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Essential Items Every Sports Mom Should Keep in Her Car
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Summer Organizing Priorities for Tampa Bay Homes: Beat the Heat with These Smart Solutions
Summer Organizing Priorities for Tampa Bay Homes: Beat the Heat with These Smart SolutionsSummer Organizing Priorities for Tampa Bay Homes: Beat the Heat with These Smart Solutions As temperatures rise in Tampa Bay, it's time to focus on organizing the spaces where...
10 Thoughtful Touches to Make Guests Feel at Home
10 Thoughtful Touches to Make Guests Feel at HomeWelcoming guests into your home can be a joy, but ensuring they feel comfortable and cared for requires a little extra effort. Whether hosting family for the holidays or friends for a weekend visit, these ten ideas will...
Essential Items Every Sports Mom Should Keep in Her Car
Essential Items Every Sports Mom Should Keep in Her CarEssential Items Every Sports Mom Should Keep in Her Car It's back to school and back to sports. For those of us with multiple littles playing a variety of sports, that means our car is going to double as a locker...
Did your students bring home a dorm room full of things to their already crowded rooms?
Did your students bring home a dorm room full of things to their already crowded rooms?Memorial Day has just passed, the temps are in the 90s and our college kids are home; It must be summer! If you are tired of having the clutter argument with your kids, opt for...
Stress Free Move Checklist
Stress Free Move ChecklistMoving can be a stressful experience, but with careful planning and organization, you can avoid some of the most stress-inducing pitfalls. Here's a checklist to help you stay on track if you are planning to manage the move yourself. Keep in...
Finding Purpose in Giving
Finding Purpose in Giving:How Donating to a Worthy Cause May Help You Let Go In a world where material possessions often accumulate faster than we can keep track, the act of letting go can lighten your burden. Whether it's clothes tucked away in the back of our...
Summer Camp Planning
Summer Camp PlanningPlanning your activities for the summer feels hard and overwhelming. The fact that it needs to be done in February and March seems crazy and yet if your summer isn’t already planned, you are late. But don’t stress. We can help. Here are some tips...
Navigating Emotions While Organizing Your Home
Navigating Emotions While Organizing Your HomeOrganizing your home can become emotionally charged. As you sift through belongings, each item may carry memories, attachments and even a sense of identity. From the joy of rediscovery to the pang of nostalgia, a myriad of...
Organizing Paperwork
Organizing PaperworkPaperwork is a frustration for so many of our clients. There is a constant barrage of documents entering our home, some critical and most completely unnecessary. Without a great system for filtering out the important, it is easy for things to get...
Get Your Garage Organized This Season
Organizing PaperworkPaperwork is a frustration for so many of our clients. There is a constant barrage of documents entering our home, some critical and most completely unnecessary. Without a great system for filtering out the important, it is easy for things to get...
10 Gift Giving Ideas that Won’t Create Clutter
Tips to Avoid the Stress of Holiday TravelThis is a difficult time of year to stay clutter free. We want to show our friends and family we are thinking of them. We want to show we care. We want to give to others. Here are 10 things you can give to friends and family...
Tips to Avoid the Stress of Holiday Travel
Tips to Avoid the Stress of Holiday TravelI have heard no fewer than three news reports today that this holiday season will be the busiest travel time in history! That is a lot of people struggling with stress and chaos at the same time. Here are practical tips to...
Thanksgiving Checklist to Ensure a Stress Free Holiday
Thanksgiving Checklist to Ensure a Stress Free HolidayThanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Family, Gratitude, Food. What isn’t to love? Well maybe the stress of having to prepare for everyone gathering in one place. To help relieve the stress, I have created a...
Six Things to Consider When Managing Your Holiday Decorations
Six Things to Consider When Managing Your Holiday DecorationsThe holiday season is a time of joy and festivity, but it can also be a time of stress and chaos, especially when it comes to managing your holiday decorations. Over the years, these items tend to...
