It's Not About Your Stuff

Change isn't Easy, But I Hope You'll Stick With Me! - A Message From Ariane

Dear Readers,

As you know, Jessica has handed over the reigns of this awesome blog to me.  It was a very quick decision to be made as the URL was about to expire on Nov. 15. So we had to make the changeover much more quickly and abruptly than we would have liked.  In the process, I had to quickly learn how to move the blog from Jessica's Typepad Account to mine.  It was a lot of time and work just figuring out the logistics.  I truly appreciate you bearing with us as formats changed, and links and photos broke.  It will take time to update the over 200 posts Jessica has given us, but at least we haven't lost the great body of content she created.

So now I'm writing the message I had hoped to write sooner.  You are probably wondering what my intentions are for the future this blog.  The answer is - I'm not completely certain yet! 

My number one intention was to NOT let this blog die and NOT lose all the brilliant and delightful content Jessica shared with us.  I'm going to miss her as much as you will!  But now that the blog is on my account, we have the option to have multiple authors - so Jessica can still contribute - without the burden of the administrative upkeep of the blog.

My current thinking about the future of the blog is to keep it's focus mainly on the deeper, more spiritual meanings of what it means when we keep too much stuff and have difficulty letting go of things that are causing us pain and stress. 

I am thinking of eventually having lots of guest posts focusing on articles that relate to how we use our time, how chronic disorganization affects the quality of our lives, how family issues with organizing and clutter can be resolved, how we can make peace with our stuff, and living with ADD &  ADHD affects our organizing style and needs, and lots more. 

I would love to hear what you would like the blog to be about, too, so please do leave a comment and let me know how you feel about the transition and what you would like to see more of on this blog as we evolve it over the next few months. 

Thank you again for your patience and understanding. 

There is no way I can replace Jessica's unique viewpoint, but as least we will still have her from time to time!. I hope you will stick with me as a reader and be pleasantly surprised with how the blog evolves!

I'm going to be on vacation till the end of the month...but I will be thinking of way to make this blog a valuable source of learning & exploration for you.

I wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with many blessings to be thankful for!

Ask the organizer about unpacking from a move

Hey, check out my Ask the Organizer post over at 5minutesformom! This month's reader, Melinda, asked me about what was the best way to go about unpacking into a smaller space than she and her family were used to.

Here's a little quote:

The best advice I can offer anyone who is unpacking from a move is to be very very very strict with yourself about what to keep as it comes out of the boxes. As you unpack, you’ll have plenty of empty boxes, so why not designate one for donating, one for giving away to friends, family and new neighbors and one for trash. As each item comes out of the box, hold it in your hand and really ask yourself if it belongs in your fresh, new life. REALLY ask yourself. This is the time to stay completely present with your vision for what you are wanting to bring to your family and home. Remember, clutter is always about keeping what you want away.

If you find yourself in an internal battle over something you are holding, ask yourself what is the real ‘need’ you have to keep the item? Many times, there is an underlying emotion that is trapped inside the junk, and we forget that the thing is not the feeling or the memory you have projected into it, it’s just a thing.

Also, I have been to so many people’s homes who have told me that in the rush to get unpacked get resettled, they just stashed things in the first empty space, and there it lived for the next 15 years. I want to encourage you not to do this.

Here's the full post: Ask The Organizer.

How to help a friend get organized- ME on One-Minute-How-To!

Do you have friends who ask you to help them organize, but then it turns into a total power struggle that threatens your friendship?

Have you ever wanted to ask a friend or colleague to help with your decluttering project, but weren't sure how to direct them?

drawing courtesy of Reodorant.com

Here's a short "One Minute How To" on the fabulous site, if you've never been there, it's very fun!

How to help a friend get organized (this is on the site)

howtohelpafriend.mp3 (download the MP3)

Here are the other shows I have recorded for One Minute How To:

How To Deal with Your Incoming Mail

How To Clear Off Your Desk

How To Let Go of Things You Are Sentimentally Attached To

Let me know of any topics you'd like to hear about and I will make it happen!

Remember, I am on your team!

..· ´¨¨))  -:¦:-
         ¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
       ((¸¸.·´  ..·´   Jessica -:¦:-

     -:¦:-    ((¸¸.·´*

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What to do with receipts, bills, greetings cards, etc?

Ask the organizer...that's me!

Surf on over to 5 Minutes for Mom today and check out some ideas I wrote about how to deal with the receipts and bills that come in to your life every day...

