Entries by Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®

Use Holiday lists

Utilize lists and timelines to make responsibilities easier to remember. 5 Helpful lists to use: Shopping list for food, table settings, gifts, and decorations  Gift list for current year and past years Travel packing list & check list for leaving home Delegation list for dinner prep, clean up, and other tasks Timeline for meal prep

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…