De-Clutter Your Life and Gain Perspective On What's Really Important

By Karin E. Fried

When you walk into a business that is organized and clutter free you have confidence that the person that runs the business knows what they are doing and are successful.

When you walk into a home that is organized and clutter free you feel a sense of calm and are happy to be there.

De-cluttering your home and your business is not only important because it allows you to function better, be more efficient and saves you time and money, but it also makes other people feel better and makes them want to associate with you.

If your house or business is cluttered or disorganized people will not want to associate with you and you might be too embarrassed to have people over to your house, thus creating social isolation.

But there is also "life clutter". You have too many things that take up time in your life. Too many activities. Either in your job or in your personal life. You are pulled in too many directions. But you can't seem to let anything go.

Life clutter can be things such as being involved in too many business groups or too many extracurricular activities (yours and your kids). Yes, there are some business functions that you have to go to, but how many is too many? Are they taking away from your family? Will missing an after hours business function really hurt you? It seems like that when you are young and just starting out, but as you get older you realize that family is more important and kids grow up too quickly.

What about kid's activities? How many sports and other activities (piano lessons, swimming lessons, karate lessons....) does one child actually need? Or want? Do they want them or are you pushing them on your children because you didn't get to do it as a child? Be honest.

If you never have time for your family and friends then your life is too cluttered. Friends are like the plants in your yard. They need to be nurtured. Take the time to nurture your relationships.

Decide what's really important and let the rest go. Get rid of the life clutter and start living your life.

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com
http://www.professionalorganizer4u.blogspot.com

Member: National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO); Member: National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization (NSGCD); Certificate of Study in Chronic Disorganization; Certificate of Study in Basic Hoarding Issues with the CD Client; Certificate of Study in Understanding the Needs of the Elderly CD Client; CD Specialist - Level II Certificate; NAPO, Quantum Leap Trainer; NAPO in the Schools Trained Provider

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karin_E._Fried

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Learn How to Get Organized

By Julie Riber

So you were not given the organizing skills like me when you were born, but you were probably given other talents such as creativity or music that I was not given. The good news is that you can easily learn some organizing skills and use them to help get your space organized.

One skill is to know that your space does not need to look as if it is in a magazine. Unless you are selling your home, your space should fit your current life and be livable. Perfection can be harmful when starting to organize. Some of my clients are perfectionists and that is why they are unorganized. They start one space and then move to another and never finished the first section and when they come to try to perfect all areas, they become overwhelmed and quit. Every space is different for every person, so don't try to keep up with the Joneses.

Another organizing skill is to take each space in sections. Break it down into manageable pieces. Most of my clients look at all their spaces as one and immediately become overwhelmed.
I also recommend really knowing the difference between want and need. As you look through the space you are organizing, ask yourself if the item is something you really need or just wanted when you purchased it.

Skill number 3 would be to use the acronym SPACE when starting your organizing project. S would be to sort like things together to really get an idea of how many you really have. P would be to purge the items you no longer want, need or use. Many charities are glad to take your purged items and if you need help finding a charity, give me a call. A is to assign your items to a specific location in your home more specifically where they will be used. Obviously, certain items, such as holiday decorations should be stored in a storage area, not where they will be used. C is to contain those items in a properly sized container. That is why I tell my clients not to go out and purchase containers because they usually have enough, they just do not have the right items in them. E is to equalize and to periodically come back to those spaces to ask yourself if they are still serving your current life.

Organizing is a learnable skill but is not really completed as our lives change and so should your space. Purging consistently will leave your home clutter free and your life less stressful.

Julie Riber is a Certified Professional Organizer in the central Ohio area since 2004. She helps organize individuals spaces, time, and lives and she helps businesses streamline processes, increase productivity, and organize their spaces. She is a Golden Circle member of the National Association of Professional Organizers and a board member of the Ohio Chapter of NAPO since 2005. Sign up for her free monthly newsletter with organizing tips. http://www.transformare.net

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Julie_Riber

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Organize Your Priorities

By Karin E. Fried

Having a big house and new clothes and being able to do whatever you want is great. But at what price?

If you have to work at a job that you hate and work fifty (50) or sixty (60) hours a week and rarely get to see your spouse and kids, is it worth it?

For some people the answer is yes. They are all about materialistic things.

For others they just want to be comfortable and their priority is their family.

But for some people they have to work at a job they don't like and work long hours because that is the only way to make ends meet.

The bottom line is "what are your priorities?"

In today's society it seems to be all about "things". People don't spend time together as a family. They don't eat together or play together. Everything is about "instant gratification".

It's sad. And it won't be until the adults are older and the kids are gone and don't have time for them and don't participate in their lives that the reality of the situation will sink it.

So.... change it!

Organize your priorities!

Don't waste your time or money on "keeping up with the neighbors". Keep up with your family. Spend time with your family. Have family dinners. Have family "time" (games, talking, activities....).

Yes, the kids will whine and complain. So what! They will get over it. But if you don't start acting as a family now you will turn around and your ten year old will be going off to college and you wonder what happened to those lost years. Years that you can never get back.

So cut out the texting and being a zombie in front of the computer and video games and go back to the old fashioned way of actually talking to one another and interacting.

Stop shopping and buying their love. Stop filling your home with "things". Fill your home with your family.

Make your family your priority. Don't lose that precious time that you have with your kids. They will be gone before you know it.

Less Clutter = Less Stress (sm)..... in your home, your business and your life.

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com
http://www.professionalorganizer4u.blogspot.com
Member: National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO); Member: National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization (NSGCD); Certificate of Study in Chronic Disorganization; Certificate of Study in Basic Hoarding Issues with the CD Client; CD Specialist - Level II Certificate; NAPO, Quantum Leap Trainer; NAPO in the Schools Trained Provider

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karin_E._Fried

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