One of my five basic organizing principles is “Keep like with like”. In my clients’ homes, I see over and over again what happens when this principle is violated. I often hear the anguished cry, “I had no idea I had so many of these!” When you don’t keep like with like, one of two results is likely to happen: (1) you run out, or (2) you overbuy. You may be asking yourself, how can one behavior result in two…
Read more →It’s hard to ask for help, especially if it’s something that you feel you should be able to do on your own. “Why can’t I do this?” you ask yourself. “Everybody else can. What’s wrong with me?” This feeling often prevents individuals from contacting a Professional Organizer, even when clutter is bringing down the quality of their lives. So I’d like to share with you my experience with two professionals that I hired to do something that “everyone else” can seemingly do…
Read more →My mother called me the other day to tell me that she had 750 Q-tips and was hoping I would agree to take some of them off her hands. Here’s how it happened. My mother noticed that the package of 300 Q-tips that she purchased at Walgreen’s quite a number of years ago was almost empty. However, she was determined to buy a smaller package, since she and my dad use them up so slowly, and, like most of us…
Read more →I’m breathing a big sigh of relief, because for the first time in months, I’m not packing. We spent the first two weeks of July on a family safari in Africa. Then, a few days after we got back, we drove our 13-year old daughter — and her luggage — to camp for a six-week stay. In the weeks before I go on a trip, people always ask me, “Are you packed yet?” They assume that, because I am an organizer, I pack my…
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