The title of this New York Times article says it all: New Rule: All Purchases Subject to a 7-Day Mental Quarantine. Writer and financial planer Carl Richards says:

"I recommend a stuff quarantine of seven days, particularly if we’re talking about anything that costs more than $50. Anything that you’re considering ought to sit in your head for at least a week…"

It’s taken me fifteen years of organizing to realize that I should be regularly sharing stories about what exactly I do each week!  I intend to make this a regular feature of the blog and newsletter.

When people hear “Office Organizer,” they tend to picture me sitting with a client at their desk sorting through files.  Though that comprises about half of what I do, the other half finds me corralling paper in bedrooms, basements, and just about anywhere else chaos can fit.

My September wedding date looms, and (as organized as I am) I just had my first anxiety dream about it!  Nic and I have decided to write our own vows.  Naturally, I’ve been building a note called “Wedding Vows” where I collect thoughts, advice shared from married folks, links to articles, and quotes from favorite authors. 

What is it about T-Shirts that makes them nearly impossible to donate?  It’s almost like they’re woven of 100% pure emotional attachment. I break it down for you in my latest minimalism tutorial video where I tell the tales of the beloved T-shirts that I finally put in the donations bag. You’ll perhaps be pleased to know that I fell victim to a common decluttering pitfall: 

Absolutely everything can be better organized.  Sometimes even the most organized people have a nasty tangle of heavy metal for a keychain.  I forget how painstakingly organized mine are until a client asks, “Let me see that keychain!” I show them my Nite Ize Key Rack (that’s only $3.99).  

Here’s why I love this so frills cheap doodad:

It’s so simple.  So much so that it's almost a little ridiculous that this exists, but we all need it: The WindFall coaster, “A Quiet Home for Phones.”  Phones are problematic for countless reasons, but here are two: they are homeless vagabonds, and the mere sight of them is a distraction.