Here's a little snippet:

Most people keep WAY too many receipts! Remember, there are only a few reasons to save a receipt; for warranty or insurance purposes, if the purchase has tax consequences or if you think you might return the item in the near future. Here is my recommendation for each of these: (please check with your CPA or tax preparer for the final word)

possible returns: I have my clients make a special folder called Internet/Return Receipts. This folder is like a way station for receipts that you may need to access in the near future. I would keep it handy, either in the front of your file cabinet if you have easy access to your files, or in a desktop file holder in the ‘command center’ of your home.

Check out the full post here: How do I organize my receipts?

thanks, Janet and Susan, for allowing me to respond to your reader's questions!

Remember, I am on your team!

..· ´¨¨))  -:¦:-
         ¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
       ((¸¸.·´  ..·´   Jessica -:¦:- 

     -:¦:-    ((¸¸.·´*

Did you find this post helpful? You can easily get my blog posting updates automatically by email! Just click here to subscribe to the feed, and you won't have to keep checking back every day.

Thank you all

Yesterday, I was speaking before the Lion's Club and we were asked what we are grateful for this year, as it is Thanksgiving here in the U.S.

The very first thing that popped in my mind is how much I appreciate and hold dear to my heart the people that I have met through blogging this last year.

Thank you all, readers and fellow bloggers that have inspired me to reach for the stars. Have a wonderful holiday season, filled with good food, good friends and blessings for the next year as well.

Remember, I am on your team!

..· ´¨¨))  -:¦:-
         ¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
       ((¸¸.·´  ..·´   Jessica -:¦:- 

     -:¦:-    ((¸¸.·´*

Did you find this post helpful? You can easily get my blog posting updates automatically by email! Just click here to subscribe to the feed, and you won't have to keep checking back every day.

Are you hoarding your stuff? How's that working for you?

A few days ago, one of my readers decided to write me an email because of the concern he had about his clutter. I asked him if I could share our correspondence and he said he would be happy to let others read our emails if it might help someone. Thank you, John!

Here is what he wrote:

Jessica,

I really enjoyed the article. It was recommended by www.woot.com. I have a getting-rid-of-clutter question that I have never seen answered anywhere before. I have fifteen years plus of clutter in every room including the garage. Very little of any real value [my emphasis] but these items were purchased over the years. And there's the rub, the term purchased. I feel if I give or throw away something that I am throwing away money since the item represents the money that was paid for it. Furthermore charities such as Goodwill in the area have a reputation that the help takes all the best items for themselves and leaves the rest for the store. The idea that someone else may enrich themselves with something that I have purchased and donated bothers me enough that none of the clutter moves out of the house.

Thanks,

John K.

My response:

Greetings, John and thanks for your question.

I can't speak definitively, but I certainly am willing to tell you my experience, opinion and intuition about this question you have posed. I hope it's ok that I am very direct with you, that is the only way I know how to help. You will need to ask yourself some very difficult questions if you really want to have the freedom that comes from letting go of things you no longer need in your life.

You mention that many of your things have "very little if any real value" and yet you are willing to store them, maintain them, and allow them to remain in your energetic field. As you probably know from physics, everything on earth has an energetic as well as physical weight and therefore whatever you keep in your direct surroundings literally costs you energy.

Even if you are not conscious of it happening, the clutter, which after all is simply an unmade decision, (or otherwise it wouldn't be called 'clutter') is taking up your valuable energy. This can be draining and can actually make you sick. Have you ever noticed how much more difficult it is to concentrate in a cluttered room? That's because each object is silently screaming for your attention! You have to work increasingly harder over time to drown out the noise.

Clutter is also often used as a tactic to 'punish' others in your life and to keep you insulated from feeling the feelings of vulnerability or anger you have inside. In my opinion, this is not an effective way to manage your life! When you speak about the monetary value (which is paradoxical, because you start by saying most of your stuff isn't worth much), I hear a certain level of hoarding and fear.

Tackle It Tuesday- what a great idea!

What a great idea! Come join me and a growing number of folks next Tuesday with the ladies at 5minutesformom.com in finally getting things accomplished, one task at a time. I can't wait to start!

These gals have found a great way to finally move forward on a task or project you've been putting off for days, weeks, months years: group effort they are calling Tackle It Tuesday. I don't know about you, but when I know that I have the power of a group of people, it literally gives me energy. Let's harness that juice and knock off those to-dos! The project can be big or small, at home or at work, the point is to get it done and brag about it!

My 'sister' organizer in New Jersey, Ariane Benefit of Neat Living Blog has already started, this week, she accomplished a huge task in her laundry area, here is her posting: Ariane Does Good.

