MODERN ORDER

HMMMM:The Mystery of the Key

2011-10-28T11:01:00.002-07:00

I am a 'flow keeper'. I believe the main reason our homes, offices and cars get full is because 'the flow' has come to a dead stop. One in, two out - ALWAYS. Which brings me to the mystery of the key. The other day I took inventory of my key ring: house key, car key, husband's car key, my inspirational tag which reads, "Don't wait for your ship to come in. Row out to meet it." and the key. What was this key for? And so the mystery began... I tried everything and everyone to see what this key opened. Then in a quiet moment, I knew. The key opened my family home in Victoria where I grew up. The thing? The house had been sold in the spring of 2001. They key had stayed with me as a subtle memory - the flow had stopped as the memories had not. It's ok, and we all must give permission to hang onto those 'things' that bring memories... but there will come the day to let them go. Today I am on my way to visit my family in Victoria, seeing them is far more valuable than the key. Today the key comes off my key ring. The mystery is solved.

THOUGHT: Point well taken

2011-08-01T16:12:00.004-07:00

Last weekend I had the rare opportunity to do the one thing that I love to do when I truly stop. For two hours I got to sit alone in the sunshine with a fresh pile of new home magazines. Feeling the heat and turning the pages made for a wonderul afternoon of new ideas, colours and rejuvenation. While looking at the beautiful pictures of a simple, modern home in California... I read the caption that had been written by the home owner at the top of the page, "If you want no clutter in your life - stop shopping." At first read, I thought 'that's a little harsh'. At second read, I really took in what the words were saying. My job is to help people get rid of clutter. Clutter is the reason I have a job. Clutter pays my bills. That said, having and maintaining a clutter-free home has to do with flow. Flow in and flow out. The glass of water theory states: "If you continue to add water to a glass, it will over flow". Same thing is happening in our homes. Most people think the answer is to drink some water or dump some out. Or simply take a box of things out of your home. But soon the clutter makes its way back. What happens if we flip that theory around. Why not stop adding water? Why not stop bringing things into your home? Why not stop shopping? Of course not for the things we need to live life - toilet paper, food, etc. - but for the things we don't need in our lives - the fourth pair of black pants, the tenth coffee cup, etc. Don't blame it on the clutter. Instead, take responsibility for creating the clutter. I know there aren't fairies who wait until we're asleep to bring in those new items. We bring them in. So next time you're out and about, stop shopping for those things you don't need. Just stop and maybe the clutter will too. It was definitely a point well taken.

STAY ORGANIZED: Read the fine print

2011-07-01T08:21:00.006-07:00

My car insurance was due yesterday. About a month ago, ICBC kindly sent me my reminder notice in the mail. Normally I would enter the date into my calendar and be done with it. Three days before the due date, my calendar alarm would remind me that my car insurance was due... but this year, I took a moment first to read the form. I would say probably 95% of my clients struggle with their paperwork. Deadlines are missed, payments are late and events come and go because people just can't seem to stay on top of their flow of paperwork in and out of their lives. I know we all complain about the high cost of insuring a car in this town, but I had to smile when I read the fine print on my reminder notice and realized that some of that money was going to helping us all stay organized. Right near the bottom of the page in fine print, it read: Don't let this disappear under a pile of paperwork. Cut out the slip below (had the renewal date on it) and stick it on your fridge. The moral of the story: read the fine print (it might help you to remember to pay your car insurance)!

BEFORE & AFTER: Why I Love My Job

2011-05-21T16:34:00.013-07:00

There is something very rewarding about the job I do. So many times when I arrive to a new client's home, they seem defeated... like the clutter has sucked the air right out of them. The one gift I bring to that situation is the ability to see past the pile of stuff. To see the bones... to see the details... to see the client's personality hidden in front of them... No matter the type of job, the moment of transformation is always so rewarding. Here is one of my most recent jobs - before and after. How delightful is that... and that is why I LOVE MY JOB.

On my wall in my office...

2011-04-10T17:38:00.001-07:00

2011 THOUGHT

2011-01-03T20:46:00.009-08:00

Happy New Year! Something to think about as you set your sights on getting organized in 2011...
"Never mistake motion for action." Ernest Hemmingway

THE QUESTION: To Tweet or Not To Tweet?

