Hi there, I’m Carmen Coker, professional organizer and creator of The Clutter Cleanse®, and I’m here today with a little inspiration to get you moving toward your organizing goals, whatever they may be.
As I record this video, we stand at the beginning of a new year. A whole year of days, weeks, months – opportunities, if you will.
Really, it doesn’t matter if you are watching this video in January, in July, or in December, today can be the start of a new year for you. That’s one of the things that is so beautiful about life. Each day is a clean slate, ready for you to make and mold it into what you will.
Take that idea a step further, and think about where you were 365 days ago. Are you still stuck there in that same place?
If so, you might not want to think about it. It can be uncomfortable, at best, and agonizing, at worst. When you have big plans for how you want to improve your home, life, and you, but you seem to be perpetually stuck, getting nowhere, it can seem like a big #MeFail – and not just once, but over and over and over again.
And, yet, here comes that clean slate. Yes, it’s cliché. Go ahead, roll your eyes at me. Yes, it’s optimistic in maybe a Pollyana sort of way. But you know what? It’s also true. You can choose to break the ugly cycle in which you find yourself at any time and at any place.
So, if you’ve been telling yourself for a while now that you need to get organized and simplify life, then it’s time to stop thinking and talking about it, and start getting it, achieving it, enjoying it.
To learn more about how you can declutter your life finally, even if you feel like it’s a hopeless cause, then follow the arrow [to http://www.carmencoker.com/free-get-organized-webinar] to register for my free webinar.
This is Carmen Coker, signing off, we’ll see you next time.
Hi there, I’m Carmen Coker, professional organizer and creator of The Clutter Cleanse®, and let me ask you…how many times have you bailed on getting organized because you felt unmotivated to keep going, or even get started?
There is more to organizing and decluttering than sorting and storing. In fact, your lifestyle choices heavily influence how engaged you feel during the organizing process and, as such, heavily influence your organizing results as well.
Here are five science-based solutions that will boost your motivation to reach your get-organized goals.
Number One: Get restful sleep.
And that doesn’t mean sleeping in front of the TV or with your cell phone, but sleeping like your dog sleeps – soundly, deeply, and for a good while.
Too little sleep hinders your productivity and focus, amongst other serious health consequences. [Source: Sleep Foundation]
Make sure you go to bed early enough, tonight, to get the right amount of sleep you need for organizing, tomorrow.
Number Two: Wear bright colors.
Warm colors like red and orange stimulate your mind. One British study found that, when evenly-matched Olympic athletes competed, those in red won significantly more. [Source: Health Magazine]
Wearing these colors will supercharge your energy levels to achieve more while organizing.
Number Three: Fuel your body properly.
Evidence points to the fact that your diet impacts your brain chemistry, which in turn, impacts your personal energy and mood. [Source: WebMD]
Drinking lots of water as well as eating fresh fruits, leafy greens, and lean meats – instead of all the fatty, greasy, and sugary options available – are all smart choices to fuel your body for high-performance and organizing success.
Number Four: Turn up the music.
Music energizes you. OK, well, maybe not the pots and pans kinda music, but clinical music therapy uses music to connect people to movement and motivation. [Source: American Music Therapy Association]
By turning up your favorite tunes, your energy, intensity, and big decluttering results are sure to follow.
Number Five: Have a positive attitude.
Human beings have a strong mind-body connection, and because of this, the psychological benefits of attitude often manifest into physical benefits. [Source: Mayo Clinic]
Using positive self-talk like “I can get organized” is a must-have resource in your organizing toolkit.
There you have it: Five get-organized power tips. To learn more about how you can declutter your life finally, even if you feel like it’s a hopeless cause, then follow the arrow [to http://www.carmencoker.com/free-get-organized-webinar] to register for my free webinar.
This is Carmen Coker, signing off, we’ll see you next time.
Hi there, I’m Carmen Coker, professional organizer and creator of The Clutter Cleanse®, and let me ask you…
How long have you been telling yourself that you need to get more organized? Honestly. A month? A year? A decade? A lifetime?
No matter how long you have been tolerating clutter in your home and life, you will likely agree on three things:
One, nothing good comes from clutter – only chaos, stress, frustration, loss, pain, wastefulness, hassles, and ineffectiveness.
Two, any amount of time is too long to struggle with clutter and the ill-effects it has on your time, space, mind, energy, money, and more.
Three, you can get started today, removing clutter and making space for the more important things in your life.
If you are like most, acknowledging these three factors is the easy part, but acting upon them, especially the last one – getting started today – is the hard part.
You may explain away your inaction with reasons like: I don’t have the time to get organized. I don’t have the money either. It’s too hard. I’m too overwhelmed. I’ve gotten by so far, so what’s the point? I’m not sure where or how to get started.
