Your home is now organized – the grunt work of organizing has been done! Perhaps you hired a professional organizer, or you tackled it on your own – either way – good job! I bet you feel more relaxed and energized in your newly organized space.
We find that we get asked this next question a lot. My home is now organized and looks and functions the way I want it to – so how do I keep it this way?
We’ve listed a few tips for you below that we have found to be quite helpful when it comes to keeping your space looking great.
Implement 5-Minute Organizing
Staying organized is a matter of developing good habits. If you don’t incorporate a few minutes per day of organizing, even the most organized person will suffer. Take just 5 minutes per day to tidy the counter, straighten the blankets and pillows on the couch, file, sort or recycle any mail laying around. Make your bed, tidy the shoes at the entranceway. All of these small tasks add up to bigger tasks before we know it if not dealt with more consistently.
Give Everything A Home
Evaluate the space you have. Evaluate what you actually use, how often you use it and where you use it. This process allows you to give every item a place where it belongs. Then, every time you use that item, put it back where it belongs. This will cut back dramatically how much clutter and disorganization you have around the home. Especially since things are coming in and going out on a consistent basis as life changes.

Photo by Francesca Tosolini on Unsplash
Make Your Bed Each Morning
We touched on the importance of making your bed in the 5-minute organizing point above. But it’s so important that we wanted to list it twice! In the 2014 commencement speech at the University of Texas in Austin, Admiral McRaven shared his thoughts on the matter. “If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another,” he said. “By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter.” A made bed just looks and feels better; increasing your overall levels of stress and betters your mood.

Photo by Sidekix Media on Unsplash
Clean Up The Kitchen After Dinner
Dinner has been enjoyed (hopefully!), you’ve taken a few needed moments to relax and unwind and now the sink full of dirty dishes and the messy counter top are starring you in the face. The last thing you want to do is clean up the kitchen at the end of a long day. You may find yourself saying things like ‘It can wait until the morning’, but when morning comes and you’re looking at the mess, your stress levels instantly rise and your frustrated with the mess. Do yourself a favour and simply clean up after dinner. It only takes a few moments.
By implementing these tips into your everyday routines, you’ll be on the right track to maintaining your organized spaces. Soon, these tips will become habit and long, overwhelming and stressful organizing days will be a thing of your past!
Of course, if you need some extra guidance and support – we are always here to help!
Holiday Organizing Tips
in Home OrganizingThe holidays are an absolute wonderful time of year, without question. However, sometimes, we’re left feeling more stressed-out over our to-do lists and planning to enjoy it fully. We’re hoping to help you out a little here, with some holiday organizing tips.
There’s An App For That
We all tend to stress-out a little (or a lot) over our shopping lists and to-do lists this time of year. But what if we had an app to help us stay focused and on-track? Zapier has provided a list of iphone apps that will help you list and keep track of your shopping items, gifts, groceries and more. And Ubuntupid shares their top Android to-do list apps here. I’ve used the simple Samsung Notes app to keep track of my holiday shopping list. I’ve found it quite helpful in keeping me organized this time of year. Using a list will ensure you don’t over-spend, or buy the same gift twice by mistake!
Manage The Unneeded Gift Clutter
Just because someone has given you a gift, doesn’t mean you have to keep it. The joy is in the giving and receiving. As Marie Kondo put it ‘Presents are not things, but a means for conveying someone’s feelings.’ Try not to keep a gift out of obligation or guilt. This will only clutter up your home with items that don’t bring you joy. Perhaps even consider re-gifting to someone you know will enjoy the gift very much.
Holiday Cards Are Everywhere
Holiday cards are coming by mail in the masses. Your counter spaces and table-tops are covered with holiday cards for lack of other places to put them. Consider archiving the ones you absolutely cherish – the ones with the family pictures attached for example. Place them in a keep sake tote and only display a few. We’ve even been known to display some of our favourites on the Christmas tree. Archiving some of the cards will cut down on the cluttered feeling – and you will have peace of mind knowing that the ones you wish to keep are filed away.
