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Control Clutter

Jan 15
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organized clutter in Diane's office

Why Organized Clutter Is A Step In The Right Direction

By Control Clutter

Most professional organizers probably agree that clutter is the result of postponed decision making. So, this thought begs two questions in my mind and, I bet, also in your mind regarding the title of this post. The first question is, what is organized clutter? The second question is, why would a professional organizer think that organized clutter is a step in the right direction? Let’s define organized clutter I did a little research on the term ”organized clutter” and found this article in which professional organizer, Matt Baier, answers the question “Is there such a thing as organized clutter?” One…

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Jan 08
Love1

Paper Decluttering Tips For People With Mounds Of Paper, Mail & Documents

By Control Clutter

Paper is a problem for many people. For some it becomes a source of irritation as it comes in and requires them to make a decision. For others, it is a chore and a frustration because we’ve all been told not to waste paper. It almost seems to multiply overnight. I happen to like paper. I love to write and send nice cards to friends and family. And organizing paper, making sense of the piles is one of the organizing tasks I love to do. As we start the new year let’s create order by reducing the mounds of paper…

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Oct 09
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The Best Way To Declutter Holiday Photo Cards

By Control Clutter

Recently I wrote about decluttering Christmas decorations and shared some tips to undertake this task without getting lost in sentiment or guilt.  A reader posted a comment asking what to do about the holiday photo cards. Here are my best strategies to help you declutter holiday photo cards. Let’s admit up front that decluttering photos is a difficult process under any circumstance. These holiday photo cards are sometimes even more difficult. Typically, it is a photo of the family. In recent years, I’ve received cards that have a collage of pictures documenting the family’s highlights for the year. It’s so…

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Oct 02
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How To Declutter Your Christmas Decorations Without Getting Lost In Sentiment Or Guilt

By Control Clutter

Decluttering Christmas decorations can truly difficult. Some decorations were probably gifted, some made by your children, and still others may represent a vacation you took. Having said this, most of your Christmas decorations are probably connected to a memory in some way. When you go to pull out these decorations instead of seeing them as they are we almost always view them through rose-colored lenses. We look past the flaws of their age and see them in the light of the memory they bring to the surface. It is a challenging task to declutter your Christmas decorations without traveling down…

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Sep 10
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Help Diane, Why Can’t I Stay Organized?

By Control Clutter, How to Organize Your Life Blog

I often have clients reach out to me with this question. They say that they know how to organize. Sorting, recycling, tossing, and even putting things away is not a problem for them. Organizing skills are not a problem for them and so they ask, “why can’t I stay organized?” The answer is simple. Organized is not a destination, it is a state of being. People think that they can organize a space once and that it is done. The fact is that it is never done for more than a day. That is unless you don’t use the space,…

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Aug 14
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Clutter and Anxiety: 5 Hacks To Keep Your Worries In Check As You Declutter Your Home

By Control Clutter, How to Organize Your Life Blog

Does the mere thought of removing the clutter from your house fill you with anxiety? This is not an unusual phenomenon. Clutter and anxiety sometimes walk hand-in-hand. The clutter in our homes can make us anxious and then when we go to remove the clutter, we worry if we are doing the ‘right’ thing. It is one heck of a big catch-22. If this is something that haunts you, I have 5 hacks to share with you. Before I share my hacks with you, I want you to know that one of the most important things to remember is the…

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Mar 13
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harmony

Bring Harmony into Your Home – Get Organized

By Control Clutter

I’ve been reading a lot of books recently on the topics of time management and productivity. In one of these books, (The Organized Mind by Daniel J. Levitin) I read that “it is important to harmonize your organizational style and systems with your personality.” This got me thinking about music and the way different voices in a song harmonize. When I was a teenager, I was a member of an acapella singing group. I sang second soprano. It was my job in this group to blend my voice with that of the first soprano so that neither of our voices…

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Aug 15
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a woman wondering how to start decluttering if you're overwhelmed

How To Start Decluttering When You’re Overwhelmed

By Control Clutter

There are two questions potential clients often ask me during our initial free phone consultation. The first question is really more of a statement, and it goes something like this: I’m so overwhelmed by all my clutter I don’t know how to get started. The question is: how to start decluttering when you’re overwhelmed? The second question is: where do I start decluttering? Both are great questions. The second question is the easiest to answer, you start decluttering in the area that bothers you the most. That differs for each and every person. Let’s address the first question, which is…

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Apr 11
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card game to play if you are in the mood to organize

Are You Finally in the Mood to Organize? Here’s an Easy Way to Get it Done!

By Control Clutter, How to Organize Your Life Blog

You know how it is when you are in the mood to do something, you want to go ahead and do it. Well, the same is true for organizing a space. When you’re in the mood to get something organized it’s best to take advantage of that positive energy and dive right in. Since I am a professional organizer, I am often asked what the best place is to begin organizing. My clients want to start organizing, they are motivated, but don’t know where to start or how hard it will be to get it done. Does this ever happen…

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Mar 14
Love1
organizing myth: a cluttered and organized space

3 Organizing Myths Debunked

By Control Clutter, How to Organize Your Life Blog

There are lots of organizing myths out there but there are three organizing myths that I always seem to be debunking with my clients so I thought I would review them with you here. All three revolve around a common theme: clutter. Myth number one: your home must be clutter free to be organized. This is absolutely not true. Do you know your home can be cluttered and organized? What did you think when you read that question? Did you think I had misspoken? Maybe you are questioning my sanity. Whatever you are thinking, it’s true. A home can be…

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