Clutter Rescue

How are you today?  Are you feeling busy or balanced? Yesterday I blogged about this week’s series of posts which look at Clutter Rescue’s new definition of BUSY.  Head on over now and read it if you haven’t had a chance. With our new definition of BUSY, B = Balanced. Balanced in your time, yourself, your family, your work (paid and unpaid – because all Mums work). Balance that supports and encourages you to reach your goals. When focussing on B = Balance there are two traits of an Organised Mum.  These traits, if developed through reflection, a positive attitude, and the decision to change, will see you move toward a more balanced life. Traits of an Organised Mum #1 – Balancing Home and Work I know, I know.  Experts and non-experts alike have harped on about work/life balance for so long that it’s ridiculous.  No one seems to have come up with an answer to the problem.  So the question could be – Is there answer? We think so. But the problem is that it will take a mind shift from you, a change of thinking, a mindset which I know you can have – if you decide to make it. Picture a set of old fashioned scales.  Ones where there are trays on either side, with an arm suspended across the top and the stand in the middle to hold the scales on a flat surface.  When the trays are empty they sit perfectly straight.  If you were to put, say, a cup of flour on the left hand side and leave the right hand side empty, the left hand side would drop, the right would go up, and the scales would be unbalanced. Using the same set of scales picture this. Work is on one side of the scales and Home is on the other.  If you were to remove Work, Home would go down, and the scales would be completely unbalanced.  The same would happen if you left Work on and removed Home. But if you were to clear the scales, add a little bit of Work, then a little bit of Home, then a little more of each, you would be able to keep the scales in balance.  Yes there would be times when one weighed more than the other – but if you make the decision to swing the scales back the other way you would be able to rebalance them. And that’s the learning from this trait of an Organised Mum.  IF you make the decision to rebalance your life THEN it will happen. It’s a choice only you can make. Traits of an Organised Mum #2 – Getting Things Done As busy Mums we have a lot to do.  Research on forbes.com showed that if a mother was working in a paid job, doing the same kinds of tasks, she would be paid close to $116 000 a year.  I am not sure if this reflects the fact that mothers are on duty 24 hours a day!! So how do we get everything done that we need to?  And how do we find time to do everything we need to when our time seems so limited? There are a few concepts to consider: Learn to focus on what’s important.  This may change at any given moment in a busy household and that’s fine, but if you were to look at your day/week/month are there things you are doing that aren’t that important? Enlist help.  I’m not a big fan of washing up or ironing but I do them because on the scale of annoying things to do they’re not that big.  But I do outsource a number of business tasks which I know other people are better at and I do have a cleaner come once a fortnight.  Mr 6 and Hubby have jobs they do around the house which helps as well – and by having Mr 6 do age appropriate jobs we are bringing up a child who will hopefully grow up to be a well adjusted adult.  Work out where you can enlist help, what tasks you need help with and make it happen so you can focus on what’s important in your life. Avoid perfectionism.  This is a real toughie for some people.  Perfectionism can really prevent you from living your best life.  I don’t want that for you.  I want you to live a full, abundant life, one where you are happy and have time to do what’s most important to you.  If [...]

If I was to run into you in the street and asked how you were, what would your answer be? I’m going to take a punt that you would say “Busy”. My Hubby is often asked “How have you been?  Busy?”.  This has a lot to do with the industry he is in as it is seen as a sign of good business in the corporate world if you are ‘busy’. I found that Mums at school were also saying they were ‘busy’ when asked how they were.  I am not saying they weren’t busy – because let’s face it, we always are! – but somehow it wasn’t sitting well with me.  The connotations were negative and people were starting to feel sorry for each other depending on where they fell on the ‘busy’ scale. I see ‘busy’ as being a negative in our lives.  The concept of ‘busy’ is invading every part of our being, preventing us from having fun, stopping us from connecting with our inner child and spending time doing those things we love. That’s it!  No more. We’ve come up with a new definition of BUSY.  One which is positive and works toward supporting busy women. (Yes, I do know I said ‘busy women’ in this sentence.  I’m not saying we aren’t busy – I just want to help you look at BUSY from a different angle – one that’s not so negative.) So what is our new definition? Each day this week I will blog about each aspect of our new definition of BUSY.  Interlinked with our new definition are eight traits of an Organised Mum.  Each post will dissect B-U-S-Y, share with you the relevant traits of each one, and give you direction to move toward a new concept of BUSY. I hope you enjoy the journey! Until next time happy organising!  

