declutter: Throw Out Fifty Things - 01/31/21 11:33 AM
I attended a conference on hoarding disorder yesterday, 1/30/2021. Some of the materials reminded me of this book: Throw Out Fifty Things: Clear the Clutter, Find Your Life, authored by Gail Blanke and published in 2009.
 
Ms. Blanke, from her book cover, is “a world-class motivator, a former columnist for Real Simple magazine, and the president and chief executive of Lifedesigns, a company whose vision is to empower men and women to live truly exceptional lives.”  I don’t usually start book reviews with the author’s biography, but, in this case, her biography helps explain the book.
 
Ms. Blanke challenges us, with humor and … (2 comments)

declutter: Standing on the Shoulders of Sidetracked Home Executives - 07/11/19 06:41 PM
When Casual Uncluttering LLC was so new I was terrified of making mistakes rather than confident that I would make them, I read organizing books as quickly as I could discover them. Marla Cilley, FlyLady.net, author of Sink Reflections (my review is here) was one of the first Organizers I studied - I wrote that 10/27/2012 review almost exactly on my company's first-year anniversary. Ms. Cilley pointed me to Sidetracked Home Executives, to whom she is deeply indebted, but despite the droll name, I never really tried to track them down. When the newer edition of Pam Young's and Peggy Jones' … (2 comments)

declutter: Queen Anne Cooperative Preschool goes Casual - 05/05/19 10:14 AM
I'm overjoyed to announce that Queen Anne Cooperative Preschool (QACP) and I will be shaking off the dust, clearing a tiny cobweb or two, rescuing all the Tonkas without wheels and generally calming the tantrums an accumulation of 36 years of well-loved children's, parents' and teachers' stuff can cause in a space. I'm honored with their trust. This is going to be fun. I'm already willing to start a pool (winner gets a Top Pot doughnut) that we'll find one toddler mitten and one toddler boot in completely unexpected places.
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declutter: Casual Uncluttering LLC because - 04/28/19 03:15 PM
A Designer's Top 10 Tips for Increasing Home Value
Gillian Lazanik, a Houzz Contributor, lists "Hire a Professional Organizer" as her 9th tip in the April 18, 2019 article I link to above (and thanks to my colleague Anne Blumer for leading me to it!). All of the tips are worth noting and
 
this is Casual Uncluttering LLC because...
  
"Best money we ever spent. We had our house appraised before we began working with Lauren. After three sessions with Lauren and hard work Lauren inspired us to do in-between our appointments with her, we had the house appraised again. The second appraisal was $15,000 higher. Lauren has a warm … (1 comments)

declutter: Your Top 10 Objects Your Kids Don't Want - 04/20/19 10:28 AM
Professional Organizers see a lot of Stuff. And hear a lot of sentimental arguments about why someone is keeping the Stuff. "My kids may want it someday" may top the list for "Most frequently heard reason for keeping the Stuff."
 
In less affluent times, "My kids may want it someday" was prudent. Humans didn't have easy access to raw materials, production facilities or transportation for millennia. We couldn't be wasteful if we wanted to! Hope chests for a bride-to-be are a defining example of the thought - they are usually filled with clothes, linens, maybe some tableware long before the girl in … (2 comments)

declutter: FREE TOOL - THINK ABOUT YOUR ORGANIZING CHALLENGES - 03/24/19 07:12 PM
Free tool on my website homepage. A copy of the Casual Uncluttering LLC survey I use to continue or start conversations with my potential and existing clients. Download it for yourself, give it to people who might need it!
 
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declutter: Stuff by May Lou Sanelli - 03/21/19 08:02 AM
I'm a Professional Organizer. And that does not, cannot, and will never mean that I make people get rid of their Stuff. Many many many times more often, it means I help people discover their thoughts and feelings, their values, about their Stuff. Decisions about what to keep, or not, follow from those insights. And, with dedication to the process and habits of organizing, decisions about what to acquire become more purposeful as well.
When I came across "Stuff" on page 5 of the March · April 2019 edition of ArtAccess (ArtAccess.com), I was stunned: Ms. Sanelli captured what I try to … (7 comments)

declutter: Marie Kondo, a peer-reviewed compendium - 01/26/19 09:46 AM
I make no secret of disliking Marie Kondo. I'm gonna link to proof here and here. And I watch very little television these days, follow the news through secondary sources (Facebook, the Weather Channel) and trace it back to primary sources (The New York Times, Washington Post, reputable websites, etc.) as needed. It's not ignorance, far from it, but a very happy bubble.
 