No matter the reasoning, the reality won’t change. Your reality won’t change. Tomorrow, you will either be one day closer to your organizing goals and the home and life you desire, or one day further away from these goals.
The question is: What will your tomorrow reveal about your today?
It’s time to face the stories you are telling yourself about getting organized and set your excuses aside. Here are 10 easy ways to help you get more organized today – in 15 minutes or less – and anyone, absolutely anyone, can do them.
Pick one chore that you’ve been doing but that could be done by another person, like a spouse, older child, or assistant – then delegate it permanently. Doing so will free up some “me” time or some time to get organized.
Consolidate half-full bottles of cleaning or laundry supplies. Doing this will make extra space in your cabinets and on your shelves.
Create a project to-do list for something that you’ve been procrastinating about. Doing so will make you feel as if you are getting things done, and boy – isn’t that a good feeling?
Go through your kitchen fridge and freezer and toss any expired food, beverages, or condiments. Doing this will inspire you to restock with some big-energy foods that will help you be super-productive. Plus, it’s a great chore for your kids – taking us back to the delegating bit.
Open your mail that’s been piling up, recycle or shred what isn’t needed, and file the rest away. Doing this will help you finally get rid of that nagging task that has to get done anyway.
Remove three pieces of clothing from your closet that bore you or no longer fit, and donate them. Doing so will help tidy up your closet – and help those in need at the same time.
Clean out your purse or briefcase or backpack, making it more orderly. Doing this will get rid of clutter you don’t need and make your day lighter, literally and figuratively.
Choose a recipe that you’ve never tried before and plan a healthy, home-cooked meal for this week. By the way, doing this – taking care of yourself and making sure you’re healthy – is the foundation of finding life balance.
Start writing your Christmas cards early, before the season catches you off guard. Now, I can feel some of you groaning as we speak. You’re saying: “The holidays are weeks away!” But not only will doing this get you ahead of the game, it will make your friends and family insanely jealous that you have got it so together.
Schedule an appointment you’ve been putting off, like one with your hairdresser or barber, auto shop, doctor. Doing so will help you feel like you are finally getting back on track.
Pick one to do today, or do them all over the course of the next week. Either way, you will feel more energized and organized.
So we circle back to this: What will your tomorrow reveal about your today? Make it count.
Are you ready to kickstart your efforts? Then follow the arrow [see below link] to take The 3-Day Simplify-Your-Life Challenge™. It’s free, and it will put you on the right path!
This is Carmen Coker, signing off, we’ll see you next time.
Carmen Coker is a former US Air Force officer turned professional organizer. Thousands of busy people have benefited from her expertise featured by CBS, NBC, The Washington Post, and Real Simple magazine – now it’s your turn! Take the FREE 3-Day Simplify-Your-Life Challenge™, and get more organized, find more time, and enjoy more simplicity in your life…in just 3 days!
Hi there, I’m Carmen Coker, professional organizer and creator of The Clutter Cleanse®, and did you know that you are a repeat offender?
That’s right. It’s highly likely that, just today, you did it again. It’s a good thing you can’t get fined or go to jail for this offense. But karma will come back around.
So what exactly are you guilty of? Well, every home inevitably has a “drop zone” (or two, or three, or more). A drop zone is a place where stuff tends to get “dropped” without so much as a second thought, and it happens so often that a small pile morphs into a massive one in a flash.
Your drop zones will immediately spring to mind: the kitchen counter, the bedroom floor, the desk, or any flat surface that happens to be within arm’s reach.
With a drop zone, it’s easy to let clutter multiply because it’s an old habit, and as we all know, old habits die hard, if at all.
It’s easy to ignore clutter in your drop zone because it’s been there for a long time – sometimes, so long that it becomes a part of your everyday life, whether you want it to be or not.
It’s easy to justify leaving the clutter in your drop zone “as is” because, let’s be honest here, it’s the lazy way out; or maybe because it allows you to keep procrastinating; or because anything seems more fun than organizing.
But have you ever heard the saying, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got”? While the application of this wisdom is practically limitless, it is especially powerful when it comes to the clutter in your home and life.
If the status quo is “bombs away” in your drop zone, and you make no attempts to change this behavior, then you will be dealing with mess for a very long time to come. Which is to say, if you always “do” clutter, you’ll always “get” clutter.
The bottom line is to be consciously aware of how you treat your space. Because, in the end, karma wins. If you do not value and honor the space you have, it will not value and honor you. It’s that simple.
So how do you get the good organizing karma flowing? With your Easy Organizing Challenge™, which is this: Pick your biggest drop zone, and for one week, think twice before you pass it by, mindlessly drop stuff, and then move on without a second thought. If you have a family or roommates, challenge them to do the same.
