Kids Closet Before & After

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Now that my children are grown its such a pleasure when I get the opportunity to work with clients and their children.

This child’s closet had become unmanageable and filled with clothes and toys she had outgrown and no longer needed.

The rules are different when it comes to working with children.

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These are few tips to make clearing the clutter with kids a little easier.

– Buy children’s hangers for children’s clothes. The right hangers give you a clean uniformed look.

– Have realistic expectations. Adults have a hard time purging and organizing so you cannot expect children to have the same attention span.

-Clear most of the cutter before they join you to help. If there is too much to do they will get overwhelmed and irritated and nothing will get done and you will be back at square one.

-Keep time in mind. Kids have a limit and if you push it you are setting yourself up for a melt down. Set a timer and make a game out of it.

-Make sure to utilize the space underneath the hanging clothes. Children’s clothes are smaller and if you are in need of more drawer space this is the perfect place to add. These drawers are my favorite for any closet.

-Toys are a task best done by parents. A child can fixate on one toy and and their reasoning on why they cannot get rid of it and nothing gets accomplished. If you want to teach them about donating to children who are less fortunate have them go through one toy basket or bin but do not expect them to purge a whole playroom.

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Kids like neat and organized spaces they just need help getting there. Once the space is organized the real lesson to be taught is keeping it that way.

Most children are so excited when I am done and they really do want to keep it organized. It is a less stressful environment and a place they now enjoy.

My little client did an amazing job clearing the clutter in her closet and in her drawers. She new exactly what she wanted to keep and what she wanted to donate.

I think I have a future organizer on the horizon.

Clear The Clutter Video Series…Part 1

I am so excited to share with you my first video on “Clearing The Clutter”. Laura Morey from Simple Solutions Diva has partnered with me in this step by step video series.

Our first project was to tackle Laura’s media/craft cabinet. This cabinet as she described had become her “anxiety closet”.

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Although it may look like a small area I knew it would not be an easy task. Whenever you ask people to get rid of things it causes an anxiety they did not realize existed.

To start this project we talked about how she wanted to use the space when were done. A place to store arts & crafts, media supplies, workout equipment or all of the above. Defining the space is an essential part of the process.

The next step was to REMOVE EVERYTHING from the cabinet and I do mean EVERYTHING! It is the only way to make sure you keep and organize ONLY what you need and will use.

As you will see in this series Laura was ready to tackle this project but half way through she thought what have I gotten myself into? Which is a common response. Emotions were attached to everything including arts supplies.

The criteria for what goes are the things you no longer need, want or use.

Stay tuned for more in this series with Laura Morey and myself as we motivate and inspire you to Clear The Clutter in your home.

 

 

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Get Rid Of The Guilt Attached To Clutter

CLUTTER AND GUILTI am asked all the time how to get rid of the guilt attached to clutter.

I wish I had the magic answer but it is about retraining your thoughts and the way you feel about the things you own.

If you keep telling yourself the same story… I don’t like how much space these things are taking up in my home but I inherited them from family so I can’t get rid of them then that is how you will continue to think and feel about the clutter in your home.

On the other hand if you say to yourself I’m done living this way. I am going to donate these things to someone who will use and appreciate them and make use of this space for myself then and only then will you start living life for you, not someone else.

Don’t let your clutter hold you hostage. Free yourself from the guilt that you have to the things you no longer want, need or love.

You will never regret clearing the clutter but you will regret living with it.

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