The Organized Goddess Gets Organized

Last weekend I had the organizing push nobody really wants to get...a burst pipe and minor flood in the basement. Like so many people, I always say I will get to purging things in my basement, when I have the time. The truth is, there is never going to be time and because not only is most of my stuff neatly organized in a storage room, it is always out of sight and out of mind. Whenever I have a spare moment, I can always come up with something a lot more interesting things to do. Even cleaning the toilet sounds more appealing at times, which is a pretty lame procrastination excuse. Well, there's nothing like a flood to get you motivated, not to mention having my mom in town helped tremendously. Yes, sometimes even professional organizers need help getting organized. It's not that I needed assistance in the actual organizing process. It was more having someone to not only help me get and stay motivated, but to have someone there to say "it's OK to get rid of that 20 page research paper you wrote in college."

I ended up getting rid a wide array of items varying from unused serving dishes to college papers to SIX boxes of teaching material from my former days as an elementary school teacher. Let me tell you, the latter was really hard to let go of. I started off by saying, "I'll just thin the files out," but after hours of peering through files, I finally decided to let it ALL go. I donated some items to my daughter's classroom and school and recycled the rest. Believe me, I completely understand how hard it is to let go, especially of items that had a lot of time, hard work and love put into them.

These pictures are only a fraction of what I got rid of. This was the first round of donation and it doesn't include all of the trash and multiple bags and boxes of recycling.

I don't know if I will ever teach again, but I was holding onto the boxes "just in case." It was scary to let go, but once I did, I felt tremendously lighter. It made me realize that even if I did teach again, I would probably want to create new lessons and would be using material from new texts; ones that probably wouldn't correspond to what I was using in Virginia almost 8 years ago.

After all of my past-profession cleaning, I got really motivated and even got rid of my "skinny" and "heavy" clothes. Having clothes that don't fit now but may fit someday (in the positive or negative) is a major comfort zone that was difficult to let go of. I just decided that if my weight fluctuates, that just means it's time to go shopping and buy something that I feel good in now, in the moment.

Basically, it comes down to this: you could say for just about anything, "I can't get rid of it. I might need it someday," but if that were really the case, you would never get rid of anything! Holding on to items "just in case" does nothing but create clutter and energetically it sends the message that you aren't ready for anything new. It's just another way of holding on to the past which can take up a lot of space, both physically and mentally.

Here are a few basic item-purge reminders:

1. If you have a lot one type of item that is sentimental, just hold onto one and chuck the rest.


2. If you are on the fence about getting rid of an item, put it in a box and out of site for six months. If you don't notice it after that time has passed (you can make a note in your calendar to check 6 months in advance), time to say good-bye.


3. When in doubt, think about "what would I really miss if my house burned down? What wouldn't I be able to replace?" Or a little nicer way, if you had to pack and move in one day, would you really want to carry that box of National Geographic magazines from 1984?

So, there you are. The Organized Goddess got a swift kick in the rear to get organized. Even if you can't hire a professional organizer, having someone aiding your organizing efforts really does help, whether it's your mother, close friend or whoever. Organizing can get emotional and overwhelming so it's best to get help, even if only for moral support.

Give It Away, Give It Away, Give It Away Now; Not Just a Chili Pepper's Song

One of the greatest annoyances of my master bedroom is the ridiculously tiny size of my closet. However, I have come to realize that this is actually more of a blessing and than a curse. Of course, nobody likes to have to seasonally shift their clothes from storage crates to closet and back into crates again, but I have actually learned to enjoy this seasonal ritual. First of all, it is exciting for me when a new season begins. Although, those of us in Colorado know how tricky it can be to dress ourselves appropriately when all 4 seasons can happen over the span of several days. More importantly, it gives me a chance to really evaluate my wardrobe.

The average woman tends to keep roughly four to six different sizes of clothes to help compensate for that oh-so-fun yo-yo weight battle that many of us wage. I say, get rid of what you don't currently wear! Learn to love and accept your body where it is now and have clothes that make you feel fabulous NOW, not 5 or 10 pounds skinnier or just in case you add a little extra layer for winter warmth. Every time you get rid of something old, you make room for something new.

Now I am completely guilty of holding on those the skinny pre-pregnancy jeans that I just know I will get back into. But really, who am I kidding? It's kind of fun to have something as a weight-loss gauge, but just use a mirror or scale or measuring tape. When I actually got back into one of my one old pairs of my jeans, they were so outdated that they looked ridiculous. Plus body shapes change, even if you are one of the lucky ones to have made it back to your happy size.

But, I digress....Here are some tips to help decide what should stay and what should go.

1) Every time you buy something get rid of its equivalent. For example, if you buy three tee-shirts, find three old shirts to donate, or toss, if they are too worn out. I actually got rid of 6 pairs of shoes this summer. And, yes, I did buy 6 pairs to replace them before they were donated (gotta love DSW), but it really felt awesome to ditch the old pairs!

2) Go through your closet a minimum of twice a year; better yet four times. If you haven't worn something for a season or two, ditch it. If you still are unsure if you can part with your favorite sweater that Aunt Tilly knitted for you, wait one more winter, and if it never leaves the closet, it's time to say goodbye.

3) If you have so many clothes that you just can't remember what you have worn, flip your hangers backwards with the hook facing the opposite direction after you wear something. At the end of the season, the clothes on hangers that haven't been flipped are up for donation debate.

