Peggy W Barnes

Strategically Simplifying Lives

Home Organization

Why I Do What I Do?

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why

 

I am a Certified Professional Organizer and Life Coach.  My job is to help you organize and simplify your life and mind.  Why do I do what I do?

1.  I have a heart for people who hurt and I have found most people hurt.

2.  I see how clutter of space and mind sucks the life out of people.

3.  I can see around corners…..I can see what can happen when you let go of the mental and physical stuff holding you back.

4.  I know how hard it is to break bad habits, but I also know the benefits of breaking those habits.

5.  I know how people do not like to move out of their comfort zones, but I know how necessary it is to move out of those zones to create the change needed.

6.  I know people are afraid to let go of stuff, whether it be physical stuff or emotional stuff.

7.  I know people have certain ways of thinking, but I also know paradigm shifts are essential for real change to happen.

8.  I can hear and see the disconnect in what people say and what they do.

9. I know when the process of de-cluttering has become too much.  I know how to break it down into little bite-size pieces allowing for small incremental change.

10. I see the overwhelm and the weight clutter places on people.

11. I know clutter in the home is usually a physical manifestation of clutter in the mind.

12. I know things can be better, but it requires hard work and tenacity to get there.

13.  I love to see the freedom that results in letting go.

14.  I have to pay bills, eat and put gas in my car.

I do what I do because I truly desire for people to live life more purposefully and freely.  I know it can happen – I’ve seen it and it is magical!

The One Thing You Need To Do To Get Organized

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Ok.  Here it is.  The magic bullet you have all been waiting for.  You only have to do ONE thing to get organized…..just ONE!  

What do you think the ONE thing is?  Throw away all your stuff?  Buy cute bins, boxes and organizing tools?  Never buy anything?  Make sure your house looks like a magazine?  Spend all your free time organizing and cleaning?  

Well, as you can imagine it is none of those things.  So, what is it?  

DECIDE.  Yep, that 5 letter word……decide is the main thing you have to do to get organized.   Deciding begins in your mind and your mind controls your behavior. So, once you really decide, the behavior will follow.  

You have to:

Decide you are going to commit the time to get organized.
Decide you are going to commit the resources you need to get organized.
Decide what your goal is about getting organized.
Decide this is important enough to push through even when your motivation wanes. 
Decide to focus on keeping what you value.
Decide to let go. 
Decide what is important to you. 
Decide what you want others to deal with when you are gone.
Decide how you want to live your life – managing stuff or enjoying people. 

Once you decide, really decide, the rest begins to fall into place.  You are resolute in your pursuit and you will do whatever it takes to get to the place of organization and peace.

Are you ready to do the ONE thing?  Are you ready to DECIDE? 


The 5S System – What Is It and How Does It Apply to You?

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The 5S system is a 5 word productivity system – you guessed it, all the words start with the letter “S”. The words are Japanese words and I will post them in Japanese, because of course that will make me look much smarter, with the English translation. 

This system is typically used in the workplace, but is easily applicable to home and life organization and productivity. 

 Take a look at these words and definitions and see if there are parts of this system that could work for you:

Seiri 整理
Sort

Remove unnecessary items
Remove obstacles
Waste removal
Prevent accumulation of unnecessary items

Seiton 整頓
Set (Straigten, Streamline)
Arrange all necessary items so they are easily selected for use
Make workflow easy
Make it easy to find and pick up necessary work items.
Prevent loss of work or waste of time.

Seiso 清掃
Shine (Scrub, Sanitize)

Keep workplace clean and pleasing to work in
Keep workplace safe and easy to work in
Prevent machinery deteriation

Seiketsu 清潔
Standardize

Maintain orderliness
Every process has a standard
Everything in its place

Shitsuke 躾
Sustain

To keep in working order
Do without being told
Training and Discipline
Everything about this list screams ridding of the unnecessary equals efficiency and order. This is so true in all areas of our lives.  

Now go “Seiton” something! 





Confessions of an Organizer: Closet Clean Out – The Final Results

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This is the last post about my epic closet clean out.  

 I don’t post any before and after pictures on my website because I think they are unrealistic.  Anyone can get an area cleaned out for a period of time, but the most important thing about organizing any area is not to make it clean but to make it organized and functional.  If I have said it once, I have said it a thousand times – we don’t live in magazines.  We live in houses where real people live, doing real life, so organize your closets, your home, and your life accordingly. 

 With all that being said, I am posting my before and after of my closet clean out because I actually cleaned it out and organized it in a way that makes sense for me. 

BEFORE
AFTER
I have never been a person that wanted or needed matching hangers.  For some reason, I was ready to have my hangers look more cohesive.  I did not change them all but I changed most of my pants, dresses, jackets and coats.  The blouses and skirts are still on basic hangers with a few nice plastic hangers mixed in – not the hard plastic, white hangers, but the hangers that are found in department store hangers.  