Schedule Your Time
Time – oh my! This is maybe the biggest stressor over the holiday season. Try scheduling your time backwards from the holidays and block off specific time periods to do certain tasks. Don’t just block a Saturday off for ‘shopping’ – be as specific as you can. From 9-2pm on Saturday you’ll be Holiday shopping. Block off times for baking, wrapping, visiting. An organized calendar will help with the chaos the holiday season can sneak in.
Organize as many tasks as you can this holiday season and you might just find yourself enjoying this special time of year a little more than you have in the past. Our wish for you! If you need a little extra support – we’re always here.
How To Make Storage Work in a Small Home
in Home OrganizingIf you live in a small home, apartment or condo perhaps you find it difficult to make use of the space and it feels too cluttered and un-organized. We’ve seen this time and again with clients. Small spaces can be a fun challenge! Here are some ideas we’ve utilized in some of our clients smaller spaces to help them fall in love with their space again; leaving their homes more organized and relaxing.
Be Creative With Your Rooms and Spaces
Oftentimes in smaller homes, rooms will need to play double duty! Your living room and dining room may need to learn how to co-exist. Designating areas or zones will help clarify and determine what area of the room is used for what. This will also help determine which items belong where in those designated zones. Making sure that dining room items such as dishes or glassware make their way back to the dining cabinet or that remotes and such are to be left in the living room area only.
Your office could share space with a guest bedroom or your kids play area. With smaller spaces, every inch of space generally has to be utilized. Get creative with it.
Utilize Closets + Vertical Space
Utilizing your vertical space is definitely a must when living in a smaller space. It not only maximizes space in your closets, but maximizes space in living areas of the home as well. Get yourself some nice furniture pieces like the one below and make use of the shelving.
Of course, closet organizers are life-savers when it comes to small-space organization. Find some easy to install organizers at ikea or your local hardware store and organize your shoes, winter clothes, even photo albums!
Be Choosy About What Comes In
We, of course, speak of this tip a lot. It’s so imperative to be mindful of what items come into your small home, and what items are going out. One of my clients with a smaller home says she purges on a very regular basis. If she didn’t, she finds herself getting overwhelmed by all the ‘stuff’ laying around without an organized home. Clutter is more noticeable in smaller spaces, we find. All-the-more reason to implement some storage systems in your small home and be diligent about what’s coming in and finding a place to be stored or organized, and what is going out to free up that needed space.
The Floor Is Not A Storage Area
When you have a smaller space to work with, you may find it tempting to use the floor space as a storage area. Do you place bigger toys, musical instruments or the like on the floor for lack of a better area to keep them? This can all-too-quickly make your small space look cramped and cluttered. Make use of some of the tips above. Buy some attractive vertical shelving, make use of your closet spaces – but try not to place things on the floor. This sometimes seems like a good-enough option at the time, but it doesn’t give a fresh, clean, organized and spacious feel.
Organizing small spaces can be so much fun. It almost forces you to get creative with your rooms and closets. Less is more – especially when smaller homes are concerned. Have fun with it. And as always, if you need a little support and guidance – or are unsure of how to make your smaller home space more attractive and functional, give us a call! We’re happy to help.
How To Keep Your Home Organized
in Home OrganizingYour home is now organized – the grunt work of organizing has been done! Perhaps you hired a professional organizer, or you tackled it on your own – either way – good job! I bet you feel more relaxed and energized in your newly organized space.
We find that we get asked this next question a lot. My home is now organized and looks and functions the way I want it to – so how do I keep it this way?
We’ve listed a few tips for you below that we have found to be quite helpful when it comes to keeping your space looking great.
Implement 5-Minute Organizing
Staying organized is a matter of developing good habits. If you don’t incorporate a few minutes per day of organizing, even the most organized person will suffer. Take just 5 minutes per day to tidy the counter, straighten the blankets and pillows on the couch, file, sort or recycle any mail laying around. Make your bed, tidy the shoes at the entranceway. All of these small tasks add up to bigger tasks before we know it if not dealt with more consistently.
Give Everything A Home
Evaluate the space you have. Evaluate what you actually use, how often you use it and where you use it. This process allows you to give every item a place where it belongs. Then, every time you use that item, put it back where it belongs. This will cut back dramatically how much clutter and disorganization you have around the home. Especially since things are coming in and going out on a consistent basis as life changes.
