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 where it belongs? Take a required action on it? You haven’t made the decision or acted on that decision, and the item becomes clutter.  And clutter creates more stuck energy. Recently, I read the latest post by Michael Bungay Stanier, who writes The Possiblity Virus. The topic was, “Why Are You Resisting Great Work?”  Michael says, “I’m all about doing more of the work that has meaning and makes a difference … and less of the other stuff that fills up our days.”  Michael goes on to ask, ”What can you do more of that makes a difference, shifts the balance, has an impact, adds beauty, changes the status quo, creates something that’s worth being created, improves life, moves things forward, stops waste, engages people, allows love?” This question really struck a nerve with me.  Over eleven years of organizing, I have seen over and over again how clutter, chaos, and disorganization does the opposite of this question, so let’s deconstruct what Michael asks below. What Michael suggests comes first on each item, what clutter manifests comes in response:

• Work that has meaning, makes a difference: clutter inhibits your ability to carry out meaningful work
• Shifts the balance: creates imbalance
• Has an impact: has a negative impact on your psyche, your well being, your quality of life
• Creates beauty: destroys beauty
• Changes the status quo: keeps you stuck
• Creates something: destroys what you’ve created, inhibits new creativity
• Improves life: wrecks life
• Moves things forward: keeps you stuck
• Stops waste: creates enormous waste
• Engages people: keeps people away
• Allows love: allows for judgment by others

How is your clutter preventing you from creating the life, the work, the love relationship, the financial abundance of your dreams?
Do you dream of doing any of the following example things but your clutter prevents you?

• Parking your nice car in your garage currently filled with junk
• Having house guests, entertaining on holidays
• Building a successful business
• Collecting revenue from clients
• Avoiding late fees, finding lost checks, reducing your debt
• Finding anything you need in under three minutes
• Never having to buy an item you know you already have… somewhere
• Having a safe haven for small children to play or elderly parents to safely maneuver

I know some readers would rather eat glass than deal with your clutter. But consider the financial cost, the emotional cost, and all of the ways that clutter is preventing you from living your best life and doing the work (paid, volunteering, parenting, writing that novel) that has meaning. Get unstuck. You don’t need to know how, you just need to say, “Yes.”

If this posting strikes a chord and you need a leg up from your organizer whom you haven’t seen in at least three months, call me and I’ll tell you about my special offer to you.

If you go to Stanier’s site, be sure to click on the link to “The Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun”.  I have it bookmarked, it’s so inspirational.

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)  Store your spices away from moisture and heat, which means a reasonable distance from the stove and oven.

Get Cash From Your Old Spices

I recently met Dan Hayward for the first time at the Savory Spice Shop location in Boulder, on Broadway between Spruce and Pearl.   They also have locations in Littleton and Denver.  It’s a gorgeous store and an international adventure.   During the entire month of June, you can bring in an old spice bottle and get a buck!  Yes, you can save a dollar on any new Savory Spice Shop bottle, so you can trade in the old for new.  Hurry before this deal ends.  They also have a wonderful website where you can purchase spices at www.savoryspiceshop.com.

Here’s why I’ll buy all my spices from Savory from now on:  1)  Their prices are usually better than grocery stores.  2)  You can taste everything.  3)  You can buy in quantities as small as 1/2 an ounce– which is great if you need an exotic/expensive spice for one recipe– or as large as a pound, if you own a restaurant or cook a lot.  4)  They make their own yummy custom blends.  5)  They strive to buy from the best sources around the world to provide the best quality.  5) Their spices are not irradiated and they are expanding their organic products.  6)  The staff  is friendly and informative.

What Your Organizer Says About Spice

If you’re still not sure what to discard, here’s my advice:  1)  open the bottle and sniff the contents.  Old spices lose their scent.   2)  If it’s clumped, it should be dumped.  3)  If the label is yellowed and the graphics look dated, err on the side of tossing.

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 to be called, despite my listing them for removal.

To prevent more unwanted catalogs from showing up, be sure that when you do order something from a catalog, that you ask the sales rep to check off the box on their computer screen to not sell your contact information.

If you do enjoy receiving certain catalogs, why not save a tree?  Those same catalogs are available online.  Cancel the paper version and reduce your clutter.

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, and more.

The Hunks recycle whatever they can, including scrap metal, and anything in donatable condition will not end up in a landfill.  I have used them for other manly-man help, such as moving heavy items from a basement to a garage or rearranging furniture.  They’re worth every cent.   But we love them because they’re courteous, professional, always on time (usually early), and never complain, no matter how dirty the job is.