I think I am going to start on my website redesign project, I am going to break it down into manageable tasks and then post every Tuesday on my progress.

Come join us!

Remember, I am on your team!

..· ´¨¨))  -:¦:-
         ¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
       ((¸¸.·´  ..·´   Jessica -:¦:- 

     -:¦:-    ((¸¸.·´*

Did you find this post fabulous? You can easily get my blog posting updates automatically by email! Just click here to subscribe to the feed, and you won't have to keep checking back every day.

12 strategies for (finally!) letting go of stuff you don't really need

Some people theorize that our urge to hoard “stuff” has its roots in our caveman days, when our survival depended on our having everything we needed in our immediate environment. We were never certain in those intense times when the necessary resources would be available to us, so we hoarded things ‘just in case’. I suspect that nowadays, our compulsion to ‘have’ is a mutation of a misguided spiritual and emotional survival tactic—we have come to confuse the feelings of security and love with the presence of things and so we try to fill the void we feel inside with stuff. Often, we believe we can change our insides by buying something---we sooth ourselves by purchasing the latest 'thing'---a self-help CD, status symbol or gadget. I have seen people who have dozens of items still in the package or the tag still hanging! (sound familiar?)

In any case, when your environment steals your energy, rather than supporting and nurturing you, life just doesn’t work as well as it should. The result? You end up wasting the very resources you hold most dear---time, money and physical energy. photo courtesy of vinyl pulse

You stand in front of your closet, garage, or desk, you want to get started, but you keep hitting the wall--- finding yourself locked in a battle of resistance in your mind that keeps you from even taking the first step. You know it’s in your head, but you just don’t know how to blast through.  If you are yearning to create a feeling of harmony, a sense of place in your home or office, but have always been stymied by a stubborn resistance, (which feels like overwhelm) I have some suggestions for you to try. It's all about letting go...

Welcome Wall Street Journal readers!

I have the honor of being included in the Wall St. Journal Blog Watch today!

Wall St. Journal Blog Watch Column

So, welcome, WSJ subscribers and others as well! You are in for a treat. I have a lot to say about making things easier for you, so please read on...

WARNING: Don't let anyone tell you how to get organized! As you probably already have discovered, other people's imposed systems never last. Everyone has a unique way of processing information and their own way of doing things. I am here to provide you with information about how to think more efficiently. And get more stuff done. That's what I do. I help people manage their lives better, at home and at work.

Let me show you the way to create your own systems that work in your unique situation! *And all you have to do is read and listen.

Welcome everyone to It's Not About Your Stuff, the blog I created to offer you ways to make your life flow more smoothly. Wouldn't that be great? I am a lazy person by nature, so my tips and tricks are simple and fast. I am a deep person, so I don't just swipe the surface, I ask you to plumb the depths so you can really have results that last. It works better that way, I promise. You ready?

As a short introduction, my name is Jessica Duquette and I am the president of In Perfect Order, an organizing and lifestyle management company based in Los Angeles, CA. We travel the world to help you make over your home and office so that it works for you.

"It's not about your stuff" means that the journey from chaos to order must start in your mind, not on the floor! Drawing from my own expertise as an organizing strategist, I have searched out interesting articles, expert advice from others and offer you rants, musings and nuts and bolts strategies on how to manage your life better, physically, emotionally and mentally. Take a look around!

INTERESTING RECENT POSTS:

• 5 Day ‘I Dare You!’ Office Makeover
• Feng Shui for Your Bedroom
• 6 Tips for Setting up Your Home Office

BOTTOM LINE

For a quick introduction, please visit these links:

Media Inquiries- TV appearances in the US and Canada

Jessica is available for radio and television interviews, articles and expert comments

It's Not About Your Stuff Radio Show on BigMediaUSA.com

Testimonials

About Jessica Duquette

CONTACT

If you are interested in working with me to get your home or office organized, please contact me with the details of what services apply to your situation and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

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This just in...can kids get organized?

I was just sitting here, trying to clear my brain enough to write something eloquent, when I got an email from one of my dear clients, Angela, from Pasadena, CA. She was staying up late, too (it's almost 11pm here in LA!) and really wanted to know:

Hi Jessica - I haven't figured out a way to help my boys stay organized. I organized their rooms with bins for them to put their stuff in, but it always ends up all over the house, and they can't find their stuff and I hate the clutter. Have you ever helped in this type of situation, a session with kids?

let me know...

Thanks :) Angela