Archives for The Big Picture
Many retirement communities now offer transition management services
My grandmother is in her upper 90s and has been living in a retirement community for the past 12 years. The majority of her possessions from her previous home are in my father’s spare bedroom and garage. The boxes and furniture take up so much space that for more than a decade guests have been sleeping on the couch in my dad’s basement and he has been parking his car in his driveway.
I have asked repeatedly why he’s holding on to all of her things since she no longer needs her blender, coffee cups, or toilet scrub brush. I’ve never received an answer, and I’m not certain that he could give me one if I pressed him on it.
The process of moving a loved one into a retirement community or nursing home is an emotional undertaking for all involved. It wasn’t easy for my grandmother, an independent, spitfire of a woman, to give up her home of more than 50 years and move into a retirement community. And, it has been difficult on my dad and his siblings to accept the fact that she needed to move.
Many families are faced with similar situations as aging parents move into retirement communities and nursing homes. The transition is tough for all involved in the process.
Over the past decade, retirement communities and nursing homes across the U.S. have taken notice of the difficulties families face transitioning loved ones into their facilities and are doing what they can to make the process smoother. Many retirement communities now offer transition management services to their residents.
I spoke with a local nursing home administrator about what these services entail. In his facility, there are two, full-time transition managers who work with every new resident. They go into the residents’ family homes and help them clear clutter, sell/donate/give to family items that won’t move with them to their new home, and help the residents choose what they want to bring with them. The process takes weeks and is an emotional but usually positive experience.
If you’re faced with a situation of helping someone move into a retirement community or nursing home, be sure to inquire if the facility offers transition management services. If they do, talk with residents and children of residents to learn about the quality and value of these programs. If the facility doesn’t offer this service, I highly recommend contacting the National Association of Senior Move Managers. NASMM has a referral system to help you find move managers in your community. You also may want to review this resource list for books relating to this delicate subject.
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Unclutterer on the Precision Change podcast
Live now is an episode for Precision Change I recorded titled Tired of the Crap? Become an Unclutterer! with the wonderful Duff McDuffee. You can download the 22 minute podcast or listen to it by clicking on the “Play Now” link at the beginning of the article.
In the conversation, I talk about:
- How clutter doesn’t always start out as clutter.
- Why if you are in a constant state of disorganization now, you absolutely can change.
- What exactly to start on to begin uncluttering your life.
- Why getting a storage unit is almost always a bad idea.
- The machine that will finally give you a paperless office.
- A simple way to clear out kitchen clutter.
- Why uncluttering is really just about finding what makes you happy and what really matters to you.
I look forward to reading your thoughts about the podcast! This is the first time I’ve been a part of a podcast and I must admit that it was a lot of fun.
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Understanding how you process information to help you get organized, part I
When you read a book or newspaper article, do you instantly commit it to memory? Or, are you someone who likes to pace the floor when you’re thinking? Maybe you are someone who can hear a lecture and have no need to take a single note?
How you process information has a strong correlation to how you may want to organize your home and office. Strategies that work well for an audible processor might fall flat on someone who prefers to intake information visually. Knowing yourself and your preferences can make a difference in how successful you are at creating an organization system. The two posts in our “understanding how you process information to help you get organized” series will hopefully aid you in creating your profile.
The first step is to begin by identifying what type of an information processor you are: visual, auditory, or kinesthetic/tactile. Take the following quiz to help identify where you fall in the information processing spectrum:
Directions: Add one point to your score for each statement that strongly applies to you. The category with the most points is your dominant processing style. You may have strengths in more than one category.
Visual processor –
- I can remember that I need to do something if I write it down.
- I need to visualize myself wearing something to make a decision about what I want to wear.
- I take copious notes during meetings and often can remember what the page of notes looks like before I remember what the notes say.
- I need to look at a person when they’re speaking.
- It has to be quiet for me to be able to complete my work.
- Seeing data displayed in a graph is vital to me understanding numerical information.
- I am horrible at remembering jokes.
- I can remember phone numbers if I can visualize typing them on a phone’s key pad.
Auditory processor –
- I prefer to listen to books on tape or to read books aloud.
