Banish 'Sneaky Clutter!'

I have a new personal project. 

As you might imagine I love to surf the web doing research. What do people need to know? Who are the other top organizers? Are there any new books I should know about? I am also a passionate animal advocate and I love to travel. There's lots to learn! 

As I surf I very often sign up for newsletters. But lately I feel that it can be overwhelming. I realized this week that some of these e-mails have got to go. But websites don't want to lose you so hitting the unsubscribe button often takes you to a series of steps that must be performed before they release you.  Some companies ply you with guilt when you hit the unsubscribe button. 'Are you sure you want to unsubscribe?' 'How about less frequent e-mails?' On and on it goes until I feel as if I'm breaking up with some guy who doesn't 'get' that it's over.

And that's my project for this long holiday weekend: I'm sifting through my in box very carefully and releasing the majority of the information that comes to me. I started last evening and guess what came up for me? A feeling of loss! I've changed my viewpoint and now I feel excited and very relieved. What did I change? I moved from a feeling of loss to one of anticipation. I'm making room in my in box for newsletters I haven't yet discovered. I am excited.

Your in box is a place for sneaky clutter. Would you like to join me this Memorial Day weekend? If you devote 8 minutes a day by Monday morning your in box will be a lean machine ready to focus on whatever is next and best for you. 

February ~ Cuddle and Create

As this holiday approaches I'm always mystified by our outward focus as a society.  We concentrate on what we can do or pretend to be in order to attract the so called love of our lives. Watch TV for an evening and you will discover that the right shampoo, automobile or detergent is the secret elixir of love.  But if we are hollow inside what are we offering and who will we attract? It would be exhausting and near impossible to play act for an entire lifetime, don't you agree?

Getting organized isn't a task for a few afternoons a year.  For me it's a life skill and part and parcel of who I am as a human being.  Have you been to the movies lately or watched a new television program? A set designer has worked with the director and the writer to create a physical setting that tells the audience a lot about the character(s) without a single word being spoken. What does this mean to you?

Take a walk around the block and come back and see what your environment is saying about you. It may be time to get organized this holiday so that the message you are broadcasting is one of high self-esteem and healthy self-love. If your relationship is in the early stages wouldn't that be a wonderful message to broadcast and receive?  In One Year to an Organized Life I've got a bevy of projects for you to choose from and an entire month devoted to the bedroom. I hope yours is a true sanctuary.

And if you're part of an old married couple see what you can do to the environment to spiff it up.  Personally I think that new sheets are a lot sexier than a garment meant to seduce that will be off my body in minutes.  In the same vein stacks of books around a bed aren't very inviting.  Why not invest in an inexpensive bookcase and give those treasured friends a proper home. What obstacles to intimacy do you find in your bedroom when you look with 'fresh eyes?'

Let me know if you tackled any projects in your home in honor of St. Valentine.

Happy Holidays

Have you ever carefully crafted a message on a computer only to hit an incorrect key and watch it all vanish?  Well, you aren't alone.  I just did that to my holiday message.  Let's see how much I can recreate from memory. Yes even professional organizers can be technical morons. We're human too!

The most important part of my message was to wish you all a very happy holiday. It's mid-December and, if you didn't get your ducks in a row for this holiday celebration, remember that you can take stock before the New Year and make better plans for holiday season 2012. Literally make notes about your experience.  Next year you may not remember the details and you will be in jeopardy of making the same errors in judgment about time, money and emotions.  We can't ever rest on our laurels or our failures.  Every day a brand new experience waits for you to carefully and lovingly craft it.  

Here is one of my favorite quotes ~

All things have their season, and in

their times all things pass under

heaven.  A time to be born and a time

to die; a time to plant, and a time to

pluck up that which is planted.

Ecclesiastes, chapter 3

I'm not going to decorate this year. I wish I had the time because I haven't had a tree in years.  But I am working on revising my second book (now out of print) and re-issuing it early in 2012 as an e-book only publication.  I'll tell you more about it after the holidays when I have an official publication date.  

I do know that in May my ninth book is coming out from Da Capo Lifelong Books (a division of Perseus Publishing).  It's called (drum roll, please) The 8 Minute Organizer and it's for those who want to get their feet wet in the world of organizing but know that a one year commitment is beyond their interest ~ at least for now! There will be more about 8 Minute after the first.

Long hours in front of the computer take their toll. I had to shake up my schedule.  Now I have three days of organizing right before Christmas with one of my all time favorite clients and then a week of non stop play.  You see I take the concept of rewards very seriously. I hope this holiday you are surrounded by those you love and celebrating in perfect health.  May you give and receive meaningful gifts.  

New ways to find me!

Greetings!

I'm delighted you are interested in my work.  I've become a monthly blogger for two popular sites.  You can visit both as I'll be sharing different tips and tricks at each location: www.TheClosetFactory.com and www.PsychologyToday.com.  I think you will enjoy the material and learn a lot of useful tips for your everyday life. There are direct links at my website to the current articles.