Ruminations of a BUSY to Balanced Mum Have you seen our new definition of BUSY?  The second letter – U – refers to being Uncluttered, both in your mind, space and time. Doing what I “do” for a job, I’m pretty organised in my space.  Things get rotated constantly in our home.  If they don’t fit they get donated.  If they’re broken they go.  If I’ve bought a replacement the other one goes.  It also helps that we moved house six months ago from a small three bedroom home to a two storey home.  We haven’t “filled” every nook and cranny – and probably never will (or that’s my plan at least!). And doing what I “do” for a job, I’m pretty organised in my time.  It helps that I run my own business (though that can add to the amount of time I choose to work!) but like most Mums I’m restricted to school hours.  I do all the drop offs and most pickups of Mr 6 (we car pool two afternoons a week) and try not to work into the night (as I’m brain dead by then!!) – so 9am to 2.30pm is quality work time for me! But the other aspect of being uncluttered – in my mind – well, I’ll happily admit I’m not so good at that! My problem is that I’m a thinker.  A pure, unadulterated thinker who is always coming up with ideas, organising everything at home as well as within my business and following through with EVERYTHING! If I decide I need a new DIY course, I develop the strategy and write it (I do love that though!). If Mr 6 decides he’d like to sign up for soccer this term, I’m the one that fills out the form, makes the payment and takes him to training. If Hubby and I decide we are going to renovate something, I do all the initial contacting of trades people, scheduling of meetings, and project manage it from start to finish. But you know what all this means don’t you?  A tired head – and more often a tired body and brain.  One that over thinks things (I’m a bit of a worrier but I’m trying to deal with that through daily mediation).  I often get to the end of the day exhausted. Is this really a problem? Absolutely!!!  My space and time are organised and decluttered – so that’s two ticks! – but, yes, I need to deal with my head clutter otherwise I’m going to blow a gasket! So what am I going to do about it? Think! LOL – just kidding!  I need to do the opposite of ‘think’ and ‘not think’.  I need to: Do lots of meditation – something I’d like to do more often. Take myself off for a walk – for 30 minutes a day.  Regularly. Schedule a bit of pampering every now and then.  A facial once every two months would be great. Eat more protein.  This includes breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Because my body is asking for it. Get lots of sleep.  I’m a nine hour a night girl – and if I don’t get it I feel like I’m running on empty. Have fun time with Hubby and Mr 6.  We’re often so busy we forget to have it.  Ridiculous I know. Have fun time just with Hubby.  A picnic, date night, movie night – whatever.  We used to schedule it regularly when Mr 6 was much younger.  Why not now? Have fun time with my girlfriends.  On our own.  Without children and partners. That’s it – I think.  These are things I know will recharge my battery, help me reduce my mind clutter – and give me the energy and focus to move in the right direction.   What do you think?  These ideas are individual to me but what about you?  What do you need to become more uncluttered?   Until next time, happy organising!      

I love my child more than life itself – but geez!  Sometimes I wonder where he came from! Our conversation this morning went something like this: Mr 6: “Mummy, can I feel your tummy?” Me: “No. Why do you need to do that?” Mr 6: “Because it’s flabby and I want to.” Great.  My body hasn’t been my own since I fell pregnant with a 9lb 7oz (4.25 kg) baby – and he still wants a piece of me! I reminded my adorable Mr 6 that he is the reason that my tummy is flabby and before him it was as flat as a pancake! Anyone who knows me knows that I could be blown over in a strong wind.  I am what my Grandmother’s generation would call “slight”.  Even though I weigh about 54 kilograms dripping wet the universe was generous on the day they gave out babies and decided to give me a MASSIVE baby – and you know what?  With that comes a little flabby tummy! My flabby tummy has absolutely nothing to do with ‘stuff’ clutter – but it has a lot to do with my ‘head’ clutter.  And that’s my problem.  I’m an over-thinker.  It’s where all my problems start and, maybe, if I’m lucky, finish sometime between now and Christmas next year! Do you know what I did this morning after Mr 6′s comment?  I put on my exercise clothes, dropped Mr 6 with his lovely round gorgeous tummy at school and went walking!  Only for 30 minutes.  It may have not made a huge difference to my mid-section but it certainly helped with my head clutter that’s for sure! And for the record – I had already planned on going for a walk – but Mr 6′s comments gave me extra incentive! So how about you?  Is it your head clutter – or clutter put there by well meaning children!!! – your problem? Until next time, happy organising!  