Drop Everything: Create a Functional & Organized Drop Zone
I think I might win the world record for most objects balanced in one’s arms whilst trying to open the front door. I stubbornly juggle groceries, lunchboxes, purse and sports bag, refusing to make a second trip (how could I possibly walk those 10 feet…
The Sorted Cell Phone: How To Organize Your Digital Device
Your phone is a resource that enables you to work, play, plan, connect and explore. You keep hundreds (maybe thousands) of tools, apps and contacts on hand. This massive amount of information needs some structure for you to access what you want when you…
Labels Can Elevate Any Space
It is so satisfying to look into your pantry and see a labeled bin specific to every food category! Having a specific home for every item means you will easily find anything you need. Do you dream of having a uniform look in each of the spaces in…
5 Meaningful Ways to Use the Family China
If you find yourself the storekeeper of at least one and in many cases multiple sets of family china, you are far from alone. While a very few of us may have a china cabinet, to display the sets, even those are a rare find in most homes these days…
Back to School: Organizing Tips for Low-Stress Success
Here we go! Another school year has begun. Our kids are faced with all the usual ups and downs of school now with the added challenges of the pandemic. We can all agree that the school year comes with stressors for both parents and children…
Clear Your Stuff – Free Your Mind: How Clutter Impacts Your Mental Health
Here’s a story about Jan: Jan comes home from work, exhausted. She was late to a meeting today and misplaced her report. She forgot to pick up dinner and resigns herself to eating cereal (the kids will love it). When she opens the front door she’s greeted…
Make Your Paper – Work: A Simple Guide for Paper Organization
If you would rather spend the day undergoing dental work than dive into that pile of papers on your counter – this article is for you. Paperwork can be daunting – no matter the size of the pile. We all know that papers = things we need to do. Some paper…
Top 8 Areas to Organize This Spring
The weather is warming up, the trees are turning green and pollen is thick in the air. Spring is here and it’s time for spring organization. To ensure you tackle the most important areas and give your home a fresh look, we have compiled a list of 8…
6 Easy Habits to Keep Your Home Clutter-Free
No one wants to spend their whole day tidying up. Our belongings are meant to support us and to enhance our lives. We don’t buy stuff so we can stress about managing it later on. But how can we keep clutter under control without participating in…
Discovering Your Unique Organizing Style – Based on Personality
Why does my friend’s house always look so tidy when mine feels like a mess? My counters are clear.. But don’t open that drawer!! What comes naturally to one person can be challenging to another. Identifying your unique organizing style can help you…
Seasonal Shuffle
Sleigh bells ring… are you listening? Ok, so it’s not really sleigh bells you hear, but it’s impossible to avoid the sense that the holiday season is knocking at your door. The holidays bring their own brand of “stuff” along with them. Prepare to haul…
3 Wonderful Ways To Organize Your Work From Home Space
You sit down for your 9:00 Zoom call with your boss – primed and ready with a hot latte and a great idea to propose! Just then.. “MOOOOOOM I can’t find my math book!!!!” Distractions – stress – multitasking. These are all challenges we have encountered when…
Life Skills: Organization
While people often think of themselves as either organized or not, it is actually a life skill to be learned just like the laundry, cleaning, changing a tire or writing a check. If no one shows you how, you might never get the fundamentals. As we spend…
A Space for Learning From Home
Distance learning, virtual learning, homeschool, alternative schooling. Whatever you call it, our kids used to leave every morning and go to a classroom and now many need to learn from home. What is the best way to set up a space within your home so…
RVS Seem to be the Vacation of Choice During a Pandemic
The Chicago Tribune reported on May 5th that Midwest bookings are up 30% over the same time last year and an MMGY Global Survey for the US travel Association found 68% of people felt safe in a personal vehicle while only 18% felt safe on a domestic…
5 Steps to Eliminating Your Paper Pile
An overflow of paperwork can be one of the most daunting organizing tasks. Even some professional organizers won’t touch it! I actually love to contain the chaos of paper. It looks tough, but it’s actually pretty easy. The more important thing to learn…
How Do I keep Paperwork from Piling Up Again?
Incoming paperwork, like all items in the house, should have a home. I have a “To Do” area on my desk. I use an open magazine rack because I need to see it but don’t want piles of clutter. Use whatever works best for you! There are several sources for…
Mini Organizing Sessions at Home
Professional organizers use a number of tools to achieve the fundamentals of organization: Everything should have a home. Often used items should be easy to access and easy to put away. One of the tools I love, is often overlooked. These days, many…
Organizing Tools the Pros Love
Professional organizers use a number of tools to achieve the fundamentals of organization: Everything should have a home. Often used items should be easy to access and easy to put away. One of the tools I love, is often overlooked. The Lazy Susan or…
Getting Organized in 2020? Find Your Why
I am currently reading “Your Best Year Ever” by Michael Hyatt. The book is about goal setting and it was chosen by my women’s entrepreneur’s group because we wanted a guide to making our 2020 goals more meaningful, all-encompassing of our business and…
Organization of Children’s Artwork
One of the most common questions I get asked when organizing for families is “How do I store my child’s artwork?” Particularly when kids are young, they produce so much and their skills change so fast that we want to capture every inspiration. However…
Is Your Garage Disaster Your Little Secret?!
