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Maybe it's not what we need Time management is a myth. Energy management is a better approach to getting things done. Getting to know yourself and freeing yourself from old tropes that don’t work might be what you need to get more done and feel more rested, relaxed, and joyful. Read on for more. Why energy and not time management? The quest for productivity and time management – or "personal productivity" – is everywhere in the 21st century. I myself have written articles on managing routines and choosing a date planner with a goal to help people manage their time more effectively. We all only have so many hours, and we all have long lists of things to do. But when it comes to time management, the same advice we’ve gotten for ages doesn’t always work. One-size-fits-all strategies are not necessarily effective, which can cause stress and – paradoxically enough – decrease productivity. I recently worked with a client who was in the final trimester of her pregnancy. She was radiant, enthusiastic, and apt to tire very easily. We'd start sessions all fired up, and after only an hour or two, she'd be worn down. If we didn’t manage her energy, she literally would not be ready – and that baby was going to come whether she was ready or not. So how can managing energy instead of time work for you? I suggest getting to know yourself and your own limits. Define your work style. What do I mean by "work style"? Whether you work in an office, a classroom, or a nursery, you have a work style that reflects how much energy you generally expend on a task, and in what way. By recognizing your preferred work style and finding tools that work for you, you will ultimately better manage your time and energy. Some people plan and prioritize. Planners write it down, keep it in an electronic calendar, or log it on a chart. Studying and facts and rules help determine priorities. These people generally respond well to traditional time management strategies. The caveat to this is that plans do not always pan out. Hold plans with a loose grip. Allow yourself to shift, adapt, and rethink your plans to fit reality. Useful tools: notebooks, date planners, calendars, and books Some people are external processors. They need to discuss questions, bounce ideas, and brainstorm. They often also require appreciation for the things they do. We’re all human and want to be appreciated, but if receiving affirmation is key to your happiness, then it is bound to affect your productivity if you don’t get it. The caveat to this is that sometimes it isn’t available from the people around you. Seek out the support you need from others. If this is an unmet need, it can prevent getting anything done. Useful tools: people willing to discuss, like family or friends, masterminds, or a therapist. Some people are big-picture people. They aren't necessarily into details. They value innovation and being open-minded. They can solve problems quickly and want open schedules, spontaneity, and creativity. They move fast and can be impulsive. The caveat to this is that being impulsive requires energy. Steering that energy into productive projects is powerful. If this is something you need, be sure to have outlets for all that energy. Useful tools: collaborative approaches help capture and implement big ideas. Work in teams when you can. We are all of these at various times, and you might act differently in different settings. But generally one will resonate. Recognizing what mode you're in can help you manage your schedule and energy. Manage your energy, not your time. So what are some strategies to actually manage the energy you have? 1. Work at the time of day that works for you. Some people have more energy in the morning, and some are night owls. Schedule your creative, deep work during the time periods when your natural energy level is highest. 2. Make fewer decisions. Lighten your cognitive load by making decisions ahead of time so that then you don’t have to think about them again. Meal plan. Reduce the number of cosmetics/clothes/jewelry to reduce choice. Batch like tasks together. Automate tedious tasks and delegate things you can. Like Steve Jobs wearing the same outfit every day, free your mind from things of less value to you. Save your decision energy for things that matter the most. 3. Set realistic goals for the season you’re in. I once had a friend who wanted to run a marathon. At the same time she had a full-time job, small children at home, a husband, and a household. Running a marathon requires a huge time commitment on weekends and multiple weekdays to log miles. She was very disappointed, but it wasn’t realistic to train for a marathon during that season of life. Don’t try to achieve the impossible. It doesn't mean forever; it just means for now. For my friend, that meant continuing to run on her own as it fit her schedule, and chose to delay the marathon for a few more years. 4. Disconnect and unplug. Allow yourself to rest and recharge. Take a hike in nature without headphones on. Set a household rule of no cell phones at the dinner table. Set a timer to turn off the TV at a specific hour. The old-fashioned bedside alarm clock has been replaced by the cell phone – and they’re dangerous and disruptive to sleep. I have started keeping my cell phone (ringer on and alarm set) plugged in across the room. If it sits on my bedside table, it is too easy to pick it up when I wake in the night. 