- The more I discuss a problem with my co-workers, the easier it is for me to find its solution.
- In school, I only needed to attend class lectures to perform fine on the tests.
- I remember what people have said before I remember who said it.
- I like to complete one task before starting a new one.
- A train could be passing through my living room and I would still be able to hold a good conversation with my Aunt Sally on the phone.
- When I forget how to spell a word, I sound it out.
- At the grocery store, I repeat my list either in my head or aloud.
Kinesthetic/Tactile processor –
- When I take on a project, I want to start doing instead of planning.
- When I need to take a break from working, I have to get up and move around my office.
- I can work effectively in a coffee shop or in an airport waiting area — I don’t need to be at my desk to do work.
- I can remember a client’s name better if I shake her hand.
- I would like to ride my bike to work, if I don’t already.
- I think more clearly throughout the day if I exercise before work.
- I am often aware of the temperature in my office.
- When I pick up something as ordinary as my stapler, my mind drifts to memories somehow associated with a stapler.
Which category best represented your processing style? I am visual processor with a relatively high score also in kinesthetic.
The second post in the series will provide suggestions for how you can take this information you have learned about yourself and apply it to your organization systems. Stay tuned!
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Plant low maintenance perennials to create an uncluttered garden
Spring is a great time to work in your yard before the temperatures get really hot. If you’re looking to create an uncluttered garden this year, here are some perennials that are easy to care for and very low maintenance (via About.com):
- Armeria (Sea Thrift)
- Chelone lyonii (Turtlehead — pictured)
- Echinops ritro (Globe Thistle)
- Hosta
- Iris siberica (Siberian Iris)
- Liatris spicata (Blazing Star)
- Paeonia (Peony)
- Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian Sage)
- Thalictrum aquilegifolium (Meadow Rue)
- Tiarella cordifolia (Allegheny Foam flower)
Now, if you are an experienced gardener, you may like to plant flowers that require more care. My black thumb, however, is a bit of an impediment to a more time-consuming flower garden.
Do you know of other, low-maintenance perennial flowers? Please let us know about them in the comments.
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Getting to know you wrap up
Over the course of the last week, I’ve been reading all of your wonderful comments to our Getting to Know You post. Wow! I never imagined such a robust response!! Thank you, thank you.
One of the things that impressed me was the positive attitude present in almost every single one of the comments. When you talked about the organization challenges that you face in your homes and offices it wasn’t with a sense of defeat, but with the attitude that you just haven’t found the solution. It was truly inspiring.
We took notes on your topic suggestions and have a lot of great ideas for future posts. The list is long, and here are a few excerpts from the list:
- Eco-friendly solutions
- How to help parents transition to retirement communities
- Inherited clutter
- Kid-related clutter
- Non-permanent options for people who rent
- Options for our non-US readers
- Organizing digital data
- Paper clutter
- Photograph and video organization
- Productivity and time management
Another thing worth mentioning is that many people said that they enjoy reading post comments. I agree. Almost every day I learn another technique or strategy for organizing my home and office from reading the comments. Every now and again we get a bad apple comment, but for the most part they are helpful and informed. If a particular post speaks to you, then be sure to watch and contribute to the comments.
I also want to thank everyone for the compliments you gave to Matt, Teri, Brian, and me. We appreciate your kind words.
If you didn’t make suggestions for future post topics in the comments section of the Getting to Know You post, feel welcome to leave your ideas in the comments to this post. We want to help you, so voice your opinions! And, stay tuned for future reader inspired posts.
Popularity: 3% [?]
If you have a job you hate, prioritize what is important to you and align your career accordingly
Seven years ago, I worked for an economic research firm as a public relations executive. I made excellent money, and I was good at my job. I even liked my boss. Every second I was at work, though, I wanted to shove a hot poker into my eye. When I would sit in bed at night, in those moments before sleep, the phrase “unfulfilled life” continuously looped through my mind. I still can’t tell you exactly what it was that was so awful; I was just in the wrong job, on the wrong path, and every ounce of me knew it.
