Free Your Mind and Simplify Your Space

How organized are you?

I lead a busy life. Running a natural body care company, a resort apparel line, and the associated travel can leave me tired, overwhelmed and unorganized. I realized that I developed a pattern of clean, organize, destroy, clean, organize, destroy in my office.

Papers, press clippings, products, receipts, CDs and mail (unopened) were a mental ball and chain. I felt weighed down. A while ago I saw a segment on Tyra about Star Hansen, an organization expert. I wrote down the name and filed it away.

Last week I called Star and set up a weekend appointment to attack my office. To my credit, my office is not a disaster, but I tend to make piles and then put the piles in cardboard boxes and focus on immediate projects. Star showed up exactly on time, full of energy, and surveyed my office. She helped me understand the patterns I have and how to break them. She even made me walk through how I open my mail. Instead of opening some and leaving the rest on my desk, she helped me to create a system of sorting my mail and placing items for my assistant to file in a designated place.

After seven hours and a trip to buy storage supplies, I have a clean, organized, and well-functioning office. I have a realistic system to keep me from creating the same mistakes again and a (nice stitched leather) box to place items in that I just can't get to. More importantly, I feel like my office matches the calmness of the spa lifestyle that I live. My mind is clear and I can respond faster because I'm not looking for the same documents over and over.

Are you feeling overwhelmed with clutter? Not sure where to start? Call Star. On a budget? Call a good friend, put on some good music, and just start from the top of the pile. Focus on one area at a time so that you can see progress. Take a break every 2 hours and see just what you can accomplish in a day.