Entries by Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®

Mailing list removal

Unsubscribe from as many mailing lists as possible. Doing so reduces both paper and electronic clutter, cuts down on daily decisions, saves time, and minimizes the effort needed to organize your mail. Here’s a broad list of the kinds of mailing lists someone can unsubscribe from (both paper and digital): Paper Mail (Postal Mail): Catalogs […]

Be an Equalizer

In our consumer-driven society, it’s common to have more coming in than going out. Aim to equalize your belongings—become an “equalizer” by letting go of as much as you bring in. This simple habit helps reduce clutter and makes cleaning and organizing much easier. Help letting go: Exit Strategy Stuff be Gone Keep or Not […]

Declutter without excuses

Wishing you a happy summer!
I hope you’re having a relaxing summer filled with carefree moments and simple pleasures. Since my husband is a teacher, I tend to go into “summer mode”, where I work less and play more. We go on trips, have friends over for cookouts, and enjoy nature. However, we also have a summer to-do-list made up of household chores and things that need to be addressed while he has more free time. What about you? Do you have a summer to-do-list? Is decluttering on your list?

Have you ever stopped to consider why we hold onto certain things even though we haven’t used them in years? Is it possible our reasons are excuses, a form of procrastination, and…

Out of sight, out of mind

The phrase out of sight, out of mind is very common. We fear that if we put things away we’ll forget about them. So, we leave tools on the counter to remind us to fix a cabinet. Borrowed things pile up on the chair so we don’t forget to return them. Paper litters our desk […]

Sort mail immediately

The best way to stay on top of the incoming mail is to sort it immediately. Sort it into the 4 categories listed below and have a specific spot for each category. Junk – recycle or toss it Shred – shred or put in box to be shredded later Action required – take action or […]