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Clutter Excuses

April 1, 2015/0 Comments/in Blog Posts/by Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®

According to a National Association of Professional Organizers survey, 54% of Americans are overwhelmed by their clutter, and 78% find it too complicated to deal with. Are you felling overwhelmed by clutter? I understand that making decisions about what to keep and not keep can be difficult. I also understand that when we don’t want to make decisions it’s easy to come up with excuses as to why we can’t let go of something. I call them clutter excuses, and the best way to deal with them is to ask thought provoking questions, and to answer them honestly. This helps determine if it’s time to stop making clutter excuses and let it go.

One of the most common clutter excuse I here is, “I might need it someday.” We all have those tools, gadgets, and products that we can’t seem to let go of, even thought we haven’t touched them in years. Answer these five questions truthfully to determine if it’s time to let it go.

Honestly when can you see yourself using it?
When is someday? If it’s not in the next 3 years, let it go.
What would the cost be if you did need to replace it?
How much time would it take to replace it?
How much effort would it take to replace it?

Another common clutter excuse I here is, “I paid a lot for it.” We all have those items that we spent a bunch of money on, but they just didn’t work out, and we can’t seem to let them go. That stinks, doesn’t it? Answer these five questions truthfully to determine if it’s time to let it go.

How long do you have to keep it to depreciate the value of it?
If you hang on to it for another year will it have cost any less?
Are you paying for your purchasing mistake with extended regret?
The money is gone, why not let the item go also?
Is there someone you know who will appreciate it?

“It’s valuable,” is another clutter excuse. An amazing statistic is the average dollar amount of unopened, new merchandise in a typical American household is $7000.00 (Real Simple magazine 11-2012). Answer these five questions truthfully to determine if it’s time to let it go.

Do you know it’s real value and current worth?
Are you considering the real value or the sentimental value?
How valuable is it to you, personally?
Is it realistically valuable to someone else?
Is there someone you know who will appreciate it’s value?

Clutter happens, but if we don’t allow ourselves to use clutter excuses we can keep it under control. Use these questions and let me know the outcome.

Proud member of NAPO

Preventing Paper Clutter

March 6, 2015/0 Comments/in Blog Posts/by Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®

Even the most organized people have some amount of paper clutter. It’s difficult not to, because paper comes into our space on a steady, regular basis. Practically every time we walk into our home, we bring more paper into it, either intentionally or unintentionally. So, how can we prevent that paper from taking over and prevent those piles from happening?

The simplest way to reduce paper clutter is to stop paper from coming into our space in the first place. One way to accomplish this is to go paperless with bank and credit card statements, and don’t print them out. Another suggestion is to not print emails, recipes, or other information from your computer, instead store and organize the information on your computer. A few other suggestions are to remove you name from as many mailing lists as you can, stop mail on all magazines and catalogs you don’t read, read the newspaper on-line, use your phone or another device for coupons and tickets instead of printing them, and have a paper recycle bin in the garage and toss as much paper as you can before entering the house.

Another way to reduce paper clutter is to allow each piece of paper to be in your home for the shortest possible time-frame. One way to accomplish this is to immediately recycle or shred junk mail. Another suggestion is to recycle boxes, wrapping paper, envelopes, and other paper items that we intend to reuse but never do. A few other suggestions are to shred ATM slips after you’ve reconciled your bank account, jot down event details on your calendar and toss the invitation, send the greeting cards that you have on hand, and recycle catalogs and magazines after you receive the next issue.

One more way to reduce paper clutter is to have an exit strategy for paper files and stored information. An exit strategy is a predetermined guideline that you’ve established for particular papers, files or information. One exit strategy may be to recycle or shred your utility bills after you view the confirmed payment on the next bill. Another exit strategy may be to shred pay stubs after you receive your W2. Please keep in mind that the guidelines need to fall within your own personal comfort zone. If you have questions on how long to keep particular papers, files or information, please consult a Certified Public Account or an attorney.

Proud member of NAPO

Prioritizing to be Productive

March 1, 2015/0 Comments/in Tip of the Month/by Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®

Prioritize! List the top three things that must be finished by the end of the day in order for you to feel happy and productive, and do them first thing in the morning. I list my top three priorities in my date book, and tackle my number one priority before I read or respond to any emails, or answer any phone calls. This helps me prevent distraction and procrastination.

6 Lists Everyone Should Use

February 3, 2015/0 Comments/in Blog Posts/by Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®

Are you a list maker? I am. I make lists for a large variety of things, because they help me stay organized. Besides being a great way to document the information that collects in my head, lists are helpful in prioritizing information and providing visual queues for what needs to be done. Below are 6 of my most used lists.

1. To Do List
Creating a master To Do List that contains all the things I want to get done, need to accomplish, and have to address, provides me with peace of mind. By writing all these things down, I release myself from worrying that I will forget something. By having the list to check and work from, it’s easier to organize and prioritize what I do, and when I do it.

2. Daily Tasks List
Working from my master To Do List, I write 3-5 Daily Task items on each day of my calendar. It’s important to prioritize my Daily Tasks and to make sure I have enough time during that particular day to get the item done. If I don’t complete a Daily Task item, I indicate it with a colored tab, but only if I think I can get to it within the week. If not, I cross it out and write it on another day in the future. It’s very rewarding to check off the items, and see what was accomplished in the day and the week.

3. Shopping List
A magnetic note pad and pencil on my fridge are what I use to create my shopping list. My husband and I write down what we need to pick up at the grocery store whenever we think of an item, or whenever we run out of something while preparing meals. The placement of this list needs to be easy and convenient in order to encourage everyone in the household to write items on the list. A basket on top the fridge holds all of our coupons, discount cards, and any gift cards marking the fridge as our shopping ‘center’.

4. To Bring on Vacation List
Creating a list of what I want and need to bring on vacation provides me with time to organize my thoughts an plan ahead. This prevents me from forgetting important and necessary items. Creating one location where I can collect the items on my list, until it’s time to pack them in suitcases, is also a helpful component to this vacation list. I use my dinning room table as my collect location.

5. List of Important Dates
Having a master list of important dates, that I transfer into a new calendar at the beginning of each year helps me stay on top of important dates and time lines. I keep a birthday and anniversary list by month, a taxes and bill payment schedule by month, and a membership and license renewal list by month. For large bills and membership renewals, I note on my calendar two weeks in advance to payment and one week in advance to payment. Referencing these lists when setting up my yearly calendar is very helpful.

6. Honey Do List
My Honey Do List is a list of items that my husband needs to address or that we need to discuss. This list is kept by the kitchen phone (or is waved in front of his face while he’s watching TV). Any action items that need to be planned for a specific date are put on the calendar.

Proud member of NAPO

Time to Organize

February 1, 2015/0 Comments/in Tip of the Month/by Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®

Schedule time on your calendar to organize. Treat it like an appointment that you can’t reschedule without a large rescheduling fee. Then pick just one target area to work on, and tackle one flat surface in that area. For example, if you’re working in the kitchen, start with items on the counter. If you’re working in your closet, start with items on the floor. If you’re working in your home-office, start with items on the desk.

ORGANIZING

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