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Last year, my client (let’s call her Jodie) asked me to help her organize her clothes.  She had a huge mound of clothing on the floor, and a few items hanging in the closet.  She couldn’t find clothes she knew she had, and she absolutely hated putting clothes on hangers.  She spent a lot of money buying new clothes rather than dealing with the giant pile of ‘failure’ in her bedroom. Sort clothes into categories so you can see how many duplicates you have. Our first step was to sort the clothes so she could see how many of each item she had.  That made it easier to purge the excess.  The bigger problem was that her system was failing her, and she felt like it was her fault.  She had a lot of guilt and shame around her inabillity to keep her clothes organized.    Jodie's bin system for clothes - no hangers! Jodie is a very visual person and loved the idea of seeing all her clothes at one glance.  We created a system of bins and hooks to store most of her clothes.  The only items left hanging in the closet were a few fancy dresses and shirts.  She can now see all her clothing at once and most important for her – no hangers!  She has kept up with the system for about a year now. This victory gave her the motivation to tackle other organizing projects without help.  Letting go of the hangers was the key to her success.  Maybe hangers are not your problem.  What chores do you dread? Why do you believe that this horrible way is the only way?  Could you do it differently?  My hang-up is making the bed.  I despise making my bed every day.  I used to feel guilty when I didn’t do it.  I finally asked myself why it is necessary.  If the sheets are still tucked in and I can get back into bed at night and be comfortable, isn’t that good enough?  YES!  I let go of my unfounded belief that daily bed-making makes me a good person.  Now I leave my bed unmade most days.  Of course, if the sheets get really tangled, I’ll make the bed.  That is needed for the bed to function well.  But more days than not, I get out of bed and walk away.  I then can carry more energy and positivity into another area of life that matters more to me.

“Some people see the glass half full. Others see it half empty.I see a glass that's twice as big as it needs to be.”―  George Carlin Do you want a Martha Stewart-worthy pantry?  Or do you just need a space that functions for you and one that you can maintain?  Personalized organizing means that we help you find a way of living in your space that is not too sparse, not too cluttered, but just right - like Goldilocks and the 3 bears!  Look at the difference between these 3 projects.  These were for 3 different clients, all of whom were absolutely thrilled with the final state of their space. This client started with a very orderly cabinet of dishes.  She wanted to make it more functional as she loses the ability to reach up high.  We purged almost 30 glasses and cups that she realized she just never used.  Everything in the cabinet is now within reach without a step stool and nothing gets dusty in the back from lack of use. This client had too much stuff in her at-home workspace – it was a catch all that we converted into a functional space to store her interior design materials.   It is not necessarily pretty but it gives her easy access to her materials.  She didn’t need this to be beautiful, just functional.  Now she can pull fabrics and other materials with ease when she wants to get creative. This client was drowning in stuff.  When we started the desk was piled with papers 2 feet high and there was almost no floor space for walking.  Every surface was covered.  We cleared all surfaces and took 6 bags of donations and trash away.  She is not done.  You can see piles of pictures on the floor she still needs to sort, and things left to be put away.  Now that the big mess is gone, she feels confident she can tackle what is left on her own.  She was so happy to have an office she can use again! Your satisfaction with organizing depends on your starting point and your goals.  We help each client tell their own story, in their own words, on their own schedule.  “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” - Margaret Wolfe Hungerford