Remember, it takes just as much energy to drop something randomly, as it does to put something back where it belongs.
Now, if you want bigger and better results, then try eliminating, not just improving, at least one drop zone altogether!
And if you want help accomplishing this Easy Organizing Challenge™, then let me turn your attention to a challenge of another kind. To start creating more space in your home and life for the things that really matter, follow the arrow [see below link] to take The 3-Day Simplify-Your-Life Challenge™. It’s free, and it will put you on the right path!
This is Carmen Coker, signing off, we’ll see you next time.
Carmen Coker is a former US Air Force officer turned professional organizer. Thousands of busy people have benefited from her expertise featured by CBS, NBC, The Washington Post, and Real Simple magazine – now it’s your turn! Take the FREE 3-Day Simplify-Your-Life Challenge™, and get more organized, find more time, and enjoy more simplicity in your life…in just 3 days!
Hi there, I’m Carmen Coker, professional organizer and creator of The Clutter Cleanse®.
Did you know that, right now, you are just five minutes away from being a more organized you? That’s because I’m here with your Easy Organizing Challenge™.
The battle drums are rumbling. It’s time to suit up for Clutter Combat. Let Operation Organize commence! Rest assured, this is one battle that will reduce the amount of clutter in your life – quickly.
Your Easy Organizing Challenge™ is to select one area of your home at random – just one – and for five laser-focused minutes, declutter with all your might. A blitz, if you will.
TheFreeDictionary.com defines the word “blitz” as an intense campaign, and that’s exactly what you’re gonna do. Go crazy, and do not let anything stand in the way of your blitz victory.
If necessary, and to conquer more of the battlefield, call in reinforcements – your kids, your spouse, your friends – to help.
The toys that you trip over daily – blitz ‘em. The utensils taking over your kitchen – blitz ‘em. Your messy jewelry and your even messier sock collection – blitz and blitz. The mountain of old sticky notes and the stack of magazines you’ve been meaning to whittle down – blitz ‘em. The commitments that have become time sinks – you guessed it, blitz away!
Enjoy the full-out assault on your clutter, and celebrate when you can proclaim MISSION COMPLETE.
With your Easy Organizing Challenge™ laid out, let me caution you – do not be fooled by its simplicity. If you are or feel disorganized, and yet while I was describing this challenge, the words “that’s not anything new” or “I already know that” crossed your mind, then turn those thoughts into actions.
Which is to say, turn “I know that” into “I did that.” You see, getting organized is not always about getting new and novel. It’s about getting started and getting finished, using what you already know but just haven’t yet implemented.
What if you want to get even bigger results? Then instead of leading a five-minute blitz, try a 20-minute one instead. Not once, not twice, but five times this week.
If you want help accomplishing this Easy Organizing Challenge™, then let me turn your attention to a challenge of another kind. To start creating more space in your home and life for the things that really matter, follow the arrow [see below link] to take The 3-Day Simplify-Your-Life Challenge™. It’s free, and it will put you on the right path!
This is Carmen Coker, signing off, we’ll see you next time.
Carmen Coker is a former US Air Force officer turned professional organizer. Thousands of busy people have benefited from her expertise featured by CBS, NBC, The Washington Post, and Real Simple magazine – now it’s your turn! Take the FREE 3-Day Simplify-Your-Life Challenge™, and get more organized, find more time, and enjoy more simplicity in your life…in just 3 days!
Hi there, I’m Carmen Coker, professional organizer and creator of The Clutter Cleanse®. And whether you have a little bit of clutter, a lot of clutter, or anywhere in between, you are in the right place! Because I’d like to share something with you that will challenge the way you think about clutter from this point forward.
There is a story about an old Cherokee who was teaching his grandchildren about life. He said to them: “A battle is raging inside me. It is a terrible fight between two wolves.
“One wolf represents fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
“The other stands for joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.”
The old man fixed the children with a firm stare. “This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person, too.”
They thought about it for a minute and then one child asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win the battle?”
The old Cherokee replied: “The one you feed.”
Now, you may be thinking: “Nice story. But what does this have to do with getting organized, simplifying life, and finding time?” A lot, actually, if you look at the story this way…
I have a battle raging inside of me, and it is a terrible fight between two wolves.
One wolf represents clutter, and all the things that come with it like: chaos, stress, frustration, loss, pain, wastefulness, hassles, ineffectiveness, and overwhelm.
The other stands for order, and all the things that come with it like: clarity, peace, gain, pleasure, usefulness, waste-lessness, ease, efficiency, and simplicity.
This same fight is going on inside of you, and inside every other person, too.
