into the dining room I was surprised to see Martha Washington there—she was the very same woman we had seen in Williamsburg the year before.

We told her it was good to see her again. She replied that it was nice to be home as that was her favorite place to be. In Williamsburg someone had asked her if she had any education. She said that she had the finest education in needle work and the running of a household and keeping track of all the household affairs.

Is our home our favorite place to be or is it so cluttered we avoid coming home or we avoid certain rooms or places? We can have serene homes by clearing clutter a little at a time.

Monday’s clearing clutter challenge:

Do one of the following and let us know what you did—-

• Make clearing clutter fun—put on some music, get a treat.
• Take before and after photos so you can see the progress.
• Do a little at a time and you will be surprised at how much progress you can make.

I know you’re up to the challenge!

Posted in Clutter Clearing | 4 Comments »

Free Giveaway Because of Clutter Control

Friday, February 18th, 2011 by admin

Free giveaway all because the jockey box A.K.A. glove compartment in the car needed some clutter control. How long has it been since you cleaned out and organized your jockey box? My daughter was shocked when she tried to get a pair of gloves in hers and they wouldn’t fit. She decided it needed some serious clutter control. Watch this video and as see if you can relate.

Just leave a comment on today’s blog and the drawing for the free MAGLITE will be Wednesday the 23^rd. Cindy prefers the LED flashlights so she is willing to give this never used one away.

Posted in Car Organizing, Clutter Control | 3 Comments »

Getting Organized Ideas

Thursday, February 17th, 2011 by admin

Getting organized can be so easy that it is staring us in the face and we totally don’t see it. A case in point is magazines and old newspapers—-

Declutter your home by getting rid of trash. This would be old newspapers, magazines, junk mail or other stuff that is just lying around not being used and taking up space that steals your energy. Magazines can be donated to nursing homes or senior centers.

Don’t create more clutter by piling them up waiting to find time to donate them. It would be better just to recycle them. Don’t let good intentions but lack of time or energy clutter your life.

As a professional organizer I find that too often good intentions are a hindrance when women don’t have time to do all they would like to do and this stands in their way of getting rid of clutter. Don’t let this be you—O.K.?

Posted in Clutter Control | 3 Comments »

Clearing Clutter With Guest Blogger Brett

Wednesday, February 16th, 2011 by admin

Brett from the Heritage Foundation in Utah is my guest blogger today. He has shared with us how he has conquered clearing clutter by using electronic calendars.

Too many calendars?
“When Marilyn asked me to write this, I warned her that I am not that organized. I said she hadn’t seen my work desk!” —so he even sent a photo. You are a brave man.

“A few years ago, I was wondering how I could possibly be organized.  I never really liked paper calendars.  I could never keep them updated and then I couldn’t afford to buy new ones.  One year, I painstakingly put white out over dates in the planner that I hadn’t bothered to fill in instead of buying new pages.  Then I just gave up.

I soon discovered computerized calendaring using tools such as Microsoft Outlook, but even with that I had to remember my appointments on paper or in my mind.  That didn’t always work.

What has really made my life easier has been the transition to completely electronic calendaring synchronized across all devices.  While there are many tools available, I use Google’s Calendar Sync tools.  Because my employer requires me to use Microsoft Exchange, but my Blackberry phone doesn’t have an Exchange calendar, I use two tools, both of which require Google Calendar.
I use Google Calendar Sync for Outlook to get my computer calendars to sync up.  Then I installed Google Sync  for my phone.  Using these tools, all of my appointments are on one calendar, obviously shared with Google, but I’m not too worried about that.  Now I don’t have any need to carry around any paper calendars, and my life has been more organized than ever!”

I personally love my paper calendar but Brett makes this sound so easy I am going to check it out. I am always looking for new ways to help my clients in clearing clutter. Thanks Brett!

Posted in Clearing Clutter | 1 Comment »

Clutter Clearing PDQ When Deadline Looms

Wednesday, February 16th, 2011 by admin

A local charity called and asked if I had anything to donate. They were going to be on my street picking up donations in 3 days. I didn’t have any bags at that moment but I had a closet I had been planning to do some clutter clearing in so I told them yes.

Boy oh boy, that made me get to it and go through that closet pretty quick. I also told my family the truck was coming and asked them if they had anything they could donate. By the time we were through we had 4 large bags to donate.

Having a deadline was just the thing I needed to do that clutter clearing project.

Do you love having deadlines? Do you work best under pressure? Is a deadline something you need to get to clutter clearing that area you have been putting off? Let us know—we aren’t alone. Another deadline that works really well is knowing you are having guests.

Posted in Clutter Clearing | 2 Comments »

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