7.13.19

I’m a big country music fan and there is a song by Chris Young called ‘Voices’. He talks about how he hears ‘voices’ which are really words of wisdom from his family members that have passed away and their advice rings in his head. I think this is a lovely song that so many of us can relate to. I often have my clients tell me that they hear my ‘voice’ in their head. Some little tidbit that I share with them while working on a project has stuck and it causes them to take action and follow my advice. I feel blessed to know that first, they are listening to me when we are working on their project and more importantly, the advice I gave them has stuck!

I thought I would share these nuggets with you so that possibly my voice will give you that nudge to get through whatever project you are working on in your home.

• O.H.I.O. I remind my clients that I’m from Ohio and that actually stands for Only Handle It Once. In other words, put it away where it goes in the first place and do it immediately. Don’t set it down somewhere to be address later.

• Keep like-minded items together in a logical place. For instance, in your pantry, sort things out and create spaces where grouped items go. Some categories that you can group together might be baking, canned goods, soup, pasta, side dishes, oils, snacks, cereal, etc. You get the picture. Create the proper location and then you know where to find things and where to return them to when you are done. You can do this all over your home. Home office, laundry, cupboards, drawers and closets are all areas that you can sort, categorize and organize efficiently.

• My mother always told me ‘A place for everything and everything in its place’ She even wanted me to name my business that but wouldn’t that be a mouthful?! Create a place for everything and then when you use something, put it back where it goes. Great advice, Charolette!

• A friend shared this one with me ‘If you don’t find something to be useful or beautiful, you are not obligated to keep it’. She also gave me the ok to share it with my clients. Oh the guilt some people feel with the items they have accumulated. They often don’t know what to do with the items and simply keep them because they were gifted to them. Friends, you don’t have to carry that burden. If you don’t like it and aren’t going to use it, then pass it on to someone who will. There is no sense in you keeping something just to have it or because it was a gift to you. Your space is yours and you can do with it what you want. https://spacetoembrace.com/2019/06/spreading-the-love/

• Have you heard of the 10/20 rule? If you can replace it in less than 10 minutes (ordering it online) for less than $20 then let it go. If you really need it again, you can easily replace it.

• Sort the mail before it even comes in the house and put junk mail in the recycling immediately. No sense dealing with it later when you can be done with it. For your important mail, open it immediately and put the unnecessary papers in the recycling and put the action items in an area to be address (command center or home office).

• Remember, if you can do a task in less than 5 minutes, get it done. There is no sense in procrastinating. Thinking back to the mail, if you have opened it and sorted it, take it to the office immediately. Several home offices are on the second level of the home and it would be really easy to just set it on the steps to be taken up later but instead of doing that, just take it to the office immediately. Another example would be laundry. It really won’t take you that long to fold it so just get the job done. And once that’s done, just put it away. Tackle it immediately so that it isn’t hanging over your head like a black cloud to do later.

• The last thing I want to share with you is to do a 15-minute tidy in your home. Set the timer and try your best to not allow any distractions. Work as quickly as you can to organize and clean your home. You’ll be surprised at how much you can accomplish!

Now that I’ve shared all my best tips, are there any that resonate with you? Which one or ones will you put into action? Any other ‘voices’ that you have in your mind when working on an organizing project? I’d love to hear your feedback!