Fast forward to the present. I don’t make close to what I used to, I work longer hours, and some days I’m downright awful at my job (see the comments to my Semi-Homemade Cooking post for proof). The difference is that I’m now in the right job for me, and at the end of every day I am thankful for this blessing. I get to write full time about a topic I love and interact with incredible readers and an amazing staff.
Somewhere along the way, my husband and I sat down and talked about what were the most important things in our lives. At the top of the list was our relationship. Also on the list, and in no particular order, were our family, friends, pets, food, shelter, spirituality, happiness, and being able to save money for our future children and our retirement. We agreed that we want careers, we are passionate about working, but believe that our careers should match our priorities and not the other way around.
My husband quit the job he had seven years ago and started a company. I quit the job that made me miserable and eventually started working at Unclutterer. Both of us manage staffs across the country, but telecommute from our home office. Our desks are literally seven feet away from each other. We ran the numbers, and this decision to work side-by-side results in us spending 2,200 more hours together a year. And, since our top priority is our relationship, our working arrangement is in line with that priority. Would I love it if someone wanted to give me huge bundles of cash to do my job? Of course I would. But, right now, a massive salary isn’t my top priority.
I’m glad that other people choose to live differently than we do. The world would be an incredibly boring place if we were all the same. (Additionally, I think many couples would hate it if they spent 24 hours a day together.) My point is that a person doesn’t have to remain in a job he or she hates just because the pay is good. There are always other options. Think about what you would do if you were downsized out of your current position, and follow that path. Consider a career that aligns with your life priorities. Apply for a job in a field that interests you intellectually. Or, if spending more time with your family is your priority, look for a job closer to your home so that you don’t have to make a two-hour commute every day. The change can be lateral, it doesn’t have to be for less money. But, if it is for less money, look for ways you can reduce your expenses. Only you know what changes you could make and how you would make them. Just remember that your career doesn’t have to be a punishment, and, if 40 percent of your life is spent working, it should at least reflect your life’s priorities.
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If you have children, you may be interested in following the blog Zen Habits. Leo has six children and made a career change in much the same way I made mine. He talks about this decision on a pretty regular basis in his writing.
Also, if you need to stay in a job you hate on a temporary basis, you might want to check out the post How to Keep a Bad Job from Affecting Your Home Life that I wrote for RealSimple.com.
Speaking of careers, you also may be interested in my post today on RealSimple.com about the possessions of a long-haul semi driver. It’s titled, Simple living, trucker style.
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Handling sentimental clutter
We all have somethings that we are holding onto that serve no purpose other than to remind us of someone, something, or some important event. A few of these items may actually be worth keeping — so where do we draw the line on what to keep and what to shed?
One thing that has survived multiple moves in my life is a baseball I have from my days playing Little League. It is the ball I hit for my first home run.
This Fond du Lac Reporter article has some great tips on what one should do to detach themselves from sentimental clutter. From the article:
LeAnn Peterman, an organizational specialist from Fond du Lac, said it’s important to ask yourself why you’re holding on to an object.
“Questions you should ask are: do I or someone else have a relationship to the item? Is it useful? Do you or someone else need it? And do you have a place for it?” Peterman said. “Does owning it create good feelings or not?”
…
In helping to make those hard decisions, Peterman recommends the following:
- Items that have a strong sentimental attachment should be organized in a manageable system — taking a picture of an item still retains the visual memory but not the actual bulk of the item.
- Pass along items to others that may have a more sentimental value to them such as cards, pictures or news clippings.
- Pictures that you cannot identify should be tossed or donated to a local historical society.
- Set your criteria and don’t do it alone. If you tend to hoard, invite a person opposite of yourself to help make sensible decisions, they said.
Erin has written on photographing sentimental items on a couple occasions that you may be interested in exploring. One for parents stuck with their kid’s left behind items, and one on photographing your mementos.
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Exploring procrastination
Our friend Geralin Thomas e-mailed me an article last week about Tax Day. The first four or five paragraphs talk about taxes, but the majority of the article explores procrastination as an affliction that affects most everyone. From the Raleigh News and Observer:
Procrastination is an equal opportunity affliction, according to one of the field’s pioneering researchers, Joseph R. Ferrari of DePaul University. Women are just as likely to exhibit the behavior as men; 20-year-olds are as prone to it as 65-year-olds (much older people, seem to lose the habit). His studies have also found that white collar employees procrastinate more than blue collar workers, salespeople more than middle managers, business executives more than doctors or lawyers.