50% of homeowners name the garage as the most disorganized area of the home (National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals) This statistic doesn’t surprise me because it is usually the area of which we ask the most and provide very…
There is So Much Joy and So Many Memories Locked Up in a Sweet Stuffed Animal
Recently, one of my favorite clients told me her son was so attached to his many, many stuffed animals because each held a story and memory to go with it. He could close his eyes, feel the shape and tell her when they got it, what they were doing…
Are You Working a Second Shift?
25 years ago, in my introduction to sociology class, I read a fascinating book by Arlie Hochschild, called The Second Shift. In it, she talks about the division of labor within the household whereby women finish their paid job and then put in another…
Organize Your Pantry Like A Pro!
Clearly label individual storage bins to ensure your stockpile of goodies are always visible. Always make sure to purge on a regular basis to keep expired and unused items to a minimum. Try grouping similar items and ingredients together to make them…
Can You Create a Life That Sparks Joy?
The first time I read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo I didn’t really get it. I mean, I understood that she was promoting the fundamentals of organization and I agreed with all of her organizing suggestions but I didn’t truly see…
Organizing Your Life With Evernote
Many of my clients express their frustration over the amount of paper clutter in their life! Whether it is incoming mail, a backlog of files in their home office or the piles that seem to fill every available flat space, the work involved with clearing…
The Summer Camp Mistake I Made and How to Avoid It
My boys will turn 6 and 8 this summer so their camp options are endless. However, two years ago, I made a terrible mistake. I let the boys pick out their preferred camps based on the camp activity. Sounds like I did the right thing BUT, despite how…
Helpful Life and Home Organization Tips and Quotes From Marie Kondo
Marie Kondo is sparking a stir again. Her Netflix series is generating excitement and inspiring people to change their lives. Her books, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and Spark Joy have each reached #1 on the New York Times best seller list…
Jewelry Organization
Jewelry OrganizationJewelry is a favorite gift of the holiday season but is often difficult to store. We can have “good” jewelry, costume jewelry, family jewelry and precious memories wrapped around our smallest treasures. The question becomes, how do we store it all...
Lego Storage Ideas
The fundamentals of organization of Legos are no different than for any area of the home. Follow the tried and true process: Sort, Purge, Containerize, Maintain. However, it gets complex because sorting Legos is no small feat and there is no one way…
Keep Your Holiday Decorations Fresh and Festive Year After Year
Many of us celebrate holidays to the fullest making for joyful occasions. However, the challenge of holiday decorating is in the storage. I made a list of my favorite storage ideas that will ensure your decorations look their best every year while saving…
Organizing and Maintaining Your Garage
Finally! I had a little free time this weekend to do some garage organization. Yes, even a professional organizer’s garage needs some maintenance. Some of you may already be shuddering just thinking about the unbearable task of weeding through the mound…
10 Steps to Avoid Back to School Mayhem
Now that we are at the tail end of summer break, many parents are starting to think about getting back into the school routine. Going back to school doesn’t have to be madness and mayhem. With some forward-planning, routine adjustments and organization…
Organizing After a Death in the Family
The loss of a loved one is overwhelming in so many ways. There is a myriad of things to address, yet you can feel paralyzed to do anything. While the funeral home will guide you through the official and public ceremony of saying goodbye, it is often the…
5 Things You May Be Doing to Sabotage Your Organization
Many of my clients tell me they have tried to get organized and just can’t do it. They are smart, capable people, so we haven’t they succeeded? Many times, we thwart our own best efforts and small adjustments can lead to huge strides in living an…
Give Less Stuff at Christmas and Enjoy More!