2010-11-18T12:28:00.012-08:00

The other day a fellow business woman asked me, "Are you on Twitter?" My answer was short and sweet, "No". Judging by the look on her face, one might have thought I had just told her she look 20 pounds over-weight in her new jeans. "You're not! Why?" Why you ask? Because I'm in the business of minimizing life's clutter - whether physical, emotional or technical. Pulling time from an already time-starved life, to send a few encripted words to the world in the hopes that someone out there finds them intellectual, funny or life-changing - just doesn't work for me. Every time I meet a new client, they all say the same thing. "I wish I had more time." Time is a luxury, one to be held tight and given to only those people who will value and cherish the time shared. Remember in the 'old days' when we actually took the time to have a face-to-face, engaging conversations rather than texting? Those conversations I have time for. For now, I'm leaving the twittering to Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore.

SAID RIGHT: The Law of the Ugly Chair

2010-09-18T20:08:00.025-07:00

The world is filled with blogs these days but sometimes you read one and you think - "Wow, that person nailed it." If you haven't heard of Danielle LaPorte before, she's someone who knows how to put words onto paper. This blog she wrote just reinforces my beliefs and my message as a residential organizer.

Possibilites & The Devine Law of the Ugly Chair by Danielle LaPorte www.whitehottruth.com

In a past life, I did a bit of interior design work to pay the bills. This was a common scene: The homeowners and I do a walk through of their house. In the living room is a garish chair. Fugly. Usually a lounger, often with some kind of floral pattern. The couple has brought me in because they want fresh, contemporary, comfort. "What's with the chair?" I ask. "We know it's horrible, we hate it. But we haven't had the money to get a new one."

Me: "Get rid of it this weekend."

Them: "But what will we sit on?"

Me: "Sit on the floor. Pile up on the couch. You'll figure it out. The sooner you get rid of it, the sooner the right chair will show up."

They resist.

Them: "But there'll be a... big... hole in the room."

Me: "Yep! It's called space! Every time you walk by that space, you'll be thinking about how great a new chair is going to feel."

They resist.

Them: "But shouldn't we order the ideal chair first, before we get rid of the old one? Have the new one delivered, then have the old one taken away?"

Me: "Actually, it's better if you don't.

Let the space be there. It'll change the way you look at the whole room. And besides, maybe a chair isn't what's best. You won't know until you let go... of the chair." The light dawns. One half of the couple pipes up, "You know, I really can't wait to get rid of the f---ing chair." Nodding. Grins. "I'll call the Goodwill pick up guys." Action! It's a beautiful sight when right at that very instant, the couple each takes an arm of the chair and they heave it into the garage for it's re-using destiny.

Letting go makes way for something closer to your truth... which is always more beautiful. Always. Making space signals the universe that you're ready for ideal... or at the very least, much improved. Making space expands your being and clarifies (and dare I say, actually minimizes) your needs. The Divine Law of the Ugly Chair applies as much to furniture and stuff, as it does to lovers, jobs, and thought forms. Because: Going without, and holding out, is better than selling out. Always.

Humour me with the chair metaphor a bit longer. You've got the nasty chair (or... jacket, boss, incessant critical thought, ceramic mug) in your space. Every time you come across it in your physical or psychic area, you consciously or subtly think, "Meh, that damn... chair... jacket...boss... thought...mug." And you affirm to yourself that you put up with fugly, or nasty, or uncomfortable. You make "making do" your normal. You're giving sacred space to something that isn't sacred to you. Things you don't use. People who use you. Possession-roles-gigs that make you feel pinched, or awkward, cheated, compromised, heavy, confused... stuffed - they need to go. You know this but it's not just because dumping the chump and reducing your carbon foot print is right action, and life-affirming, and socially responsible. It's because possibility requires space to unfold.

Clear space.

Expand possibility.

Everywhere.

Thank you for nailing it, Danielle.

THOUGHT: Who hires an organizer?

