When I tell people I’m a professional organizer, one of the first questions I’m often asked is, “Have you always been organized?”  I certainly have been, but as you can see here, I wasn’t immune to the occasional messy flare-up!

A couple of weeks ago I was poignantly reminded of how organizing is never about the “stuff.” A client from two years previous called with a new, urgent project.  Since we had worked together, her husband had been placed into hospice care at home.

I’m not a fan of trite organizing advice, but I live by the "one thing in, one thing out" rule.  Right now I’m wearing a new pair of boots that came in the mail yesterday, and one pair of old boots that I haven’t worn in probably 4 years is sitting in the foyer, headed to the thrift store.  

If you’ve watched my One Thing In, One Thing Out video and are committed to letting go of as much as you bring in, boy have I got a link for you.  Give Back Box is an organization that allows you to pack your empty cardboard boxes with donations to send in to your nearest participating Goodwill store - for FREE.

As you know from my “Tour my home” post, Nic and I stayed with my parents for part of our AirBnb stint last month. One day I went on a wild tear through their house, purging not only their things, but my own. (Mom still hasn’t called to say anything of importance is missing!)

This month Nic and I took AirBnb up on an offer we couldn’t refuse. A defense contractor was placing an employee for a month and thought our home was the perfect match for her. The offer looked too good to be true, but it checked out.