Yesterday my Hubby bought home the BMag, a lifestyle magazine that comes out weekly in Brisbane.  It’s one of those magazines that lives beside your bed to flick through at night.  It has some great articles and even cooler fashion! The photo on the front of the magazine was quite distressing – normally something that would put me off opening it.  But I persevered – and am glad I did! There was a great article in it by Spencer Howson titled Hair’s to the memories.  In it Spencer talks about receiving a bundle of possessions from his Aunty Margaret from when he was a baby.  Amongst the collection of stuff was “an envelope full of (his) very own ginger baby curls from 1974″.  It was a great article, talking about all the stuff we decide to keep – or don’t keep.  Spencer mentions a lady who put her Sydney 2000 Olympic Games torch on the market because “it doesn’t mean anything to anyone” and another man who recommends when you move back into a home (after a renovation) that you only bring “half the things back into the house”.  (Love that idea!!) This article had me thinking.  What weird stuff do I have floating around my house that is likely to stay forever? Keen to know? Baby stuff from Mr 6.  I know most Mums have this kind of stuff, but quite recently I went through Mr 6′s memorabilia box (to cull some of it!) so it’s all still fresh in my mind!  We have hair from his first haircut (blondish, not ginger like Spencer’s) and I did have a few other odd things (like the pregnancy test – yucko!!) that just had to go! Hubby has his teddy from when he was a baby.  It was one of the only things that survived Darwin’s Cyclone Tracey (where his family lived at the time).  Being a survivor who’s had a tough life that teddy has to stay!  It’s currently shoved in the top of Mr 6′s wardrobe though.  Clearly Hubby doesn’t care too much about it. My old report cards.  My Mum gave these to me two or three years ago and they are HILARIOUS!!!  There is this theme in every single one of them, right from when I was five years old to when I finished in year 12.  It was “Helen could do better if she applied herself”.  At least I was consistent for 12 years of my life!!  I look forward to pulling them out when I’m 85 and seeing if I’ve stayed true to myself! Some really old stuff from my grandparents.  This includes an old singer sewing machine in a wooden cabinet and old gardening tools.  I’m not quite sure why we’re keeping the gardening tools – they’re ridiculously heavy and pretty useless now! – but the cabinet is gorgeous and will always be a part of our home.  At some stage it may get sent to a spare room and used for decoration, but at the moment it has pride of place in the entry way of our home. I think that’s it – not too weird really!  I’m not the sentimental type as I like to have the “memories” not necessarily the “stuff” – and at least my weird stuff isn’t taking up that much room! How about you?  Any weird stuff you just can’t get rid of? Until next time, happy organising!  

A newborn baby brings such joy to a household. But the stuff!!  Wow, the stuff they bring is amazing isn’t it?  It’s interesting how we’re born with nothing but clutter seems to build instantly!! In our Clutter Rescue 2012 Organising Survey a lovely lady asked for advice on getting and staying organised before and after bub is born, including how to organise their room. Like all good social sites, I put it out on Facebook to get some ideas from our followers.  These are their thoughts!                                                                                     Such great advice!  Thanks ladies! Just a few other tips I can give you – with my ‘organising’ hat on! Create zones in your baby’s room for specific tasks.  For example, one zone would be feeding, one changing, one sleeping, probably one for toys and books. In each zone look at what organising tools you need.  For example, do you need a basket to put nappies in or is there a shelf on your change table?  Where are you going to put nappy cream, etc in the changing zone?  Is there a shelf or ledge close by? Only store essential items in each zone.  Any extra items (for example, extra nappies, lotions, clothes) can be stored in the cupboard or under the cot until you need them. Rotate clothes constantly.  Babies grow SO quickly!  Once bub has grown out of his/her clothes wash and store them (or give them away). Shelves can be used right from birth through to teenage-hood.  If you need a shelf look for one that will change with all these life stages – great way to keep costs down. We’d love to hear your thoughts on other strategies that worked for you! Until next time, happy organising!    