2010-08-07T11:21:00.011-07:00

When I started my organizing company five years ago, I remember one of my girlfriends saying, "What type of person needs to hire someone like you to tell them where to put their socks?" At the time I didn't have the answer because I hadn't been in the business of organizing people's homes and lives long enough... but I knew there was an answer. Now, five years and over a 100 clients later - I have the answer. This past week I met with six potential clients and they were all women. A stay-at-home Mom with four kids - probably the hardest full-time job you can have. A clothing designer - who only makes one design of each of her pieces, no two are alike. A baby doctor - who had spent the last 24 hours prior to our meeting delivering four babies. A pharmacist - who was two weeks away from her materity leave with her first child. A make-up artist - who specializes in making women's eye brows perfect. And a music teacher - whose passion is teaching children how to play the piano. So my answer to the question is simple - women (and men) who are making a difference. Why? Because in this modern world we live in, the expectations on us all are huge. We have to be tough and smart in the workplace, fit and healthy at the gym, present at every school meeting and game (and bring homemade snacks), loving and caring in our relationships, and on top of it all - have a beautiful, organized, clean home. Twenty-four hours, that's all we get and it certainly isn't enough to do it all. I am hired because these unbelievable, intelligent people are out there making the world a better place. My role is to bring calm and order to the place they start and finish their exhausting days. If I didn't do what I do, I would hire myself to help me with my sock drawer.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT...

2010-06-30T11:11:00.008-07:00

"Stress is the trash of modern life - we all generate it but if you don't dispose of it properly, it will pile up and overtake your life."

FIND: A diamond in the rough

2010-05-20T04:58:00.008-07:00

I love garage sales. There, I admitted it. The last place you'd think you'd find an organizer - a person who spends her days making people get rid of their stuff - is pulling her car over to look at another person's 'treasures' (or as my husband calls it - junk). With a short garage sale season in Vancouver, I sometimes need to go elsewhere to fill that need. Enter Value Village. As I perused the store I found lots of great clothing labels and awesome buys. Stopping to check out the shoe section, I happened upon a section in the back with shelves filled with summer sandals. A pair of pink striped sandals caught my eye and I realized the label read Coach. Knowing that everyone and their sister is knocking off the designers, I got closer to inspect them. Looking brand new and boasting all the right logos, I read inside and saw the name Rikki. Not sure what it is about designers, sunglasses and shoes... but they've taken up naming them. With the price tag reading $14.99 and a perfect fit, how could I go wrong? Upon returning home, I googled Coach Rikki sandals and sure enough they popped up on the official Coach website... my cute, little pink striped sandals with their price tag of $90. Like I always say... one woman's junk, is another woman's treasure.

FAVOURITE: Love it

2010-04-30T05:48:00.005-07:00

Have you ever found that 'perfect' something? Be it the perfect fitting pair of jeans (best to buy two pairs) or that colour of paint that just makes you smile every time you see it on the walls in your bedroom. As an organizer I'm always on the hunt for the 'perfect' organizing tool and I think I've found one I'm in love with. Why? It has clean lines, it's colourless so can discreetly fit into any space and the best part - it costs next to nothing. It is IKEA's Antonius basket insert $2.99 - made with a purpose by the Moose (to fit inside the Antonius basket system) but in my world... it means so much more. In my home right now: it has my son's Pokemon cards sorted into one, it's responsible for keeping my kithen junk drawer organized and it's tucked neatly into my bathroom drawers (keeping my lipsticks with lipsticks and my Q-tips perfectly aligned in their section). And to keep the Moose happy, I've got them inside my Antonius drawer basket system in our workshop housing tools and all those things that you need in life - nuts, bolts, packing tape, etc. I think it's true love.

REALIZATION: Disneyland is not just the happiest place on the earth

2010-03-21T20:43:00.005-07:00

Walt Disney was a wise man. Disneyland is much, much more than Mickey Mouse ears, cotton candy and magical rides - it is VERY organized. After my token ride on Space Mountain on a recent family holiday, I took my place on a bench to take it all in. Disneyland has mastered the art of organizational zones. To effectively organize a room or space, you want to create zones. Your family room might have these zones: games, tv/movies, computer and reading. Each zone is defined and only those items required in each zone are housed there. Zones allow for both order and clarity - making them easy and stress-free to use. At Disneyland, Walt has taken this theory to a whole new level. Each zone has a name or theme - Frontierland, Tomorrowland, Adventureland, etc. Within each zone are matching uniforms, rides, merchandise and food - all defined and marketed to match their zone. You'll never see Buzz Lightyear wandering through Frontierland, so finding your way at Disneyland is entertaining and easy to do. So when you embark on your next organizing project - define your space e.g. bedroom and within your space create your zones - sleeping, reading and dressing. You could be like Walt and take it one step further with matching outfits for each zone and even give them names... but hopefully your bedroom won't be named Neverland! Disneyland is definitely a magical, organized and happy place.

