I am no longer taking any new organizing clients.
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social media organizer,please visit my website at
Margaret
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Saturday, January 05, 2013
Resources Mentioned on Call Kira about Aging
Image courtesy of Danilo Rizzuti at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Here is my list of resources for helping you in your minimalism journey, as I mentioned (or had hoped to mention) on Kira's show on Saturday, January 5, 2013. I'll post a link to the archive of the show when I get it.
Some resources are local to the San Francisco Bay Area, and some are national.
1. NBOC
North Bay Organizers and Coaches, www.nboc.biz
A group of professional organizers and coaches in northern Marin, Sonoma, Lake, and Napa counties (north of San Francisco).
A special shout-out to my colleague Laurie Light, "Organizing with The Light Touch" in Healdsburg, who helped me with my minimalism research.
2. NAPO-SFBA
National Association of Professional Organizers-San Francisco Bay Area
www.napo-sfba.org
Website with a search engine for finding NAPO members in the several counties surrounding San Francisco.
3. ICD
Institute for Challenging Disorganization, http://challengingdisorganization.org/
Website and search engine for organizers trained in special issues in chronic disorganization: hoarding, ADD/ADHD, disabilities, traumatic brain injury, Asperger's, etc. Website also has numerous handouts you can download for free.
4. NAPO
National Association of Professional Organizers, http://www.napo.net
Information and search engine for Professional Organizers across the country and in several other countries!
5. NASMM
National Association of Professional Move Managers, http://www.nasmm.org
Information and search engine for professionals trained in helping seniors move and downsize.
Minimalism
6. Becoming Minimalist, http://www.becomingminimalist.com
Blog and free newsletter by Joshua Becker. E-books for available for purchase.
7. Miss Minimalist, http://www.missminimalist.com/
Blog by Francine Jay. E-books and paper books available. "The Joy of Less," available on Amazon or Barnes and Noble as a print book or e-book.
8. http://mnmlist.com/
Very minimal blog by Leo Babauta of Zen Habits.
The books I gave away on the show:
1. 10 Minute Tidy, 108 ways to Organize Your Home Quickly, Shannon McGinnis,, CPO.
2. 10-Minute Housekeeping, Rose R. Kennedy
3. 10-Minute Clutter Control, Skye Alexander
4. 10-10-10; 10 Minutes, 10 Months, 10 Years. A Life Transforming Idea, Suzy Welch.
Tuesday, January 01, 2013
The Prime Directive
An organizing colleague, Margaret Lukens, recently asked her Facebook Friends/Fans, "What is your theme word for 2013?" Hers in recent years have been "doubling," "fundamentals," "ease" and "focus."
I knew right away that mine would be a phrase rather than one word. I had just watched the 2009 movie "Star Trek" and was reminded of "The Prime Directive." (Friends and family, as well as some of my clients know that I am a bit of a Trekker.)
(Geek alert for the next paragraph...)
The Prime Directive (also called General Order 1) is a law of the United Federation of Planets (I am paraphrasing, you can see the full text here). Basically, it means that Starfleet captains (and their crew) must not interfere with the development of civilizations on planets that do not yet have space travel technology or knowledge of other civilizations on other planets. The Prime Directive, on many occasions, has helped to guide a captain's actions.
My thought here is not so much about non-interference, but of simply having a "Prime Directive" in our own lives. Some may call it "priorities." I can see setting a prime directive for myself (and maybe several of them, uniquely crafted for different situations. I might call them sub-orders.) My overall Prime Directive for the year might be "All actions must not interfere with the accomplishment of goals set for the year." If an action seems to conflict with my prime directive, I must stop and take heed as any good Starfleet captain would, and carefully examine my actions and their consequences.
We are, after all, the captains of our own ship and in charge of our own destiny. Each of our actions, no matter how small, can have huge consequences. Before the Prime Directive was "law," a research crew accidentally left a book behind about "Gangsters and Mobs of the 1920s" on a developing planet. This made for one of the more amusing original Star Trek episodes. That planet's civilization took it as their "bible" and crafted their culture into the violent guns and revenge mania of 1920s mob society.
Some might call these "resolutions"
Some of my goals for the year are to reduce the "stuff" in my house, have my kitchen cleaner more often and write daily. So, having my Prime Directive as:
My sub-orders might look like this:
1. Kitchen sub-order 1: By bed-time each day, the dishwasher must be either running a load or nearly empty, waiting to be filled (and no dirty dishes in the sink). All hand-washed items must be washed and in the drying rack. (Notice that I didn't say I must have my whole kitchen totally clean and sparkly! Just one little step to help with "keeping it up" without overwhelming me.)
2. Reducing stuff sub-order 1: Every day I will put at least one item in my "give-away" bag.
3. Reducing stuff sub-order 2: With every purchase I make (household, clothing, food), I will test to see if it fulfills my Prime Directive or runs against it.