5. Practice regular self-care. We don’t glorify this enough as a society. If you aren’t taking care of yourself, you don't have the energy to be as effective an employee, parent, partner, or friend. Protect your sleep; eat healthy foods; drink plenty of water; move a bit every day. Allow yourself to rest. Spend time with the people you love; connection brings energy. Like the safety briefing on an aircraft, put on your own oxygen mask before helping others. Make sure your own energy cup is filled. Try these out and see if managing your energy helps you “manage your time” and “be more productive”. And give yourself lots of grace. There is nothing I want more for you than to achieve all you desire – but not at the cost of your health, your family, or your joy. I am here if you need me, friends. I am happy to talk through strategies to help you lead a better and more fulfilling life at home and work. Be well. When you're ready to tackle your tough organization project, I am here to help you learn how. Let's RETHINK organization together. For more information, visit the RETHINK website today. Mandy Thomas is a professional organizer fulfilling her lifelong passion for creating order out of chaos. She finds joy in helping people tackle their most overwhelming spaces and collections to create the optimal living space and enjoy their homes. RETHINK organization is on a mission to help you develop long-term patterns of organization that you can maintain and feel good about long after our work together is done.

Maybe it's the situation that's the problem, not you. People sometimes think they are hopelessly disorganized and are embarrassed and discouraged by their spaces. They are ashamed to open closets and sometimes don't invite people over because they dislike their spaces so much. If you see yourself in this, read on for some encouragement. I'd like to offer a different perspective. People can feel discouraged without perspective. Help and understanding are available along with plenty of antidotes for all of it. So to start, there are 3 broad categories of disorganization: Situational disorganization Chronic disorganization Hoarding disorder This article discusses the first; the other two are discussed here. So what kind of disorganization are you experiencing? People - and situations - are unique The first thing to remember is that people are all different. We tend to assume that everyone is like us, and that's simply not true. As Dr. Phil taught us back in the 90s, we create our own experience. And we are the sum of those experiences. No one else in the world has the same set of experiences you do, not even the people in your own household. Setting aside the more existential elements of that, the idea is relevant here because people worry that they “should” be doing what everyone else is doing in terms of organizing. But organizing projects are also all unique. No two organizing projects are the same. As much as we’d all love The One Answer to organize all the things, the way you organize those things will be as individual as you are. Organization can be learned Just like any other life skill – like housekeeping, or personal finance, or how to change a flat tire – organizing is something that can be taught and absorbed. Therefore, just like any other life skill, if you were not taught how or don't have a natural penchant or desire to do it, you should not expect yourself to already know. People seem to think they ought to just know how to organize things. But if you haven’t learned, why would you expect to know? Further, we can also feel shame around the “messes” we have. What does shame look like in organization? Things shoved out of sight in drawers, or in the backs of closets, or into attics, garages, or sheds, until something or someone comes along who makes you face it. Situational Disorganization A lot of people I know are situationally disorganized – including me sometimes! Situational disorganization is an event, series of events, or change in your life leading you to be disorganized in some area of your life for some period. As an example, in my blog post here, I literally was experiencing situational disorganization. My office had accumulated a pile of stuff in the corner. It was cluttered and stressful. (If you'd like the follow-up, click here.) This did not mean I had lost my organizational powers. It was just a pile of stuff. How might this look for you? The examples are endless. Co-parenting during divorce while working full-time. Household renovations. Death of a loved one. An illness or injury leaves you unable to do things the way you want to. The busyness of life leads to clutter in the garage/entryway/kitchen counter as things pile up from rushing from place to place. Your overall wellness can suffer during these seasons. And it can happen over days. Or months. Or years. But remember that it is only a season. It will pass. Things feel undone and it can be overwhelming right now. But it will end. Remember that it is the situation that is causing the problem, not your ability to organize. Ask for help if you need to. Reach out to a friend, family member, or professional. It is okay to not be okay. Ask for help Friends, this is where many, many of you find yourselves. You’re really not as bad off as you think you are. With some focus, skill, and time, all your organizational problems can be solved. Sometimes calling in outside help speeds the process or solves problems you simply cannot solve. A large part of my job is working directly with clients as they direct the solutions of their organizational problems themselves. You’re probably not as disorganized as you think you are, and there are no Organizing Police coming to tell you you’re wrong. Whatever your situation, you can do this! When you're ready to tackle your tough organization project, I am here to help you learn how. Let's RETHINK organization together. For more information, visit the RETHINK website today. Mandy Thomas is a professional organizer fulfilling her lifelong passion for creating order out of chaos. She finds joy in helping people tackle their most overwhelming spaces and collections to create the optimal living space and enjoy their homes. RETHINK organization is on a mission to help you develop long-term patterns of organization that you can maintain and feel good about long after our work together is done.