Photo by Francesca Tosolini on Unsplash
Make Your Bed Each Morning
We touched on the importance of making your bed in the 5-minute organizing point above. But it’s so important that we wanted to list it twice! In the 2014 commencement speech at the University of Texas in Austin, Admiral McRaven shared his thoughts on the matter. “If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another,” he said. “By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter.” A made bed just looks and feels better; increasing your overall levels of stress and betters your mood.
Photo by Sidekix Media on Unsplash
Clean Up The Kitchen After Dinner
Dinner has been enjoyed (hopefully!), you’ve taken a few needed moments to relax and unwind and now the sink full of dirty dishes and the messy counter top are starring you in the face. The last thing you want to do is clean up the kitchen at the end of a long day. You may find yourself saying things like ‘It can wait until the morning’, but when morning comes and you’re looking at the mess, your stress levels instantly rise and your frustrated with the mess. Do yourself a favour and simply clean up after dinner. It only takes a few moments.
By implementing these tips into your everyday routines, you’ll be on the right track to maintaining your organized spaces. Soon, these tips will become habit and long, overwhelming and stressful organizing days will be a thing of your past!
Of course, if you need some extra guidance and support – we are always here to help!
How Can Planner Organization Help Me?
in UncategorizedYou’re likely no stranger to just how productive you can be when utilizing a planner in your day-to-day life. Planner organization is a tool used to help increase your time management, focus, tasks, motivation etc. There are countless ways to use personal planning systems and once you master yours, you will become more organized and less stressed! Organization isn’t just about decluttering or managing the home, garage or office – organization is a way of life. If we can help organize any part of your life to make it more efficient and functional, we are happy. Paper planners specifically, allow you to write things down, be creative with colour and add your own personal flare. Research suggests that when we write something down, as far as our brains are concerned, it’s as if we are doing that exact thing. Those of you who write things down, know just how important this activity is – and more importantly, that it works!
Here are some benefits to using a personalized planner for organization.
Increased Productivity
We’ve already mentioned that when we write things down on paper, it’s as if we are doing that very thing in our minds. So – when you write down your tasks, errands, appointments and reminders, we are far less likely to forget about them and much more likely to accomplish everything we write down.
Decreased Stress Levels
Writing things down decreases stress and anxiety levels. If your day ahead feels overwhelming, writing your to do lists down relieves those overwhelming feelings and allows you to focus on one task at a time. Writing things down also provides prospective. Tasks and responsibilities that seem stressful, when written down become manageable and you feel more able to tackle them.
Photo by Alexa Williams on Unsplash
Increased Motivation
The beauty of having a paper planner rather than a digital planner is that you can utilize your own creativity when arranging tasks and responsibilities. Write down your favourite motivational quotes to help keep you in good spirits. Use colour and bold letters for those items you really want to remember and highlight. Make it fun! The more visually appealing your notes are, the more fun you will have with it, and the more likely you are to remember what you’ve written.
No Missed Appointments
If you’ve ever missed an appointment simply due to lack of planning, or even better – accidentally double-booked yourself – writing every appointment in your paper calendar will ensure you remember your appointments and keep them. You will feel more focused, organized and in charge of your day, rather than your day running you.
There are many ways to stay organized using an organizational planner system. Once you discover your best methods, you will find yourself more relaxed – knowing that your general everyday tasks are not forgotten – but in beautiful display. If you’re not accustomed to the benefits of a paper planner, we invite you to give it a try. Buy some pretty new pens or markers along with your planner and have fun with it. Keep it simple. We’d love to hear about your planning systems. Feel free to leave us a comment here or visit us on our Facebook page with pics of your planners!
How to Organize Your Professional Life
in Professional Organizer, UncategorizedOur homes are not the only place where organization can be of value. As workers and professionals, we have deadlines, projects and work during the week. It is challenging to organize your professional life with so many priorities, meetings and commitments. It is a reality that if your professional life is disorganized, it might be suffering. We’d like to introduce you to various tools that can put the spark back in your professional work life. These are some useful tools that have helped us to stay organized both in personal and professional life.
Evernote
This program allows you to keep track of one to one notes and to keep ideas you want to research and pursue. The best part, is the ability to search the topics and the keywords in the notes. The search function in this application alone sets a standard of the organization tool. Another feature of importance is the ability to organize the notes and tag them with useful keywords for search reference.
