What are your greatest frustrations? Where in your life are you feeling out of order, internally or externally? How does your clutter reflect those places that you’re stuck? Barbara Hemphill, author of “Taming the Paper Tiger”, popularized the phrase: ”Clutter is postponed decisions.” Everything in your life that has been dropped, tossed, piled, shoved away into a corner/closet/drawer, represents a decision that you were unwilling to make in the moment: Keep this or eliminate it? Find a place for it to live? Put it back...

Extend Your Spice Life Over the years I have cleared many a cupboard of spices that are decades old, some never used.  Whether you love to cook or just cook to eat, here are a few suggestions  from Dan Hayward, owner of Savory Spice Shop to help keep your spice rack from turning into a museum of useless items.   1)  Mark the purchase date on your spice jars with a Sharpie as soon as you take them out of the grocery bag.  A year is the typical life span of a spice.  2)  The 4 key words for spice preservation:  Cool.  Dry.  Dark.  Sealed.  3) ...

One thing will never change no matter how much you organize:  stuff will always be coming in and out of your home.  And that stuff needs to be dealt with.  Last week, I heard from a favorite client whom I haven’t worked with since last September.  He lives a busy life and travels constantly, but he’s ready to dive back into the clutter.   This reminded me of a principle I often express to new clients.  People always say, “Someday, I want to get organized.”  It’s like saying, “Someday, I want to get fit.” ...

Unwanted catalogs hog your mailbox and consume about 4 million tons of paper a year.  As you sort your new mail over the recycle bin, put aside the catalogs you don’t wish to receive anymore.  You can do one of two things: 1)  Call the company and ask to be removed from the list.  It’s helpful if you have the address page handy, which has your customer number on it. 2)  Go to CatalogChoice.org, which contacts retailers to cancel mailings on your behalf for free.  This mostly works.  In my experience, one annoyingly persistent company had...

I’m just going to say it:  I love these guys.  Nathaniel Bruno is the owner/operator of the local franchise of College Hunks Hauling Junk, and the half dozen clients of mine he’s taken care of to date have been thrilled. College Hunks Hauling Junk helps you finally get rid of those unwanted items by providing friendly and collegiate teams to remove junk quickly from anywhere within your commercial or residential property.  They remove any non-hazardous items including furniture, appliances, construction materials, renovation debris, yard waste,...

(note:  click on headline to read full post) Are your computer or A/V cables a tangled, unsightly mess?  You have to check out this site:  cable-safe.com. Based in Boulder, CO, Cable Safe’s mission is to provide the best cable management products on the market (over 90 to choose from), treat their customers like gold, support our troops and other veteran-owned businesses… and work towards a green, sustainable future. The cornerstone of Cable-Safe is the innovative Complete Cable Management System manufactured right here in Denver, Colorado. Volume...

(Note:  click headline for full post content.) According to a recent survey, the average U.S. household contains 52 unused or unnecessary items, worth an average of $3,100. So, why don’t you sell the space hogs and free up some cash? No matter how much you spent on an item, if it’s unused, it’s of no value to you. Why not recoup a fraction of the price tag and let the regret and guilt go? Do your homework on E-bay and see what your item is worth there. Click on the advanced search link and check the “completed items” box to see what your item...

Hi, I’m Lisa Sarasohn, owner of Hire Order, Inc. and a Certified Professional Organizer. Welcome to my blog. I have spent the last 10 years playing archaeologist, detective and therapist as I’ve helped around 400 clients sift through their Stuff. In our search for what items have meaning and value, I help my clients shape a space and a life that is more peaceful, harmonious, convenient and productive. I have the best job. After a few sporadic attempts at newsletters, I decided to blog to stay in closer and more frequent touch with you. It is my goal...

We’re in a mess. Large retailers are going under as fast as mom and pops. Entire malls look like ghost towns, completely vacant of tenants. Consumer spending is limping along. Our relationship to Stuff is changing, out of necessity. Our values around what we buy are shifting as we tighten our belts. And organizers everywhere are responding to the shift, helping people realign their Stuff with their changing values. When the going gets as rough as it is right now, we realize we need to get our act together. After 9/11, I expected a slowdown in business....