CONTACT US FOR YOUR FREE ASSESSMENT!
Upstate Clutter Coach - Professional Home Organizer
  • Welcome
    • The Coaches
    • Portfolio
    • Testimonials
  • Services & Rates
    • ADHD Coaching >
      • Coaching Session Prep Form
    • In-Home Organizing
    • Moving Services
    • Virtual Organizing
    • Paper Organizing Workshop - Sunday Basket
  • Contact
    • FAQ
  • Resources
    • Blog >
      • ADD/ADHD
      • Before & After
      • Children
      • Closets
      • Clutter
      • Craft Areas
      • Finances
      • Health
      • Holidays & Entertaining
      • Home Office & Paperwork
      • Kitchens & Pantries
      • Living Spaces
      • Methodology
      • Moving
      • Organizing
      • Time Management
      • Tips & Tricks
    • Artkive (art project digitization)
    • Books to Read
    • Favorite Products
    • Yours For Free
    • Sell Your Designer Bags
    • Become a Pro Organizer
  • Welcome
    • The Coaches
    • Portfolio
    • Testimonials
  • Services & Rates
    • ADHD Coaching >
      • Coaching Session Prep Form
    • In-Home Organizing
    • Moving Services
    • Virtual Organizing
    • Paper Organizing Workshop - Sunday Basket
  • Contact
    • FAQ
  • Resources
    • Blog >
      • ADD/ADHD
      • Before & After
      • Children
      • Closets
      • Clutter
      • Craft Areas
      • Finances
      • Health
      • Holidays & Entertaining
      • Home Office & Paperwork
      • Kitchens & Pantries
      • Living Spaces
      • Methodology
      • Moving
      • Organizing
      • Time Management
      • Tips & Tricks
    • Artkive (art project digitization)
    • Books to Read
    • Favorite Products
    • Yours For Free
    • Sell Your Designer Bags
    • Become a Pro Organizer

Top Three Tips to Cut Clutter

7/22/2019

Comments

 
Summer break is a great time to evaluate your current strategies for coping with clutter. But what is clutter?

Clutter is anything you don’t need, use, or enjoy on a regular basis.

It’s the tchotchkes, knickknacks, and overstock in your home that never find a true purpose. You have them, but do you really need to keep them? Probably not.
Picture
Letting go can be difficult, so here are my top 3 strategies for editing your belongings.

#1 Pareto’s Principle.
While you might not be able to pronounce his name properly, this turn of the century Italian economist developed what we commonly refer to today as the 80:20 rule. Vilfredo Pareto determined that what we invest versus the return we get is unbalanced. Applied to our homes, it would appear that 80% of our things are used only 20% of the time. In simpler terms, this means that out of all of your t-shirts in your dresser drawers, over half of them (80%) are only worn less than half (20%) of the time. The flip side of that equation is that you’re wearing a very small percentage (20%) of your t-shirts the majority (80%) of the time. Sounds like it’s time to declutter some of those unworn shirts!
​
#2 One-In-One-Out Rule.
To avoid unnecessary overstock, you’ve got to have a plan to subtract whenever you add. We’re great with toilet paper – we buy lots, but we use lots, so the toilet paper supply never gets out of hand. However, when we’re buying things that aren’t consumable, those items tend to pile up. Consider purses. Although you might love purses (and bags of all sorts), it’s unnecessary to have ALL the bags. So, when buying a new bag, you must let go of an old one. Using the one-in-one-out principle helps us to establish healthy buying habits, which in turn reduces the potential for clutter. If you’ve got an excessive amount, then multiply this rule to read One-In-Three-Out until you can get your stash down to an appropriate level.