Most people agree that getting organized is a good thing.  So why can’t we get it done?  Let's group the barriers into 3 categories: technical problems, external realities, and psychological challenges.(1) Technical barriers: You just don’t have enough space.  Maybe you live in a studio apartment, or you have one tiny closet for all your clothes.  Even if you eliminate excess stuff, you just don’t have enough space for all the things you need.  Sometimes this is enough to prevent you from even starting. You will have to work harder at decluttering to contain your things. But once you do that work, having a fixed size storage space is a great way to keep things in order. External realities: Your partners/family are not cooperative.  It is important that you get everyone on board with your organizing plan.  Sometimes your methods just won't work for someone else. This quiz can help you identify the organizing style that fits each person best. Your life is super busy.  Before you tackle your home, consider decluttering your schedule!  Do you really need to bake those cookies for the bake sale?  Is there a meeting that you can cancel and just send an email instead?  When I simplified my own schedule, I found it hard to say no to requests for help.  There was a ton of guilt there.  But now that I’ve done it, the work that I still do for others is better quality. Psychological challenges Fear: of forgetting a memory, of losing something you might need, etc.  Those high school t-shirts have meaning to you, even though they've been in a box for 20 years. Logic says you don't need them, but your emotions hold you back. There are many ways to retain memories without holding onto the physical objects, like taking a photo of those t-shirts. You might actually look at them more on your phone than stored in a box in your attic! Perfectionism: if that pile of clothes seems impossible to sort and put away perfectly, you might just not try.  Your logic says that if you don’t start the task, you can’t fail at it.  Yet, your perfectionism will nag at you that to get it done.  To overcome this, consider what 'perfect' really is.  Do you need an Instagram-worthy closet or would getting the clothes off the floor be just as functional?  Reframe your goals and give yourself permission to do it differently. Mental health challenges: If you have ADHD, depression, or other conditions, your brain is literally working against you when you try to get organized.  Typical organizing strategies don’t work well. For example, you may have trouble just getting started with the work.  Instead of saying “I need to start this now” say “how can I move towards this task?" Do anything to move towards the task.  Even simply standing near the pile of laundry can start momentum building so that you then can initiate the task. Identifying your personal barriers is a great first step.  But what do you do once you have identified those barriers?  I’ve given just a few suggestions.  There are many other strategies that can help in each case.  If you’re ready to learn more contact me for a free consultation. I do just as much coaching as I do organizing! Reference: Morgenstern, Julie, Organizing from the Inside Out, Henry Holt and Company, 2004. https://www.juliemorgenstern.com/organizing-from-the-inside-out

A big barrier to hiring a professional organizer is the embarrassment and shame at someone else seeing your mess.  A good professional organizer will put you at ease and keep their work confidential and most importantly, judgement free.  I love the Planet Fitness theme – a Judgement Free Zone.  From their website: JUDGEMENT FREE ZONE® We seek to provide a comfortable, safe, and energetic environment where everyone feels accepted and respected. Many people won’t go to a workout club because they feel intimidated, self-conscious, and they worry about being judged by the “experts” they think will be there.   Planet Fitness designs their workout clubs to help people overcome that fear. At Clear Path organizing we want to do the same – to help you overcome that fear of judgement. We know what if feels like to struggle with clutter, with feeling not-good-enough, and not being able to do the work. We also know how isolating clutter can be. Do you avoid inviting friends over? Do you have family who make comments about your home? Are you hard on yourself for not meeting your own expectations? We understand that your life is busy and cluttered.  That doesn’t mean you aren’t trying your hardest.  There is no failure in having a mess. We can help you see that YOU are not defined by your things. And we help you take control over your things so you can be your best self. Clear Path creates a "Judgement Free Zone" to empower you to take that first step. Contact us today for a free consultation! You can do this!

We all assume that being disorganized costs us money and time. But how much of an impact does it really have? Let’s consider the Jones family.  Their garage is too full for both family cars so one car stays in the driveway.  They rent a storage unit to store items that don’t fit in the house.  They lose track of household items and end up re-buying because they can’t find what they need.  They pay late fees on bills they forgot about and have lost track of their digital subscriptions.  They throw away lots of wasted food.  The parents estimate they spend about an hour each day looking for things and managing their “stuff.”  I put some numbers to these facts (see details below.) The yearly cost of disorganization and clutter for the Jones family is over $20,000 a year!* Wow. You might say you don’t have time to get organized, but I would argue you can’t afford not to get organized!  Maybe you are not as disorganized as the Joneses, but it's likely that you struggle with some of these things. A professional organizer can help you reset.  More importantly, we can teach you strategies and systems to STAY organized so you can sustain things.  You will spend less time searching for things, cleaning things, and stressing about your things, and more time with your hobbies, your family and friends.  And you will save money! * Assumptions for cost of clutter estimate. This is a very rough estimate.  It doesn’t account for clutter’s secondary effects on health, stress, and life satisfaction, which may be even more valuable. Notes 1.        Orentas, Geraldine, Streaming trends for 2024:44% report streaming costs increasing over the last year, Forbes.com, https://www.forbes.com/home-improvement/internet/streaming-survey/#:~:text=People%20are%20spending%20an%20average,through%20friends%20or%20family%20accounts, Accessed 26 May 2024. 2.        N.A., Food waste in America, 2024, rts.com, https://www.rts.com/resources/guides/food-waste-america/ , Accessed 26 May 2024 3.        You might argue that you can’t turn this time into money. But think of how lost time affects your productivity. If you are late to work, inefficient, and unprepared, you’re less likely to get a raise or a promotion. You also may take longer to get work done, leaving less free time for other things.  And for some jobs time is money. If you clock in five minutes late, you don’t get paid for those five minutes.