Which wolf will win, you ask? The one you feed.
Your Easy Organizing Challenge™ is to think about how you can feed order in your life, so that you can enjoy all the goodness that comes with it. Then, put your thoughts into action by consciously choosing organization over clutter, simplicity over chaos, and finding time over wasting time.
If you want help accomplishing this Easy Organizing Challenge™, then let me turn your attention to a challenge of another kind. To start feeding the “right” wolf and start getting rid of clutter once and for all, follow the arrow [see below] to take The 3-Day Simplify-Your-Life Challenge™. It’s free, and it will put you on the right path!
This is Carmen Coker, signing off, we’ll see you next time.
Carmen Coker is a former US Air Force officer turned professional organizer. Thousands of busy people have benefited from her expertise featured by CBS, NBC, The Washington Post, and Real Simple magazine – now it’s your turn! Take the FREE 3-Day Simplify-Your-Life Challenge™, and get more organized, find more time, and enjoy more simplicity in your life…in just 3 days!
Maybe you’ve been telling yourself that you need to get organized for days, weeks, months, or even years – and yet, you are still not there.
When it comes to getting organized, it may be easy to say…
I don’t have the time.
I don’t know where to begin.
I don’t know what to do.
I don’t feel like it.
I don’t have the patience.
But where does any of that get you?
If you could change the message you are telling yourself to be positive (I do) instead of negative (I do not), how would your get-organized outcomes be different?
Is your home office one of those someday-I’ll-organize-it spaces? Finally have the organized office you’ve longed for – in 24 hours or less!
This bull calls it like it is. If you have time to Facebook, you have time to get organized. NO MORE EXCUSES! #TidyUp
Carmen Coker is a former US Air Force officer turned professional organizer. Thousands of busy people have benefited from her expertise featured by CBS, NBC, The Washington Post, and Real Simple magazine – now it’s your turn! If you would like to find more time in your life, download your FREE copy of The Ultimate Productivity Planner™ right now, and start saving 90 minutes (or more) every day…even if you think time management is a myth!
Getting organized means…quality of life…high levels of energy and productivity…creating space in your home and life for the things that really matter…being fully present. Getting organized is a huge part of being all you can be physically, mentally, emotionally, and more.
Given these amazing benefits, what’s stopping you from getting organized? Here are the TOP 5 reasons why you can’t get organized:
1 – Can’t break free from the daily grind
Whether you’ve got one small organizing project to tackle, or you’re looking to organize your entire house, the question becomes: “How do I fit in organizing in between breakfast and morning meetings…diapers and dinner…laundry and housekeeping…Scandal and bedtime?”
Being perpetually trapped in the day-to-day could mean another year (or two, three, or more) passes you by – and still you are no closer to your organizing goals.
2 – Not being prepared for common situations
There are some spots that need organizing regularly, like mail, toys, and clothes. I bet if I ask you to list off the clutter hot spots in your home or the ways in which you waste time, you could list them 1, 2, 3 – without much thought.
You likely know the moments that make you disorganized, and if you let them, these moments will continue to steal away your hope of getting organized.
3 – Not connected to your why-power
Just saying “I want to get organized” will not sustain you. Why? It shows that you are interested in enjoying the many positives that organizing affords, but you aren’t 100% committed to doing what it takes to fully realize those positives in your own life.
If getting organized – whether it’s your kitchen or your attic or your files – is not connected to your why-power (aka your deepest motivator), then you’ll easily fall off the get-organized wagon.
4 – Don’t know what you don’t know
In order for getting organized to work for you, you need a complete organizing system, or know-how. Know-how generally consists of more than just tips like “to organize your shelves do this”. These are what I call surface tips, since they tend to repair the surface of things, and often just for a short time.
If you don’t have the know-how or don’t have access to the know-how, then getting organized can be an uphill climb.
5 – Too many negative influencers
Negative influencers are anyone or anything that hinders your organizing progress, either intentionally or unintentionally (spouse, kids, parents, pets). Despite your best efforts to get and stay organized, these guys just get in the way.
Not understanding how to deal with negative influencers will have nothing but a negative effect on your organizing success.
Did you know…there are not just five reasons why people can’t get organized – there are 26 total? Good news! All of the reasons can be easily fixed. To learn more, go here http://bit.ly/GetTotallyOrganizedWebinar now. This free webinar will show you how to say goodbye to clutter and finally create the home and life you desire (and deserve)!
Carmen Coker is a former US Air Force officer turned professional organizer. If you want to whiz through to-do′s quicker than ever before, she recommends (& uses!) this FREE MP3 to boost productivity. Try it, and…get stuff done!
You can be an encouragement to others – 
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