#3 Expiration Date.
As you continue on your decluttering journey, you’ll stumble upon items you think you might need one day. While this mindset has proven useful in past decades, it has followed Pareto’s Principle more than we’d like to admit: of the 80-100% of the things we keep for a delayed and unknown need, only 0-20% might ever get used. The replacement light bulbs that come with every strand of holiday lights, or extra buttons that come with your new cardigan. The dull hack saw you salvaged from a garage sale or the door knobs that came out of your renovated property. Maybe it’s the fancy table linens for the parties you never throw or extra sets of glass punch cups. You’re keeping these things because you THINK you’ll use them, but so far you haven’t. In fact, instead of using the old things, you actually just pick up what you need for less than $25 when you need it. Be honest with yourself. It’s time to let these things go. But if you don’t believe me, then place these items in a box with an expiration date clearly marked on the side. Once that date arrives, you’ll have no regrets donating those items because you KNOW you never actually needed them.
​
What are your favorite strategies for cutting the clutter? Share them below in the comments!

This post originally appeared on The Good Life.
Picture
Comments

4 Steps to an Organized Pantry

7/20/2017

Comments

 
Create a tidy pantry that works for you with these 4 simple steps! www.UpstateClutterCoach.com
This post may contain affiliate links. Click here to learn more.
For those nights when you forgot to start your dinner on plan on time or simply didn’t have one to begin with, an organized pantry is a life saver. It’s also a blessing when it’s time to pack lunches or grab breakfast on the run. But what if your pantry is a hodge-podge of cardboard boxes and heavy cans? What if you are overwhelmed by the abyss? Follow these four steps to conquer your cluttered space and put your pantry back to work.

Step 1. Out with the Old

Pantries are notorious for becoming black holes. Typical shelving designs encourage piling, stacking, and shoving, often resulting in expired overstock. So, the first step to an organized pantry is getting rid of what no longer belongs. Pull EVERYTHING out and place it on your kitchen counters, table tops, and other nearby surfaces. Check each expiration date and immediately toss anything expired or about to expire in the next 30 days. (Unless you REALLY do plan to use that food at the next meal, it needs to go. Trust me. You’ll forget about it again, so don’t put the almost expiring items back in.) You’ll also want to get rid of the food items that you purchased but never used. These were the gimmicks and impulse items that simply looked “good” in the store, but were never part of an actual plan. If any of those items aren’t expired, pack them in a box for donation to your local food pantry or offer them to your more creative friends.
​

Step 2. Like with Like

Next, begin sorting your items based on food or item type. Keep all baking items together, put pastas in a pile, let the sauces stand out on their own. Sorting the contents enables you to see the duplicates and learn about your personal buying habits. Are you always picking up another box of _______ because you thought you were out? While extras are good to have on hand, it only makes sense if you’re actually using them on a regular basis. Shift gears for a moment, and consider your toilet paper: it’s ALWAYS good to have extras on hand because you’re planning on using it. Now look back at the pantry piles you’ve sorted: the 4 bottles of green food coloring are excessive and unnecessary. Sorting will help you to buy when you need to buy, rather than buy because you think you need to buy.
​

Step 3. Keep it Simple

Now that you know what items will live in your pantry, think of them in broad categories. Decide where each category will go based on the size and frequency of use, and then identify that area with a label. When we organize pantries for our clients, the most frequent categories we come across are:
  • appliances (including mixers, blenders, and ice cream makers)
  • baking (ingredients only, pans go elsewhere)
  • beverages
  • breakfast
  • entertaining (including paper plates and plastic ware)
  • fruits (in baskets or cans)
  • grains (pastas, rice, bread)
  • meats (in cans or dried form)
  • sauces + soups (in jars, cans, or bottles)
  • snacks
  • spices overstock (to replenish your on-hand spices kept near the stove)
  • spreads (jellies, nut butters, and honey)
  • vegetables (in baskets or cans)
Assigning areas, or zones, to your pantry will help you find the items needed when it’s time for meal prep. They also prove their value when you return from the grocery and need to quickly empty your bags.
​

Step 4. Weekly Reset

Now that your pantry is in-date and organized, you’ll need to work on maintaining it. Without maintenance, the cereal boxes begin taking over the pasta shelf and the brown sugar ends up with breakfast items instead of baking. Choose one day a week (preferably the day BEFORE you normally go to the grocery store), to make sure every item is back in the correct area. Resetting will help you know what to buy and when to buy it. For pantry essentials, I recommend adding items to your next grocery list as you use them. For example, when I use a jar of spaghetti sauce and box of pasta, I immediately write those on my next grocery list because those are my “whoops, mom forgot to plan for dinner” items.
 