More broadly, Ferrari said, there are three basic types of procrastinators:
- Arousal procrastinators are thrill-seekers who tackle projects at the last minute, pulling all-nighters at school and work.
- Avoidance procrastinators habitually put off hard or boring tasks
- Decisional procrastinators are paralyzed by indecisiveness.
Be sure to check out the sidebar to the article with advice from Geralin Thomas on ways to curb procrastination. Also, you might enjoy reading the link at the bottom of the page to a Psychology Today blog post on the same topic.
When I procrastinate, it is definitely in the “avoidance” category, especially when it comes to organizing my home and office. How about you?
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No time to unclutter? Consider turning off your TV
I recently came across this inspirational and humbling quote:
Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein. — H. Jackson Brown
I have often claimed to not have enough time to do a lot of the things I’d like to do. I’ve made this excuse for things like working out, cooking dinner, doing laundry and cleaning the apartment. But, after I saw this quote, I started thinking about how I actually spend my time and realized that I watch a lot of TV.
According to this 2006 article, the average American watches over 4-1/2 hours of television per day! Over the course of a year, that’s more than 1,600 hours. What can you do in four hours a day? You could stop stressing out about a disorganized closet and help it find order. You could attend a Rolling Stones concert, and even watch the opening band. You could run an entire marathon!
So, the next time you think you don’t have time to unclutter, think about how you’re spending your time and whether turning off the TV for a few nights might give you those needed hours.
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Getting to know you
To say that I am curious about Unclutterer readers would be an understatement. Thinking about who you are helps me to generate story ideas, and so I’m always wondering what your lives are like and how I might be able to help you.
What content do you want to read? Have you ever taken any of the advice and used it? What is your personal philosophy on simple living? Is there something we’ve discussed that you want us to explore more intensely? Are you just starting out in a place of your own or are you on the verge of downsizing into an active retirement community? What is important to you? What is your story? What do you do in your free time and how can I help you to have less stress?
Since I would love to learn more about you and what makes you tick in our comments section, I feel that I should share a little about me with you:
I grew up in the Midwest and moved to D.C. a little more than eight years ago. I can milk a cow, pluck feathers off a chicken, and identify soybean and barley plants when they’re still in their fields — but I don’t use these skills much in my current life. The chore I hate to do the most is laundry. The area in my house that could use more order is the basement. My preferred design style is mid-century modern with industrial accents. I love cheese, coffee, olives, béarnaise sauce, and wine. I don’t like chocolate. I’m tall, and wish I were about three inches taller. I have watched five episodes of Hannah Montana in an attempt to understand the fascination pre-teens have with Miley Cyrus and still do not get it. When I speak, crayon is pronounced crown. I love telling stories that make people laugh. I’m not obsessed with organization, I’m obsessed with living a simple, remarkable life and being organized is just a tool to help me toward that goal. I love my job.
Now it’s your turn. Tell us about yourself in the comments. Let us know your answers to the questions from the second paragraph of this post. How can we help you be an unclutterer?
Popularity: 9% [?]
Unpack now, not later
Well, we are now moved into our smaller home and it feels right. We’ve only been here two days, but I think we are happy with our decision to downsize. We are living among boxes right now and that isn’t the best way to enjoy the new home. Fortunately for us, my mother came and picked up our daughter so we can get down to the nitty gritty of unpacking all these boxes. (Note: If you have a smile on your face like the couple pictured to the right while unpacking, you may need serious help.)
I always hear people saying, “We moved X months ago, and we are still unpacking boxes.” The obvious remedy for that is to unpack as soon as you move in. Everyone’s schedules are different, but one should make it a priority to unpack as soon as possible. Otherwise, you will find yourself living out of boxes for the foreseeable future. Unpacking immediately doesn’t mean to do it sloppy, either. This is the time to find a place for everything in your home, and being conscientious of where you put things the first time will save you headaches in the future.
