As a professional organizer, I often visit homes overrun with collections. Common amongst many collections are the piles of paper and subscriptions to various magazines.

What are your options? To keep or not to keep? The logical decision would be that if space is limited and you want more room, then the magazines must go.

Emotionally however, people grapple with the “what if’s“. What if I might need it again? What if I haven’t read everything? Not to mention, magazines are neatly bound with a nice cover page.

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We are hearing more and more about the Sandwich Generation. Better yet, if you are living right smack in the middle of it, you know exactly what we’re talking about.

Juggling the demands of caring for your children and spouses, keeping on top of your careers, managing your personal health and financial issues and now the needs of your aging parents. Notice how your personal needs didn’t even fit into this last sentence. What about ‘me’ time? (night out with the boys, spa date with the girls, date night…).

“The number of people aged 65 and up has more than doubled since the 1920s, according to Statistics Canada, and will double again in the next three decades. By 2031, one in four Canadians — an estimated 9.8 million — will be a senior, up from roughly one in 10 today.”

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The Stress-Free Move: is there such a thing?

One of the services that Out of Chaos provides is project management during your move process (before, during, and after). We take care of all the details.

We hear horror stories all the time about moves gone wrong.

The Top 5 Move Moans

1. We were not completely packed when the movers arrived
2. We were living in boxes for months after the move
3. The movers placed boxes everywhere, except in the right rooms
4. How do we avoid the landfill with all our unwanted stuff?
5. We were so overwhelmed with all our stuff and did not know where to start

Following these move tips to ensure a stress-free move. Read more

Last week I was making a presentation to the graduating class at Ashton College, a local college that provides career and continuing education to both domestic and international students.

In preparing for the appropriate words of wisdom, it gave me the opportunity to reflect on my own journey and the journeys of those that I have worked with throughout the years.  In my work as an organizing & productivity consultant, one of the most common things that I come across is people who are dealing with procrastination and how they struggle with developing systems to reach their goals.

There’s a saying by Nicholas Murray Butler.  “People are divided into three groups:  Those who Make things happen, those who Watch things happen, and those who Wonder what happened.”

Everyone of us, at some point deals with procrastination and even the most organized lose their way.  It’s overwhelming at times to know where to start, when the piles are so high and the to-do lists are so long.

Things will continue to be thrown in our paths, whether it’s through paper mail, email, or people interactions.  Our lists and intentions will continue to grow.  It’s about adapting to change and circumstances and thinking about things in a different way.

I grew up Watching my Dad work in hotels and working in my Dad’s restaurant.  I grew up Wondering what was happening that he was able to create such a buzz and excitement for his loyal customers.  So it was no surprise that when I was ready I wanted to Make things happen for myself.

I followed in his footsteps and entered into a career of over 20 years in the hotel / restaurant industry.  When the events of 9-11 struck, I lost my job with the downturn of the hotel economy.  All I knew was the hotel industry – so what now?, I asked.

I had no idea what I wanted to be, otherwise I would be there already…I had to look at things differently and adapt to the changes that were before me.  There’s another saying, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there”.

I needed a plan, a system, a map.  I had to map out what I wanted, what my goal was.  Then, I had to decide how I was going to get there?  How I was to accomplish my goal?  Which road would I travel to get there?

Success can be defined in many ways and is different for everyone.  It may be about money, a job, providing for your family, status.  For me, it was to be self employed with my own business.

Whatever it is, your goals can change and will change.

It is so easy to sit back and procrastinate and think one day…later…  To Watch – as things fly by.  To Wonder – what if…

Make thing happen:

1. Adapt to the changes that will always come your way
2. Look at things differently (do something different)
3. Set your goals (determine what you want to achieve)
4. Design your road map (how are you going to get there?)
5. Be persistent, be brave, take one step at a time

Which person do you want to be?

1. The person who MAKES things happen?
2. The person who WATCHES things happen?
3. The person who WONDERS what happened?

A recent situation with a homeowner forced her to sell her 3200 square foot house and move into a 1900 square foot condo. She was so overwhelmed to be forced out of her home of 35 years that she had no idea where to start or what her options were when it came to downsizing her possessions.