Think of your pantry as a mini-grocery store, containing all the items you regularly use. The category labels will function like the aisle signs, enabling you to find what you need. Finally, shoot to keep your pantry at 80% capacity. Keep the other 20% free and clear so that when it’s time to buy lots of food or entertaining items for a large event, you’ve got a place to store it.
Picture
Picture
Comments

5 Favorite Organizers Under $20

6/23/2017

Comments

 
Picture
This post may contain affiliate links. Click here to learn more.
Although every home is different and every client has varying needs, there are some organizing staples that we recommend to everyone!
​
  • Hanging Laundry Bags. These magical things are BETTER than sliced bread. Since most homes don’t come equipped with massive laundry rooms outfitted with large folding and sorting tables, we have to get creative with our wall space. These laundry bags are made of bright white canvas that are easy to remove for washing when your soiled laundry leaves some undesirable scent behind. The hooks make them easy to move around the home, for those days when you don’t want everyone to see your laundry but still need to keep it sorted and contained.
  •  Closet Rod Extenders. While this type of item has been around for years, it’s important to be picky about your products. These extenders in particular are adjustable in length AND width so that you can double the hanging space in any size closet. Plus, the chrome just looks fabulous. We’ve used these in laundry rooms to create a second tier for hanging clothing, so that the original top tier can hold hangers. We’ve used them to create multiple levels for children’s clothing that doesn’t need as much length between the rods. I’m sure we’ll find more ways to use them as we get creative with more client needs, so if you think of any, please share them below!
  • Cleaning Supply Hangers. This one isn’t fancy, but it’s 100% practical. Brooms, mops, and dust pans shouldn’t be stored on the floor. Hang them individually to avoid an avalanche. Using a basic arm hook is better than using a pressure mechanism for hanging your tools, because your wall can only take so much force against it before the wall and your screws separate. If you don’t like drywall patching, then trust me on this one. 3M hooks are a great solution too! If your broom handle doesn’t have a convenient hook hole (or the hole isn’t the size you need), then simply tie a piece of twine around the broom head (or through the too-small hole) to create a loop that will hang just right.
  • Spice Jars. Have you ever noticed how inconsistent the sizes of spice jars are? I’m pretty sure it’s a ploy by the spice companies to get us to buy their entire set of spices. But I’m not really into that. Because organization in the kitchen is a MUST and spices are one of the fastest things to create a cluttered look, I recommend buying spice jars with flat lids, then affixing adhesive labels to those lids for a fancy finish. They look incredible in drawers! If you’re sticking your spices on a shelf, make sure to affix your label to the front of the jar. (If the selection at Amazon doesn’t suit you, then check out Hobby Lobby on their 50% off glassware weeks.)
  • Shoe Boxes. While I’m not so sure most shoes actually fit into standard plastic shoe boxes, they make for EXCELLENT organizers. We frequently use these for sorting and storing extra eye, dental, or nail care under bathroom sinks. They’re also great for stacking at the tops of closets to store bathing suits by person in the off months as well as craft supplies by type.
​

​What are your favorite organizers under $20?

Need action steps to get organized? We've got you covered in a very uncluttered way! We'll send you action steps twice a month to help you stay motivated and organized. Sign up here! www.upstatecluttercoach.com #cluttercoach #reclaimjoy #tipsandtricks
Clutter Coach Lauren Flinte is a professional organizer who transforms chaos into categories, leaning towers into stable storage solutions, and anxiety into peace by way of editing and organizing residential and commercial spaces. She can help you reclaim your joy today! www.UpstateClutterCoach.com #reclaimjoy #organizer #minimalist
Comments

​4 Steps to an Organized Kitchen

2/25/2017

Comments

 
Upstate Clutter Coach Lauren Flinte Organizes Kitchens
This post may contain affiliate links. Click here to learn more.
For most people, the kitchen is the heart of the home.

