Are you ready for summer vacations?

I love to help my clients put together some go to outfits ahead of time for travel; I find that this makes packing for a trip much easier!

Take inventory of your closet and wardrobe when the seasons change, it will help you to avoid any last minute panic. Don’t run out shopping right before a trip, create some outfits you love ahead of time. Assess your closet and make a list of any pieces you are missing. When you have a list of what you truly need, you’ll be prepared and shop more intentionally in the future.

I recently made this outfit for a client and it just feels like a day at the beach to me. Throw on some sandals and you are ready to go to lunch or dinner or a day of sightseeing.

 

A little off topic…Meet William

William

This may be a little off topic but I couldn’t resist.  This is not exactly a home improvement  or organizing project but this cute face does add a certain coziness to our house.

Meet William, our shihchon, a mix of a Bichon Frise and Shihtzu.  We got him when he was 8 weeks old and not even 3 pounds.  He is almost 12 weeks now.  He is cute as a button and light as a feather.  But 100% puppy!

The breeder told us that he was the most mild in his litter.  Which I took to mean the calmest so I can’t imagine what his brothers and sisters are like!

We got through a few sleepless nights.  By “we” I mean me, while my husband slept like a baby.
Of course, if you were suddenly pulled away from your mom and all your siblings you might be a cry baby too.  The way they all pile on top of each other to sleep must be snuggly and warm.

We did try a “Snuggle Puppy” which was basically a very overpriced stuffed dog with a pouch to insert a hot pack and a heart that you put batteries in.  I was super excited that William was going to love it and think that it was one of his litter mates.  When I mentioned it to my uncle he laughed out loud and said good luck with that.  Now I know why.   I think even at 8 weeks William was smarter than we gave him credit for.  He was not fooled by this imposter snuggle puppy.  And I do have to say the beating heart was like something out of Edgar Allan Poe.  If someone put me in a crate with a loud beating heart I think I would be freaked out too.

We got past the first week and now he is a good little sleeper and getting more and more independent by the day.  He really loves the outside and is quite a fast runner.  Since we are on almost 8 acres we decided he has to be on a leash.  He is certainly light enough to be carried off by a hawk and most of the wild animals are bigger than he is!  So we keep him close just to be safe.

Anyway, I had to show off his cute face while he’s still so little…

 

 

 

William 008

Procrastination

Procrastination, oh what an appropriate topic for someone who has not contributed to her blog in quite some time!  We have all heard the term procrastination and many of us are masters at practicing it.

Recently while working with a client who has been in the field of social work for around 10 years we came across an interesting bit of reading on procrastination.  I thought I would share some of the terms that are associated with this mindset.  I really feel like a lot of this kind of thinking is what makes some of you discouraged during the organizing process.  We are always the hardest on ourselves!

Hopelessness-An activity seems pointless because you are depressed and frozen in the present moment.  You forget entirely that you have ever felt better and don’t think you could feel positive again.

Helplessness-you can’t do anything to make yourself feel better because you are convinced your moods are beyond your control.

Overwhelming Yourself-You magnify a task to the degree that it seems impossible to tackle.  You assume you have to take on the whole task instead of breaking it into smaller units.

Self-labeling- The more you procrastinate, the more you condemn yourself as inferior.  You label yourself as lazy.

Perfectionism-You defeat yourself with unrealistic expectations and super high standards.

Don’t let these road blocks prevent you from accomplishing your goals.  One step at a time!

Decision Making

   My experience working with clients over the years has opened my eyes to one very crucial thing “decision making”.  Decision Making is a vital part of the organizing process.  When a client asks me how long a project will take I always tell them that there are multiple factors we have to consider.  One of these factors being their ability to make decisions on items and how fast these decisions are made.  The decision to put an item in a certain spot or category, the decision to throw something away or donate to charity or the decision to keep something that has value and importance. 

I remember a year or so ago when I was out shopping at Target, I started coming down with a terrible migraine headache.  I remember standing in the aisle trying to choose between 2 very similar decorative items-I think only different in color or pattern.  Normally, I am very decisive and this would have been no big deal.  But I found myself standing there staring at the items with my head throbbing unable to make a simple decision.  And all I could think was this is so ridiculous.

Think back to when you have been sick or had a lot on your mind and found everyday tasks more difficult.
When I try to put myself in someone elses shoes and understand their behavior I think “What if every decision I made was excruciating and stressful?”  What if the simple process of decision making made me sick and anxious?  If I could not decide whether or not to throw an item away or where the best spot to store it was then where would the item end up?

Eventually I would end up surrounded by layers of things that have all been acquired because no decision was made except the initial decision to bring the item in my house.  So next time you think I will decide about that later, think again!  Too many delayed decisions can result in a lot of unwanted clutter.