TREND: If Oprah's doing it...

2010-02-19T21:04:00.006-08:00

February, although the shortest month of the year, always seems the longest one to me. But this week March seemed ever so close as the colourful covers of the spring magazines hit the stands. With Oprah leading the way, as usual, she ignites the start of the wave of spring organizing - focusing on the most important area of the home for women - the clothes closet. On the stand next to The O Magazine, the cover of House and Home shouts 'Get Organized'. Spring beats New Year's hands down as the time of the year to start the process of taking control of you life by simplifying, de-cluttering and bringing order to you and your personal spaces. If Oprah's doing it... Happy Spring!

THOUGHT: Cheers to 2010!

2010-01-01T21:39:00.004-08:00

Have passion.
Do what you love.
Love what you make.
Listen to your instincts.
Fill your own need.
Innovate.
Do it yourself.
Know your weakness.
Identify your target.
Be brave.
Do what you say you do.
Apply the golden rule.
Establish trust.
Have fun!
Priortize.
Be realistic.
Give back.
Practise thankfulness.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

2009-12-18T09:15:00.003-08:00

"It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air." W.T. Ellis

HOLIDAY THOUGHT: Slow Down This Holiday Season

2009-12-05T07:57:00.003-08:00

I had already made the conscious decision to slow down this holiday season and then Martha Stewart reinforced it with this wonderful article from her Body + Soul Magazine... I thought would share.

WINTER SAVOURING TIPS
Before the season slips by, hit the brakes a bit and explore the pleasures of simply being.
1. Slow down. Try not to rush; pause. Wiggle your toes. Stay in the day.
2. Soften your focus. While the details seem all-important in the moment (What gift wrap should I buy? Will my casserole be a hit?), try not to get caught up in them. Because while no one will remember the mismatched placemats, the wine you served, or the outfit your wore, they will remember how hard they laughed.
3. Roll with it. You won't remember the placemats, either. Forget the little things.
4. Observe. Try to see the people and things around you as they are, not as you wish them to be.
5. Awaken Taste. Rather than eating jsut to quell hugner and fill your belly, experience food as a sacred and sensual pleasure. Whenever you put something in your mouth, make it a point to really taste it.
6. Breathe first. When stress is high, it's easy to panic. We tend to take shallow breathes when we're anxious, which only makes things worse. Try this: Inhale deeply through your nose and out through your mouth. Tell yourself you can get through this.

Enjoy your holiday season... a little bit slower this year.

GREAT READS: Looking for a good organizing book?

2009-11-04T09:09:00.006-08:00

I love books and I love the fact that over the last few years, there have been many fabulous organizing books hit the shelves at libraries and book stores. Like every topic, each organizing book is catered to a different need. These are three of my favourites. For the busy Mom - House Works by Cynthia Townley Ewer. This book focuses on the key areas that every Mom must manage and keep organized in her family's home. For any one who wants simple, proven ways to stay organized - The Organized Life by Stephanie Denton. For the person who is wanting a simpler, calmer life - The Personal Organizing Workbook by Meryl Star is perfect. It starts with key questions in each area and then takes the reader through tips and strategies to accomplish their true goals. Winter is the perfect time to curl up with a book... and get organized.

MOMENT IN TIME: My son just made me proud...

2009-11-01T20:29:00.007-08:00

It's the day after Halloween and I just walked into my son's bedroom to find that he has organized - yes, organized - all his Halloween candies into categories (smarties with smarties, kit kats with kit kats, gum with gum) and then put them into different containers! It's true... the apple or should I say the candy, doesn't fall far from the cart.

LESSON LEARNED: Tell the story, the pictures don’t always.