How can someone help you get organized from far away? Professional organizing has traditionally been a hands-on, in-person business. But RETHINK opened in 2020 at a time when businesses were pivoting to a new way of working. Virtual organizing is working with a professional organizer during agreed upon meeting times for a video or phone call, and discussing your organizing issue. I talk with you to solve your problems and take a lot of notes. After the call ends, I'll email those notes to you for your reference, and you'll keep working on your project in your own home or office. We'll meet again usually for a series of meetings until your project is concluded. Virtual organizing came naturally to me because I learned to work remotely a decade earlier when I relocated from Texas to Pennsylvania for my job. I managed remote teams and worked for remote managers. Communication skills and related technology (like teleconferencing, email, and video) became second nature to me in 2010. But just because I am used to it doesn't mean everyone is. Not every job – nor every client – will work well remotely. What are the benefits? And will it work for you? 4 Benefits of Virtual Organizing 1. Written resources are particularly useful for reference. When you're working in-person, side-by-side, learning happens organically. People learn by doing. Working virtually means more written documentation for you to reference between sessions. By necessity, the written word becomes more vital as the verbal word is limited. Reports and lists work well during the project and remain helpful for future reference or as a refresher. 2. Shorter sessions can be less overwhelming. In-person sessions are minimum 3 hours. A Zoom call can rarely be longer than 60 minutes. The attention span for video work cannot be sustained for long periods. So virtual sessions literally take less time. That said, it is recommended that you block the same 3-4 hours of your time overall for each session you spend online. Spend the first hour in the session while the organizer shares information and you both take notes. And then continue working on your own after you hang up. 3. You can work with any virtual organizer. If you are working with a virtual organizer, they can be anywhere in the world and you are not limited to local options. 4. Privacy. Not having someone in your home is not always about health and safety. Sometimes there are spaces you really would rather other people never see. While I will always offer full confidentiality and zero judgment, it can be nice to keep some things to yourself. What makes a good virtual organizing client? 1. Be comfortable with technology. Telephone, photo and video, and emailing comfort is important. You don’t need to be a tech-wizard or work in IT, but you do have to be comfortable working a computer, sending emails, and using online video communication. You also need to be comfortable making payments online, have a credit card, or mail timely check payments via snail mail. 2. Be a Do-It-Yourself personality and physically capable. Your organizer will not be with you to do the work with and for you, so you must do it yourself. While I would be there to lift down heavy boxes in person, you must do it yourself or have someone available to do it for you. Also, time during sessions will be limited. I will document work plans and between sessions you'll have homework assignments that must be completed to see progress. 3. Be someone who wants to make a change. The single most important characteristic is to want to make a change. This is true for in-person organizing as well, but in a virtual project it is absolutely crucial. If you are not committed to changing you will not do it, and there will be no one there with you to cajole or do it for you. When you're ready to tackle your tough organization project, I am here to help you learn how. Let's RETHINK organization together. For more information, visit the RETHINK website today. Mandy Thomas is a professional organizer fulfilling her lifelong passion for creating order out of chaos. She finds joy in helping people tackle their most overwhelming spaces and collections to create the optimal living space and enjoy their homes. RETHINK organization is on a mission to help you develop long-term patterns of organization that you can maintain and feel good about long after our work together is done.