ColorNote
We have enjoyed making to-do-lists to satisfy our tasks. With the use of smartphones on the increase, we use the ColorNote app to organize our notes and create perfect to-do-lists on the go. With the app, it is easy to set up alerts, and reminders for each task – otherwise we may forget.
Calendar
You may use Gmail or outlook for your calendar needs. Digital calendars are great ways to help you stay organized. The time blocking tool on the schedule is a valuable tool to perform specific tasks. Research has shown that your are more likely to complete a task when it has been scheduled on your calendar.
Unrol.me
If you’re like me, you have an enormous email inbox full of subscriptions. It’s super stressful to open up your computer each morning to find an overwhelming amount of emails to tend to – most of which are not important. Unrol.me scans your inbox to provide a list of all your subscriptions. From this list you can then decide which to unsubscribe from and which to keep.
LastPass
Gone are the days of needing to create and remember all your passwords. Who uses the same password for everything? To give yourself more password variation with added security consider using a password manager such as Lastpass. Now you can relax in the knowing that the app is remembering all your passwords.
Exercise + Self Care
This may seem like an odd item to list – but exercise is a great way to clear your mind and get focused. Step away from your desk and go for a quick walk – grab a glass of water while you’re at it. Taking a few minutes away from the task can prepare you mentally and physically to come back more energized and overall more organized. You will be refreshed, renewed and ready to get on top of the to-do-lists.
In our professional lives we are painfully aware that time is of the essence. Unfortunately, we cannot add hours to our days but by implementing some tools and applications today, we can become more organized and save ourselves time tomorrow. Give us a call if you need some extra support or advice on how to stay more organized in your professional life!
Reasons to Hire a Professional Organizer When Moving
in Move Organizing, UncategorizedThe average person will likely move up to 10 times in their lifetime. Shocking – I know! The mindset of a move creates an enormous amount of stress – even if the move is a positive one. Planning and organizing a move requires extra energy and time that we may not have in our already busy lives. Searching for our new home, arranging movers, turning services on or off, packing and unpacking. These become extra projects to manage during our non-working hours. A professional organizer can offer support from logistics to action-plans. There are many reasons to hire a professional organizer prior to moving but we will share just a few with you here.
Organization
Professional Organizers often get called upon to assist with the task of getting organized prior to and during a move. They can assist with tasks such as providing a packing strategy, helping you decide which items to take and which to donate or toss. Juggling a variety of moving tasks isn’t easy. However, with the right organizational ‘know-how’, it can be done.
Unpacking
Let’s not underestimate how expensive a move can become. There’s time taken off work, money spent on moving trucks or support, not to mention eating out costs because your kitchen is in disarray! If you hire a professional organizer for just one thing – let them help you unpack and organize your kitchen in your new home. If you’ve ever moved before, you know all too well how much time it takes just to un-pack and organize this one highly-valued room! Let the professionals tackle the load of unpacking while you get some work done, go grocery shopping, or better yet – take a nap!
While you’re settling into that new kitchen, remember the trucks hauling all those boxes face their own maze of responsibilities. Movers and logistics teams juggle tight schedules, fragile items, and long miles, and any unexpected bump in the road can send expenses soaring. Midway through planning, many companies factor in Cargo insurance cost to protect what they’re transporting, ensuring every dish, appliance, and cherished household item arrives safely. It’s one more layer of peace of mind so you can focus on making your new space feel like home while the pros handle the heavy lifting.
Downsize, Donate or Ditch
Professional Organizers can help you decide what to do with all of your belongings prior to the move. There will be items you want to move and items you’re unsure what to do with. An organizer will help you decide whether or not to donate items and will even have suggestions on where to donate your items. They can advise you to throw out items with no value and they’ll help you decide which items to take and help you sort, pack and label by room to make for an easy transition when unpacking.
Moving is considered one of the five most stressful events in life. We at ClutterBGone’s don’t want you to go it alone. Our Professional Organizing team specializes in making all aspects of your move as stress-free as possible. Call us today for a free consultation.
Who Would Hire a Professional Organizer?
in Professional OrganizerWhen it comes to organizing your home or space, it can be hard and overwhelming for anyone to know where to begin. How do you make your space work for you and your family? Many every day stresses get in the way of making your home-organizing a priority, and so the overwhelm continues.
