The way you think reflects in the way you live; therefore, shift the way you think and it will change the way you live.

1) Simplify Your Thoughts; Simplify Your Life
Before tackling that overstuffed closet, bulging storage room or chaotic home office, take a long, hard look at the area and ask: What is my goal for this space? How do I want to feel when I’m in it? Am I willing to “let go” to achieve my goal?

Sandra is a casualty of an overproduced life, “My husband hates looking at my messy closet and makes a comment about it every day,” she tells me in our first session together. “I’m just too busy to keep everything clean. He added more shelves but it’s not working. It’s still a mess. My closet is causing a lot of anxiety between us and I don’t want that. I’m not a messy person but I feel messy. Maybe I need more containers?”

Sandra’s goal: To get dressed in ten minutes no matter what outfit she needs to put on.
How she wants to feel: Calm; to know what she has; to know that everything has a place.
Is she willing to let go? Yes… out with the old, in with the new.

2) Sort, Store, Send Away
Start in one corner of the room and work your way around – stay focused and don’t hop around. If you get distracted and wander, stop, and start over. Touch everything (from hair clips to winter jackets) and ask: Do I like it? Does it look good on me? Do I wear it? How often? Am I willing to take up prime real estate to store it? If you can’t decide, ask someone who is not judgmental to help. When you’re finished sorting, store what you use regularly (hang, fold, place in drawers or on shelves) and donate or re-gift what you no longer want or need.

3) Create zones (group by category)
Hang or fold like things together: pants, blouses, dresses, sweaters, suits, jackets and coats. Then, sort by color. “Color coding” is easy and helps to immediately identify what you have too much of and what you lack. If you like to know beforehand what outfits “work,” hang preselected outfits next to each other. For those that like to “mix-n-match,” choose the primary item you want to wear, a blouse, and hold it up to the row of pants and see which pair looks the best. Beats having to try everything on! Same rule of thumb goes for drawers – like items together: socks and undergarments, work-out clothes, pajamas, long sleeve casual, short sleeve casual, white t-shirts and colored t-shirts.

4) Containers: Re-use What You Already Have
85% of my clients don’t have to purchase additional storage solutions because of the success of the simplifying process (sort, store and send away). Shoe boxes, plastic tubs, Tupperware; baskets, Ziploc bags and decorative boxes are convenient and affordable storage solutions and most homes already have them. Create organizing systems with temporary containers and test the system for 3 weeks before investing in anything permanent. For jewelry, hang necklaces and bracelets on wall-mounted belt, tie or scarf hangers; keeps them from getting tangled. If you don’t have a jewelry box, separate earrings and rings into recyclable egg cartons and put in drawers until you can find a permanent solution.

5) The 15 Minute Sweep
Every space in your office or home should only take 15 minutes to “tidy up.” If everything has an assigned place, including post-it notes, paper clips, screwdrivers and phone chargers, managing cleanup is a breeze. I learned this very valuable trick from the teachers at my childrens Montessori school: if you assign a space to everything in the room, you will never have to worry about having too much. In other words, “If it doesn’t have a place, it can’t live in the space!”