Category Archives: Home Organization

My Partner is a Hoarder. Help!

There are a several ways to approach this, both for you and your partner.

Start by making peace with the fact that you can’t change someone else. In fact, if you push too hard your partner may become defensive, making the situation worse.

Instead, focus on getting what you need (perhaps a clutter-free space of your own?), modeling the benefits of hoarding-free behavior in your own life, and reinforcing positive change in your partner. The first post, below, is about working with a disorganized colleague, but the three tips are equally applicable to living with a stuff-loving partner.

Personal Organization Web Watch [11 October]

Here are some cool articles on aspects of happiness, productivity and personal organization that I’ve found around the web in the past couple of weeks. I hope you find something helpful here. 🙂
Business & Career

* When a Colleague’s Mistakes Affect You | Harvard Business
* How are you going to Crush It in 2010? | Escape From Cubicle Nation
* Focus on Strengths, Not Correcting Weaknesses | Dumb Little Man
* 101 Small Business Mistakes (and What You Can Learn From Them) | Wise Bread

Hoarding: 7 Lies That Keep You Caught In Clutter

Hoarders on Oprah

Oprah has yet another show about hoarders this week. It got me thinking about the lies we tell ourselves to avoid letting go of the stuff that fills up our homes and lives.

Of course extreme hoarding can be associated with psychiatric disorders. More commonly, though, we justify mounting mounds of matter with the little lies we tell ourselves.

Here are 7 of the most common self-delusions I hear, along with a decent dose of reality.

Create Your ‘Organized Life Bedtime Routine’ [Mission #20]

One of the best things you can do to feel organized throughout your day is to prepare well the night before. So in this mission we’ll create your personal Organized Life Bedtime Routine.

You’ll absolutely love the difference completing this mission will make to your daily stress management, time management, and home organization.

Remember: you only need 30 minutes for the basic mission. Extended Options are below.

Declutter Your Life – Get More Energy

‘Decluttering is a way to identify what’s obsolete in your life,’ says Julie Morgenstern in the Woman’s Day article 12 Reasons to Unclutter Your Space. ‘Getting rid of stuff creates a sense of energy, giving you room to think, which frees you to do more with your life.’ Julie’s so right. People constantly tell me […]

Hear Me Talking About Productivity and Piles of Paper on Sydney Radio

This week I had the pleasure of being interviewed about organizing your office on the Small Business with Prue MacSween show on Sydney’s Radio 2GB 873AM. We chatted about: How to avoid piles of paper and inbox overflow. Solution: make quick decisions. How to organize your desk for better productivity. Solution: use my ‘real estate’ […]

Organize Your Office [Mission #19]

Welcome to Mission #19 of our 52 Get Organized Missions. If you want to increase productivity, motivation and mental clarity, one of the best things you can do is to create an effective workspace. So in this mission, we’ll follow 3 steps to transform your work zone into an organized office. If you’ve completed the […]

5 Home Organization Strategies for Busy People

I was recently asked this question on my Facebook Professional Page: Q: I don’t have a lot of energy to organize my house. I need quick tips that will help me get going. A: Here are 5 house-organizing strategies, from previous posts, that don’t need a big effort or a lot of time. But these […]

The One Thing You Must Do If You Want To Get Organized

Just as My Very Best Life-Changing Tip For A Clutter-Free Home will put you on the path to neatness nirvana, this one idea will transform your approach to personal organization. Seriously – if you apply this strategy, you’ll find it far easier to get organized and stay organized. Getting Organized: One Thing You Must Do […]

Simplify Your Life Quick Fix: Limit Your Hangers

Want to simplify your life? Try this Quick Fix: Simplify Your Life Fix #3: Limit Your Hangers Keep just enough hangers for your current closet of clothes. This works best if you’ve already completed: Get Organized Mission #10: Clear Out Your Closet and Get Organized Mission #11: Create Your Wardrobe Wishlist. Now, whenever you buy […]

Create Your Bedroom Sanctuary [Mission #17]

Welcome to Mission #17 of our 52 Get Organized Missions. Your bedroom is the place to which you retreat at the end of the day. Does it restore your calm and ease you into sleep, or evoke a mild sensation of panic? If you need a bedroom intervention, you’re in the right place. We’re about […]

Simplify Your Life Quick Tip: Have a Ready-For-Donation Basket

Want to simplify your life? Try this Quick Tip: Simplify Your Life Quick Tip #2: Have a Ready-For-Donation Basket Place a decent-sized box, bag or basket somewhere handy – like on a shelf in a hallway closet or in the laundry. Choose somewhere: convenient – so it’s easy to put things in there out of […]

Get Organized Mission #16: Streamline Your Books, CDs, & DVDs

Welcome to Mission #16 of our 52 Get Organized Missions. When we get down to decluttering, our books, CDs, & DVDs often escape the treatment. Somehow they receive special dispensation. Not anymore! In this mission we’re going to attack these dust collectors – and we’ll be ruthless! Just like we were in our last mission, Get […]

From Procrastination To Action

You may have noticed that the tag line of this site now reads ‘From Procrastination To Action’. Here’s why… From Procrastination To Action Here at Get Organized Wizard we provide tools, inspiration and motivation to help you plan quickly – so you can spend most of your time taking action. Many people fall into the […]

Simplify Your Life Quick Tip: Abandon ‘Everyday’ Versus ‘Guest’ Tableware

Want to simplify your life? Try this Quick Tip: Simplify Your Life Quick Tip #1: Abandon ‘Everyday’ Versus ‘Guest’ Tableware When it comes to crockery, cutlery and glassware, forget having separate ‘everyday’ versus ‘guest’ sets. Instead, choose tableware that is: Attractive – so you’re happy to use it with guests Decent quality – so it […]

Get Organized Mission #14: Organize Your Household Notebook

If your home is strewn with various lists, plans and contact info, then you’re gonna love this mission!

We’re about to create a ‘Household Notebook’ – a place for all those pieces of paper, ideas, and information.

Remember: you only need 30 minutes for the basic mission. Extended Options are below.

If you’re new, you might like to start here: 52 Organizing Missions…

Getting Organized Quick Tip: How To Unpack Groceries For Freshness

Do you regularly find expired food in your pantry or fridge? Or discover you’ve used up fresh items with distant use-by dates, leaving you stuck with older food of dubious provenance? Here’s a very simple trick for making sure you use up older supplies first. Getting Organized Quick Tip #4: How To Unpack Groceries For […]

Get Organized Mission #13: Organize Your Emergency Contacts [With Free Emergency Phone Contact List]

Welcome to Mission #13 of our 52 Get Organized Missions. Having all our emergency contact numbers in one neat list is a personal organization task we know we should tackle, but one we don’t always get around to. If you’ve created some order with your finances after completing the previous mission (Get Organized Mission #12: […]

Get Organized Mission #10: Clear Out Your Closet

Do you long for a closet of comfortable, co-ordinated clothes that look great and make you feel fabulous? Well, you’re about to take the first step.
Before you can create your dream wardrobe you need to clear out the clothes and accessories that are more of a nightmare. So in this Get Organized Mission we’re going to systematically remove all the closet clutter that’s wasting hanger space and dragging your image down…