Organizing isn’t only about clutter and bins. It can also help you be calmly confident in your finances. February is the shortest month but it’s also a good month to get organized in your finances because of tax season. I wrote about records retention and getting your paperwork ready for tax filing here but there are other things you can simultaneously do to both stay organized and to build your wealth for the future. Here are 5 financial organizing tasks to do in February as you prepare for tax filing. 1. Gather your tax documents and file early if it makes sense Create a spreadsheet of all your accounts and check off each supporting document as it comes in. This will help you prepare for filling out forms. For some, this means logging in to each financial account, finding the right tab on the website, and downloading relevant tax forms. Some people may receive paper statements. However you gather them, be orderly about it and focus on one at a time. Tax season officially started on January 23 so early filers can see a refund as early as mid-February. But employers are not required to submit their copies of Form W-2, Wage and Tax statements until January 31. And if you have investment accounts, Form 1099s often come later. So many filers simply cannot file until February or later. There are some benefits in filing as early as possible. If you are owed a refund, you’ll get it sooner. And if you owe, you have more time to save the payment due since it does not have to be paid until Tax Day (which in 2023 is Tuesday, April 18). 2. Review your withholding strategy On the subject of refunds, many people want to get a large refund each year from the IRS. I'd like to invite you to rethink that strategy. A tax refund in practice is an interest-free loan to the federal government. While I am certain they appreciate it, that is money you could have been using yourself through the year. On the other hand, withholding too little can mean a significant payment due in April. The goal should be to reach the "Goldilocks" of tax withholding: not too much and not too little. Set up your paychecks so that enough money is being withheld each pay period that you won't owe at tax time and not so much that you give the IRS an interest free loan. Consult a tax professional for advice. 3. Pull a copy of your credit report to check for fraud This is a perfect time to check your credit score and to see if any work needs to be done to clear things up. You are entitled to a free credit report once a year. Now is a good time to exercise that. Once you receive yours, review it for any errors and contact the respective credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion) to start the process to fix any errors that you find. In doing this, I have personally found credit cards I did not open attached to my Social Security number, so I am militant about doing this annually. You absolutely should do this once a year whether you use credit cards or not because it is the only sure way to know if someone has opened lines of credit or accounts in your name. Work with the credit bureaus to clear your account if necessary. It is a process to clear up but it is worth it. Consider whether immediate family members need this as well. For example, I pull reports for my two children and my husband pulls his as well. 4. Automate your savings Financial issues weigh heavily on a lot of us and this lack of financial security also makes a lot of us vulnerable. As of January 2022, 56% of Americans cannot cover a $1000 emergency with savings according to a survey completed by Bankrate. And that vulnerability can spell disaster should trouble strike. A great way to start building wealth is to simply start saving. And a great way to start saving is to just put it on autopilot. Automating your savings is a smart way to increase your savings. It easily separates savings from spending funds and helps you avoid spending money as soon as it arrives in your bank account. Frankly it is surprising how fast it can grow if you simply leave it alone and add even small amounts regularly. Either split your direct deposit to put some in savings or set up a recurring transfer from checking into savings. Either way your online banking system should have this option easily available. 