So imagine my konsternation when, duunnn dunnn... duuuunnnn duun... duuunnnnnnnn dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnn dunnnn, there she was AGAIN, haunting my Netflix feed and setting the Internet roiling, Poltergeist of Professional Organizers.
 
And so, dear … (1 comments)

declutter: IF THIS DOESN'T MOTIVATE YOU, NOTHING WILL - 10/09/18 10:49 AM
Canadian Man Finds 1.75 Million Lottery Ticket in Old Jacket Newsweek, U.S. Section 10/7/2018 by Tom Porter at 9:40AM.  IF THIS DOESN'T MOTIVATE YOU TO DECLUTTER, NOTHING WILL.
"A Canadian man made a life-changing discovery when cleaning out his closet.
Gregorio De Santis of Montreal was getting ready to take some clothes from the closet to a donation center when he checked the pockets of an old jacket...."
 
Now, there's an old Yiddish (and maybe really a NEW YORK CITY) joke, which I'm telling very badly.
"Noam goes to synagogue and offers the following prayer to Yahweh (God)
'Yahweh, I've been a faithful, an observant Jew all my … (4 comments)

declutter: Why Hire Professional Organizers? - Client Side - 04/14/18 12:01 PM
The Client Side – I love this review as advice for anyone thinking of hiring an Organizer, forget whether someone chooses to work with me or not!!! Robin has so perfectly captured how a pro can help, I’m in awe. If the process can’t be fun, it (almost, grin) might not be worth it. Lauren
 
“Faced with what felt like an overwhelming task, I hired Lauren for a few hours to jumpstart a major purge of stuff in my garage. If I were to describe her in a word I’d say, “eager” — eager to help, advise, and do whatever you need … (4 comments)

declutter: A Perfect Mess Eric Abrahamson & David H. Freedman - 03/01/18 10:36 AM
Subversive. Heretical. Blasphemous. Sacrilegious. Profane. A Perfect Mess: The Hidden Benefits of Disorder; How crammed closets, cluttered offices, and on-the-fly planning make the world a better place by Eric Abrahamson & David H. Freedman is a dense, irreverent, thought-provoking rallying cry against the modern march to perfectionism. It is charming.
 
 
The message? "Dude, chill." Creativity thrives in chaos. Many people are stifled by keeping exact time, alphabetical files, flat views of bare table tops, linear thinking.  Drawing from examples in restaurant staffing, Internet search engines, hospital management and too many other realms to detail, the authors delight in demonstrating that messes are often highly … (1 comments)

declutter: What to know about hiring a professional organizer - 2/15/2018 Washington Post article - 02/19/18 09:03 AM
This February 15, 2018 Washington Post Home and Garden article "What to know about hiring a professional organizer" by Kevin Brasler is worth analyzing, line by sometimes-painful line. So I'm reprinting it in its entirety, with my comments in red. A National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals colleague sent us the link via a Facebook chatroom - their reactions mirror mine.
 
Please share this post with anyone you know who is considering hiring an Organizer. It might answer some questions and ease some fears.
 
"Is your den a disaster? Is your closet so crammed that you can’t find pants and shoes that match? … (1 comments)

declutter: Making Peace with the Things in Your Life - Cindy Glovinsky - 11/30/17 07:18 PM
In Making Peace with the Things in Your Life, Ms. Glovinsky begins with a simple idea: that all people have emotional responses to their Things.  And she ends with a meditation on life.  Warm, witty, thought-provoking and kind, Ms. Glovinsky gently teaches you to identify your reactions to Things, whether those reactions are fearful, possessive, angry, joyful or a complex mix of many feelings.  She goes on to coach you to learn detachment from your emotions and Things, to allow you to more easily relate to, organize and even let go of items.  She also teaches that there is no “right” way … (5 comments)

declutter: When is Too Much? - 11/28/17 08:48 PM
I see a lot of Legos. And collections: Hummels, purses, plates, hats, Star Wars toys, shoes, holiday decorations, jewelry, books, makeup, cookware ... and collectible Legos. By my standards, I have a massive, intrusive amount of Legos in my house: my son treasures sets, and scratchbuilds with loose pieces. I suspect I could build a house with them in a pinch.
 