I’m just like you – juggling everything that comes into my life, most times succeeding, sometimes just coping. Renovations, on the other hand, are a completely different matter! We’ve done a lot of renovating.  Five years of it in fact, with three separate projects – the outside of our home, the inside of our home (excluding the bathrooms and laundry) and then, inevitably, the bathrooms and laundry. We started the renovations when our now-Mr 6 was less than a year old (that was our first renovation – the outside of the house), then the inside (reno #2) and bathroom and laundry (reno #3)  from when our son was 2 to about 5 years of age.  Oh, and then we sold the house and moved out! That was a crazy five years of our life!  So how did we manage it all, and still stay sane? There’s no way to describe it other than to say it was difficult. Now, there’s difficult like driving a car with a broken little finger.  Or difficult like giving birth (high up there on the difficulty scale!).  Or difficult like having a stubborn wisdom tooth removed. But living in a house constantly being renovated with a young family is DIFF-I-CULT. Why am I harping on about this? In our Clutter Rescue 2012 Organising Survey a lovely lady asked us for tips on how to get organised at home when dealing with renovations. So just letting you know that I’ve been there – and I feel her pain! Renovating is tough.  Regardless of whether you’re living in the property while it is being renovated or offsite there is so much going on that it can be extremely hard to get – and stay – organised.  Let’s face it – living day-to-day is busy enough as it is let alone throwing renovations into the mix! So how did we stay on top of our organising game when we were renovating? 1. We had a project folder which held all of the renovation information.  This included quotes from suppliers, invoices from products we had bought, images of products we liked and wanted to include with the renovations. 2. We had a schedule outlining the length of time the renovations would take, the amount of money going out at any given time (to pay tradespeople or to buy products) and the contact details of each person related to the renovations. 3. We reduced our stuff.  At one stage we were living out of two bedrooms, one bathroom and the laundry which doubled as our kitchen.  All of our unnecessary belongings from the kitchen, office and spare room were packed away and only opened once the renovations were complete. 4. We cut down on our extra-curricular activities.  Some of this related to our budget but mostly it related to our time.  We knew we would be spending extra hours focussing on the renovations, cleaning the liveable spaces in our home so that we weren’t covered in dust, and working – and didn’t need to be running all over the place, spending more time and energy on things that weren’t that important.  (This isn’t to say you should cancel all the fun stuff you do – we just needed to cut down so as to cope during the renovation period.) 5. We shopped online.  The thought of a truck pulling up with my groceries gave me shivers of delight!  I hate grocery shopping at the best of times – and during the renovation it gave me a sense of relief that there was one less job I had to do. 6. We factored in “doing” time.  Time to drive around and look at four tile shops to find the tiles we wanted.  Time to phone the bank and deal with their processes.  Time to fit in a trip to the tap shop before picking up our son from childcare. 7. We gave ourselves a break.  This means we focused on the important stuff – like keeping the liveable space clean and making decisions we had to make straight away (not in two week’s time).  If we fell of the wagon because we forgot to do something (like order groceries and had to eat takeaway for two days) then we were fine wi[...]