4. Writing sub-order 1: An hour a day, that's all it takes! I might even add that an hour writing upon arising and an hour reading before bed shall be my new habit.
Captain James T. Kirk
(Geek alert for the next paragraph...)
The Prime Directive (also called General Order 1) is a law of the United Federation of Planets (I am paraphrasing, you can see the full text here). Basically, it means that Starfleet captains (and their crew) must not interfere with the development of civilizations on planets that do not yet have space travel technology or knowledge of other civilizations on other planets. The Prime Directive, on many occasions, has helped to guide a captain's actions.
My thought here is not so much about non-interference, but of simply having a "Prime Directive" in our own lives. Some may call it "priorities." I can see setting a prime directive for myself (and maybe several of them, uniquely crafted for different situations. I might call them sub-orders.) My overall Prime Directive for the year might be "All actions must not interfere with the accomplishment of goals set for the year." If an action seems to conflict with my prime directive, I must stop and take heed as any good Starfleet captain would, and carefully examine my actions and their consequences.
Captain Jonathan Archer
We are, after all, the captains of our own ship and in charge of our own destiny. Each of our actions, no matter how small, can have huge consequences. Before the Prime Directive was "law," a research crew accidentally left a book behind about "Gangsters and Mobs of the 1920s" on a developing planet. This made for one of the more amusing original Star Trek episodes. That planet's civilization took it as their "bible" and crafted their culture into the violent guns and revenge mania of 1920s mob society.
Captain Kathryn Janeway
Some might call these "resolutions"
Some of my goals for the year are to reduce the "stuff" in my house, have my kitchen cleaner more often and write daily. So, having my Prime Directive as:
"All my actions must not interfere with
accomplishment of my set goals for the year."
accomplishment of my set goals for the year."
My sub-orders might look like this:
1. Kitchen sub-order 1: By bed-time each day, the dishwasher must be either running a load or nearly empty, waiting to be filled (and no dirty dishes in the sink). All hand-washed items must be washed and in the drying rack. (Notice that I didn't say I must have my whole kitchen totally clean and sparkly! Just one little step to help with "keeping it up" without overwhelming me.)
2. Reducing stuff sub-order 1: Every day I will put at least one item in my "give-away" bag.
3. Reducing stuff sub-order 2: With every purchase I make (household, clothing, food), I will test to see if it fulfills my Prime Directive or runs against it.
4. Writing sub-order 1: An hour a day, that's all it takes! I might even add that an hour writing upon arising and an hour reading before bed shall be my new habit.
What's your Prime Directive this year? It's time to Make it so!
Captain Jean-Luc Picard
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
January 5, 2013–Call Kira About Aging
I will once again be a guest of Kira Reginato on her KSRO radio show, Call Kira About Aging! Be sure to tune in on Saturday, January 5, 2013, from 2-3 pm at 1350 on the AM dial.
More details to come...but it looks like we will be talking about the "minimalist movement."
January is "Get Organized Month" and Kira takes the whole month to discuss organizing issues with various experts.
Last year I shared the month with local organizer Diane Judd, as well as psychologist Dr. Michael Tompkins (hoarding expert) and my colleague and nationally known professional organizer Geralin Thomas (from the TV show Hoarders).
Watch this post for resources on the "minimalist movement." Here are a few to get you started:
(I thought I should post more links...but then I thought "maybe less is better." :))
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
The Big Push
Have you ever just wanted to get rid of all the clutter in your bedroom?
Or clear the kitchen once and for all?
Maybe clear out a storage unit and stop spending all that money?
Maybe you are ready for "The Big Push."
Sometimes my long-term clients have just finally had enough, and are tired of working just one day a week or a couple of days a month on their clutter or organizing project. Progress has been made, but sometimes it seems like it never ends. They are finally ready to tackle it quickly and intensively, giving it all their attention for days a time, with me to guide them through it.
What we end up doing is something I've nicknamed "The Big Push." It can be done in a number of ways–whatever suits your budget. It might involve:
- Working 2-3 days (or more!) each week, 4-6 hours a day. For a few days or maybe a few weeks.
- Bringing in an extra organizer or even a team of organizers to move things out more quickly.
- Having that team work with you evenings or weekends.
- Being in the mindset to "let things go."
I will be there to help you make them, guiding you to reach your goals, which might include:
- A cleaner house
- A safe and healthy home
- An efficient office
- More space for actually doing what you like
- Not just storing stuff you aren't using
- No more storage unit rent
- Having a friend over for coffee
- Simply living peacefully in your own home
- Stopping the chatter of all that stuff
Please call or e-mail me if you think you are ready for a "Big Push." I always offer a free phone consultation and we can see if this is right for you.
707-849-2679
margaret@organizeinharmony.com
Please see my Tab under "Sessions•Packages" for more information.
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