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I don’t have time!!!!

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Have you ever been in the position, where you see  something SO clearly, but very few, if anyone see things the same way you do??

As a professional organizer, I see that people really need my help.  I know in my heart that clutter creates chaos and chaos disturbs the divine order that life should have.  I believe that people understand this, but they CAN’T see it…. THEY JUST DON’T HAVE THE TIME!

I know, I sound like a broken record.  BUT I see it SOOOOOOO clearly!!!  Many of us are in a vicious cycle of Chaos, a state of utter confusion!  Get Up (still ragged out from the day before), Eat (if you have time), Get dressed (if you can find the mate to that shoe or find the pair of socks that match)!

Get the kids ready, Get the kids to school, Go to work, pick up the kids, get dinner, get ready for bed, etc. etc. etc.

Maybe the person that I just described is the exception, NOT the rule. But the folks who realize that they could use some help and call me, they still just don’t have time!!  They are not enough hours in the day…  Can anyone relate?  So where will the time come from???

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TO BE CONTINUED…..

Got any ideas?  I would love to hear your comments.

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A year and almost a month has passed…

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On September 13, 2011, Order Your Steps became a reality.  It has truly been an interesting ride since last Sept.  I haven’t made a lot of money :-(… But it hasn’t been about money yet.   My Xerox checks didn’t stop until mid-August and my pension checks started in mid-Sept.  So we are still eating and we have a place to stay. 🙂 But my primary mission has been to help people to find order in their chaos. I did not want money to be the showstopper…  Let’s work out a special rate or a payment plan, because this is more to me than just putting order to peoples’ stuff.  My desire has been to help others to de-clutter, de-stress and de-compress their daily lives!

I have had an a wide variety of clients, some easy and some difficult. There have been organizing projects with big clutter and little clutter. Many of my clients have come and gone over the past several months, but the pace has been relatively steady.  I’ve learned to enjoy the periods of rest between jobs.  In order to broaden my horizons, keep money coming in and add to my business portfolio of service offerings, I completed designer training for ShelfGenie (click the link and find out more).   

So what is next for me?   I want to continue to grow and prosper Order your Steps (OYS)!  I see OYS and ShelfGenie operating in tandem with one another.  I want to expand my workshops to other community and church groups.  I also want to start consulting with small businesses owners in organizational effectiveness.

For now, all is all, my life is really good! Satan would have me to believe that WOW!  Things are just TOO good. The devil is a liar.  This is what God wants our lives to be.  He has a Divine Order for our lives. This does not mean a “perfect” life, but for us to have the peace of God that passes all understanding. Some of you may say, Who is she kidding?  Well, all I can say is, if you  only knew from whence I came… you already know some of it from previous posts, but you don’t know the half of it.

I know that God will continue to Order my Steps, as I take one Step at a time…..

P.S.  I have written about all my children, so on Wednesday, find out more about my other half, my husband of 28 years…..

Honeymoon in the Poconos – 1984

P.S.S.  I want to solicit your requests for topics and ideas for future posts on organizing and other points of interest.

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Organizing Tip for Today!

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You will find that my thoughts and organizing ideas that we will share, apply to every job or activity.  There are always People, Paper (hard-copy & especially electronic), and Things that interfere with what we have to get done.  There is definitely a connection between STRESS and the Mess (physical & spiritual)!!!

rantscollege.blogspot.com

wendyellin.com

Time to just walk away!

bitsofwisdom.org

For more organizing tips, please check out…

Order Your Steps

Organizing Tip for Today!

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The one thing that really bothers me is plastic containers. Although they are a necessity, they always look cluttered in the cabinet. The first thing that I would suggest is that you go through all your plastic containers and match them with the lid. If you can’t find the lid, then throw it away.

BEFORE

AFTER

For more organizing tips, please check out…

Order Your Steps

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“Dive Right In” – Step 2

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For the past two (2) weeks,  I had committed my blog to the contest and as my friend over at “Laughing at Everyday Life” said, once you are committed, you have to see it through.  Needless to say, it didn’t exactly turnout the way I had liked, but I got a great name nonetheless. Again, I want to say “Congratulations, Cheryl” at Create a Beautiful Life, for the name “Dive Right In” for Phase 1 of Organizing.  I never really know what the Lord has planned, especially if it don’t happen the way I think it should.

Let’s get back to Organizing… Now that we have completed Step 1 and we have gathered the input from the other members of the household about how to best utilize the space that we have identified, then we are ready to move on to Step 2…

It is imperative that we touch every item in the space. NO Really! Don’t Assume.  I can hear you now, “I know everything in this space and I need to keep everything in it”.  NOT!  You should determine if you really need /want to keep an item, throw it away or if it belongs in another space.

Once we have decided what is going to stay in the space and or potentially what items that may be added to the space, we want to develop an organizing system that will maximize all usable space.  Everything must have its proper place.  We need to be able to find the item(s) and be able to direct someone else to the item, if necessary.  Again, it would be great if all members would participate in the process but that is not always feasible.  But if you decide to do it yourself, you don’t want “Candy, Where is my _______?”, which you will probably get anyway!  Keep in mind that after the project is finished, we will still need their support to maintain it.

