Organised Thoughts

FABruary Style Challenge

creatingorderfromchaos — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 10:41:36 +0000

Sometimes we have stuff in our wardrobes we never wear. Sometimes our stuff is used in only a limited way, like the twin set we only ever wear as a set. And sometimes we have something we love so much and wear so often, we can’t imagine trying to wear it in a different way.

Well, my friend Imogen Lamport from Bespoke Image, has something to change all that. It’s her FABruary Style Challenge. Each day she gives inspiration to wear clothes in a new way.

Today’s theme was Pink, so I took a look in my wardrobe, thought about what I’d be doing today – exploring the central part of the city, shopping, eating out and going to a movie – and put together this outfit. Can you see the cute hot pink watch? A good friend gave me that for my birthday, which came in really handy for Day 1 of the challenge, which was Arm Candy.

I want to share Imogen’s Style Challenge with you and encourage you to take a look at your wardrobe in a new way.

Too Much Clutter? – interview with Warren Moore, 2GB

creatingorderfromchaos — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 01:16:50 +0000

Yesterday Warren Moore and I had a good chat about the benefits of downsizing and how to keep clutter at bay.

Listen in here.

A SMART Start

creatingorderfromchaos — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 02:48:47 +0000

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Goal setting is BIG this time of year. But the best goals are smart ones. Or should I say SMART ones.

SMART Goals

SMART Goals

Will Your goals be SMART in 2013?

Reasons for Good Time Management

creatingorderfromchaos — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 04:54:38 +0000

Is Your Laundry Stuck?

creatingorderfromchaos — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 04:16:15 +0000

Bright clothes in a laundry basket on white background. Blue, indigo, purple.

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Does your laundry get stuck? It may sound like a funny question, but I often see laundry bottlenecks in homes I work in. The cycle works like this…

Ready to Wear – Lightly Worn – Dirty – Washed – Dried – Folded/Ironed – Put Away – Ready to Wear

Here are some common places laundry gets stuck, and how to avoid it…

Laundry Bottleneck	What to do about it
Ready to Wear clothes get mixed with Dirty	Have a clearly defined and easy to use place for your dirty laundry to live, waiting for the next step in the cycle
Lightly worn clothes get mixed with Dirty	Have a place for lightly worn clothes to await another wear
Washed clothes are not Dried quickly, resulting in a smelly pile that needs rewashing	Be sure you have time and a plan for moving wet washing on quickly
Dried washing is not processed or put away	The most common of bottlenecks. While folding and ironing are optional, putting away is the key to laundry flowing freely. Decide where Ready to Wear clothes will live. Is there enough space for all your clean laundry to live? If not, you either have too much laundry or not enough space.

Once all those bottlenecks are clear, the cycle should flow easily, as long as enough time and energy is set aside for this essential task.

And we sure have come a long way from beating our washing on a rock, hand washing, or even using a copper and mangle.

If laundry still gets you down, or stuck, there is help at hand. Creating Order from Chaos can help.

5 Minute Bedside Drawer Fling

creatingorderfromchaos — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 09:57:27 +0000

Here’s another 5 minute organising task. Sure, you might have more time on your hands. Sure, big organising projects take longer than just 5 minutes. But clients are often surprised when I tell them they can get organised 5 minutes at a time.

Some people believe you need to set aside a big chunk of time to get organised, perhaps even a whole afternoon. And that stops progress, because honestly, who has that amount of free time on a regular basis? No, even 5 minutes is enough time to make a difference.

Did you try the last 5 minute task? Check it out here.

This time I want you to go through your drawers. Well, just one drawer at a time. Start with your bedside drawer. Pull out the contents and quickly sort them.

You’re bound to find some things you no longer need. You know what to do.

You’ll find things that belong elsewhere in the house. You know what to do.

You’ll find things you don’t even recognise or remember. You’ll think of what to do.

This is a great one to do while you’re on the phone to a friend, or on hold with the phone company.

And that’s your 5 minutes for today.

No time to Get Organised?

creatingorderfromchaos — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 23:17:05 +0000

Think you have no time to get organised? I’ll bring you a series of quick tasks that will make a big difference, and they only take 5 minutes or less. Yes, work your way to organised in just 5 minute increments.

Today’s 5 Minute Organiser Tip is…

Stop Junk Mail Coming in the Door.

Grab your Dymo Labelmaker or a felt tip pen and some masking tape or a sticker. Create a “No Junk Mail” sticker and put it where it will be seen by the postie.

That’s it, you’re done.

No more junk mail taking up space and time and money.

Your Clutter Can Help Others

creatingorderfromchaos — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 09:20:11 +0000

You’ve decided to declutter – to make the tough calls over what to keep and what to let go of. The vase you don’t like, the baby outfit that was outgrown before it was worn, the couch that clashes with your new decor – they’re all going, but they’re too nice to put in the bin. The most effective way to stop the unwanted creep back into your domain, is to part with it while the decision is fresh. Sure, you could load up the car and try to squeeze it into a charity bin in the supermarket carpark…

Or you could make one phone call and have it taken off your hands.

One charity to call is the Epilepsy Foundation, who are happy to pick up a large variety of goods from your home as a donation to the Epilepsy Op Shops. These unwanted items – including furniture, manchester, bric-a-brac, electrical, clothing and most miscellaneous items – are sold in their Op Shops to help provide services to the thousands of people each year who contact the Foundation each year, seeking support and counselling around epilepsy. So if you have anything you’ve been meaning to get rid of that’s in saleable condition, please contact the Epilepsy Foundation on 9805 9111.

Conscious Shopping Mini Course

creatingorderfromchaos — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 02:51:49 +0000

Jill Chivers, creator of My Year Without Clothes Shopping, has developed a 6-week Conscious Shopping Mini Course, designed to help you identify how and why you shop, as well as giving you skills to change your relationship with shopping.

She identifies common driving forces for compulsive and over-shoppers while suggesting tactics to overcome these impulses and find the shopping buzz without spending money. Especially helpful is the support provided through this course – twice weekly course content, coupled with regular blog articles help keep you on track to achieving the main course objective, without being overwhelmed by homework or feeling stranded between sessions.

The 6-week Conscious Shopping Mini Course is a fantastic introduction to her program, offering helpful hints and moments for self-reflection to help you become a more conscious shopper.

How to Create Order at Home

creatingorderfromchaos — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 21:34:23 +0000

Save the Date for the upcoming Teleclass – How to Create Order at Home

Tuesday February 21st at 8pm

You will hear

How to spot Clutter at 20 paces
What to do about it
Where to start
How to stay motivated
And more

You will receive

Live Teleclass
Recording of the teleclass
$20 voucher to use for Hands-On and Virtual Organising Services

Your investment is just $20!

For more information, click here.