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Spring has Sprung!

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Winter gives the earth a deep cleansing and kills the germs in the air… BUT Spring is a season of rebirth, rejuvenation, resurrection and regrowth.  The month of March has already passed and April is here. We are “Moving Forward by Faith” as we prepare for our period of renewal and attempt to restore a bit of Order to our lives. So now we need a 60-day plan… and then it will be Summer! Get the family to participate.  Review the plan with them and get their support & buy-in (even though it may under duress :-D)…. and absolutely, have a BIG party when it’s done! 

Ready, Set, Begin!

Days 1 thru 30 – Spring Cleaning **

Assess your physical space and determine three (3) major areas that require spring cleaning first and allot ample time to complete.  

Assign small tasks to be completed over time.  

Write down the plan, a realistic timeline and post it.  

Yes, there is a difference between cleaning and organizing…

Days 30 thru 60 – Organizing **

Identify two (2) small areas that need to be decluttered and organized. For those areas that have some much stuff that we were unable to clean thoroughly.

We will need to sort & purge until the area is uncluttered. Then we can put everything into their proper place.

Have fun with it!

 Photos: Google images/123rf.com

A Tale of Re-Gifting

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sun

Sun sculpture at Minn. Inst. of Arts

Aunt Susie’s house is always immaculate, but she seems to always give me the weirdest gifts.  Last year, she gave me a bright yellow scrulpture of the sun.  I am not sure why, I guess she liked it and thought that I would too. Of course, I didn’t want to hurt her feelings.  Aunt Susie visits me once every three (3) years and I must set it out so that she can see it…. Need I say more????  Consider this, “Aunt Susie, I loved the bright yellow scrulpture of the sun, so much that I gifted it to the children’s museum and it’s on display.  Next time you visit we must go see it.  (I am not suggesting that we lie … now we simply have to find a museum to take it!  :-D)

I am not suggesting that we hurt anyone’s feelings, but as a professional organizer, I go into so many homes that have really nice gifts that they were given that they just can’t give away.  The clients has had “it” for so many years, that he person may have even forgotten that they gave it to them.  The holidays are here and here are just a few questions that we should ask ourselves.

  • Where are my Christmas gifts from last year?  or better yet…
  • Who were my gifts from last year?
  • How about the year before?  Do I remember?

If the gift(s) was /were memorable, it should been wore, at least once… or on display for everyone to see.  Do we know where the gifts are or are they still in the box somewhere?  I know that we don’t always get the gifts that we want or like, but if we continue to accummulate them and simply store them away, eventually even the person that gifted it to us may notice…  or maybe not?

Now I have another question…  Do our children remember what they got for Christmas last year or the year before?  That’s a whole different post of its own!!!  LOL !!! 😀

box with toys

The Secret of Re-Gifting Toys

NOTE: Post originally written “Pre-COVID” – Dec., 2015

What is Virtual Organizing?

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From time to time, I’ve mentioned virtual organizing, but many of you may still be wondering just “what is virtual organizing?”. 2020 has been a year of major changes, especially due to COVID. Therefore, for our health and safety, much of our daily routine and even the services that we receive rely heavily on technology. Professional organizing services are no exception. With 2021 quickly approaching, this is the perfect time of year to make sure that “Our House is in Order”.

We have been pushed into an environment, where we telework, our schools are virtual and we even shop for our groceries on-line. As a result, we spend alot more time in our homes. Virtual organizing allows us to continue to support you as we declutter and organize our home, work and virtual learning spaces. Keep in mind that the organizing process is the same, rather it’s on-site or virtual. Organizing virtually simply enables us helps you to sort, purge and organize your stuff, utilizing video conferencing.

Our overall organizing project begins…

Step One: We begin with free phone consultation. During our conversation, we will discuss your needs, wants and desires for an organized space. The most exciting part for me, is when I receive a picture or short video of your space.

Step Two: I will analyze the space in the same way that I would if I was there in person. I will develop an action plan prior to our virtual assessment.

Step Three: I schedule and conduct a virtual assessment, which begins with a “live” video tour of your space via FaceTime, Google Duo, Zoom, etc. This will also allow me to actual see my prospective client and share our thoughts and ideas on how to proceed.

Step Four: After the virtual assessment, the client will decide if they are comfortable with the plan and then we will schedule our first virtual organizing session.

Throughout 2020, we have had to adjust to doing more things virtually that we were accustomed to doing in person. As this way of life continues, it’s important that our space remain uncluttered and organized so we will be productive in a peaceful environment.

Virtual Assessment Only $25.00 for 30 min.