The first room that my wife tackled was the kitchen. It was unpacked and organized before the movers were even finished unloading the truck. It was quite impressive. The kitchen is a rather important part of the home and my wife needed the kitchen in order before anything else. After that we unpacked the living room. Generally, you want to unpack the necessity rooms. Those include; bedrooms, bathrooms, and kitchen. Other can wait, but you may want to get the living room/den out of the way so you can relax while you take a unpacking break.
With everything currently in flux, we don’t yet feel that this is our home. Living among boxes tends to do that. So, rather than procrastinate, we have designated the unpacking of our boxes as priority number one.
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Clearing clutter by evaluating your stuff before a move
No one likes the process of moving, but it is an excellent chance to evaluate all the stuff that you have. Since my wife and I are downsizing our living space by one-third, we had to get rid of quite a lot of furniture and other odds and ends. (Just a quick note: People go for furniture like mad on Craigslist. Last week, we sold seven separate pieces of furniture in the span of six hours.)
We’ve hauled bags and bags of clothing and other miscellanea to our local Goodwill and it has been quite therapeutic to get a lot of it off our hands. Nothing motivates you more to clear then clutter from your home than boxing up all of your belongings. It does overwhelm you, but it will motivate you to curb your accumulation activities for the foreseeable future. I know it has had an effect on our outlook. The accumulation will have to be curbed quite a bit if we are to enjoy ourselves in our new, smaller home.
As we rid ourselves of items that we have absolutely no use for, the weight has literally and figuratively been lifted from our home. It is a great feeling. If you have experienced this, you know what I am referring to. But, if you have not and are holding on to things “just in case,” you may need to evaluate what exactly it is that you are keeping and why.
A lot of things we got rid of had emotional attachments or sentimental value. Since many of these items were stored away for so long, we got by without even knowing that we still had them in our possession. Honestly, it was quite easy to get rid of some of these items because we had forgotten about them. I had the hardest time parting with things that were gifts. Gifts that we never used or wanted in the first place. I felt guilty getting rid of some of this stuff, but I’ve found that the guilt was short lived and holding on to something only to store it away wasn’t treating the object any better.
If you are moving in the near future, make sure to take stock of your stuff. Make the tough decisions and begin to get rid of things that you may have forgotten. It doesn’t make sense to move these things into a new living space.
Read more of Matt’s moving tips: Resources to help you during a move, To market, to market, We’re downsizing our home, and After the yard sale.
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An argument against multi-tasking
I should start this discussion by noting that I am not 100 percent against multi-tasking. I am in favor of reading a book while waiting in line at the DMV and listening to your iPod while grocery shopping. These tasks can be considered low-functioning activities because your primary level of productivity isn’t affected by the presence of a second task.
I am, however, against multi-tasking when doing more higher-functioning activities. Most projects, when worked on in a focused manner, will get done more quickly when they are the only task in front of you. The fewer interruptions you have, the more efficient your productivity.
Mono-tasking is especially important while organizing. If you decide to overhaul your digital filing system and organize your data, it’s best not to have your instant messaging or e-mail clients tempting you with greetings from friends. One message from a friend can set you back 10 to 20 minutes.
Mono-tasking also is good for making sure that objects are returned to their proper places at the end of an activity. If you take the five minutes to concentrate on putting away belongings immediately after you’re finished with them, you’ll avoid a disorganized living space. Push yourself to finish one project before you start your next endeavor.
I have found that mono-tasking has positive outcomes in areas beyond organization and productivity. If you focus on listening to a person when they’re speaking with you, they feel appreciated and respected. Driving without distractions improves your safety record, and rarely do others complain when you finish what you start.
Try designating your time by a single activity and see how it affects your overall productivity. I’m interested in hearing from you about your experiences with multi- and mono-tasking in the comments section.
Popularity: 8% [?]
