So, the corporate giants love to pretend to have their customers' best interests at heart when stocking their shelves with new products.

How many large stores have you gone into in search of products that offer you wonderful storage solutions?

How many of those stores seem to have aisles and shelves and display tables absolutely brimming with nothing but those ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING drawered storage towers and bins that are see-through?

This couldn't anger me any more!

These are the BIGGEST waste of a consumer's hard-earned money on the planet when it comes to seeking an escape from the clutter chaos in our homes and offices!

So, you get said "storage solution" home from the store after struggling and wrestling it in and out of your vehicle. You pull it inside, and end up finding time to get around to transferring your crafts, paperwork, bills, or your child's toys into the drawers of the tower, or into your new bin.

You seal the puppy up, stand back, and, strangely enough, you don't feel any different than before your purchase.

Why?

BECAUSE YOU CAN STILL SEE ALL OF YOUR CLUTTER!

All you have succeeded in doing is collecting all of your clutter, and put it into a smaller pile, stuffed it into a bin or a drawer, and have now effectively put it right behind a grand magnifying glass.

There it is! Right out in the open. Your clutter on display for all to see in its magnificent glory.

It is a blatant reality that the majority of clutter-related stress is visually inspired in people. 

This stems from the idea of being able to consistently SEE incomplete To-Do lists and tasks that you keep meaning to get around to.

What does the above photo remind you of? "Oh, awesome, now I can see all of the excess linens that I hang on to, even though I no longer need or use them!"

The ability to see free-standing clutter or tasks-undone causes extreme brain clutter.

So, no, don't fall into the clear-storage-solution traps!

Of course, I ALWAYS suggest NEVER simply transplanting your clutter into a storage container of any sort until you have thoroughly sorted through your clutter, determined what you no longer use or need, purging it, and THEN, and ONLY THEN, storing what you have deemed necessary to keep!!

Save your hard-earned dollars and purchase storage solutions with doors, or, at the very least, bins and drawer-towers made of the opaque plastic. 

How do you find items in those bins if you cannot see them from the outside? Neatly label containers/drawers/cabinets. You will find that, after a while, you won't even need to be referring to the labels, and may even be able to remove the labels (which just further reduces your visual clutter).

'Nuff said for now.

Through life, we have loved ones who pass on and leave us their treasures or simply gift them to us while they are still with us.

Some examples of these items can be any of the following: Doilies, hand-knitted goods, excess kitchen utensils, "decorative" baskets, dated furniture pieces, LP collections, rusty "handy" took kits, sealed tins of shortbread from 1964, stemware, traveller collector spoon collections (this was my particular beasty), and the list goes on and on.

You get the picture.

These items fill boxes, bags, bins, and simply take up precious space. We move them from home to home as we travel through life. The items stay somewhat sealed in boxes and tossed in the corner of our storage spaces in our home.

Are you treasuring these gifts? Do you have them out on display for you and all of your visitors to enjoy? 

Or are they packed away, gathering dust, getting beat up, and being generally neglected?

If you answered yes to any of  the second line of questions, then you are disrespecting these items. But, not only that.....wait for it....you are directly disrespecting the person who gifted the items to you. 

The first question I always ask myself is whether I believe that I am paying proper respect to the item. I then ask if the loved one who gave it to me would appreciate knowing where the item was being kept. 

If my answers to the above questions are a big, fat NO, I now realize that I NEED to donate/sell/gift the item. Pass it on to someone else who WILL treasure and display the item for others to enjoy.

If you are truly struggling with how you are going to part with the item, regardless of your reasoning, I will give you THE De-cluttering tip for today:

If in doubt, TAKE A PICTURE!

Take a photo or two of this item that you are emotionally attached to, and even start a photo album of your acquired treasures over the year. If you are a scrap-booker, then you can also creatively add a story to the photos. Memorialize your treasures from your loved ones, and never forget the sentiment. 

BUT, a photo album takes up remarkably less space in your closet/basement/shed/drawer/spare bedroom!!!

How many of us hang on to articles of clothing for way too long because we are absolutely convinced that we WILL fit into them again....some day?