EVERYTHING happens here. From snacks and lighthearted conversation to dinner parties and budget discussions, this room is obviously more than countertops and food prep. The only way to keep your kitchen functioning like the well-oiled machine it needs to be is to get it organized.

Get in the Zone

Divide your kitchen into several specific areas based on function. Your appliances will give you some clues on where each zone should be. Dishes, glasses, and flatware all belong near the dishwasher. This reduces the amount of time it takes to return dishes after they’ve been cleaned. Putting away the dishes is already hard enough --- so give yourself a break and keep them all close together. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE using these cabinet shelves from Container Store to create MORE space.

The oven and stove top are the center (or end caps if they’re separated) of your food prep zone. Keep measuring cups, mixing bowls, can openers, vegetable peelers, oven mitts, and cooking utensils nearby. Drawer dividers are a life saver and will ensure your prep pieces remain exactly where they should be. Pots and pans also belong here.

Anchor the food storage zone near your refrigerator. You may have a separate pantry that will house food items too. These spaces are ideal for Tupperware, Ziploc bags, and lunch boxes.

​Finally, create a zone for serving pieces like platters, specialty dishes, ice cream scoops, and salad tongs.
 ​

Edit the Extras

Your kitchen functions best when it’s got some breathing room. Keep your cabinets, shelves, and drawers no more than 80% full. This allows you room to lift items out or set them back in place without knocking other things out of place or creating a Tupperware avalanche. To edit the extras, you’ll need to see what you have. Within each zone, pull all the similar items out. Most folks have an excessive number of mixing bowls, spatulas, and bakeware. What’s excessive? Keeping more than what you normally use between dishwasher runs (roughly 2 days' time).
​

Check Your Frequency

If you’ve got items that you need to keep because you normally use them, but don’t use them on a weekly or even monthly basis, then they don’t need to take up the prime storage areas of your kitchen. Prime storage encompasses the drawers, cabinets, and shelves within easy reach. If you’re only using that turkey baster at Thanksgiving, keep it with your turkey roasting pan in the deep, dark, hard to reach corner cabinet or in the garage if your kitchen is short on space. Your dishes, spices, and pantry items should follow suit. Keep the most frequently used items nearby, and lesser used items up higher or lower.
​

Return to Start

Now that your kitchen contains the items you need in the appropriate areas, make it a habit to always reset the area after meals or at least at the end of each day. It’s nearly impossible to cook what you want and use the correct materials when you need them if you’re always having to pause to wash what you didn’t wash before. Wash, dry, put away dishes and prepware when you finish. Don’t forget to catch the crumbs with a quick wipe down of all counters, cooktops, and the kitchen sink. ​
Picture
Picture
Comments

3 Guidelines to Determine When Enough is Enough

6/20/2016

Comments

 
Professional organizer Lauren Flinte provides an easy to use checklist to help you identify when enough is enough, and when enough is too much. Learn to set healthy limits that lead to freedom from the stuff.

​A client recently asked me, “What’s the right amount of _______? When is enough enough?”

The question spurred a trail of thoughts a mile long. Every person is going to have a different answer for every area of life. The avid cyclist will have more accessories that I can count, while the once-a-year cyclist may just have the bike. The answer to the question lies in your love, need for, and use of all the things available within a given category. No matter the level of enthusiasm, there is wisdom in establishing healthy limits.

Here are your top 3 guidelines to help you discover when your enough is enough:

Each item in your home is used at least once a year.