Saying farewell to a hobby
There are hundreds of books and resources available on the topic of breaking up with a love interest. There are even ones exploring the topic of breaking off a toxic friendship and dumping bad business relationships. But, I have yet to find anything out in the ether on how to kick a hobby to the curb. Noting that, I proclaim this Unclutterer entry as the authoritative work on breaking up with a hobby (I’m a little goofy this morning, just go with it). I call it:
You’re Just Not That Into Your Hobby
Do you consider yourself a tennis player, but the last time you touched your racket was when Bill Clinton was president? Do you like the idea of being a scrapbooker but have never made a complete scrapbook? Are you keeping canvases for masterpieces you may one day paint, yet all of your paints are dried and your brushes deteriorating? Is your guitar missing strings and in a case at the back of a closet? Do you have areas of your home set aside or filled with stuff related to a hobby that you spend less than 10 hours on a year?
If you answered yes to any of the questions above, you are just not that into your hobby.
It can be difficult to admit, but if you’re not averaging at least an hour a month pursuing a hobby, it’s time to let it go. The space you’re sacrificing in your home is too valuable to store things you don’t use. If you don’t have storage issues, it’s still worthwhile to get rid of your unused hobby stuff. Every time you walk past it I bet you think, “I wish I had more time to do X.” You don’t need that stress and guilt. If it were really important to you, you would pursue it.
Five steps for deciding if now is the time to ditch your hobby:
- Identify all of your hobbies and all of the things associated with them in your home, garage, and office. You may benefit by collecting these items and laying them all out in your front yard or an open space in your home to see how much space you’re sacrificing.
- List all of these hobbies and then estimate how much time you’ve spent pursuing each of them in the last 12 months. Be honest with yourself.
- Any hobby with an estimation of 10 hours or less should immediately be moved out of your home. Pack up the equipment and head to a used sports equipment store or an appropriate charity. If the hobby stuff is valuable, photograph it and list it for sale on a site like ebay or craigslist.
- Any hobby with an estimation of 24 hours or less should be carefully reviewed. If you went camping one day last year, you would reach the 24-hour mark for camping as a hobby. However, is one day of camping worth all of the space used to store your tent, sleeping bag, and all other accoutrements? On the flip side, if you spent one Friday night a month last year playing Bridge with friends and averaged about two hours of playing time a sitting, it’s probably worthwhile to hold onto a deck of cards.
- Any hobby with an estimation of more than 24 hours also should be considered for review. You may realize that you’re spending so much time and space on your hobby that you’re neglecting things more important in your life, like time with your spouse or children. It’s okay to break up with these hobbies, too. In most cases, however, you probably have a healthy relationship with your active hobbies and you’ll decide to keep up with them. You still will want to evaluate how much stuff you have for them. If you have more supplies than you could use in a lifetime associated with that hobby, it’s time to weed through the collection of stuff. My rule of thumb is that you should never have more than one year’s worth of supplies for an intense hobby — and less than that if you can manage.
There is a caveat to my assumption that you’re just not that into your hobby that I feel I should mention as a footnote. The truth may be that you really like your hobby, but somewhere along the way you misappropriated your time and let it fall by the wayside. Instead of making chairs in your woodworking studio, you’ve been watching television. If this is the case, make new priorities and recommit to your hobby. Turn off the t.v. and head to your studio. Decide to re-evaluate that hobby in six months. If in six months, however, you’re still watching t.v., then it’s time to admit that watching t.v. is your hobby not woodworking.
Popularity: 12% [?]
Can someone be a collector and be uncluttered?
The quick answer to the question posed in the headline is yes. Being uncluttered and being a collector are not mutually exclusive states.
I will be the first to admit, however, that being an uncluttered collector is not an easy task. The temptation to collect beyond one’s reasonable limits is high, and can thwart even someone with the best of intentions.
An uncluttered collector, by definition, takes pride in his or her collection and displays it fully and respectfully. A collector wants to enjoy his or her collection and share it with others. Conversely, a collection is clutter when it’s stored out of sight, in a disrespectful manner, and for no other reason than just to have more stuff.
So what does an uncluttered collection look like? Back in September, Jerry wrote about PlasmicSteve’s memorabilia office in our Workspace of the Week feature. I see this office as a perfect example of how someone can be an uncluttered collector and honor the things he or she chooses to collect:
Are you a collector? How do you display fully and respectfully your collection? Or, are you storing your “collection” in boxes in your attic in less-than-desirable conditions?
Popularity: 9% [?]
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