The truth is that although we have so many clothes, we tend to stick to the same several outfits. So, do a constant reality check. If that blouse that seemed like such a good buy at the time never seems to feel quite right when you put it on, then swallow your shopping pride and donate it. It is such a great feeling to purge. And if you do get to that goal weight that you were hoping for, you should treat yourself to something new. You deserve it! There are plenty of charities out there who would greatly appreciate your donation. I am on ARC's 6 week calling cycle and almost every time they call, I have at least one bag to give. I feel great to have cleaned my closet, help someone else in need, and now it's time to go shopping!

A few donation ideas:
Women's Alliance and Dress For Success take gently worn women's professional clothing

Glass Slipper Project collects and makes prom and formal dresses available.

Other charities such as Salvation Army and Goodwill generally have centers everywhere or will come to your home and pick up items.

Mother Knows Best

There are many times in my life when I swear that I am adopted and can in no way be related to my parents. And then there are times when it is pretty evident that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. The last time I visited home was when it first dawned on me that my parents are some of the most well-organized people I have ever seen. My mom claims that there had to, of course, be an Organized Mother, in order to "train and nurture" The Organized Goddess; and indeed she is right. Not only is her home in perfect order, knick knacks aside, but she is a wealth of knowledge of fun tips and ideas. So, I send lots of props to Mom as this tip was one of my mom's most recent ingenious ideas.

Everytime she visits me in Colorado, we have our ritualistic shopping madness of running around to all the stores in the area including any and all organzing type stores (she's so excited that the Container Store is now open at Flatirons, as am I). As she was perusing the dollar travel section at Target, I saw her putting tons of toothbrush holders into her cart. Of course, I think she's losing it. I mean, how many travel toothbrushes can you possibly need?

When we got home she demonstrated her new idea of using the travel toothbrush holders as eye make-up brush containers, either for travel or keeping in your drawer. This was such a great idea that I thought I should share it here. The average women can have a multitude of different brushes, and what a better way to keep them organized and separated by use and style then to use this inexpensive storage and/or travel container? The actual brush is protected and kept dust-free in a compact container.

So thanks for the tip mom, and as always, you do know best :)

A Goddess Is Born

It was only a few months ago that I found myself in a cluttered home, overwhelmed by life, without a career, and most frighteningly, a single mom of two. I had spent the last few years wallowing in self pity and doubt, but I knew that my early spring had arrived. It was time to take charge and literally reorganize my life. I started with the most obvious place, the bedroom closet. As I pulled out every single item of clothing, creating a mountain on my bed, I performed my own personal fashion show. I began to really look deeply and see what I really loved and wore often and what made me feel just ok or was rarely worn, if at all. The latter pile ended up in a bag destined for Good Will. As each item flew into the “bag of dismissal,” I began to feel something strange but familiar. It was almost a sensation of becoming lighter. I quickly became enthusiastic in my endeavor and started pulling shoes out and belts, and socks and tights and whatever other items were lurking in the dark corners of my closet.

Finally, it was completely empty. It was ready to be refilled with only the best of the best, and with the kind attention that only I could give my precious clothing. I began to put back work clothes and then casual clothes, followed by clothes that could double as both. There was a long pants section, a skirt section, and even my workout clothes earned their own special closet space. My shoes ended up in neatly labeled clear shoe boxes, fitted with digital pictures of the contents, attached neatly to the outside of the box. This way I would never, ever forget about those sassy red pumps that maybe were worn only a few times a year, but a definite necessity for special occasions.

Before long, my task was completed. I stood back and admired my beautiful masterpiece. Every piece of clothing had its special place, and because I am an extra special Virgo, everything was hung according to color as well. Not only did I feel a sense of accomplishment, I began to feel like me again; something that had been lost over the many years of playing the part of some idealized housewife and mother. Whose ideal was it? Well, I’m not so sure, and I guess that is why it was time to redefine myself. For some reason, this process needed to start with a complete overhaul of my belongings.
I quickly moved from room to room in my home and ripped everything out of closets, cabinets, bookshelves, storage rooms and more. Thoughts raced through my mind, “what else can I rearrange and make more functional? What else can I get rid of?” I created mountains upon mountains of everything in my house, while dancing to music, of course. As I sifted through each pile, I began asking myself, do I really need this? How important is it? If it was not loved or needed, it was tossed into the growing Good Will pile that had begun with just a few shirts. I organized my kitchen, my office, the kid’s room, the basement, the family room and every last hall closet. Three days later, it was done. I was free…. Free to live my life and move forward. It was my chance to start over and I was liberated.

As I began to show off my newly organized home to friends and family, I noticed how increasingly excited I became and felt the need to explain every organized system in great detail. Compliments began flooding in and subtle comments like “can you come do the same at my house” became increasingly common. Then it occurred to me; I really like doing this. I am really good at this. I have been an extremely organized person my whole life, but had forgotten who I was. I wanted to help my friends feel the same exhilarating freedom I felt and to have everything in its place. I wanted to give them a way to find more time to enjoy their families, homes and life. And why stop with those closest to me? At the risk of sounding too cheesy, I knew at that moment that I had a gift, and I wanted to share this gift with the world. And thus, The Organized Goddess was born…. or in a sense reborn, for she had always been within me.