It is crunch time now. The holidays and gift exchanges are just a couple of weeks away. This year, give memories not gifts. They leave a lasting impression and won’t clutter up your home. Think outside the “spa” gift card (not that we don’t all love…
10 Organizing Products You Won’t Want to Live Without
Are you frustrated with things like medicine bottles or skin lotions that tend to get jumbled sitting on the shelf? The ones in the front always topple over when you fumble for the ones in the back. These clear binz will keep them…
Easy Options For Photo Organizing
Summer vacations already seem like a world away. Likely, we haven’t taken the time to organize our summer (or even spring) photos. Here are a few easy and organized things to do with your photos that don’t involve days of scrap-booking. Create a vacation…
5 Common Storage Pitfalls in a New Home Build
1. We underestimated our needs: Every bedroom is going to have a closet but that generally isn’t enough space. You need a linen closet. You need pantry storage for your kitchen. You need built out storage in your garage. You need climate controlled…
Does your Master Closet Work For You?
The standard closet consisting of one rod and one shelf doesn’t work. There should be several components to the ideal master closet – short hang, long hang, shoe storage, shelving and drawers. For most women, short hang will make up the bulk of…
The Tax Deadline is Upon Us, How Do You Make Things Easier For You and Your Accountant?
We know this is a busy time of year and accountants will tell you they pull their hair out when they get a box full of crumpled receipts and missing forms. You don’t want to be the one who must file an adjustment because you find a new form the day…
I Maximized My Garage, You Can Too
We ask so much of our garage. It is car housing, workspace, utility central and storage. However, we often neglect the systems that could make the garage efficient for these things. At best, we put some shelving up and at worst we have “things” packed…
Achieve the Most Popular New Year’s Resolutions with Organization
As January comes to a close, we might be patting ourselves on the back for achieving a full month of our New Year’s resolutions or we might be lamenting as they fall by the wayside. While “getting organized” is often a resolution in itself…
Reduce Holiday Baking Stress with the Perfect Pantry
During the holidays, you may find yourself in the kitchen more than usual creating everything from pumpkin pie to brussels sprouts. The state of your pantry may determine how stressful these preparations become. To avoid missing and doubling…
10 Tips to Organize the Play Spaces in Your Home
Whether you have a designated play room or not, you will likely find there are several places throughout the home where toys, crafts and games will live. These guidelines will keep you from feeling overwhelmed by the kids’ stuff while input from…
Got Organized? How Do You Keep It That Way?
An Organized Lifestyle: Whether you used a professional organizer or got some DIY help, the transition from an organized space to an organized lifestyle requires maintenance. Follow these 5 tips for maintaining your blissful space. 1. Keep Your Goals…
Kitchen Clutter Got You Burnt Up?
Kitchen Organization: The kitchen is the heart of the home and as such a commonly overstuffed room. In order to maximize the function of your kitchen you want to organize it in the most efficient way possible. 1. Place glasses, plates and mugs in a…
What If I Don’t Have the Art Storage Capabilities of the Museum of Fine Art?
The youngest artists in our families are the most prolific. Their creative genius brings pride but it also creates a storage problem. How do we determine what to keep and once we have, how do we store all of that amazing work? What should I keep?…
Don’t Be Late for School
“Hurry up, we’re going to be late…..again.” If this is a phrase you find yourself repeating every morning, use these helpful tips to prepare for back to school and learn a better morning routine. Paperwork – Depending on the age of your child, the…
Treasure Your Memories With Proper Photo Storage
Summer is in full swing. We are taking vacations and our cameras and phones are capturing all the fun. This means the photo mess is going to grow! Most of us have a mix of digital and print photos, often in a variety of places within the home…
Is Your Home Too Old to Get Organized?
Old homes have stunning character, tradition, history and quality construction rarely found these days. These are among many reasons we choose to live in an older home. Storage space is not one of them! Our gorgeous old houses often provide minimal…
Calm the Camp Chaos: Get Organized for Summer
Last year, was my son’s first year of pre-school and thus, my first experience with summer camp. I felt overwhelmed by the process even though, at 4 years old, he only had a few options. This summer, he turns 5 so the camp opportunities multiplied…
Is Travel with Kids Really a Vacation?
A Mai Tai on the beach? A book on a porch swing? Are these wonderful holiday treats a thing of the past when you travel with your children? Well, those particular luxuries may be on hold for a few years, but a true holiday can be accomplished with…
The One Resolution to Achieve All of Your Goals This Year? Get Organized!
The most common objectives noted for the New Year are getting fit, reducing stress and spending more time with friends and family. These grand goals are seldom achieved, often because of lack of time. Organization will give you more time to work out…