Now I am sure that you may have already decided, this is just TOO much work!!!  But remember, once you have made up your mind to “Get Organized”, you have to “Dive Right In”.  As I said in an earlier post, I am over-emphasizing the steps of the process, so that we do an effective job organizing our space and  yet it doesn’t overwhelm us along the way.  Clutter did not just happen overnight, so it will take time to get things back in order.  We must think through the entire project, so that we avoid becoming extremely frustrated, especially if our space begins to look like it did before we started.

Now that we have completed “Dive Right In”, we can decide if you really need to buy something and what it might be….

Music to Organize By!

Un-clutter your Mind, Spirit and Space…

“Blog Chill Day 3!”

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*********************************************************

Happy Friday!

I am a little behind on my posts,

but I will try to make it up to you next week…

Are you thinking of a name for Phase 1 of Organizing?

“Taking the Plunge!”

“One Step at a Time!”

“Jump & Shout!”

“Toss & Turn!”

Be Creative & Let’s have Fun with it!

What do you think?

Organizing “System”

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I guess now you are wondering how do you develop an “Organized System”.  It is fairly simple, you have to arrange your “stuff”, so that you:

  • Know what you have 
  • You know where to find it, and
  • You can get to it fairly quickly. 

Normally, you organize “like” items; i.e., clothes, spices, paper,etc.   You have to decide what is the most efficient way to organize:

  • Height of the container
  • Size
  • Symmetrical (Be Creative)
  • Alphabetical order
  • Color
  • Etc., etc. etc.

Then, of course, you have to remember your “system”, SO KEEP IT SIMPLE!   For example, you may have all the “C” spices together.  It would be a bit ridiculous to have Chayenne pepper, Chili powder, then Cumin.  A little TOO much detail and Believe It or Not, you and your family would not be able to maintain it.  You want the people in your household to buy-in to your system, help develop the system and then they will be more likely to maintain it. 

 

 

Another example, would be organizing your clothes.  At first, it is imperative that you sort and purge (I know that I am beginning to sound like a broken record).  But, in order to get organized;

 

  1. You have to go through all your items
  2. Determine what you are going to keep
  3. What you are going to give away
  4. Then arrange what’s left in the most efficient manner that you can. 

You may organize by color, work versus casual, or simply tops and bottoms, suits, dresses, etc. 

Lastly, I will say that you also want to organize / arrange your stuff according to how often you use it.  The things that you use often should be on the lower shelves (or closer to the front) and those things that you very seldom use, can be on a higher shelf (or in the back).

Well enough rambling for now!

However, this would be a good time for you to ask me questions and let me know how I can help you with your particular organizing project.  Organizing can really be fun! 

More tips on Monday!  Don’t forget Daylight Saving Time!

My Epiphany(s)

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Epiphany Part I – Organizing is Not Difficult, but it is NOT Easy either!

 I am a born organizer, but organizing takes on a whole new dimension when you are doing it for a living.

First, I found myself, making sure that I am organized.  In my spare time (?), I tidied up my pantry and kitchen cabinets… No, I don’t have BEFORE pictures… Remember, I’m a Professional Organizer!  🙂  LOL!  Now if you are critiquing my degrees of “neatness”, please understand, TOO “neat” is almost impossible to maintain (unless you live alone).  Your space must be liveable.  You will just have to trust me on this one.  But don’t misunderstand, if you hire me and you want “neat”, I will give you whatever degree of “neat” you want.  🙂

When someone is paying you for a service, things change. It is no longer the way you think it should be, but now you have to determine what the customer wants and deliver it. Organizing is Not Difficult, but at times, tapping into what the customer wants & needs will not always be easy. This premise applies to you also. When you begin organizing, you will need to develop a “system” that you can sustain/maintain,  yet live with.  This applies to home, work and Life, in general.

Epiphany Part II –  It is not about what it looks like!

I am in the process of promoting my business and I was working with one of the on-line ad companies to increase the traffic to my website.  The representative was explaining to me how she could optimize my ad, however, she said, Well, you do know that the professional organizing industry is saturated.”   I didn’t comment, but it struck me.  Had I really retired and entered a market that had no potential?  The enemy loves to siege an opportunity to get you discouraged.  However, what I decided during my session of 2nd guessing myself again…. My Steps have been Ordered! … I must practice what I am preaching.  The “industry” will just have to make room for me.  I am passionate about Organizing and it goes WAY BEYOND “Organizing” in the traditional sense.  When I talk to anyone about my mission, my ministry, my vision for “Order Your Steps”; I get excited… my voice goes up at least an octave or two and my heart starts racing! 

“Order Your Steps” may not look like or feel like what “I” think it should be,  YET!… All I can say is that we will just have to wait and see what God has in store for me!

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