On January the 12th which was Show ‘N Share Tuesday I showed how I had gotten rid of clutter in my in box in my office. Edna wrote and asked if I would elaborate a little on how I see it as “fun”. She asked, “Is there fun, before, during and of course after? If it is approached as “fun” is their a more likelihood of completing the desired goal much faster? hum!!!!”

Actually I didn’t approach it as though it would be fun. I set my goal which was to get my in box completely cleared out. I set a reasonable goal of when I thought I could have it accomplished. It took a little longer that I had anticipated, but that was o.k. because I could see progress and any time I am doing something to get rid of clutter makes me happy.

And I found getting rid of clutter was a fun project because of the way I felt as I saw the paper pile shrinking. It was also fun to me because everything had a designated home and so it was easy to take care of it. (I just had to schedule the time to do it).

And to see the end result was fun because of the way it looked, the way I felt and that it was done. I don’t get discouraged if something is taking longer than I wanted it to, I just keep my eye on my goal and sometimes the reward I’ll get when it is done.

A man who watched my web show asked me how my book Go Organize! is different from other organizing books on the market. I thought that was a terrific question and I am sharing my answer with you as well.

1. I teach a simple 3 step system for getting rid of clutter. You’ll fall in love with this system to get organized and to keep you organized.
2. I wrote it as if I were a friend working straightforward with the reader every step of the way.
3. Many people can see the forest but not the trees. In other words they can see they have clutter but don’t know how to get rid of it. I arm you with vital insights on how to get rid of clutter.
4. There are tons of stories which are fun and interesting and instructive all at the same time.
5. The colors, graphics and size of the book are wonderful. The colorful pages are energizing. The size is perfect to carry everywhere and can be tucked into a purse.
6. It rouses your senses as you go from a dark environment to a lights on environment. I show and guide you how to do this.
7. There are much-needed tips and tricks to get rid of clutter.

Oh, and every chapter recaps and gives you the facts you need to keep organized.

We were Christmas shopping and a sign for these boots said,” Burn more calories with every step”. I had to laugh because I couldn’t think that wearing a certain boot would burn more calories just by walking around.

My daughter bought a pair and all day as we were shopping we laughed about her burning off lunch while shopping. At first she said they felt like she had on slippers but at the end of the day they weren’t quite that comfortable. She will continue to wear them before she decides if they are for her.

This is what it says on the box: “It’s no secret. The more lean body mass you build, the more calories you burn. With Earth footwear, the slight incline of our Kalso Negative Heel Technology lets you feel as if you’re walking on an inclined treadmill, and you can actually burn fat and build more muscle without going to the gym. Too good to be true?”

It sounds too good to be true. You can check them out online to see their clinical research and watch their video at earthfootwear.com

No matter how you are clearing clutter in your home or life it’s always fun to try something new.

And remember for clutter control recycle the box if you don’t have another use for it!

Last night we had an adventure in Barns and Noble. I’m signing my book Go Organize! and I’m giving a handy tip on how to best apply this book in your life to keep you ahead of the game.

Do you ever see something so cool you want to buy it but you don’t have any possible use for it? The product I am reviewing today is one of those products. It is a great tool to get rid of clutter. As a professional organizer I have seen a lot of 33 1/3 RPM records that people have been holding on to wondering what to do with them. I now have the answer. (I have no records but this machine makes me wish I did).

When getting rid of clutter either donate the records or use this USB Turntable. This is how it works:

It looks just like a record player and it transfers vinyl records to: I Phone, MP3, I pod or CD’s. The CD’s are compatible to car CD players—how nifty is that?

It is super simple and easy to use. You just put the record on the turntable, plug it into your USB port on your computer and it transfers the sound.

The sound is still the quality it was as a record. It is not quite as clear as if you bought a CD with the same music, but that is why it is nostalgic.

My friend who has used it thinks it is just fabulous. With Christmas just around the corner what a great gift this would make for someone who wants to clear clutter but keep the sound of their music from records.

Have you used one? What do you think of this Fun Find? By the way–I hope your Friday the 13th is a fun, safe day. Are you superstitious?

Check this out! Clutter control would be easy in this small home.

Kitchen and Living Room

Bedroom

Stairs

Shower

Sink

Home

Home sweet home

What do you think of this?

Have you ever thought about the amount of time you waste looking for the perfect lipstick to wear with your favorite outfit? That is if your cosmetics are all jumbled. To simplify and streamline your cosmetics follow these simple steps for clutter clearing your makeup:

•Keep make-up and facial products in separate containers. You can use attractive matching containers or containers you have around your home such as mugs, or shallow baskets etc.
•Take a look at all of your cosmetics and only keep what you use. It is a waste of time to have to search through products you don’t use to find the ones you do use. Bacteria can grow on old cosmetics so toss them and don’t feel bad that you spent money on something you aren’t using. You used it at one time and now you can let it go.

Do you have a favorite way to organize your make-up? Do you think the bacteria that can grow on cosmetics is bad if you are the only one who uses it? Share with us your clutter clearing tips!

A picture is worth a thousand words. These beautiful pictures of Cedar Breaks and Zions in Utah is where I was last week. I wanted to share the beauty with you and to make an observation about pictures.
When you are getting rid of clutter in your home before you start take a picture. Then after you are finished getting rid of clutter in any specific room or even in an area in a room take a picture. We all think we will remember how horrible it was—but truly we don’t. And if feels so great to look at the before and after photos and enjoy the progress we made.

Send me your before and after photos and we will post them here. (No names included unless you give permission).

“Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true”.—Joseph Cardinal Suenens

Do you wish you could get rid of clutter? It isn’t that easy to just wish it away. After we have the dream of getting rid of clutter then we need to act on that dream.

Today make your dream come true by doing just one little thing to clear clutter. It could be to reduce clutter under your bathroom sink, a drawer in your desk or gather all loose papers in your home into a basket to get ready to set up a good working file system. You know my favorite is Freedom Filer because it is so simple and functional.

Dream your dream and then set about making it come true.

“There’s never enough time to do all the nothing you want”.—Calvin and Hobbes

Isn’t this just the truth? We all want to have joy and fun in our life but do we put off doing the nothing we want to do because we think we have to get rid of clutter in our homes before we can do nothing?

Because I am a professional organizer I am big on getting rid of clutter but I suggest we don’t wait until we have everything exactly the way we want it, that along with clearing clutter we take time for ourselves to do the nothing of our choice.

After you have gotten rid of clutter (even just 15 minutes worth) what are you going to do to reward yourself and do the nothing you want to do?

I LOVE to organize so I just might choose to organize something but if that doesn’t count I will relax with a book and a chocolate ice cream. If I sit still for a minute I probably will find myself asleep.