Rid Your Life of the Clutter!

We all have it...that space in our home that stashes everything from art projects to luggage. How did it get this way and how can it be fixed?

How it got that way is the easy part. Family, jobs, and the craziness of life usually takes precedence over organizing. What people don't realize is the clutter is actually adding to your stress. Sometimes it takes years of "Where is that..." before a foot gets put down to finally tackle the daunting space. When that time comes, you must be prepared.

During my consultations, I always ask my clients, "What has prevented you from getting organized?" The most frequent responses I get are, "I just don't know where to start" or "I'm overwhelmed." My first advice is get out your calendar and make a specific date and time to declutter. If it's a date in the planner, it's a date! Don't break it.

As that special date grows near, revert back to this blog and jot down these helpful tips.

-Just do it! Getting started is the hardest part. No more excuses. You deserve for your home to be a warm welcoming space.

-Take a 'before' picture. You will be so proud of yourself when you have an 'after'.

-One room at a time. Don't unnecessarily stress yourself. Take it one room, or one drawer at a time.

-Remove everything! I mean it. Everything. Make that space bare as bones. As your removing sort... What is trash, recycle, donate, or keep? Make designated spots and post signs. You would hate to mix up the piles.

-Approach the keep pile. Now get serious. Ask these questions for every single item: When was the last time I used it? It is easily replaceaple? What is the worst possible thing that could happen if I got rid of it? This should cut your keep pile in half.

-Sort the remaining keep items putting like things together - the first rule of organizing. Use rubber containers, baskets, and labels and neatly bring everything back into the room.

Guess what? Your done! Take that after picture now! Congratulations!

If you are still feeling overwhelmed or simply don't want to do it...CALL ME! I love to organize!

Keeping the Keepsakes!

Organizing photographs and memorabilia may be one of the most rewarding projects! These items usually touch your heart and should be stored in way that shows their importance. Yet, the project is usally years and years overdue and can seem overwhelming. The first step is remove everything from the space! Then sort into piles (i.e. school pictures, sports, vacations, family.) As you decide which items to keep, we do offer a word of advice. Keep those items that truly stir your heart or capture important events, and allow yourself to release the rest. In her book, The Gift of the Sea, Anne Morrow Lindbergh compares our lives to the process of collecting seashells. Imagine that you are exploring the beach, gathering shells along the way. Each time you uncover a shell, you carefully consider its beauty and uniqueness. You decide whether or not it is worth keeping. By carefully choosing which shells to keep, you end up with a small collection of beautiful shells that bring you joy. If you had insisted on keeping every shell, then your beautiful shells would be lost in the mass of other shells.

Albums and scrapbooks are just a few ideas for giving these keepsakes proper homes though this can get expensive. It is just as visually pleasing to put photos and memorabilia in large manilla or white folders, labeled and organized chronologically!

The team!

Clutter Consultants of NWA is now a team of three!

Roberta Pekel is the founder and professional organizer extraordinairre. She has spent her professional career as an accountant after earning a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting from The Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas. With this accreditation and two years of professional work experience, she is able to provide a more in depth knowledge of organization expectations for small business and residential clients. She is currently working on becoming certified as a professional organizer.

Kate Ivie's professional organizing experience began with Clutter Consultants of NWA. She has proven to be a valuable member of the team through her ability to ask the right questions to understand what a client wants and needs, teach and transfer basic organizing skills, visualize spatially and see the big picture, break goals down into manageable steps, categorize and plan ahead. She is also working on receiving her Certification as a Professional Organizer.

Dylan Hollums is our most recent addition and we are excited to have him as our in house handyman! He can complete a variety of home improvement projects and possesses the skills needed to perform repair and construction projects in order to aid in the organization of our clients.

Clutter Consultants of NWA are a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers and ascribes to the Code of Ethics set forth by NAPO.

My New Adventure!

Clutter Consultants of NWA was founded in January of 2010. I have always had a passion for organizing and finally got the courage to start my own business. I look forward to bringing order and efficiency to other's lives. As my father always says, "Organization is the key to success." Check out our website: www.clutterconsultantsnwa.com