Don't Agonize. Organize!

It was a difficult decision to remove the ability to comment on this blog. I love hearing from readers, but, unfortunately, there was too much comment spam, resulting in a lot of my time being wasted – time I could be spending helping people get organized, writing or just enjoying life.

I’ve tried several different software solutions for comment spam, but when human spammers are motivated they’ll find a way through to a site they want to target.

People can still give me feedback via Facebook or Twitter and even if I don’t always respond, please rest assured that I do read and listen.

Thank you for understanding.

As an organizer, I often advocate reducing the amount of “stuff” we own. As a former craftsperson, however, I know the creativity, fun, joy and beauty to be found in handmade objects crafted with love. Since most people don’t want to live like monks, if you value the handmade you might want to know about Etsy.

According to their website, “Etsy is the world’s most vibrant handmade marketplace. Etsy celebrates individual creativity in design and craftsmanship by connecting unique people, stories and items in a playful and meaningful way. Etsy provides a marketplace for crafters, artists and collectors to sell their handmade creations, vintage goods and crafting supplies…Our mission is to enable people to make a living making things, and to reconnect makers with buyers…Our vision is to build a new economy and present a better choice..The Etsy community spans the globe with buyers and sellers coming from more than 150 countries.”

If you’re looking for a more meaningful holiday season this year, consider donating your unused possessions to charity. It’s easy to lose sight of the true meaning of the holiday season when everywhere you look you – and your kids – are being bombarded by ads to buy, buy, buy! Donating to worthy charities or organizations of your choice allows you to do something good for others and rid yourself of clutter at the same time. If that isn’t the classic win/win situation, I don’t know what is.

Donating is a wonderful opportunity to teach your children about sharing with others less fortunate than they are. Involving them in the decision making about which charities to donate to will make them more invested and enthusiastic about it. Now is a good time to help them understand why less is more and no one can play with 10 race car sets or wear 50 tee shirts! Be sure you explain to very young children that you are not giving away all of their toys or clothes, just the ones they don’t use anymore or no longer need. You know your kids best. If you think they can handle it emotionally, let them help to decide what stays and what goes. Adolescents can turnover clothes they’ve outgrown and most teenagers will be more than happy to get rid of last year’s anything!

Mom and Dad, you need to do your part, too. Check your kitchens and pantries for unused canned goods and other non-perishables and donate them to local organizations in need. Purge your own closets and be ruthless about it! Almost every storage area in your home probably has items that could be donated and not even missed. Check for little used or unused blankets, sheets and towels in your linen closet, little used or unused kitchen utensils, etc.

A word of caution about donations is in order at this point. Volunteers spend hours sorting through donated items to determine what can be used and what can’t. Anything that isn’t usable – stained, torn, or otherwise damaged – ends up being discarded and that costs the organization time and money, turning a benevolent act on your part into a problem. Please do NOT donate items of no value. Here’s a good rule of thumb to guide you: only donate items that you wouldn’t be embarrassed to give to a friend or family member face to face.

Here is a partial list of the kinds of organizations and charities that are frequently in needs of donations:

• churches
• women’s shelters
• veterinary clinics
• homeless shelters
• soup kitchens
• libraries
• nursing homes
• hospitals
• humane societies
• historical societies
• schools
• Big Brother/Big Sister organizations
• scout troops
• arts organizations

For more information, please visit Resources/Place to Donate.

Create a new tradition this year of charitable giving during the holidays and make them a time for sharing not only gifts, but your heart as well.

I recently had my apartment painted, re-arranged the furniture and spruced up the kitchen, but the sorry state of my wood floors detracted from everything I had done. I have lived in this apartment for 25 years and the wood floors looked like it. I couldn’t bare the thought of having them sanded and refinished. I know what an insane mess sanding is, to say nothing of the fumes from the stuff they finish the floor with. I knew I couldn’t deal with that and thought that I was eternally consigned to having dull, lifeless-looking floors. And then I discovered Mr. Sandless, “the quick no sanding solution for beautiful wood floors”.