It’s January.
Though it has been said by us many times and in many ways…….back to basics is where it’s at.
The foundational rules of being organized never change and the reminder that baby steps will get you to your goal as long as you keep taking them is still true.
- Do you feel like you are drowning?
- Do you feel like you can hardly keep your head above water?
- Do you dream of getting yourself (and your home and family) to a level playing field so that you can be in maintenance mode rather than always feeling like a failure?
If these bullet points above describe how you are feeling, then I’m not going to pussyfoot around it. I truly believe that if you struggle in the area of organizing your best plan for success is to hire us to come alongside you to encourage, teach and mentor you.
- Will it cost money? Yep!
- Will it be an investment that benefits your mental health? Absolutely!
- Will you and your family have a strong foundation on which to move forward in 2018 to make this your best year ever? Count on it!
- Will you be able to find what you want when you want it? Without a doubt!
- Will you be able to hold your family accountable to maintaining the systems that are put in place? Yes, because having your space organized gives you all a framework to flourish in. It helps to set reasonable expectations for everyone in the family to maintain the new changes. If everything in your house has a home, then it makes sense that everyone can be trained (and held accountable) to return things to those homes.
Think seriously about hiring some help. If organizing is not your gift, that’s ok. It means you have lots of other gifts. You don’t think anything of hiring professional help to give you a hair cut or transact a real estate purchase, or draft a will. What makes getting organized any different? There is absolutely no reason for you to feel guilty, embarrassed or ashamed if you can’t seem to keep your home and family organized. It is ok to ask for help.
Contact us now to book your complimentary initial consultation AND receive 15% off your project! Ask us about our interest free payment plan too!
Call us crazy, but this is what we (Donna & Rhonda and the team at Heart of the Matter) love to do. God has given us the gift of organization and we love to share it. God has given you gifts and strengths too, and if organizing isn’t one of them, that’s ok! We don’t come into your home to give you a piece of our mind, but rather to share a bit our heart. We come with no judgement. This is what we do every day and we love it!
People say to us “oh your houses must be perfect”. Our response…….”we are professional not perfect!”
Does everything in our house have a home? Yes. Is it always in it? No. But when it is time to tidy up we can do it quickly and efficiently because everything does have a home.
When we walk into a job we can sometimes feel overwhelmed, but we have a plan of action that has stood the test of time. We have used it time and again with hundreds and hundreds of clients since we started into business back in 2004.
One of the books that we appreciated then, and still value today, is ORGANIZING FROM THE INSIDE OUT by Julie Morgenstern.
We took Julie’s organizing process (known as the SPACE concept) and tweaked it to create our own HEART process.
This method is tried and true and we have used it with hundreds of clients over the years, and not to mention in our own homes as well! One of our most frequently asked questions is……Where do I start?
We’ll admit, that even as the professionals, sometimes this question can be tough to answer. We are glad for the peace of mind to know that the HEART process is the answer – every time!
When tackling an organizing project THINK HEART!
H = Handle & Sort
Group similar items together – related categories that MAKE SENSE TO YOU! This is NOT the evaluation stage.
E = Evaluate
- Identify what is important to you – what you currently use and love not what“might be important” in the future, or “used to be” in the past.
- Decide what to get rid of. Think of what you gain in return!
Space – for the things you really love and really use
Time – saved searching through the unused clutter to get at what you really want
Satisfaction – share the items & bless others!
- Ask the question “If I had uninterrupted time, what project(s) would I go to first?”
Give yourself permission to pass along unfinished projects that are weighing you down.
As you evaluate you are deciding what to keep, what to donate, what goes to recycling and what goes to garbage.
A = Assign a Home
Everything needs a Home!
Once you have evaluated and know what you are keeping, you need to decide where you are keeping it.
We often leave things sitting out because they don’t have a home. This creates “Hot Spots”. Make sure the appropriate “home” is accessible. Don’t set yourself up for failure!
Labelling helps you and other family members know where items belong.
Remember, once you have assigned an item a home then ** DON’T PUT IT DOWN, PUT IT AWAY! **
Primary storage (Prime Real Estate) – store things you use often in easily accessible places
Secondary storage – things you use less often on higher shelves, or more “out of the way” spots
Archival storage – old records and mementos in attic or basement
The Kindergarten Model – Setting your home up in Zones – everything you need for a specific task is within arms reach. Easy tidy-up!
R = Restore Order
This is where we think about products. Warning – don’t jump to this step before sorting & evaluating!
– Containers give you boundaries and keep things sorted, organized and maintained.
– Shelves allow items to be put away easily.
– Consider containerizing “ambivalent” items & storing them to be dealt with later. Label the box as to the contents and date it for one year down the road. Make a note in your planner to retrieve the box from where you stored it in a year, realize you have done fine without it and donate it without feeling the need to open it first.
– Label shelves and/or containers to ensure success!
T = Tune-up
Keep it simple!
– Tidy up at the end of the day, or even at the end of each hour
– Make friends with your timer. Work by yourself, or get the whole family on board. If you work hard and fast for 15 minutes it is amazing how easy the tune-up will be.
- Train yourself (labels help)
- Train your family so there are reasonable expectations for them to maintain the organizing that has been done.
Everything needs a home. Once everything has a home then remember – Don’t put it down, put it away!!
Think seriously about hiring some help. If organizing is not your gift, that’s ok. It means you have lots of other gifts. You don’t think anything of hiring professional help to give you a hair cut or transact a real estate purchase, or draft a will. What makes getting organized any different? There is absolutely no reason for you to feel guilty, embarrassed or ashamed if you can’t seem to keep your home and family organized. It is ok to ask for help.
Call us crazy, but this is what we (Donna & Rhonda and the team at Heart of the Matter) love to do. God has given us the gift of organization and we love to share it. God has given you gifts and strengths too, and if organizing isn’t one of them, that’s ok! We don’t come into your home to give you a piece of our mind, but rather to share a bit our heart. We come with no judgement. This is what we do every day and we love it!
- Do you feel like you are drowning?
- Do you feel like you can hardly keep your head above water?
- Do you dream of getting yourself (and your home and family) to a level playing field so that you can be in maintenance mode rather than always feeling like a failure?
Please…..allow us to be your success partners as you get to the Heart of the Matter.
Now is the perfect time to make your commitment to a simpler and more organized LIFE for you and your family.
There is no better time!
Contact us now to book your complimentary initial consultation AND receive 15% of your project!
PLUS ask about our interest free payment plan!!