So when is too much? I couldn't answer in a thousand years. Each of us has an entirely subjective idea of abundance, and excess. And I may have a different idea of abundance for my books as for my photos as … (4 comments)

declutter: Painful reality. I can't help everyone - 05/08/17 10:12 AM
It's a painful reality of my work that I can't help everyone. More important, it's unethical for me to help everyone - if I come to a project and I don't have the skills, experience or resources to take on the job, I'm obligated by my professional society's code of conduct to refer the potential client to someone else. 
Hoarding situation "before" But it HURTS. It is often the case that my referrals aren't effective - the client can't afford me or anyone else, the client isn't really ready to get sustained help but was hoping for IMPOSSIBLE quick fixes, the project is of … (5 comments)

declutter: Dust in my hair and a smile on my face - new motto? - 04/01/17 03:05 PM
I’m considering “Dust in my hair and a smile on my face” for my new motto. My dog Trevor. He’s got an even better smile than I do.
Not really, I’m quite pleased with myself for “I help you think outside of the box to get something into the box,” which is quite versatile at need – for example, I recently asked for help at a business networking meeting in finding a car vacuum. Ended the request with “Because sometimes you just have to get some dust out of a box.”  But the runner-up is VERY appropriate sometimes.  And the other … (4 comments)

declutter: Good Housekeeping Magazine's Clutter Rescue! book - 03/11/17 01:22 PM
This tiny book, "Good Housekeeping Clutter Rescue!", put together by the editors of  Good Housekeeping magazine, the 132-year-old grande dame, is filled with ideas, tips and encouragement for getting every space in your home organized.  There is a slight disregard for cost, an “oh of course you can just buy a pretty solution” optimism to the book, but it does also supply many ideas for home-made, recycled, inexpensive alternatives  –  like making magazine holders out of cereal boxes, a great solution in a child’s room. Flip through it for inspiration.
 
The above is another Amazon review, another one which, who knows, may … (3 comments)

declutter: The Secret Lives of Hoarders by Matt Paxton - 03/03/17 04:07 PM
Matt Paxton found his life's calling by chance. But he brings endless passion, compassion, energy, a sharp ability to read people and even enthusiasm to that work - conducting the intensive deep cleanings that the homes of people with hoarding disorder often need in order to be able to reclaim the spaces safely.
 
This book is an excellent introduction to every aspect of the activity: the typical mindsets of people with hoarding disorder, and ways to approach working with them; potential complications of government or other ouside involvement in the case; the "how-to" of the actual cleaning process, and, most important, how … (2 comments)

declutter: Organize Your Garage In No Time by Barry Izsak - 02/28/17 11:58 AM
It snowed in my neck of the suburbs yesterday, heavily enough that my son got a snow day even though his school was open. Snow and cold and stranded cars led me to thoughts of garages. Spring and Summer and being able to get a garage organized without freezing to death, so someone can find the tire chains in time for snow and cold and stranded cars. Which led me to finally write a review of another book I read for my CPO (Certified Professional Organizer) exam.
 
OK, this book is about garages. It's about decluttering the garage. It's about safety in … (2 comments)

declutter: We need the closet, Harry. Move out. - 02/20/17 08:34 PM
Do you have a Harry Potter closet? As I sit in my apartment, pondering how to find another few inches of space next to my water heater for the shipment of boxes which arrived two weeks earlier than I expected, I’m somehow reminded of Harry Potter’s cupboard under the stairs. A nuisance space, too strangely shaped and too small to hold anything useful. Until now.
 
The “before” above (DISCLAIMER: THIS IS NOT MY CLOSET.) became the “after” below through the inspired work of Alan Regala and his team, awesome craftsmen at ShelfGenie of Seattle who create customized glide-out shelving for pre-existing cabinets, pantries and … (3 comments)

 
Lauren Williams, CPO, Professional Organizer: Puget Sound homes (Casual Uncluttering LLC)

Lauren Williams, CPO

Professional Organizer: Puget Sound homes

Woodinville, WA

More about me…

Casual Uncluttering LLC

Address: POB 2448, Woodinville, WA, 98072-2448

Office: 425-947-3976



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