For more details on Virtual Organizing, just click the link… If you have more questions, please don’t hesitate to give us a call or text at 301-437-4610.

There’s still A lot of Laundry

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So how are you doing with the laundry? The pile may begin in the spare room or on the futon in the office, but it will continues to grow! We may want to take a portion of the pile into our bedroom, fold them and put them away. It takes about 10 min., for real…

We would love to help you, call us and schedule a virtual assessment.

So Much Laundry…

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I’d venture to guess that laundry may not be your most favorite thing to do… am I right? I would also suspect that since we’re spending more time at home and we’re wearing more casual clothes (not even considering the childrens’ clothes)…

There’s so Much Laundry!

I’d like to suggest to you a system for doing your laundry. First, let me say that in my experience, the laundry process stalls at the “fold and put away” stage. For some, once we take the clothes out of the washing machine, they go into a pile somewhere and we pull from the pile when needed. Sound familiar? Well, here is a system that you make want to consider…

  1. Sort your clothes into smaller loads (but not too small) and by category, i.e.
    1. Underwear, socks, sleepware, etc.
    2. Tops and bottoms (separated by color)
    3. Etc.
  2. Wash, dry and then fold right out of the machine. If possible, use your washer and dryer as your folding table. Then put clothes away.
  3. While you’re folding one load, you can be washing the next load.

Hopefully that was not too elementary, but my point is… if you invest the time upfront to fold and put away, your laundry will not continue to pile up and become out of control. Many times the smallest changes can make the biggest different. Now you have one less thing to stress about.

Let’s Make it a Happy Laundry Day(s)!

BACK TO SCHOOL TIP OF THE WEEK!

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Let’s talk about our pre-schoolers & elementary schoolers. We have bought the “school” clothes, uniforms and some of the school supplies. Our summer routine is over and the “back to school” routine begins… Now pray for your strength and patience! We’d suggest that you start preparing for each school day as early as you can. I would suggest that the day/night before…
<>Lay out the clothes, shoes, socks, etc. Leave nothing to chance.
<> Prepare the lunch (or secure the lunch money) and the book bag. 

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BACK TO SCHOOL WORDS OF WISDOM!

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Routines take practice. Things will not always go as planned, but you do need a plan. Don’t forget to take DEEP breaths often. Take each day as it comes and be the best that we can be. We must embrace our children, no matter how old they are, even when they are doing somersaults on our very LAST nerve, they are ours and we love them more than words can describe!

44447459 - family. beautiful mother and her cute son

A Journey to Order: A Man’s Closet!

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Another Journey into being MORE Organized… A Man’s Closet! Recently, I had the opportunity to organize a client’s husband’s closet!  Just for the record, the organizing process is the same, no matter the space….

In my experience, if a man takes pride in his clothes, then I find that their closets are very organized. On the other hand, there are men that would prefer that their closets not be organized, generally speaking…

I welcome your thoughts and comments! 😃

Order Your Steps … 6 years in

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It was very interesting looking back on my post from the First year(s) in Review of Order Your Steps!  We are now going into our 7th year and it’s been an AMAZING journey, thus far.

Here are a few highlights:

  • YES! The job is still VERY labor intensive !  😦

<> and <>

I still LOVE my job!

37143449 - 'love what you do and do what you love' notes pasted on blackboard.

I’ve seen 100+ clients….

  • My most recent testimonial…

When I told my husband that I would be hiring a Professional Organizer to help me organize our home office, he thought it would be a total waste of money. I, however, was desperate.  I couldn’t walk into my office without climbing over heaps of paper and other random items.  The documents had been piling up for almost ten years and the office space was totally unusable.  READ MORE:  A Client’s Perspective II

  • I’ve written over 300 WordPress blog posts, over 900 followers, including Facebook and over 20,00 hits.

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One of my first WP post and the most LIKED!

  • The Lord has opened doors that may not have been opened otherwise.  Selling was not in the plan?? But working for ShelfGenie was truly a Blessing!  I resigned from ShelfGenie last June.  Unfortunately, it had become my “safety net”!?!? However, Arline, the former franchise owner and I are still the best of friends!  The Lord always has a purpose, although one that we may least expect.

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  • The Lord continues to provide me with a steady flow of OYS clients… and that one client that was my most difficult back in 2012 taught me the most about being about business!  The experience will always serve as a LESSON LEARNED!

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I am sooo excited about what my SEVENTH year will hold.  I am in awe of what God has done.  He continues to allow me to touch the lives of the people that He has ordained.  This is about SO much more than money, it about ministry!

Stay Tuned… There is A WHOLE LOT more to come!