This may sound like a tall order, but it’s easy to achieve if you give yourself the time to tackle each category and make decisions. Clothing is the best category to begin with and laundry is your easiest way to measure frequency of use. Runners who run 7 days a week and only do laundry once will require 7 outfits. Employees who work in an office (with no uniform) or teachers will most likely do laundry at least once a week, but may require 10 outfits so that they don’t feel like they’re repeating themselves every week. Instead, 10 outfits allow for a potential repeat only once every two weeks. Some folks like to have even MORE variety in their wardrobes. (I highly caution more than 3 weeks’ worth of outfits.) The Pareto Principle attests that we’re only using 20% of our stuff 80% of the time, so to help you identify what you’re actually wearing (all the time AND at least once a year), try this little experiment.
  • Pick a date.
  • The day before this date, make sure ALL of your clothing is laundered and/or dry cleaned.
  • On your set date, turn everything backwards: hangers in closets, folded shirts facing the opposite direction, underwear on the other side of the drawer (use a divider like an empty shoebox if necessary).
  • For the next 12 months (or less if you can finish the experiment before that), whenever you use an item of clothing, store it forwards (or the way it used to be before your start date).
  • At the end of 12 months (or less), whatever you see you aren’t using needs to be edited. These items may be donated, tossed, or recycled. You might even sell them on Facebook, Craigslist, or Ebay. BUT THEY CAN’T STAY in your drawers or closets.
  • This practice also works with other categories in your home. Simply turn the item (hammer, towel, serving platters, etc.) toward a different direction or angle to easily identify which things you have and haven’t used. There are a few tools that sometimes do not pass the twelve-month test, but may pass a two-year test. The point is to pare down your belongings to get to the point where you have enough. There are always exceptions, but exceptions are only exceptions by definition if they are RARE

Dust is at a minimum.

When you are actively using everything in your home, those items will be touched, moved, or laundered on a regular basis. Have you ever seen a pair of shoes tucked in the back of your closet covered in dust? You know why they’re dusty and your other shoes aren’t? I bet it’s NOT because you only dusted the other pairs. Who dusts shoes?! No, that one pair is dusty because they haven’t been moved in months. But what about snow boots? Well of course, those will probably get dusty --- that’s an expected casualty of the seasons. Don’t play hardball --- you know exactly which shoes I’m talking about --- the ones that you know won’t pass the “worn in a year” test. The point is, when the things in our home have a purpose, less dust will settle. You’ll still need to vacuum, mop, and dust, but your work will be cut in half because ….. (wait for it…..)

Your closets, drawers, cabinets, and other storage areas are at least 25% empty.

The emptiness not only creates ease of accessibility, but it also allows the air to flow properly through your house. Proper air flow equals less dust. If your storage areas are always jammed full, then you’ve simply got to ask yourself if all the items within them passed the first test. If they did and you’re still overflowing, then you might be one of the VERY few people in the world who NEED more space. Just a warning, parenting during the infant stage will create a very FULL home. There are a TON of things you need for such a small person, that the hoard is almost laughable. But take heart --- you won’t need all these things for more than each little person’s first year of life. You might feel the need to store and reuse for the next child (thus “breaking” the Twelve Month Use Rule), and that’s normal. Choose an area that is out of the way and not easily accessible like an attic, basement, or someone else’s extra storage space during the “waiting for baby” period.

Ready to find out if you have enough already? I bet you are and I bet you do. When you follow these three guidelines, the items that are more than enough can be released to make way for space, freedom, and even newer/more useful things. Some clients realize at the end of their edits that there are items missing; items not previously owned but needed. Clothing staples and capsule wardrobes provide great examples of how to purchase more after eliminating the excess. 

Share your experience below!!!
Need action steps to get organized? We've got you covered in a very uncluttered way! We'll send you action steps twice a month to help you stay motivated and organized. Sign up here! www.upstatecluttercoach.com #cluttercoach #reclaimjoy #tipsandtricks
Clutter Coach Lauren Flinte is a professional organizer who transforms chaos into categories, leaning towers into stable storage solutions, and anxiety into peace by way of editing and organizing residential and commercial spaces. She can help you reclaim your joy today! www.UpstateClutterCoach.com #reclaimjoy #organizer #minimalist
Comments

Experience Freedom

11/17/2015

Comments

 
Is it possible to live an organized life when I've lived a cluttered life for so many years? Yes, it is. We've got some hope for you! Read about it here. #upstatecluttercoach #organize #hoarder

Flat surfaces are the first to go.

It starts small with a night stand or an entry way table. Eventually, clutter crowds out kitchen counters, cabinet shelves, table tops, and closet floors. Clutter can even take over beds, chairs, sofas, and floors if you're not on the lookout. 