Ruminations of a BUSY to Balanced Mum Have you seen our new definition of BUSY?  It’s kinda out there – but I really feel like I’m not the only one challenging the concept of ‘busy’ and whether ‘balance’ is an achievable reality. I’ve read a number of articles recently – all with the ‘busy’ or ‘balance’ theme.  Martha Beck’s article Making Time for Nothing was inspirational (you HAVE to read it – it gives you great insight into the importance of making time for nothing and suggestions on what you can do with any spare time you have – to make room for nothing).  In it Martha says: Generally speaking, a packed schedule is seen as the sign of a happenin’ life; empty time is for losers. We don’t say things like “That day won’t work for me, I’ve got a lot of empty time scheduled” or “Listen, Bob, I need to cancel. Some empty time just came up.” Part of the reason is our culture: According to the Western perspective, filling every moment with “value-added” activities is a sign of virtue and significance. Mia Freedman from Mamamia wrote a great article titled Not everyone wants work/life Balance.  Mia notes “Sometimes the pressure to be balanced can itself become a burden. I know what it’s like to feel overwhelmed – it’s my default state – but at certain times in your life, balance is an impossibility.” I tend to agree with her. Take the chaos of earlier this year for us.  Within a period of seven weeks we went to Fiji for a holiday, all got a tummy bug, came home to immediately put our house on the market, sold the house, moved house, put Mr 6 in hospital a week after the move to get his tonsils out and then returned nine days later with complications – all the while juggling work and our own crumbling sanity. Balance?  What balance! I could have done with some of what Martha calls ‘empty time’ – without a care in the world whether anyone thought I was a loser or not! I have written numerous posts about reducing the ‘busy’ and moving toward the ‘balance’ – The Joy of Nothing Planned and Finding My Inner Zen – In 10 Minutes a Day to name a few.  My theory is that if you want balance – which I’m happy to say I do! – you will strive for it.  Whether that means finding ‘empty time’ or reducing the overwhelm, you will need to focus on it.  Make it a conscious choice.  Take responsibility for it. And if you’re like me you will keep searching for it regardless of what’s going on in your life – because ultimately balance is what will make you feel alive, together, connected. So call me a loser.  Tell me it can’t be done.  But I will continue to strive for ‘balance’. And maybe, just maybe, help you along the way. Unless you’ve got other ideas? Until next time, happy organising!    

Last week I had the pleasure of hanging out with the gorgeous Professional Organisers at the annual Australasian Association of Professional Organisers Conference in Melbourne. What an amazing time we had with fabulous speakers including Dorothy Breininger, one of the Organisers on and Producers of the Hoarders TV program. I was so excited! My outfits were planned and packed all ready to fly out on Wednesday morning.  Before this, of course, there was a little organising of Hubby and Mr 6 so that they could manage everything while I was away. Mr 6 had a very busy schedule while I was at the Conference. Soccer training Wednesday night, tennis Thursday after school, school on the three days I was away, soccer game on Saturday morning and a play date later that day. It seems, from an outsiders view when I returned home, that everything went smoothly. All except one thing. And to be honest it’s not that big a deal! But it shows how cool my Mr 6 is! In our home we have two washing baskets – one in Hubby and my room and one in the bathroom for Mr 6′s washing. Because Hubby regularly walked past our washing basket he thought, on Saturday, that he should wash the dirty clothes. Mr 6, while showering after soccer on Saturday, said “Daddy when are you going to wash my clothes?”. Hubby had completely forgotten that all of Mr 6′s school uniforms needed washing! Looks like I can go away at any time, knowing my six year old will stay on top of the housework! Now all I need is for him to train his Dad! Would love to hear if you have had this happen in your home. Until next time, happy organising!  

