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August News: Decisions Decisions

“What should we work on today?”


If you are like 80% of our clients you are overwhelmed: overwhelmed by your schedule and your stuff. The volume of paper, emails, to-do tasks and STUFF that come into your life is beyond what you can handle. Welcome Joy and Kelly to the rescue. Many of our clients hire us on an ongoing basis. At our initial walk-through, we create a list of areas to de-clutter, storage issues to solve, and rooms to re-envision according to their needs. We meet to tackle the household hot spots and a few larger projects or rooms. The work starts with definite goals…but “life” happens and sometimes a hot project takes precedent — which is why we always ask “what should we work on today?”
Typical hot spots:
• kitchen counters
• hall closets
• any kind of desk or work area
• tops of surfaces: dressers, night stands, low bookcases
Rooms most frequently in need of a serious de-clutter:
• kitchens
• bedrooms
• family rooms or play rooms


Client Trends:  Maintaining “Sacred Space”

Though we keep details and client specifics confidential, the KIND of work we do is always worth sharing.
“Sacred Space” is how one client described her urge to maintain the clear we’d created. Once the tops of her washer and dryer were clutter-free she declared “This spot is sacred — and no one can touch it!” This attitude is contagious and we’re seeing more and more “sacred spaces.” Here are three areas where dramatic progress is being maintained:
    •  Mud room: counters and appliance tops were magnets for STUFF and a regular dumping-ground for the family. Mudrooms are entry ways and when cluttered they lead to grumpy people in constant search of a missing shoe or car keys.
    •  Desk: a kitchen desk and reading nook had been neglected for years due to busy lives and illness. Meant as a productive and quiet retreat, the kitchen desk became a black hole. Once we cleared ancient papers, recycled manuals for obsolete appliances, and rearranged cookbooks according to frequency and themed food prep, the area welcomed attention. Now that it functions with a spot for outgoing letters, a drawer designed for mailing materials, and a bulletin board displaying loved ones and CURRENT events — it is sacred!
    •  Bathroom: a bunch of our clients are so busy taking care of everyone else’s needs — their own are last on the list. One client’s bathroom was an unmanageable forest of make-up, skin-care products, first-aid supplies, and hair accessories. Though there is still potential to return to the old way of putting herself last, the positive experience of a clean and clear bathroom is a start toward putting herself FIRST.

Decisions, Decisions

Last month we shared: Clutter is postponed decision® coined by our colleague Barbara Hemphill. This month’s clutter issue is: Too many things in too small a space. How many times have you shoved an item into a drawer, promising to get to it soon. Then you try to open the drawer but you can’t because something is stuck. Make yourself a schedule so that once a month you go through the crammed spaces in your home. Say good-bye to stuff that is weighing you down. Remember our three questions to ask: Do I love it? Do I use it? Does it lift my energy?

Our recent distinction as a NAPO Golden Circle member — in honor of reaching 5 years in business — is cause for celebration. Share Kudos here on our blog.

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