It’s Valentine’s day and we thought we would share this quote from a recent article in ClosetsDaily.com. Writer Denise Butchko states, “A recent poll featured on The Nate Berkus Show said that when people were asked which they like more – cleaning their closet or having sex – 31% said they preferred cleaning their closet.”

My reaction? WOW! I guess I’m in the right business! As an organizer and closet designer I see the “happiness” a clutter free space can bring clients. I am often surprised at the way clients work very hard for several hours while we are there and seem to always have more energy at the end of a session then when they started. But I have yet to have a client light up a cigarette when they leave!

Follow this link to find the full article titled Clean Your Closet or have Sex? via ClosetsDaily.com.

So what would YOU rather do?

(Photo credit: ClosetsDaily.com)

Yesterday I was in at a local coffee shop and a previous client walked in. The conversation that followed was too funny not to share!

We exchanged “How are you’s?” then he proceeded to tell me that he has a new word in his household and it was to “McKee” something. He asked if I knew what that might mean and I quickly replied with “Well it must mean to make something really awesome right?”

This is when he proceeded to tell me that when a junk drawer or nightstand drawer starts to get cluttered and messy he pulls a “McKee”. That means it’s time to dump the drawer into the middle of the floor and make decisions about the contents. He said, “You either keep them and find a home for it or toss them. To “McKee” something!”

I couldn’t agree more!

• They have decided that I am PERFECT and will think they are terrible.
• They have decided that their space is the worst space I have ever seen.
• Sometimes they see it as impossible or hopeless
• They think that they or the people in their lives will be traumatized by letting go of certain items.

But often what is trally happening is that i have seen spaces that are in worse shape and all I am really looking at is the person, not the stuff.  I am trying to understand how they want to live in the space and what might be getting in their way.  Often letting go brings energy and a sense of empowerment and control to everyone involved.

Be careful if you tend to think in worse case scenarios.  This highly emotive thinking can get in the way of clear decision making and making decisions is the key to processing the things that are in your life.  Building your decision making muscles and confidence will help you keep a healthy perspective as you face challenges.

Looking back, I was building a bad day. If I had changed my perspective, I may not have had categorized the string of events that followed as part of my “bad day” and I may have handled them with a more positive attitude. Shift in thinking are so powerful. Often when people are disorganized, they have “strings of events” that turn south. Try not to wallow in it. Stop and make a mental shift and see how you can get on with a good day!

If this doesn’t help and you find that this is a life-long problem it is time to face it and use tools to set yourself up for success. I often recommend electronic calendars/organizers to clients who suffer with these time challenges. Having these features incorporated into a smartphone really helps. First of all, it is a fact that people learn to use their phones! The more features that are integrated into a phone the more these tools can help. They also sync with your computer, so that if you lose the handheld phone, the data is protected.

Using alarms to keep you on track really helps.  It may feel silly at first, but if it works do it!  When transitions are the problem set alarms that require you to actually get up to turn them off.  Moving out of your space is a big component to get you up and able to transition to the next step.  Setting up a reminder rich environment with minimal distractions is the key.  Accepting this trait to be part of how your brain works and putting systems in place will empower you to start making the changes you need to succeed.

The easiest way to do it is to simply start your daily to do list with the word FUN and don’t write another think until you fill in something beside that word that is fun! It works! Either you will add more fun to your life, or you will notice that you are already doing fun things and give yourself a pat on the back!

As an organizer, I run into moment that are emotionally charged like that with my clients and WE did not see it coming. All of a sudden a pair of Grandmother’s boots has us in tears. It is hard to be ready for that, but it sure is good to be with someone when you go through it! If getting rid of things was easy, people would just do it. Sometimes sessions are just a journey. Sometimes clients need to just tell me something little about the item before they can let it go. If these little ceremonies help you move forward-let it happen. The result will be a more positive feeling about the process.

I guess my unending optimism got the best of me! I have supplies, batteries, extra cash, a home safe but it’s the little things you forget. I had to appear on KDKA’s Pittsburgh TODAY Live, this morning and when the lights went out—so did any chance of getting my hair to look nice! For all my good planning and preperation for the segment, it did not occur to me that I would wake up with bed head and be powerless to do a thing about it! Well at least this short fall did not involve any real danger and I learned a lesson in how those little things make a difference! My heart goes out to all those folks in Houston!

PS Patrick…this MOBILE blog is for you!