The systems would be created to accommodate their lifestyle and ideas would be introduced with the goal of being able to return to baseline with no more than a few minutes of their time each day. Home organizing systems are great, but maintenance of those systems is key to get from clutter to calm.

Decluttering and downsizing are words that you have probably heard countless times. It has practically become a national pastime to engage in one or both activities these days. Although they are often used interchangeably, there are subtle differences between the two and each speaks to its own purpose.

Let me first say this post begins with a somewhat shameless plug. Rightsize Today to Create Your Best Life Tomorrow, by Marni Jameson recently came out, and I am in it. I met Marni a few years back when she contacted me as a professional resource while working on another piece of writing. The subject matter could not have been timelier for me, as my personal and professional lives collided.

For professional organizers, the entire month of January is practically a national holiday. It’s GO Month! In other words, it is Get Organized Month. GO Month is an initiative of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals (NAPO) that celebrates how NAPO members (like me!) improve the lives of their clients by helping them create environments that support productivity, general health and well-being. 

If you are the type of person who has it all together by this point in the holiday season, skip ahead to the merry-making. For the rest of us, keep reading.

‘You should get rid of that’. In the case of downsizing and decluttering, how do we get out of the way of what we should keep or get rid of? Applying the principles of preference, passion, and priority can help. It’s another tool in the decluttering and downsizing toolbox that helps steer our decision-making toward solutions that are meaningful and intentional.

When the calendar turns the page into September, summer vacations become precious memories, and the school year begins anew. The lazy, hazy days of summer with their rising temperatures are behind us, and we begin to feel the crisp air of fall taking their place. It’s sweater weather.

Sweater Weather, SNL

Books are a precious commodity for many reasons. It is said that to look at the books in a person’s home is to look into a person’s soul. Maybe so. The titles on our bookshelves show us and others what it is we’re interested in, for learning and for fun. Books connect us with the world, opening our minds to possibilities we may not have known existed.

Another year of learning and growing is in the rear-view mirror. The kiddos have been bringing home worksheets, reports, artwork, event flyers and more all year long, evidence of a jam-packed academic year. But wait there’s more!

As I snipped and chopped my way from one shrub and plant to the next, I continued to feel a sense of freedom and relief. I felt the plants were breathing better now that space was created around them.