Contact College Hunks Hauling Junk to set an appointment, and contact ME for a $10 off coupon towards their services!

• 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 discounts are available.

A crucial component of Major Gallup’s vision is to give back to the community while supporting our troops and their families.  Cable Safe sponsors two wonderful organizations:  Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) and Cell Phones for Soldiers by contributing 5% of the profits to them.   Major Gallup is a certified and trained Grief Facilitator,  counseling at various TAPS grief camps each year.  The Cable Safe  manufacturing facility in Denver is also an official drop-off site for Cell Phones for Soldiers.

Thank you for supporting a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB).

(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 has been selling for in the last 30 days. This is the best measure of what your item is currently worth. Those numbers do change depending on many factors, like the time of year, number of like items available during that time, etc.

At buymytronics.com, you can check the value of your I-pod, cell phone, laptop, game console, digital camera, PDA or camcorder. This site buys from you, the shipping is free, and their prices are fair—better than some of their competitors.

College textbooks? Try webuytextbooks.com.

Craigslist.org is always a great way to go. This site gains thousands of users every day. My sister sold her living room furniture and toddlers’ bedroom furniture within 24 hours on craigslist. I’ve had similar success with furniture.

Cleaned out your closet lately? There is money in used clothing in very good condition. I can consign clothes for you at Rags consignment store in Boulder. It must be current women’s fashion, in season (spring and summer right now), and in excellent condition—no signs of heavy wear or stains. They do not accept discount brands from Target, Kohl’s, Penney’s, Old Navy and such. If you have stuff that’s a little more “vintage”, Rockin’ Robin in Niwot will consign by appointment and Robin is a blast to work with.

And if you have Stuff that needs to go to the right user and you just want it gone, like a computer monitor, an old vacuum cleaner or a sofa, try freecycle.   It’s a wonderful site for exchanging all manner of stuff for free.

These are just a few resources. If you know of others, please write me and I’ll share your ideas.

De-cluttering can also serve a humanitarian purpose— there is no time in our lives when we have needed to come together like the present. I target some donations to shelters that are providing immediate assistance to those who have lost everything. My general donates still go to the Salvation Army, which does incredible work with the homeless and addicted. Donating helps your bottom line at tax time, of course, as well.

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 to provide real value/content to my readers. I’ll be posting:

• informative articles on various aspects of organizing
• thoughts on the psychology of clutter
• reviews of useful services, products and books
• insights and organizing ideas I’ve learned from my clients (because you are my best teachers)
• statistics related to organizing and the costs of disorganization
• recycling updates and other “green” tips and information

YOUR FEEDBACK IS ESSENTIAL. I look forward to your comments, questions, and suggestions for future postings. Please post your answers to the following quickie survey below in the “Send a Reply” box and receive $50 off your next session:

1. What was your greatest benefit from working with a professional organizer? Examples: an immediate tangible result (like being able to park a car in your garage), a positive mental change within you, or a long term benefit.
2. What do you wish your organizer could have done for you that didn’t happen? What additional services do you wish your organizer would provide?
3. Have you been successful in adopting new habits and routines to maintain your Stuff? Provide an example if you’re willing.
4. Is there an area where you continue to get stuck or relapse? Can you share it?

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. The opposite happened. Disaster struck and the response was, “I need to be organized and prepared because the world is not a safe place and life is not as predictable as I thought.” Well, here we are, again.

There is no better time than right now to rid your life of everything that doesn’t matter, that doesn’t serve you, that you don’t need – use – love. Organizing and letting go is part of the process of being able to focus on what you need to do, on who and what is important to your surviving and thriving while we move through this global paradigm shift.

We cannot afford to spend money on things we don’t need. We cannot afford to buy duplicates of things we already own, but cannot find, amidst our clutter. We cannot afford to misplace cash, checks issued to us, or jewelry. And yet, these things happen every day in my clients’ homes and offices.

How can you stay sane and fearless in the midst of chaos? We professional organizers understand that clearing up external chaos will have the undeniable, symbiotic effect of mitigating your internal chaos. It works.

Our relationship to money is changed forever. So is our relationship to Stuff, as a consequence. So is our relationship to our friends and loved ones, as we get clear on what’s really important. Many of you have seen my bumper sticker that reads, “The best things in life aren’t things.” Amen to that. Let’s remember to express gratitude for our blessings and clear what no longer serves us from our lives.

The next post will have tips on where to donate, recycle, and SELL your unwanted stuff.