5. Set up a budget An American Psychological Association (APA) report showed that 57% of respondents said that having enough money to pay for things in the present, like rent and groceries, is their main source of financial stress. The only way to alleviate that stress is to figure out how to pay for the things you need with the income you have coming in the door. And the only way to do that in an organized way is to budget. "Budget" is kind of a bad word but I think it gets a bad rap. It really is a form of self-care. Someone told me once that budgeting is not about stopping spending but rather about freedom to spend. In some ways I agree. Once you assign jobs to your dollars, you have that money to spend. Then again, if you don't have enough dollars to cover expenses it causes stress. The only way to alleviate that stress is to reduce spending - or increase income. Either way, it becomes clear only when you have a budget. I'll share with you that we did not always budget. It took a massive household system failure to scare us into it. We refer to that failure as "SewageGate 2019". Suffice it to say it was very expensive, really disgusting, and a painful wake-up call to our vulnerability from debt. We have since completely gotten out of debt (except our mortgage) and have changed our mindset. Using a budget made the difference. I want to spare you a SewageGate experience, dear readers! Spending some time on these five tasks once per year can help reduce stress in your life and longer-term, set you up for financial success. They are just good practices. Whether it’s anxiety over an emergency fund (or the lack thereof), shame about spending habits, or the burden of having to do mental math every time you pull out your debit card, the lack of control around personal finances is a significant stressor. The goal of my company and this blog is to help you add peace to your life. So let me know questions you have around getting organized around your finances. I am here to help. When you're ready to tackle your tough organization project, I am here to help you learn how. Let's RETHINK organization together. For more information, visit the RETHINK website today. Mandy Thomas is a professional organizer fulfilling her lifelong passion for creating order out of chaos. She finds joy in helping people tackle their most overwhelming spaces and collections to create the optimal living space and enjoy their homes. RETHINK organization is on a mission to help you develop long-term patterns of organization that you can maintain and feel good about long after our work together is done.

How to charge your phone without electricity It is arguably the hottest time of year here in Pittsburgh and summer weather can be unpredictable. As I write this, the RETHINK Home Office is experiencing a power outage from downed trees during a summer storm. Everyone is fine but it reminds me that we need to plan ahead. Have you ever been startled by an unexpected power outage? Are you the type of person that only charges your phone when it's below 10%? Plan ahead and don't panic. 3 Ways to Charge Your Phone during a Power Outage 1. Get a portable backup battery charger. This is the easiest way to get power to your phone during an outage. There are several models available. Just do a web search on “portable battery charger”. Keep it charged up at a household charging station. 2. Take power from your laptop. Use a USB cord to pull power from your laptop battery. This is enough to get you through most short-term outages. 3.Remember your car USB ports (or cigarette lighters in older models). Pull power from your car battery. Your car battery recharges as the engine runs so as long as you have gasoline, you’re good. Plus, in a house without power, it is nice to go drive around in the A/C sometimes. There are fancier and more expensive ideas, like securing solar power generators or hand crank chargers. If you live in a disaster-prone area (looking at you, Gulf Coast) you might consider investing in a gas-powered generator to power your whole house for several days, or install a second electrical panel to power a whole-house generator. But for the purposes of a “standard” summer storm the three options listed here should help your phone. 3 things to remember Disasters generally happen fast. You don't always get prior notice. So 3 things to remember: Plan ahead. It always helps to give these things some thought BEFORE they happen. We learned this as residents of the City of Houston during Hurricane Ike in 2008. We planned ahead, had supplies, and literally weathered the storm. Ask questions. The locals in an area have probably lived through these sorts of things before. Talk with your neighbors before a storm hits. Storms bring out our vulnerability and it is good to establish rapport with neighbors before that happens. Above all don't panic. There are solutions to pretty much any problem. Talking it over with others and asking for help are great ways to recover from the unexpected. We are so reliant on our phones these days. Being disconnected for a bit is good for us. It's all in the mindset. I am here if you need me, folks. Keep cool. When you're ready to tackle your tough organization project, I am here to help you learn how. Let's RETHINK organization together. For more information, visit the RETHINK website today. Mandy Thomas is a professional organizer fulfilling her lifelong passion for creating order out of chaos. She finds joy in helping people tackle their most overwhelming spaces and collections to create the optimal living space and enjoy their homes. RETHINK organization is on a mission to help you develop long-term patterns of organization that you can maintain and feel good about long after our work together is done.