It's November 2011 and while all of us are thinking about Thanksgiving, I've got a big trip coming up first.  I'm off to San Francisco,  New York City and Miami Beach.  As you might imagine I'm devoting some time to clothing options and those ever necessary cosmetics and vitamins.  The latter take far more time to choose and pack than my clothing ever does.

My maternal grandmother never learned to read or write and yet she spoke five languages like a native and traveled the world.  She used to say 'If you have a tongue in your head and feet that move, you can go anywhere.'  My grandmother had wanderlust and while it skipped all 8 of her children, it flows in the veins of her grandchildren.  I'm always ready to hop on a plane and have an adventure. I have traveled the world since I was 17 and rarely had to check a bag.  My small suitcase is a true workhorse.  It fits in the overhead bin.  It's light and easy to pull. I may not have a vast wardrobe with me but I always feel free.

Happy Turkey Day!  As a vegetarian I can assure you that the bird doesn't make the holiday.  Good food, great friends & family and a huge dose of gratitude will. If you are hosting Thanksgiving and feeling a bit at sea the 11th chapter in One Year to an Organized Life will help you with step by step tips for the day from yours truly and the wonderful Chef Tanya.  You can also find tips for packing light in the month devoted to travel.  I've got you covered!

One of my all time favorite radio interviews.

http://cindydole.com/on-air/2011/2/15/organizing-your-home-and-your-life.html

Cindy Dole is the host of a wonderful weekly radio show in Los Angeles.  It's on KFWB, a CBS affiliate every Saturday at 2 pm. Cindy generously gave me the opening hour this past week.  I hope you enjoy and ... do become a fan of Cindy's!

Regina

Games People Play

You can call in the professional organizer, spend a fortune at The Container Store, announce your plans to friend and foe alike, take time off work and ... still never get organized.  Why?  Because deep in your heart you don't want to surrender the control you assume have over your life, your space and others through the 'tool of chaos.'

It took years for me to recognize these clients when I entered their homes.  Now I see the signs almost immediately.  I don't want to waste your money and my time on a fool's errand. I've learned to speak up and ask if the person really wants the changes that an organized, peace filled, nurturing environment will bring.  And are they willing to do the work? If we decide a mistake has been made, I willingly leave.  I learned my lesson the hard way.  Over the past 20+ years there have been 3 people who weren't ready for order but I stayed determined to help them.  The problem is you can't help someone who doesn't want what you're offering! (And that goes for all relationships, doesn't it?) If you're a professional organizer just getting started, learn to read the signs.  Your client is unconsciously setting you up for failure! If you call them on their behavior, they have a choice: stop or change.

As you read these words what comes up for you?  Are you organized?  Do you start projects and never finish them?  Do you begin a project and allow yourself to get side tracked with more 'fun' activities like Facebook, e-mail, or the phone? What is your avoidance tool? I truly believe you have to understand the past and what created this behavior before you can create something new, wonderful, organized and  ... lasting! One Year to an Organized Life is filled with journal prompts that help you get at the root cause of your delaying tactics.

There is power, control and I might even say a kind of grace when you live with an environment that serves, supports and nurtures you.  I grew up in one.  I've always lived in one.  I've created them for other people for over 20 years.  And with my books I can guide you to the experience.  All you have to do is abandon the game.

A Mid-Course Correction

 Perhaps a more accurate title for this blog would be: 'The best laid plans of mice and men.' The day I was to fly East another huge snowstorm hit Boston and I didn't see how I could make the trip work to my advantage.  I grew up in Brooklyn and I know all too well the exhausting ritual of trudging through the snow. One too many times I was poised at the top of the subway steps only to come to my senses and return home.  Boston?  Let's look to the spring.

What is a 'mid course correction?' Sometimes in life you are headed in a specific direction when suddenly you realize you need to zig or zag a slightly different way to reach your destination.  The computers on the big jets do this automatically.  I've heard pilots say you are off course more than you are on during a flight.  In life we can't be rigidly devoted to one solution.  We may get additional information that clearly points us to a new path or solution.  I wanted very much to go to Boston but had a mid course correction called one big snowstorm! Have you had any corrections lately in your organizing plans?

If you are a Facebook person, I invite you to check out 'Regina Leeds, The Zen Organizer.'  It's the page I created to respond to questions about all of the books in the 'One Year to ...' series.  Please stop by and leave a comment or post a question.  I'm there every day.  Financial Planner Russell Wild stops by on Tuesdays to offer a money tip; Meagan Francis offers parenting advice on Wednesdays and the week ends with Feng Shui Friday and the Feng Shui Guy, Ariel Joseph Towne. We're trying to build a vibrant community.  Please join us!

If you feel a bit disheartened that your New Year's Resolutions went by the wayside, take heart: this week it's the Chinese New Year. Celebrate the Year of the Rabbit. It's never to late to achieve your goals which is of course what resolutions really are. Every midnight ushers in a new day that is waiting for you to write a chapter of your story.  A day that is fresh and clean and waiting to be explored, created and investigated.  What are you waiting for?  Hop to it! (I couldn't resist!).