As much as I love what Marie Kondo has done for American homes, even more I love that people are starting to explore what minimalism means beyond half-empty drawers and closets. Does it really end there?

I just attended a professional event where I was the only one who did not work in commercial real estate development. I had to be very explicit in explaining what I did because there was no context for why I was there! 

You organize corporate collaborations? You’re an event organizer? 

“Quality over quantity” has become a platitude in a world where everyone is familiar with the benefits of minimalism. We utter the term often, but in the same day we fall down walking the walk when faced with a killer sale at our favorite store, or a perceived need for five Old Navy shirts when one will do.

I sometimes have to get very creative in the approach I take to motivate someone to clear off their desk. If you’ve brought piles into 2020 and need an extra push to finally zap them, this might be the incentive you need to clear them off (or to at least remove them just to put them back):

2019 marks my eighteenth year as a professional organizer and the eighth year in a row that I’ve reflected on what I learned as a professional organizer in the past year. I am sure to never repeat a lesson from a previous year.

This time of year many of us are reminded of how disorganized our greeting cards are, and this is a twofold problem: blank cards AND the cards we’ve received. When I first meet a new client with these problems, the cards they’ve kept might be thrown in a box at best, or at worst, scattered throughout the home, mixed in with current and important documents.