I used to do this. I was certain that I would some day return to 135 lbs, which was my weight for ages 15-24. So my mentality was, "If I was able to maintain that weight for such large chunk of time, how could I NOT achieve that weight again in life?"

Many of us have gone through this battle, or are still going through this battle. And, it is not at all enjoyable.

The issue, when related to hanging on to all of our "what-if" clothing, grows extraordinarily.

Many of us have boxes, bags, totes, garment bags, rolling garment-racks, and piles of clothing that we continue to clutch and move with us from residence to residence. Then, we are constantly faced with a "lack of storage space", largely due to our ridiculous amounts of clothes.

Sound familiar yet?

Here is a tip that I read somewhere a few years ago. This tip literally made me stumble backwards and clutch my heart. It was the biggest epiphany I have come across in my de-cluttering journey.

CLOTHING TIP: It is, indeed, very possible that a human will obtain a goal weight in life that matches a body-weight from earlier years in life. But, the absolute fact is that, even though you may reach this same weight, your body-shape will NEVER be the same again. Through our lives, our body shapes change in ways that are tough to imagine (until, of course, you try to fit into those jeans you bought when you were 20). 

Through life, most humans lose height due to spine curvature, spinal discs compressing, posture changes, etc. Through life, we go through differing phases of where we individually tend to carry our excess weight (little pot bellies can shift upward or downward). The positioning of our hips vary throughout life. And, the list goes on. 

A Chiropractor is a great reference for these facts. 

I read this tip, and I immediately realized that even if I did return to 135 lbs, many things on my body would simply no longer be sitting in the same position. 

I realized that if I did lose the weight, and attempted to get "all dolled up" in my goal-clothing to go out and celebrate, someone may think that I was dressing up for Halloween as Steven Urkel!

This tip alone was what I personally needed to push me to do a HUGE purge of clothing. 

What do you do with all of your clothing that you are purging? Donate, consign, sell, donate, donate, donate. There are so many options out there for charities who are in constant need of clothing for those less fortunate than ourselves.

Think this tip over, and I truly hope that this helps at least one person "see the light".

Another thing to be mindful of: How can you expect to ever purchase yourself a nice new outfit if there is no room to store it when you get it home. MAKE ROOM FOR THE NEW!

Join us here regularly for amazingly simple and quick, yet effective and impactful De-Cluttering tips for your home and/or office!

Tip #1

Pick a closet, any closet. But, pick a closet where you hang apparel of some sort.

This can be an entry-way/mud-room coat closet, a bedroom closet...etc.

Open the door.

What do you see in there?

Does it look like AND feel like chaos?

Take a look closer at the actual hangers being used...

Are you looking at a row of hangers made of varying materials/colours/sizes?

Have no fear, as the majority of human beings own a very ecclectic collection of hangers in their homes/offices.

Much of the angst we get when we open our closets comes directly from the visual chaos, which is increased monumentally by the make-up of your hanger collection.

Try this: Run out to Zellers or Walmart and purchase as many cheap clothing hangers as you need. Take them home and remove all old hangers from a single closet. Transplant the clothing onto the new, ALL MATCHING, hangers that you have purchased. Hang everything back up.

Close the door.

Stand back.

Approach that closet door once again, and re-open that door.

Ahhhhhhh. You will be absolutely floored at how much better that looks. But, more importantly, the shift in feeling evoked from opening that closet door is amazing!!!

Now, what to do with the hangers that you removed from the closet?

You can take them to any dry-cleaner or laundromat and donate them, as they always have a need for hangers. You could also try an assisted-living community, as they may use them for crafts or visitors' coat closets.

Have fun!!

Are you finding that you often forget which holiday season we are actually in the midst of?

Does it take a grocery trip to Safeway and seeing the Valentines candy already out for sale to realize that it may be time to end Christmas at home?

How many of you had to physically remove Halloween decorations in order to make room for your Christmas decorations?

How many of you answered “yes” to one or more of the above questions, and also feel ashamed?