2009-10-10T21:07:00.002-07:00

My Dad recently passed away at the age of 85. On my quest to write his obituary I spent two days going through carefully stored pictures and documents from his life. I found his army medals, his medical degree, letters my Mom wrote him when they were dating... a wonderful collection of the places he’d been and seen. The pictures were beautiful – there’s nothing like a black and white photo telling a story while the white border around it holds it in. My Dad was a great man. The pictures I found only reinforced that fact but at the same time proved to me there was a lot I didn’t know. I wish I had asked more questions and I wish he had told more stories. As an organizer and mother of an eight-year-old son, I learned one more of life’s lessons. Take the pictures, but even more important – tell the story. In a world dialed in to digital photography, this is even more important. First, develop the photos. Second, make sure you tell the story on the back of each - name, dates, locations. So one day, when your daughter or son is searching to know even more about their great mother or father, it will be as easy as turning over a picture.

QUOTE

2009-10-04T21:45:00.004-07:00

“Details add the layers and layers add the interest.”
Kelly Wearstler, designer

A LIFE LESSON: Burn your candles and use your good china

2009-09-20T09:40:00.022-07:00

Erma Bombeck wrote in her last book, If I Had My Life To Live Over –

“I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage”.

As an organizer, I probably spend 75% of my time coaching clients on how and when to let go of their stuff. I teach them that things they no longer love, use or wear are merely taking up both physical and mental space. In the midst of a large down-size move-out/move-in project this week I realized something... a lot of the things that people tell me they love are also being kept for special occasions. After packing and moving two china cabinets full of crystal and entertaining china, I realized that something that had taken up 18 boxes was only going to be used at Christmas or when an event came along that was considered a special occasion. I think it’s time to use the china. Why do we wait to use something that is so beautiful for a special day? Aren’t we special? Shouldn’t we surround ourselves with things that we love, evoke fond memories and look way better than the chipped plate we’re currently using? And what about those candles? You know the ones, filling those drawers. It’s time. Tonight – order a pizza, get out the china, fill up a crystal glass with some wine and light those candles! Live in the moment, for today is a special occasion.

SHOP: Organizing just got easier... and better looking!

2009-09-11T15:03:00.009-07:00

Vancouverites just got lucky in the modern organizing tools department. We can now forfeit the long trek to the Container Store near Seattle and make our way downtown to ROOM IN ORDER on Davie Street in the West End. This new concept store specializing in home organization is a dream come true to a professional organizer; as well, confirms the fact that ‘getting and being organized’ is here to stay. The store is clean, bright, colourful, fresh, simple... and of course, organized. All those organizing tools that have been teasing us in home magazines over the years are now found is this fabulous new store. Organize, Declutter & Simplify are the words found on their business card – the basis for MODERN ORDER. Check it out, it will definitely inspire you to get organized.

1055 Davie Street, Vancouver, B.C.
www.roominorder.com (website coming soon)

THOUGHT

2009-09-09T09:26:00.007-07:00

“Order is the shape upon which beauty depends.”
Pearl S. Buck

TREASURE HUNTING: As Is

2009-09-05T20:42:00.005-07:00

Every week I drop off boxes of things from my client’s homes to various charities throughout Vancouver and very often the Salvation Army (better known as the Sally Ann). After today's drop-off, I decided to venture in to see what I could find. If you’ve never been before, it’s very organized and categorized (love it) into the various groups – furniture, books, clothing, etc. I made my way around the main floor and within 15 minutes I was holding a brand new design book and a black beaded cashmere vintage cardigan. I have heard talk of the “As Is” department but I had never made the trek down the stairs before. I now know what happens to all those boxes I drop off filled with the ‘this and thats’ of people’s homes - the single coffee mug, the few steak knives, the standard flower vase, etc. In the basement are tables and shelves filled with these boxes and items. I made my way around cautiously and shyly at first but finally dug into a few boxes. From the bottom of one of the boxes I emerged with a beautiful, simple glass soap dish from England – the perfect thing to hold my watches in my top drawer. A stop at the cash register told me my new soap dish/watch holder was being sold today for 50¢. The nice man rang up my three treasures and totalled them to a mere $8.99! Life ‘as is’ was fun, inexpensive and certainly worth the dig.