What if I told you that you could save money by organizing your pantry? Inflation is here and everything we buy right now seems to cost more. Regardless of the cause we are all looking for ways to decrease our out-of-pocket expenses. And food can accumulate, particularly following the COVID pandemic. It was eerie when I first ventured to a grocery store in April 2020 and found empty shelves. We are a generation that has learned worldwide that when food is scarce, storing extra can be helpful. But that can also lead to simply having too much. Using up what you have can help save money and will also help eliminate food waste, which has become a significant issue in America. According to Recycle Track Systems (RTS), food takes up more space in U.S. landfills than anything else. Expired dairy products, produce bought with good intentions, and dry goods past their expiration dates tally up to 80 billion tons of food sent to landfills every year. That feels particularly wasteful as food prices continue to rise. According to the Consumer Price Index, 2022 food-at-home prices in the U.S. are now predicted to increase between 11.0 and 12.0 percent. Food prices are expected to grow more slowly in 2023 but still to increase on average between 2.5 and 3.5 percent. Pantry goods are by definition “shelf stable” meaning they can last a long time. In addition, those items are generally cheaper than perishables. So stocking up your pantry and knowing what you have literally helps save money. For some, a pantry is a big walk-in affair with many shelves and drawers and lots of space. Some people keep overflow storage in another space in the house if their kitchen storage is limited, like a basement or laundry room. Some people have dedicated shelving in their kitchen that holds it all. Whether you have a lot of space or a little, keeping it organized can help you save money and also provides an opportunity to help the environment and be sustainable too. Ready to give it a try? Read on. Keep the things you use the most where you can reach them easily This is what I call keeping things in your “high value real estate”, or the space you can most easily reach. This works for any type of storage (think clothing, laundry items, even garage and attic storage) but your go-to items in your pantry should always be easy to access. Keep the things you use all the time, like salt, pepper, and cooking oils, right near your food prep area. Store things you need less frequently, like canned goods, jars of sauces, and dry pasta, further away, higher up, or down low. This principle is also a good way to see how much remains in your supply, which of course also implies you should keep like things together. Don’t store cans of diced tomatoes in more than one area, for example. Do a "Pantry Challenge" for a week Every once in a while, see if you can cook and eat only what you already have in your pantry for a week. You get creative when you "aren't allowed" to buy anything else at the store. Choose a week where you only buy the necessary perishables (i.e. milk, bread, eggs) and then prepare a meal plan that will use up the things in your pantry. This also works for the freezer. If you have a deep freeze, or even just a lot of things in your fridge freezer you haven't seen in while, pick a week to clear it out. Keep a posted inventory If a tree falls in the woods and no one hears it, does it make noise? If you can’t see the food in your pantry, does it exist? Keeping an inventory list may feel tedious but I promise you it helps. And it doesn’t have to be exhaustive or extremely detailed. Depending on the size, some pantries can be enormous which can feel overwhelming. But even the smallest pantry has an area in the back where things get lost. Keeping an inventory list close by (for example, on a white board posted by your long-term storage, or taped to the inside of a cupboard door) can help you see quickly what you have “in stock” and can also help when building the grocery list. Hang a pen or dry erase marker narby so you never have to go searching for a writing utensil. Organize items by food expiration dates When you get new stock, pull the old items to the front and store the new underneath or behind. In this way your stock will rotate and nothing will end up sitting in the far back, never to be seen again. As an aside, I used to lose produce in the produce drawer at the bottom of the refrigerator because I would forget it was in there. I have instituted a "keep it out on the open shelf" policy for things that will spoil more quickly, like a head of lettuce. I only keep staples like carrots and celery in the produce drawer because if I cannot see it, I can forget it is there. Only buy things your family will eat This feels self-evident but is worth saying. There can be a lot of what I call "aspirational purchases" in life. These can be clothes in a size you don't wear, organizing bling to help you get organized, or foods you think you "should" be eating or that are popular. Forget that. I am not saying never buy something new (variety is the spice of life!) but don't fall for marketing hype. Buy things your family will eat. Also, because shelf-stable products have a longer shelf life, it can be tempting to stock up on items on sale or when you find coupons. But you can end up with things in your pantry that no one will eat and you don't know how to cook. Save yourself money and buy only things you actually need and use. Organizing Bling can be helpful If you're a regular reader of my blogs, you know I never recommend purchasing organizing products until you know exactly what you need. My theory is that you buy clear acrylic containers, etc. hoping they will make you organized and then when it doesn't work, you then believe you can't get organized. Nonsense. What you really need is a plan and targeted purchases. So I always tell my clients to hold off on buying anything until after we have worked together. But there is no denying pantry organizing accessories can be helpful. Lazy Susans for spices, roller shelves in cabinets to see what’s hiding in the back, shelf dividers to keep like things together, tiered shelves to see what is behind, etc. Measure your space and make a plan before you purchase, not after, and if it doesn't work don't get frustrated. Ask for help. Let me know how it goes as you work to save yourself some money by organizing your pantry. When you're ready to tackle your tough organization project, I am here to help you learn how. Let's RETHINK organization together. For more information, visit the RETHINK website today. Mandy Thomas is a professional organizer fulfilling her lifelong passion for creating order out of chaos. She finds joy in helping people tackle their most overwhelming spaces and collections to create the optimal living space and enjoy their homes. RETHINK organization is on a mission to help you develop long-term patterns of organization that you can maintain and feel good about long after our work together is done.