I know it might seem like a fantasy.  A house with (insert number) children, running smoothly, everything where it was meant to be and not a random shoe/book/school uniform out of place. Is this your dream?  Or better still, is it an achievable reality? If you’ve ever visited a friends, sisters or acquaintances home who doesn’t have children, is there a discernible difference between it and one who has children?  Chances are the answer is yes.  Children bring their own joys and challenges – one of them being the amount of “stuff” that comes along with them. As the adult in the family it’s up to you how you organise that stuff.  Some of it will depend on: Your organising style The amount of time you have to dedicate to organising The number of children you have (or don’t have) The amount of stuff you own and The personalities of your children And that’s OK. But the thing to ask yourself is this – do you want your children to grow up and move out?  I’m not suggesting you pack their bags at 6 years of age but what I am saying is: If you want your children to grow into functioning adults that want to move out of house you will need, at some stage, to teach them to organise themselves. My hubby is pretty good.  He went to boarding school from the age of 12 so is able to organise all sorts of stuff.  If he’s travelling he packs his own bag; if we’re going away for the weekend he has a good idea of what we need to take with us.  I can go away for a few days or a week and he will manage.  A lot of these skills he learnt at boarding school – because, ultimately, if he forgot his books for class, his uniform wasn’t cleaned or he left something in the boarding school when he went home on holidays, it was his responsibility. I’m not saying his Mum did everything for him and thus he wouldn’t have learnt these skills if he didn’t board.  What I am saying is that if she had done most of these for him it would have made my life a lot more difficult. I know – sounds selfish doesn’t it.  But I don’t think it is. My theory is that we all live in our home – Me, Hubby and Mr 6.  So that’s six hands and six feet, three brains and physically healthy bodies that can help keep our home organised. We have taught Mr 6 from the moment he could walk (or even earlier if I think about it) where things go.  When a toy came out of a box we put it back when we were finished with it.  When he could open a drawer we were getting him to put his clothes away.  When he could hang up a towel we got him to do just that after each bath/shower.  Sure he needed help – but to be honest he enjoyed helping us because we were spending time together, creating a space we could all work and play in. We’re not perfect.  I still do things that I know Mr 6 could do for himself but sometimes that’s out of necessity.  We have been known to run late for school because we forgot the lunchbox, library books or excursion form. But by setting boundaries, having expectations of everyone in our home, and more importantly by teaching Mr 6 strategies to stay organised – both in his space and time – we hope to bring up a child that wants to move out of home AND has the skills to be able to succeed in life no matter what he chooses to do. And we’ll help him along the way – because we want to. But we won’t do it all. Will you? Until next time, happy organising.  

Recently a lovely lady left this comment on the Clutter Rescue Facebook page: “My house is on top of me again. Will I ever make it a nice space that doesn’t look like 100 jobs that I need to do.” Great question! I know running a household can seem like Groundhog Day – the same things happening, over and over again, with the never ending to-do list of washing, cleaning, cooking, picking up, putting away, running after kids/hubby/pets, paying bills, dealing with paperwork.  At times we all want to throw our hands up in the air and say “Enough!!” (me included!). So how do we actually stop our home from getting on top of us?  Here’s six ideas to get you started! 1. Schedule time in your diary This doesn’t mean scheduling every day of the week from 9-9.30 to maintain the space. Far from it! It just means that if you know there is a gap in your schedule once or twice a week use it effectively. An example: Each week on a Tuesday I do pilates from 9-10am. I have done so for years and will only change it if absolutely necessary. After pilates I come home, shower, get a quick bite to eat and head to my office. Then I focus on my paperwork – paying bills, scheduling payments, returning RSVPs, etc. It’s a regular thing on a Tuesday for me. So if you ever want to catch me you’ll know that’s a good time to phone or email! 2. Set limits On your stuff. This is particularly relevant for wardrobes and kids toys. If you buy a new pair of jeans, get rid of an old pair. If you buy some new season shoes donate an old pair. If your child’s birthday or Christmas is coming up, go through and cull unused toys that are no longer age appropriate.  This is known as the “one in one out” rule and helps you set limits around the amount of stuff you have. 3. Send things home This is relevant for everyone in your home. If you take something from its allocated “home” (from the shelf, the cupboard, laundry, car, top shelf in the bathroom) return it. This isn’t difficult but it takes a behaviour change – particularly if you’re used to just putting things down and leaving them wherever they fall. A friend of mine has a fantastic way of making sure her family “sends things home”.  She lives in a two storey home and has, for example, sticky tape upstairs and sticky tape downstairs.  Each is labelled so that her family know where the sticky tape belongs.  The next thing she wants to add to the label is where it lives (eg in the top drawer of the desk, on the bookshelf to the left of the printer).  Here’s a photo she sent me (which I put together into one image as she said she couldn’t bring them together to take the photo – as they’d have to meet half way and she just couldn’t do it!!). 4. Get everyone involved Keeping a home organised should never just be one person’s job. Everyone – no matter how old or young – should be responsible for their things, putting them away, and helping with jobs in and around the home. Create job charts for your kids (big kids included if need be!) so that you work together as a team to keep your home organised. 5. If the system isn’t working, change it If the system you have set up doesn’t work don’t be afraid to change it.  You may have read an organising book, listened to someone on TV or even read this blog and thought “That sounds fantastic!  I’m going to set that system up!” but then realised it doesn’t work for you.  That’s OK.  Change it! 6. Let go of perfectionism This is a toughie.  You might not think you’re a perfectionist but deep down, hiding below those layers inside you, could be a perfectionist waiting to burst out and organise your home to within an inch of its life! Nothing can or ever will be perfect.  Please don’t allow yourself to get caught in this trap as it will stop you from enjoying the rest of your life. Do you have any other ideas or strategies that work for you in your h[...]