Four options to consider, when it comes to leaning out your household goods and downsizing your home. Time is always a factor and cost is a variable. Cash, Consign, Craigslist, or Charity.

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After last month’s live call-in show on CBC’s BC Almanac with Susan McNamee, a listener called in with a dilemma — her husband’s sweaters.
…to be exact, the sweaters that her husband’s mother had knit for him.

They had moved into a new home and the sweaters were packed away in a box (all 30 of them). She had refused to unpack the sweaters, since he never wore them. So they sit, in the box, unpacked, in their basement, never to be looked at again.

Yet… he would not let them go. He would not even talk about them. The organizing challenge is how she was to approach her husband about ‘The Sweaters’.

I often talk about value, being made up of two components — Emotional and Usefulness.

It was obvious that her husband had no use for the sweaters, especially since they were sitting in the box, months after the move, still unpacked. Emotional on the other hand — bingo! ‘His mother had made them…’

My recommendation in this scenario:

1. Throw Blanket
   Find someone who can knit. Hand knit sweaters can be taken apart and the yarn can be used to make a throw blanket(s). You might even consider a ‘patchwork’ of all 30 sweaters. So, every time you snuggle up with your re-purposed throw blanket, you will be reminded of ‘mommy dearest’.
2. Themed Photo Album
   Have some fun and have a dress-up day. Take out your camera and take a picture of your husband in each of the sweaters his mom made. Place them in a photo album with a snappy caption under each photograph (scrapbookers are jumping at this creative project). Use this as a way of honouring his mother and the memory of each sweater.
3. Donations
   Of course, there is the practical argument of donating the sweaters to a seniors home/centre or to a charity in need.

But, as you are well aware, this has nothing to do with a useful decision — it’s clearly pure emotion.

… thank goodness it’s only one box.

Summer vacation is at an end. Your kids are restless.  Business is about to kick into high gear again. You’ve got a million things to prepare. It’s time to get organized again for the school year. Where to start? You have to leverage your resources.

Perhaps you want to de-clutter and get out from under the piles of stuff that have accumulated since June (or since you moved into a new home). Or Perhaps you need systems in place to boost productivity for your business for the next quarter. If so, feel free to get in touch with me regarding professional organizing services to get your new school year off to a great start.

Maybe you need help with another area of your life or business so you can get focused for the coming season? I’m happy to recommend some partners, colleagues and trusted services I’ve used that might also benefit you.

Here’s a quick list of resources that can help you:

• Melanie Fung Lifestyle Management Inc. Personal shopping, small business assistance, running errands, event planning and more.
• Fresh Start Recycling. Helping home owners, building managers, and construction rid themselves of unwanted items.
• Silver Bullet Shredding. Professional, reliable and cost-effective shredding services.
• Recycling Council of BC. Information about where to recycle.

Do you need help organizing your time? De-cluttering your space? Making sense of your paper and electronic files? Get help from a professional organizer today.

Have a great start to the new season!

My friends and colleagues in Vancouver have been talking non-stop about the latest real-estate innovation to hit our expensive city: “microlofts”, 270 square feet of compact urban living roughly equal in size to two parking spaces.

In an Olympic-frenzied city with some of the most expensive real estate in the world, I guess it was inevitable that people would start living in accommodations that combine your sink, toilet and shower into a single “washroom enclosure”. But the question on everyone’s lips is “how do you organize your stuff to actually live in such a small space?”

When the CBC interviewed me about this topic, I noted that in a perfect world where you have as much space as you could possibly need, you would just keep everything. But for most of us, organizing our living spaces means making choices. What do you really need? What do you actually use? And what do you just have around because of emotional attachment or memory?

For those of us who don’t live in spacious mansions, these are very practical questions. One way to face it is to ask yourself, what would I keep if I could only have 100 items? Would I keep my Wii? All the DVDs I’ve collected but never actually watch? How many sets of cutlery do I need? Which is more important: that set of coasters that I bring out for company twice a year, or my toothbrush (well, I hope you’d choose the toothbrush, but it’s your choice…)?

We’re moving into smaller spaces and as a result, self-serve storage is a booming industry. It’s not just people shifting gears in a tough economy; many retired residents are moving from 2000 or even 5000 square feet homes into rooms roughly equivalent to in space to these microlofts – and they’ve acquired decades worth of stuff.