Clutter affects more than your physical space Your thoughts affect your ability to focus and be effective. This is a busy season. The end of the calendar year coincides both with the new year and some major holidays. 2022 goals are coming due (and next year’s need to be set) and holiday parties and gift wrapping and social gatherings and shopping and cleaning and goal setting and annual reviews and a million other things all need to be completed before that calendar ticks over to 2023. It can be stressful and overwhelming. But does it need to be? What can you do to help ease the stress and activity? How can you make the coming new year your best year ever? The answer is to declutter your mind. Clutter does more than just clog your closets and drawers. A cluttered mind can be as destructive – even more so – than a desktop where you can’t find anything, a basement you can't walk through, or a drawer full of jumbled clothes. Ruminating on things already past. Worrying about things you cannot change. Rehashing negative conversations. Endlessly scrolling your mental To Do list. All these things can interrupt your sleep, your productivity, and your peace. What better time than the end of the calendar year to try some new ways of using your mind? I promise that addressing this type of clutter will absolutely change your life. 1. Protect your sleep When I set out to be more productive, I start by setting an earlier wake-up time. I've found that the only time I can "add" to my day is on the front end. But it is easy to forget that an earlier alarm should correspond with an earlier bedtime. Do not burn the candle at both ends. If you are a night owl – most productive in the wee hours – you need to plan to have a later start-time in your day. Either way, you need sleep. According to the National Institutes of Health, most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep a night. "Sleep affects almost every type of tissue and system in the body – from the brain, heart, and lungs to metabolism, immune function, mood, and disease resistance. Research shows that a chronic lack of sleep, or getting poor quality sleep, increases the risk of disorders including high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression, and obesity." Sleep is the number one thing you can do to calm your mind. Find ways to develop it, protect it, and nurture it. Sleep heals. 2. Write down your thoughts If the mental To Do list is unending, write it down. Physically getting it out on paper or captured in a Notes app lets your brain release it. You can literally tell yourself, “Self, you don’t need to worry about forgetting that now. You will find this later.” Then, when you’re back at your desk or with your calendar, transfer that To Do into your regular productivity system. Getting it out of your head lets your brain let go of the responsibility you have to remember it, thus removing one little piece of clutter. 3. Journal Capturing your To Do list and tasks onto a written tally does not always clear the mind of ruminating thoughts. When you find yourself rehashing a situation, a conversation, or a conflict, write about it. Old-fashioned journaling works great for this. If the blank page intimidates you, set a timer for 15 minutes (so your brain knows there’s a limit to this), write the date at the top of the page, and start writing whatever is in your head. It doesn’t matter if it is coherent – no one will ever see this but you – but the act of writing will start your brain moving and before you know it, your timer goes off and you’ve written all about your overwhelming deadlines or your frustration with your boss, and you feel better. Sometimes I come up with ideas on how to resolve things simply by writing about it – things I didn’t even know were bothering me. You may even keep going for a longer time. Choosing a time limit for when you are going to write relieves the pressure, but you can always choose to extend it. 4. Meditate and/or pray This does not have to be long, involved, or formal – though of course it can be. There are several fantastic apps available to do both. Test a few to see which you like. Over the past few years, I have used Insight, Calm, and have settled on Headspace for meditation. For prayer, I have tried Daily Prayer, You Version, and have settled on Pray As You Go. I am not an affiliate of any of these. Do what works. Set aside time to settle your mind for a few minutes and focus on something other than the chaos of your