Spring is a time of rejuvenation, regrowth, and rebirth. We can take advantage of our natural spring-time cleaning enthusiasm to tackle long-delayed organizing projects. Here is a 3-step plan to decide which project to do first. Identify your pain points. What are the 4-5 most problematic areas in your home? Rank those areas according to the size of the project, your emotional attachment to it, and the impact it will have. Choose the project that best fits your time and energy. Starting with less emotionally charged areas makes it easier to get going and sets you up to succeed on more difficult projects later. Here's how it looks for me: Priority 1: Linen Closet 3 hour project A few sentimental items but mostly just old sheets Medium impact: tossing old sheets would give me room to buy new ones (which are sorely needed!) Priority 2: Computer files Over 8 hour project No emotional attachment to work files High attachment to photos BIG IMPACT! My computer runs slowly because it is too full plus I can't find things. Priority 3: Childhood memorabilia 8 hour project High emotional attachment Potential for big impact - if I can part with half the stuff, I'll have way more storage for other things? And do I really need all my report cards from 5th grade? I'm making this an 8 hour project because I know I will get lost in memories. Priority 4: Cellar storage 8 hour project No emotional attachment - this is mostly old paint and chemicals, household tools, etc. Moderate impact. Although I do need to get rid of most of the stuff, I don't need the space for anything else right away. I decided to work on the linen closet first because: it's a small project I know I can do in a short time - early success will keep me going! it's not a hard project either physically or emotionally I can hang things out on the clothesline to get a nice spring scent! I will do the computer files next since I can do that a little at a time and can sit next to an open window while I do the work. By then I should have the fortitude to tackle the memorabilia and all the big memories it will bring up! Realistically I won't have time to get the first 3 projects done by summer. By then, it will be pretty hot in the house so a perfect time to move to the cellar! Classifying your projects with these 3 features (expected size of project, emotional attachment, and impact) helps you start small and have early success, which encourages you to keep organizing! It also gives you practice with decluttering easy things first so when you get to the harder stuff you know how to do it. Good luck!! (adapted from When Organizing Isn't Enough: Shed Your Stuff, Change Your Life by Julie Morgenstern, 2008)

It seems simple - pick things up and put them away. Yet why is it so hard to get done? There's a different barrier for every person. Some of us are just too busy or tired with other more important things. The last thing you want to do at the end of a hard day is put away laundry! For some people, the volume of clutter is just too daunting. You can't imagine that you'll ever finish it so you just don't start. Sometimes the work is too emotional. Thinking about parting with items from your past is just too hard. My most important job as an organizer is to help clients overcome the obstacles preventing them from getting and staying organized. I can serve as a coach, helping decrease the pain of letting go of things. I can help find the right system for you personally. Everyone has their own desires and goals. If your system fails, it might be because it's not right for you. Sometimes you just need to be held accountable for getting started. If you're paying me for this work, you can't just leave things for another day. Lastly, I can do the hard physical work of moving things around. Hiring a professional organizer will help you with the physical work of getting organized. Maybe more importantly, an organizer will help you navigate your own distinct challenges. If you could do it on your own, wouldn't you have already done it?