I recently read a quote on social media from James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits. He said, “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” This quote is indeed accurate. You must build simple systems for success to achieve… Read more
Clients contact Out of Chaos to clear out a house after the owners have moved to a smaller home. Sometimes the homeowners have passed away, and the heirs need to sell the house quickly. However, they don’t have the time or ability to handle all the work that the estate… Read more
Whether you’re doing spring clearing or preparing to move to a new home, you probably have many of these items stashed away in cupboards and drawers. While the title of this post suggests these are things you can throw away right now, that doesn’t mean you should toss everything into… Read more
I was thrilled to be interviewed by Allan Britnell of Cottage Life Magazine for their article about organizing the cottage. Like any home you leave vacant for an extended period, there are special storage considerations when organizing the cottage. Here are a few points I covered in the article. Store… Read more
When it comes to household chores, some people would rather clean toilets than manage their money. I can understand that. We used to have paper-based banking (Do you remember having a bank book?) Then, financial institutions moved towards digital banking. However, some accounts are still paper-based, so we end up… Read more
If you have met the love of your life, moving in together is a significant step in your relationship. There are many factors to consider, such as kids, pets, extended family, budgeting, finances, and much more. Lawyers, financial planners, and family counsellors can advise you on those items. Out of… Read more
In the mid-1980s (long before the internet and social media), we watched a television show called Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. The audience marvelled at the decadent and eccentric way of life of wealthy celebrities, industrialists, and royalty. Many people experienced “home envy,” a resentful longing for their home… Read more
We make thousands of decisions each day, from choosing a breakfast cereal to creating a long-term business strategy and everything in between. When we feel we have too many decisions to make, our productivity falters. Here are some tips that can help when making decisions. Types of Decisions Different types… Read more
The first step in any home organizing project is to declutter. Don’t spend time and money arranging and storing items you neither need nor want. The next step is to find a place to store the things you’re keeping. Here are three of the best home organization ideas that work… Read more
Moving to a new home is challenging. In many cases, it is even more stressful for seniors who may have no desire to move but have little choice. The experience may be confusing and even traumatic for those with memory loss. But it doesn’t have to be. Read our tips… Read more
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I am extremely organized but was overwhelmed in a major life transition about how to move forward. Linda came in, sat on my floor, took my laptop in hand, and asked me to tell her the story of each piece of paper I was immersed in. Four hours later, I had a neat basket of properly sorted “active” files and, more importantly, a fantastic “to do” spreadsheet which has allowed me to move forward quite dramatically in the days since. I have felt clear, excited, and energized about my life and business again. I know exactly what my priorities are and how to honour them.
The service was expensive, but worth it! Linda is warm, comfortable, relaxed, non-judgmental, and easygoing- yet very focused, efficient, and fast. She is knowledgeable and skilled. She can “hear” a person’s presentation of needs and blocks quickly and accurately -she is clearly experienced with how overwhelmed people are feeling and thinking. I loved having my blocks understood and Linda having ready strategies for those. She is also referring me to tradespeople to whom I can delegate some of my tasks.
The irony of this is that, again, I am *very* organized and have even developed similar systems for moving forward. But Linda’s system introduced a couple of tweaks that made all the difference for me. And, frankly, having paid her I feel that much more motivated to follow through on the system I paid to have developed!
— Yelp R.