​How did it even get this way? ​

​You're a pretty neat person. Your spaces are pretty clean. It's not like you're a "hoarder"....and yet, clutter happens. The problem with clutter is that even though it's in plain sight, it often fades into the background. You see it once, maybe even twice. You acknowledge that those clothes really should be in the hamper or hanging up in the closet, but you'll take care of it later. You mean to put the groceries away, but it's just easier to dump the bags of dry goods in the pantry and shut the door. You don't intend to waste time and energy every day searching for things that have become lost within the clutter...but here you are. Frustrated. Annoyed. 

You've tried to mend your cluttery ways by simply trying to put things where they belong, but you can't maintain it. You might even be feeling a bit hopeless at this point that you could ever sleep in a bedroom not littered with laundry.

I'm glad you've come here. There is hope. You aren't lazy or cursed or just plain sloppy. Most likely, the problem stems from the clutter itself.

Our culture prides itself on accumulation. 

Our minds are trained to believe that if we paid good money for it, we HAVE to keep it, even if it's taking up valuable space. We hold on tightly to possessions because we might NEED them again one day....years from now....when, in all sincerity, the item will no longer fit its intended purpose. The easiest example of this is clothing. How many pairs of pants do you currently own that do not actually fit? How many shirts are you storing just in case you MIGHT wear them again one day? How many sets of "painting clothes" do you really need (assuming you're not a painter)?
​

Studies show that we use 20% of our things 80% of the time. ​

​If that's true, then up to 80% of the clothes in your closet, dresser, and, dare I say, on the floors might be CLUTTER.

So should we just grab some trash bags and start filling donation boxes? No. No, please, for the love of organization, don't do that!
​

​Instead, let's analyze your possessions and your space. Let's go on a treasure hunt as we sort and identify all the things you need, use, and love. Let's set up organizational and storage systems so that you can efficiently access (and return) those treasured items. Then we'll consider what's left. If you've got room for the things you MIGHT need one day and REALLY want to hold on to and POSSIBLY will serve their intended purpose two decades from now, then we'll find an appropriate way to access those items as well. 

The point is, you can experience freedom from the piles! ​

​You can live with floors you can sweep and entry tables you can use to hold your keys. It's possible. Why not start today?
Learn More About What We Do
Need action steps to get organized? We've got you covered in a very uncluttered way! We'll send you action steps twice a month to help you stay motivated and organized. Sign up here! #upstatecluttercoach #newsletter #tipsandtricks #yeahTHATgreenville
Lauren Flinte is a professional organizer who transforms chaos into categories, leaning towers into stable storage solutions, and anxiety into peace by way of editing and organizing residential and commercial spaces. She can help you reclaim your joy today! www.UpstateClutterCoach.com #reclaimjoy #organizer #minimalist
Comments
    #DeclutteringGreenville #OrganizingGreenville

    Coach Lauren

    Transforming chaos into categories, leaning towers into stable storage solutions, and anxiety into peace.

    Want to Become An Organizer?

    Tell Me How!

    Favorite Affiliates

    Picture
    The Container Store
    Picture
    The Easiest Way to Create a Website. Weebly.com

    Categories

    All
    ADD/ADHD
    Before & After
    Children
    Closets
    Clutter
    Craft Areas
    Favorite Products
    Finances
    Garage + Storage Areas
    Health
    Holidays & Entertaining
    Home Office & Paperwork
    Kitchens & Pantries
    Living Spaces
    Methodology
    Moving
    One Week To Organized Series
    Organizing
    Photos
    Time Management
    Tips & Tricks

    Follow Us

    RSS Feed

Company

About
Services & Rates
Before & After
​Blog

Support

Contact
FAQ
​
Terms of Service
Privacy Policy
Upstate Clutter Coach LLC is your bonded and insured professional home decluttering and organizing service based in Greenville, SC.

More Information

Picture
Picture
© UPSTATE CLUTTER COACH LLC. COPYRIGHT 2015-2020. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.