Well, I am here to say that there is NO NEED for you to feel ashamed.

There is also no need to feel like a lesser human being or like you are the epitome of lazy.

If you are finding that you are beating yourself up for not taking the Christmas Tree down yet, here at the end of January, I have an assignment for you.

Instead of laying in bed at night, tossing and turning, worrying about your mounting To-Do list, grab your car keys, no matter how late it is, and take a little drive down some residential streets. This is actually provides more benefit to you if it is later at night. Drive around and look for the houses/condos/townhouses that have window coverings opened at least part of the way. You will quickly realize how MANY people still have their trees up.

You are NOT alone. There is nothing wrong with you.

Society, as a whole, is simply busier than in the past. We lead hectic lives. We are working more hours, getting our kids involved in more activities, taking more night-time classes, and, generally, burning our candles at both ends.

This short blog is simply a reminder to step back, take a deep breath, and accept the fact that it is okay to not be a super-human. Take time to reflect on and appreciate all of the enjoyment experienced from all of the crazy daily life activities. But, mostly, remember that the tree still being up is part of what makes up the “small stuff”. And, as Jack Canfield so simply puts it, “Don’t sweat it”!

This is the first in a series of Clutter-related articles geared specifically towards parents with young children at home.

The first thing I want to stress is that, if you are a parent, Clutter in your home is completely normal, and almost unavoidable.

Clutter in our home is way more common than most of us think. And, this is a shame. We tend to be embarrassed and very hard on ourselves if we are not able to keep on top of our clutter.

I am not a mother yet, but from my De-cluttering experience and through watching the flurry of activity in my Sister's home with a 5-yr old and a 3-yr old underfoot, I can fully appreciate the enormous amount of energy it takes to keep a home tidy.

Does this sound familiar? PILES of clothing and toys!!!!

And, as you tidy or organize these piles, your little ones are literally undoing your hard work right behind you. This is normal. Kids are busy. Kids grow tired of toys. Kids have re-kindled interest in toys that are tucked away. Kids grow out of clothes like wild-fire. And, so the cycle begins.

I will be updating this blog regularly with amazing tips, tricks, and techniques for parents that have helped my past clients tremendously in the daunting task of keeping a fairly un-cluttered and organized home.

Check back often, and feel free to shoot us any questions you may have!!

There comes a time in many of our lives where we are faced with having to move to a smaller home.

If we are moving to assisted living, we are plagued with a very daunting task, as it is probably the biggest transition there is. We face having to stuff a whole life worth of memories and belongings into a small apartment or a 20' x 20' space.

When we move into assisted living, we are now forced to make very emotionally charged decisions regarding which of our memories and belongings are THE most important to us.

How much of our "stuff" can we take with us?

Do we need to consider the additional cost of renting storage solutions on top of our monthly costs?

If we need to part with a large portion of our "stuff", do we have family members or friends who can use these items?

How do we feel about donating some of our "stuff" to a charity of our choice?

Do I have to part with some valuable things, and how do I sell them?

These are all issues that many of us don't have the time or energy to deal with, on top of all of the other mounting tasks of moving to a smaller home.

Many people don't have the benefit of having family or friends close by to help out.

We are here to let you know that you don't have to do all of this alone. We offer many solutions to our clients who need a helping hand when it comes to their "stuff".

We will de-clutter for you, sort for you, help you determine which charity you would like to donate items to, arrange for delivery or pick-up of items for family and/or friends, pack for you, and help you determine which items will go with you to your new home.

Let us help take a load off for you! 

To avoid, we venture out of the environment and initiate the “hunt” for the next find, or the next purchase.

By exiting the cluttered environment, we are able to separate ourselves, remove ourselves, from the stagnant or negative energies. When we exit into the non-cluttered world, it is literally as if our personal hell back at home doesn’t even exist anymore.

The process of the “hunt” ends up being complete escapism. By shifting our focus solely onto our next find or acquisition, we can almost assume our alter-personality. As humans, it is completely natural to find outlets that allow us to feel as if our deep-seated issues simply do not exist.