Professional Organizers do more than just organize your spaces and put items into labelled bins for you. They are trained specialists who help people create order where it is lacking in their lives. They can help you make long-term improvements and keep disorder at bay.
Here are just a few reasons why someone might hire a Professional Organizer, and some various ways in which they can help.
When Time Is Lacking
You know that a well-organized environment is important for your overall well-being, but you’re stretched much too thin. Whether it be with driving your kids to sports events or your work schedule – hiring a professional organizer might just be the solution for you. Maybe you commute to work and by the time you get home, there’s just little time to do the things that warrant your attention such as making dinner and helping the kids with their homework. You don’t want to be spending those few hours at home with your family organizing your home.
Work From Home Office
You work from a home office, putting in long hours and the last thing you want to do at the end of your day is organize your paperwork and files. Hiring a professional organizer can take a mound of stress off your shoulders and tackle the office organizing for you.
You Don’t Know Where To Start
Decluttering and organizing is one of the most challenging and time-consuming things a homeowner has to do from time to time. If you feel you need to declutter and you have no idea where to begin, a quick consultation with a professional organizer may help a lot. The organizer will provide ideas and processes that will kick start your decluttering journey. And, of course they are also available to take on the task of decluttering and organizing for you all together if you find you just want to have someone else manage it for you.
New Baby On The Way
It goes unnoticed sometimes just how much time, effort and not to mention expense goes into planning for a new baby’s arrival. Oftentimes people over-spend on items they may never need, causing overwhelm and clutter in an area that requires peace and tranquility. A professional organizer can suggest items for the baby’s room, layouts that work and are functional and even help set up the room to ensure a peaceful transition for everyone involved, including the baby!
As we mentioned above, Professional Organizers do so much more than just put your items into categorized piles. We all lead very busy lives – we need to give ourselves a space that we can come home to and feel a little less stressed, and a whole lot more relaxed. We have professionals help us with so many other areas of our lives like our taxes, tutors for our kids, barbers… why not consider the help of a professional organizer to help you get your home organized. Contact ClutterBGone for a no-obligation, complimentary consultation.
5 Downsizing Tips for Seniors
in DownsizingDownsizing is an emotional challenge for some seniors while to others, it’s a joy – it all depends on preparation. Most seniors enjoy more free time by moving to a smaller house that requires less upkeep. These are the seniors who are open to the idea of downsizing. Before the time comes, it’s important for seniors to sit and discuss downsizing options with their family or friends. Here are a few downsizing tips for seniors:
Downsizing Tip 1: Plan ahead
Planning is the essential component of downsizing for seniors. The conversation around downsizing should start as early as possible. Let the senior know you respect their freedom of choice. Discuss with them why they should consider moving, where they will be moving to and the moving budget. Compare the costs of moving to the new space and all the pros of the new space compared to the current space.
Downsizing Tip 2: Start small
Start sorting out things as early as possible and start with the smaller rooms. Sort all the things you want to get rid of room by room. Starting with the smaller rooms first may be less overwhelming than diving into the bigger ones first.
For this, start early and start getting rid of things one by one. You can start donating what you don’t need or selling them as early as the decision to move is made.
Downsizing Tip 3: Eliminate the rooms absent in the new home
Before you even start donating things, make sure you eliminate the things in the rooms that you don’t have in the new house. Some of these rooms house important items that you just can’t get rid of. Relocate these to other rooms in the new space and donate, sell, or toss the others you don’t need.
Downsizing Tip 4: Declutter
When it comes to moving, getting rid of what you don’t use isn’t an option. Make two piles, the yes and no piles – but no ‘maybes’. Otherwise, you will find yourself with a maybe pile that is bigger than the other two. Take a good look at every item in the house and if it’s not something you use regularly, that’s a no and if you use it regularly, it’s a yes.
Downsizing Tip 5: Consider legacy gifts
Seniors have a hard time letting go of some things. There will be items that the senior can’t or won’t let go of, and that’s alright. The antiques and other sentimental items don’t have to go as long as they don’t impede the move. Let the senior decide on what to do with the sentimental items that won’t fit in the new home. Most prefer giving these special items to family as a sign of gratitude. Just always ensure that they know they have a voice in the move.
