Top Ten of 2020
Little Red Stool Organizing has been official for 4 years now and it has been a delight to be in so many homes! Choosing only 10 after photos of all the hard work that went in to decluttering and organizing during a pandemic is going to be next to impossible. If I don't limit myself, though, you'll be here reading for days as I had the absolute honor of working in 33 households in 2020. I'm going to stick with sharing my favorites in chronological order to keep from really showing favorites. I love each and every client that I worked with this year and each of them deserves a reward for the work they did!
Permission: 5 Things You Can Let Go Of, Playroom
Today we’ll be in the playroom talking about children’s items. This can either be the easiest or most difficult space for people to work in. It can be easy as many of these items are outgrown either physically or mentally. It can be the hardest if you tend to be sentimental. If you find yourself being super sentimental, just set those items aside as sentimental and look back through those items in another year or so. Taking items out of the playroom will allow your children to grow and learn without the hinderance of layers and layers of stuff they will never use.
Do the Hard Thing
Years ago I created the image below. Little did I know that I would be continually learning this. I’m not a huge fan of doing things that are hard for me. (Helping you declutter and organize is easy for me so never you fear!) I keep choosing to do the hard things first and I keep growing to be able to do more and more things.
Board Games
I LOVE to play board games! This family had outgrown most of their games so it was easy to make decisions on which games to keep around.
Parents and Their Grown Children
Two of the most common phrases I hear when I tell people what I do for a living are, 1. "You should see my house," and, 2. "My parents need you." We have put ourselves into storage units with all the stuff we collect and keep in our homes. And sometimes it's not even our own stuff! Whether you are the parent or the adult child, there is something for you in this article.
Squatters or Residents: Why it can be so difficult to let things go
If you've been around for a while you've noticed that I like a good analogy. I find it easier for people to understand what you are saying if they have a category to put it in. As with any analogy, sometimes you can't carry them over one-to-one but the spirit is what we're going for. When helping people see that they get to choose what stays in their homes and what leaves their homes this might be a good way for you to think about it.
Not Your Usual Suspects
During the month of April I ran a series on social media using #covidcleanout in which I posted a different area to focus on cleaning, decluttering, or organizing each weekday. They were not meant as a challenge but prompts for those who were looking to get some things done and just couldn't figure out where to work next.
Covid Cleanout
While we are staying home for the good of our friends, family, and neighbors let's take some time to clean out our spaces. That can look like whatever you want it to look like.
Need to declutter?
Need to actually clean?
Need to reorganize?
Need some structure?
How to Clean Your Entire House, Top to Bottom
Spring cleaning is upon us! That's the time of year when we do the baseboards, back splashes, and grout cleaning. We get into the cracks, corners, and crevices where things have been sitting but we haven't had time to get to them.
In Case of Fire
I ask a lot of questions when working with people to find peace and freedom in their home. The questions vary by person and situation. "Do you like this item?" "Do you want to keep up with the care and storage of this item?" "Is this item an excess duplicate?" And so on.
Just in Case: The 20/20 Rule
There are dozens of tips and questions to ask to help you decide what to keep in your home. There are too many to say all at once while in a decluttering session. Some, however, hold more bang for their buck. One of them is the 20/20 rule.
Top Ten of 2019
Choosing only 10 after photos of all the work I did with the greatest people this year was super tough! I had the honor of walking with people through tremendous growth and that just doesn't show up in a two dimensional image. For that reason, I'll share my favorite images and the stories behind them. And to make it even easier on me I'm going to do them chronologically. I just can't show favoritism! I love everyone I work with so much!