Can you believe we’re half way through 2012 already?  You know what that means don’t you?  Tax time! I know … ho hum.  Not many people get excited at this time of the year.  It takes a lot of effort to get your tax documentation in order, the tax return done (either by yourself or your accountant) and then submitted.  Of course the exciting time is when you get your tax return back and you see you’re getting a return.  Then it’s time to celebrate! With 72% of tax paying Australians using an agent to lodge their tax return it’s wise to plan ahead. So how can you work smarter so you’re ready for tax time? The Association I am part of, the Australasian Association of Professional Organisers, recommends the following when putting your tax return together. Know what you need Keeping everything “just in case” creates unnecessary paper piles which can be very overwhelming.  Talk to your accountant to find out what records and receipts you need to keep. Keep it simple Set up a simple system for your paperwork and keep everything in the same place. Organise your receipts Keep a separate section in your wallet or handbag for tax deductible receipts as you collect them.  Make a note about what the expenses relate to on the back of the receipt. Make time to get organised Schedule time in your diary each week to keep on top of your tax and household paperwork.  It’s much easier to file as you go than try and tackle it all at the last minute. Archive it Once you have received your Notice of Assessment, attach it to your tax folder and archive the records in a safe place so that you can quickly retrieve your documents if you are audited.  Talk to your accountant to find out how long you should keep your records. Beating the backlog If you have more than three years of returns to complete dedicate a lidded plastic box or an entire filing cabinet drawer to the job.  Label a new foolscap envelope for each financial year you are missing a return (eg 1 July 2009 – 30 June 2010).  Round up all your paperwork and place it in the envelope for the relevant year.  Then hand the envelopes over to your accountant. Seek advice Chat to your accountant if you are unsure about what to keep, and seek the help of a Professional Organiser who can help you put simple systems in place to keep your paperwork in order. So what’s the next step?  To plan ahead.  To know that each year you will need to do your tax return – so why not work towards making it easier for yourself? What does this look like in my household?  I have a file in my filing cabinet where I put tax related papers throughout the year.  They are not in any particular order – just slotted in – but at least I know when it comes time to do my tax that most of my papers are in one place (because I know there’s always a few I miss each year!). How about you?  What do you do to stay on top of your tax paperwork? Until next time, happy organising!

Thank you to all the amazing people who responded to our organising survey.  We really appreciate the time you took to answer the questions and provide us with feedback on your organising challenges. For those of you who missed it, our Annual Survey goes out in May each year – so keep your eye out for it next year!  We’d love to hear your thoughts on your successes and struggles with keeping your home organised. So here we have it!  This year’s results! The majority of respondents (89%) were married or in a committed relationship.                               Nearly 21% of respondents were aged between 40 and 45, with 17% aged 30-35, 35-40 and 45-50.                     48% of respondents had children and were working outside the home while 24% had children and were not working outside the home.                     The areas of your home which could benefit from organising and decluttering were many and varied. 59% of respondents said their whole house needed organising and decluttering. 59% said their filing cabinet and paper storage needed help. 52% want to organise their kitchen. 52% want to organise their wardrobe/s. 49% want to organise their office/study. 45% need to organise and declutter their living room.                     The systems and processes that need help were: 61% needed help with their paper management (mail in, bills, filing, archiving) 61% needed systems for dealing with memorabilia (photo management, dealing with precious items) 57% needed ways to deal with the constant juggle of their day and getting everything done (time management) 50% needed help with children’s memorabilia (what to keep, how much to keep, where to store it) 46% of respondents needed help with children’s toys (keeping them under control, putting them away, where to find specific toys) 43% needed help with systems and processes in their kitchen 43% wanted to know how to bring up helpful children                     Thank you to everyone who also took the time to provide us with more feedback on their specific needs.  These included: How to stay organised when dealing with renovations How to fit the belongings of two people into one space (previously occupied by one person) Letting go of clutter memories Organising a loft space (where most unused items are stored) Tips on getting organised before the birth of a baby, and maintaining this organisation post-birth Living with a disabled child in the home Dealing with hoarding parents Stay tuned for blog post on these topics – or even an ebook in the near future! Thank you again to everyone who replied to the survey!  We’d love to hear your thoughts again next year. Until next time, happy organising!  