Downsizing for seniors isn’t easy but if you have a plan and clear communication, moving can be a smooth and peaceful transition. Remember not to force anything, simply suggest and wait for them to make a choice.
If ClutterBGone can be of any assistance in your transition process, reach out to us here! Sometimes just a little extra support and guidance is all you need.
How to Talk to Your Elderly Parents About Downsizing
in Downsizing, UncategorizedTalking to your elderly parents about downsizing is one of the most challenging things. For the talk to yield positive fruits, you have to be cautious and steer the conversation in a subtle manner. The move might seem practical for the senior, but the thought of moving can provoke strong emotions. As the responsible party, you have to make the senior understand why this is in their best interest and why it has to be done which is challenging but not impossible.
Start the discussion as early as possible
How do your parents or the seniors in your life imagine their future? Before the move is immediately necessary, begin talking to them about other options to make the transition easier. Make sure you discuss the topic multiple times and show them the pros and not the cons of moving. This way, arriving at a decision you are both comfortable with is easier. Bring up a neighbour or an old friend who has downsized and talk to the senior about the advantages of the move.
Let the senior stay in control
Before you can figure out what to tell your elderly parents, listen to them first. Downsizing is emotional as it makes the seniors feel like they are losing control over their lives. State one fact before anything else that the decision to downsize is ultimately theirs and you are here to provide support and make suggestions. Never impose but instead, ask gentle questions about the current living situation and let them know how downsizing can help them improve and live a happier life.
Air your concerns
Most seniors respond best if you are open and honest. Instead of imposing, making choices, or controlling them, share your worries about their living conditions. Most of our elderly parents don’t like it when their children worry so much about them. For this reason, they won’t be defensive or feel upset if you express your fears and the desire for them to be safe and happy.
Downsizing is a sensitive topic for the elderly and it needs a subtle approach. Make plans with your parents if you want a smooth transition and figure out their idea of downsizing. Get to understand what is sensitive about it and how to best approach that. Elderly parents feel attached to their homes and that bond can be hard to break. Do it bit by bit and in a considerate manner and let the elderly parent feel in control at all times. Let them feel their decision is respected and appreciated.
If at any time you need a little extra help and support, we are just a call away to help with all your downsizing needs!
A Downsizing Checklist for Caregivers
in DownsizingMoving is a challenge for everyone and is one of the high-stress life events in life. It becomes tougher when you are a caregiver and have to move a senior. Most people find themselves in a crisis where you have to move the senior in a limited amount of time. Planning time is minimal, and you need to have everything in order before making a move. Here is a downsizing checklist for caregivers.
Plan Ahead
This applies if you have time, and the senior is willing to move as this sometimes becomes a challenge and eats into the available time. The move is now imminent, and there is no other option. Start decluttering as early as possible. Take everything into consideration and determine what to give away, sell, or throw away. Clean the house and organize in stages and make sure to measure the furniture. You need to know if the furniture fits the downsized house you are moving into. Set a moving date and check with family and friends for a moving company recommendation.
Start Packing
You now have what is moving with your senior and what goes away. Organize everything you have in boxes and assign different boxes for essential items to avoid confusion. It also helps in knowing what goes to which room and so forth.
Identify the critical and fragile items and separate them from the rest and make sure their boxes are well marked as FRAGILE, so the movers handle the boxes with care. If packing is posing a challenge, get family or friends to help.
Moving
You know what is going and what goes away, so you have a good idea of the transport you need. If you are using friends or family members, communicate with them. Also, make sure you have all the necessary gear and muscle to help you move.
If you are using a moving company, the contracts should be in order and in writing too.
Settling In
When downsizing for caregivers, the challenge posed to the caregiver is helping the older person settle in. You have moved in, and the unpacking starts. After you are done, it’s up to the caregiver to update the senior’s addresses in all relevant institutions. Don’t leave the senior assuming all is well; check in regularly after the move and make sure they are happy and thriving in the new community.
The reason why your seniors need a smaller home is not as important as their safety and happiness. Take comfort in knowing the senior is cared for and happy after the move. If ever you need a little extra support in the downsizing process, don’t hesitate to reach out!