Organized at Heart

05/01/2026

This is a wonderful take on clutter. It’s not about getting rid of things, and more about a process of letting go. Park feelings of shame and despair, and find a way to move forward.

It’s hard work, but the release is worth the process.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/may/01/you-are-what-you-keep-why-we-cling-to-clutter-and-how-to-free-yourself-of-it?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

No paywall

Feeling overwhelmed by all the stuff in your life? Understanding why we hold on to things is the first step in finding a healthy way to let go

03/21/2026

This is a wonderful book. I’m sorry to hear of her passing. Pick up a copy if you can or listen to the narrated audio book. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1306693327983928&set=a.657617906224810&type=3&mibextid=wwXIfr

Where others saw mere clutter, Margareta Magnusson spotted a moral issue: Who is responsible for what she called “the mountain of crap” most of us accumulate over a lifetime?

Her answer was definite: We should sort out and sell or give away almost all of our trinkets, T-shirts, books and baubles before we die—rather than leaving a dreary chore for friends or families.

Magnusson, a seascape painter and mother of five, was in her mid-80s when she wrote a bestselling book, “The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning.” It introduced a concept—cleaning up your own mess before you die—that resonated around the world.

Magnusson practiced what she preached. There was little left to tidy up after she died at the age of 91 on March 12 in Gothenburg, Sweden, where she was living in a retirement home. “The only thing I have to do now is talk to journalists,” said her youngest daughter, Jane Magnusson, a documentary filmmaker, who several years ago made a short film about her mother.

Read more: 🔗 https://on.wsj.com/4bpcHhq

12/10/2025

It's easy to become overwhelmed this time of year. Consider making a list of obligations and traditions, then have a candid conversation with your family. Does your Elf on the Shelf feel like a part time job? Are all those dessert parties and cookie exchanges worth the ten-pound weight gain? Ask your loved ones what makes the holiday season special for them. It might surprise you.

Mooch the cat desperately wants to find a gift for his …

08/27/2025

Save time and energy by avoiding these pitfalls:

1. Organizing before deciding what to keep.
2. Spending hours trying to figure out the perfect donation places for various items. (“donation perfection paralysis “)
3. Keeping things you don’t use “just in case“.
4. Indecision while decluttering, therefore hanging onto things that you chose not to decide.
5. Holding on to things just because they were expensive. “Sunk cost clutter”.
6. Overly complicated or organizing or decluttering systems.
7. Guilt over past purchases, instead of releasing the mistakes.
* stop being a clutter manager and start being a decision-maker* ❤

Excellent advice for ANY age.

7 Useless Tasks To Avoid With Every Declutter After 60 We'll Cover✅ Why organizing before purging keeps you stuck in clutter cycles ✅ The donation perfection...

07/08/2025

Can you make do with what youve got?
Can you buy one used?
Can you pass it on instead of returning it?

25% of Amazon returns go to landfill

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DKZx62PxCpn/?igsh=MW95a2gzMGhpOGpiOA==

06/07/2025

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1089769172969177&id=100058083131491&mibextid=wwXIfr

03/25/2025

This project was great fun. I made color recommendations, did space planning, and finally organized the small space into a more useable craft room.

04/14/2024

This is an excellent resource for eliminating junk mail.

Catalog Choice is a free service that can help you stop junk mail for good. I just donated to give my friends the gift of an empty mailbox; get started now at catalogchoice.org!

07/24/2023

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/03/08/how-to-practice?utm_source=facebook&utm_brand=tny&mbid=social_facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_social-type=owned&source=Paid_Soc_FB_0_BoostedPosts_0_NYR_US_ProspectingBroad_CM_PAC_Facebook_Mobile_Feed_&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=Paid_Boosted_Conv_&utm_boosted-conv-type=Soc_FBIG_DR_BAUCM_Conv&fbclid=IwAR1Eu53dT9x1r1vVHSNweL7mS_TcJIQLY8qcOFcjPlw_y_y0rOGS9w7Spu4_aem_AYyDUPTYKvAZCWdB9I626657jWvYmIdh6FwP7ctwuGBvSS7K9JgkV7CIo2Hy-dm0_Z5HIf2J72D7_f69UEtvbp8G

I wanted to get rid of my possessions, because possessions stood between me and death.

03/24/2023

The question of record retention comes up a lot with my clients. Suze Orman's record-keeping check list is an excellent place to start. Consider printing and keeping a copy at the front of your paper files, or bookmark it for future reference.

What you need to know about how long to keep bills, bank statements, and personal records for before shredding.