Do you have piles? Piles of paper? Piles of laundry? Piles of stuff on the kitchen bench? Piles of stuff with numerous piles in one big, Tower of Pisa sized pile? You’re not alone. I even have piles.  Yes, you’ve heard it here ladies and gentlemen – this little Professional Organiser has piles! I have two piles.  There is a small pile on my desk, currently consisting of two notepads, two product catalogues, one magazine and a book.  The other pile moves on a daily basis and is the location for the mail when Mr 6 collects it from the letterbox.  This pile lives on the kitchen bench and will be gone by tomorrow morning – ready for another mail pile to make its way into our home. I’m not a pile hater.  On the contrary – piles are an effective organising solution for those of you who like piles.  The problem is when your piles end up like that Tower of Pisa pile, tipping ever so gently to the right, ready to topple at any moment depending on how loudly you sneeze or whether your high jump over the pile makes it or not! The problem when piles get this big is that there is (more than likely) no sense or logic to it.  In this pile could be phone bills, school notes, junk mail, unopened mail, party invitations, instruction manuals, receipts, your diary, post-it notes with all your to-do’s, opened envelopes … you get the idea. So much stuff in one pile = a problem. So what do you do?  You make sense of it. You sort and categorise and come up with smaller categories. You hoik the rubbish. You pay the bills. You return any RSVPs. You open the unopened mail. You throw out all your to-do lists and find one central spot for them. You file papers you want to retrieve. And then you decide on long-term pile maintenance. Because one pile + one category = control. And that’s all we’re looking for! Until next time, happy organising.    

When people meet me for the first time and hear that I work as a Professional Organiser they are often intrigued.  One of the questions that is inevitable within the first 10 minutes of us meeting is “So, what’s your home like?”. If I had $1 for every time I heard this question (or variations of it) I’d be a wealthy woman. Because, you see, it’s not what you think. I have a child. I have a very old cat. I have a husband who leaves home early, comes home late and is often away on weekends. I run a business. And I most definitely do no live in a display home. We recently moved house from a three bedroom home with one large open plan living space to a two storey, four bedroom, one office, two living spaces home.  Our old home wasn’t overflowing with belongings – so now our new home looks even more uncluttered.  We have bought only two pieces of furniture since moving house – a desk for hubby in his office and a new Ikea bookshelf.  That’s it. So what makes my home different to yours? We have systems that work for our family.  Like other professionals I have done a lot of study, reading, learning and, of course, working with clients, and set up hundreds of different systems over the years.  I know exactly what works for our family and what doesn’t – and therefore there is no ‘excess’ stuff that doesn’t support us or our systems. We have a home for everything.  I still have stuff on my dining table and kitchen bench that doesn’t belong there but that’s OK – at least I know where its home is when I finally have a chance to deal with it. We declutter regularly.  Usually this relates to Mr 6 and his stuff – clothes that he’s grown out of, toys that he no longer plays with – but it also includes clothes we no longer use, unwanted crockery or glassware, towels and linen.  Whatever we haven’t used for a while gets moved out of our house, making way for new things to come into our lives. I stay on top of our paperwork, usually actioning it as soon as it hits the letterbox so that it doesn’t build up around us.  I also have a shredder with a little pile growing beside it that gets shredded eventually. We have jobs.  Hubby takes out the rubbish, Mr 6 has regular jobs as well as other jobs he can do for pocket money, and of course as a Mum I have more jobs than anyone!  But that’s OK.  We work together as a team to keep our stuff moving. The main thing to learn from this?  Our family is a team and our house is like it is because we’re a team – and only in part because I am a Professional Organiser. What’s your home like?  Do you have a similar approach or do you have other great ways you manage the clutter in your home? Until next time, happy organising!