I will say I don’t love the hangers that have the “velvet” feel to them because I am one that will quickly pull something off a hanger and the “velvet” hangers won’t allow for that.  

All the “stuff” is off the top of the closet shelf.  I realized it had just become a dumping ground because it was available, out of the way space.  
When you/I have an area that is a dumping ground it is usually because you/I don’t want to make a decision about something so you just put it aside to deal with later and later never comes. 

I actually did the whole closet clean out about 1 month ago and it still looks just like this.  There may be one piece of clothing on the floor today, but that is it.  
When you have things organized in a way that makes sense to you and you have less to deal with, it makes it easier to maintain your space.  

There you have it.  My closet clean out.  

What questions do you have? 
What is keeping you from doing your closet clean out? 

I would love to hear how it is going and what problems or successes you are having! 

Did you miss the beginning of this process?  Here are the links to blogs showing how this whole thing transpired! 

Confessions of an Organizer – Closet Clean Out – The Process

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I showed you what my closet looked like prior to the clean out.
If you missed the first blog post, click on this link to see how all this began!  

In this blog post, I am going to show you what it looked like as I was organizing and talk (well, write) about the process I went through as I was doing the clean out.

Beware – it’s not pretty!  
These are scuff marks on the walls in my closet.  
Who knows how they got there, but after 20 years, they just happen. 

In my first blog post, I talked about all the thread and sewing stuff I had.  
Here it is. Where in the world did all the pink thread come from?  

I pulled out all the drawers and drawer units from the closet.
By taking the drawers out of the closet, I could spread out and could clean the 
baseboards behind the units. (I will not show you a picture of the dust….ugh)

Stacks – short sleeve, long sleeve, workout shirts and workout pants.
I divided everything into categories, then went through each category and purged. 
It is much easier to make decisions when you have gathered all of one
category together to see what you really have.
Hangers – everywhere! 

See all the t-shirts in this picture? These are t-shirts that belong to my boys that
I am saving for a future project for them.  
I’m pretty sure they don’t read this blog so I don’t have to worry 
about ruining their surprise 🙂 
I had these t-shirts in bags on my closet floor and they were taking up 
valuable closet real estate. 
Did I mention there were a lot of hangers? 

My pile of give-away clothes.  
At least, 100 pieces of clothing that someone else can use!

I looked at each piece and realized many of them look cute
but don’t look cute on me – t-shirts that are too short, jeans I no longer 
like the style, shirts in good shape, still cute, but don’t fit, clothing I 
keep passing by day after day and never putting on to wear.

 I then went through my hanging clothes to make decisions about each piece. 
I really wanted to make sure if a piece of clothing made the cut 
that I was actually going to wear it and feel good in it.

                                               

 I could have kept this gem for sentimental reasons, but decided that 
season of my life has passed so it is time to let it go. 
 #VelourChristmasPajamas #instyleyearsago

This jacket may not look like much, but I paid a pretty penny for it, a long time ago.   
Divide the cost of the jacket by the number of years owned – the decision is then easy
to get rid of it.  This does not represent who I am or what I wear anymore! 

Remember – people come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. 
The same can be said about the “stuff” that comes into your life. 
Don’t hold onto anything that was only supposed to be in your life for a reason or a season. 
There are usually very few things you need for a lifetime. 
There you have it.  My process for de-cluttering my closet. 

Was it tiring? Yes

Was it overwhelming? Yes

Was it manageable? Yes

Was it easy? Parts of it

Were the decisions about what to get rid of easy?  Most of them

Was it worth it? YES

In my next Closet Clean Out blog post, I will reveal the finished product so stay tuned! 

The final blog post has been published – here it is:



The Next Step…….YOU Have To Take It

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As I work with clients, as an organizer and a life coach, I find one consistent issue, not taking the next step.  Let me show you a little bit about what the next step looks like in my life and see if there is anything you can apply to your own life.  
The towel on the floor

Next step:  hang the towel up – time taken: 1 second
Husband’s clean socks on the floor
Next step:  socks matched up and in the drawer – time taken:  3 minutes

Hair Dryer and Straightener on Bathroom Counter
Next step:  Put hair dryer and straightener in drawer (even without wrapping the cord or making it look beautiful!) – time taken:  2 seconds

I have a goal I want to reach this year and I have it written down.

(photo: freedigitalphotos.net/stuartmiles)


Next Step:  Schedule a few action steps that will help me reach my goal – 
Time taken: 5 minutes 
(photo:  freedigitalphotos.net/stuartmiles)


The biggest problem with next steps…..YOU have to take them.  No one else can take them for you.  You have to commit to doing what you have to do to get to where you want to be. 

Next Steps – the best way to reach your goals in life and in 
organizing your home. 
It takes less time than you think but it will take you less time if you do it now rather than taking all the next steps later.