While shopping or hunting for a new addition to “complement” our living environment, we feel free. We are able to “join the ranks” of all the other people out there who do not suffer from similar angst caused by clutter.

As a side note, and as a business owner who assists people with their clutter, I am here to inform you that when you are out on the “hunt”, of the other people you see out there, I would estimate that at least 70% of those people are out there for the EXACT SAME reasons that you are.

Shocking? Probably. But, also very liberating to know this.

 We, too often, assume that this debilitating situation is extremely scarce. This is absolutely not true.

Your next-door neighbour may very well suffer from the same things you do. It is this limiting belief that causes us to ISOLATE ourselves from the outside world.

As someone who possesses an incredible passion for helping others who struggle with clutter, my research NEVER ceases.

I was just watching one of my favourite shows on TLC, “Hoarding – Buried Alive”, and one of the psychologists was visiting a fellow in his cluttered home.

While they were standing (straddling) amongst the clutter in the living room, the psychologist asks the client, “If you were to hear these words, FIRE, YOU NEED TO GET OUT NOW!!, what would your reaction be?”

The client’s face went white, and he responded, “Oh, I’m gone. I’m out right now!”

So, the psychologist asked, “Is there any item that comes to mind when you consider you may have a moment to grab anything in your home that is incredibly important to you, something you cannot bear to lose in the fire?”

Again, the client’s face went white, and you could see the epiphany spread across his face, and he replied, “No, there is absolutely NOTHING in this mess that I NEED.”

I Loved this! What a great question to ask my clients. What a great question for someone to have asked me back when I had to endure my struggle with my clutter on my own. This is a great way to induce some serious self-analysis!!

Enough said....for now.

I have had way too many clients tell me this exact same thing. Before reaching me at my company, they had contacted another “De-cluttering” company out there to get information. By the time they contact me, they are at their wit’s end.

When someone gets up the courage and strength to reach out for assistance in their crippling situation, they have already hit a “rock bottom” of sorts. Either they find that their relationships are in jeopardy, their health is failing, or other areas of their life have hit a wall.

The last thing one needs is to be literally told, “We completely understand. People who have clutter in their environments are sick. You have a disease that needs to be treated.”

This angers me to no end. Yes, there are a percentage of clinically depressed or chemically imbalanced people out there who also happen to collect stuff or have clutter in their environments.

But, the MAJORITY of my clients are very strong, healthy, successful people who are completely free of all medical conditions.

The MAJORITY of my clients are those people you spot in a grocery store, or on the street, that appear polished, confident, exuberant, strong, and free of all life-issues. You know exactly what type of people I am referring to. They are business owners, company management, CEOs, Lawyers, Dentists, Police Officers, and the list could go on forever. The key here is that my clients have all perfected their “outside world mask” that they dust off and put on every day when they venture out of their hell. After much practice and refining the act, they are able to pull of this facade in any situation.

For the most part, acquiring extensive amounts of “stuff” is purely a habit in life that we have formed in order to fulfill something deeper. ALL of my clients, by the time they reach out to me for my services, INTELLECTUALLY KNOW that the state of their environment is not right or healthy. By the time they contact me, they mostly also KNOW and can identify all of their AVOIDANCE behaviours that they have adopted along the way. But, because this has been life as they know it for quite some time, they are at a loss for where to start in eliminating the problem.

Does this last paragraph resonate with you at all? Sound familiar at all? I like to equate the habit of accumulating “stuff” to a habit of smoking cigarettes, over-eating, doing drugs, shoplifting, or drinking alcohol. The list goes on here as well. But, when a person finally comes to the realization that a particular habit has robbed them of TOO MANY valuable things in their lives, and threatens to rob them of more, this is the moment that they have hit their “rock-bottom”. This is the moment that they decide to reach out and admit they need help conquering their habit.

If at any time, you ask a cigarette smoker if they believe that continuing to smoke is good for them, they simply CANNOT and WILL NOT honestly answer, “Yes”. But, do we automatically tell all cigarette smokers that they have a chemical imbalance or a serious disease? Not at all. Why? Because this is ludicrous!