But if you’re paying for a storage locker after you downsize, how much would that extra $200 or $300 per month buy you in rent or a mortgage? If you’ve filled up your garage so you have to pay for a parking pass for your car to park on the street, how much are you paying every month for stuff that you might never use?

When I’m working with my professional organizing clients, helping them through the downsizing process is often a cathartic kind of process. They realize what is really important to them. At the same time, they learn how to make smarter decisions about how they use their space. For instance, in smaller spaces, you learn how to turn your coffee tables and ottomans into dual-use pieces and find places for hidden storage.

It’s often a challenge at the beginning, but in the end, they realize better value and a better standard of living from their homes than they ever had before.

I’m often asked, “As a professional organizer, is it easier for you to let things go? You must not have any junk or knick knacks because you’re the expert in getting rid of clutter.”

That’s mostly true, but not the whole story.

Often we hold onto things based on the emotional value they provide, which they spark in our memories. Sometimes the object reminds us of an intention to do something. Other times, we just don’t want to get rid of something we spent money on, whether or not it is actually useful in our lives.

My clients are asked to determine the value of the item they are keeping. Value is measured in two forms: Functional Usefulness and Emotional Attachment.

To illustrate, I’ll tell you a story about myself.

My Dad owned a Chinese/Western food restaurant. It was a small neighborhood eatery, visited by the locals. Think back to times of Pink Ladies, Fuzzy Navels, Shirley Temples and Rob Roys.

He had quite the following. There were line-ups out the door every weekend. The community where he was located has a strong Scottish clientele. Imagine, a Chinese food restaurant hosting Robby Burns Day ceremonies, turning out authentic Haggis and entertaining the sell-out crowds with Highland Dancers and full Robby Burns Day ceremonies.

Dad was presented with his own kilt, brought back from a loyal patron on a visit back to Scotland. He wore it every year during the ceremonies. When my Dad passed away, we buried him with his kilt. I remember George, a regular restaurant patron, playing the bagpipes as we followed his casket at the graveyard.

One thing that I did keep of my Dad’s was this statue, made by another loyal patron — complete with glasses cut out of black construction paper and the black marker scribble for Dad’s mustache. The base of the statute reads “Hamish McChu”.

Just think of me as Linda Chu from the McChu clan…

Dad looks over me each night from atop of my wardrobe in the bedroom. What value does this item bring to me, you ask? Emotional or usefulness? You decide. Contact me and let me know what you think. Best regards.

Great containers are only half the battle. Linda Chu of Vancouver’s Out of Chaos offers a series of tips in the Fall issue of Western Living Condo Magazine.

Divide and Conquer
Split your clothes into two seasons, winter and summer. Store any items (like heavy skiing sweaters) that you would never wear out of season.

Birds of a Feather
Put pants in one pile, T-shirts in another and so on. Subdivide the piles into casual and dressy items. Take it one step further and sort by colour or sleeve length – a great way to discover a glut of items. Do you really need a dozen black camisoles?

Tough Calls
If you’re waffling on an item, put it in what Chu calls the “not-sure box.” List what’s in the box with the current date and the contact information of a charity and attach it to the box. Make a note in your calendar a year from now. If you haven’t missed anything in the box by then, you can donate it to charity without opening the box (and risking a trip down memory lane).

Two Questions
Question each item using two principles of purging: When was the last time you used it? Were you surprised to find it?

Air Time
Clothes need to breathe, so don’t store them in plastic boxes. Be sure to label the containers.

Call for Help
If you feel overwhelmed by your closet, Chu recommends having someone support you in the process. Make a deal with a friend to work on your closets together, or hire a professional organizer for help restoring order to your space.

View full magazine spread.

Moving can very quickly become one of the biggest stresses in your life, if you are not prepared and organized. Following a recent pack and move at a 5700 square foot home, our Vancouver-based professional organizers have some moving and packing tips to share.

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Not getting enough sleep? Take stock of room you’re sleeping in
By Jennifer Brown, Special to The Star

That can start with making sure your bedroom isn’t contributing to the reasons why you find yourself laying awake at night.
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