daily life. If there is one thing, I have done that has helped the most, this is it. Start by taking a few slow, deep, cleansing breaths. Bring awareness to where your body is sitting and how it is feeling. And let your mind rest. Training yourself to purposefully protect your thoughts is the single most important thing you can do to declutter your mind. 5. Schedule time to worry This makes me chuckle each time I think of it, but it works! It is entirely normal to worry – we all do it, no matter what we might say. But the thing about worry is that it can eat up all your mental bandwidth while simultaneously being pretty useless. Worry does nothing. Years ago, my then life coach Natalie Gahrmann taught me the mantra “Worry = Action”. If you find yourself worrying about something, figure out if there is anything you can do about it. If there is, add that thing to your To Do list. If there isn’t, worrying is a complete waste of your energy so stop it. Either way, blocking out time to specifically worry will allow your brain to offload, and you can rest assured that by concentrating this time, you are capturing the most important aspects of your worry, and you can tell your brain to quit worrying. You’ve got it. 6. Go outside It has been proven scientifically that being in nature has mental health benefits. If nothing else, force yourself to step away from your screen - your desk, your phone, your tablet - and go outside. Take a walk around your neighborhood; touch a tree; take some deep breaths. Let your mind literally step away from your racing thoughts and get some (even brief) perspective. According to the American Psychological Association, spending time in nature can act as a balm for our busy brains. It is linked to both cognitive benefits and improvements in mood, mental health and emotional well-being. And feeling connected to nature can produce similar benefits to well-being, regardless of how much time you spend outdoors. 7. Confide in a trusted person Call a friend. Don't be afraid to ask for help. Talk to someone you trust and tell them all about it. Meet up with a friend and ask them to listen. Be sure to tell the person that they are not responsible to develop solutions to solve your problem and that you just need them to listen. People who love you will be happy to help you talk it out and find some solutions. 8. Exercise Exercise is the answer to so many problems! We all know we need to do more of this but it is hard to find time and it is so easy to find excuses. But there really is nothing better for overall well-being. Exercise has been proven to decrease anxiety and depression and can help you concentrate and feel mentally prepared to deal with all the things you need to face. Do you need more benefits to make this a part of you life? According to the National Institutes of Health, health benefits from regular exercise that should be emphasized and reinforced by every mental health professional to their patients include the following: Improved sleep Increased interest in sex Better endurance Stress relief Improvement in mood Increased energy and stamina Reduced tiredness that can increase mental alertness Weight reduction Reduced cholesterol and improved cardiovascular fitness ... and that is a directly quoted list! I mean, I understand that exercise is not always fun and can be hard to do, but the data is clear. Get off the couch and start moving! 9. Reduce multi-tasking In 2022, it feels pretty normal to try to do several things at once. I have written about this before and I promise you, our brains are literally wired to do one thing at a time. Multitasking reduces productivity. I am as guilty of this as anyone, so this is not meant to shame. But truly, our brains cannot think about two things at the same time. We may be really nifty, well kitted-out humans with lots of apps, charts, technology, and tools to help us be productive. But at our core we are still animals and we do better when we honor how our brains were built. 10. Declutter your environment This is, of course, my favorite. My clients don’t reach out to me because they are feeling settled and unworried, free from distractions and distress. They contact me because their space feels overwhelming. If your environment, whether it is a home or an office, is cluttered that chaos constantly competes for your attention and restricts your ability to take in and process information. Having clutter around you, whether you realize it or not, is stealing your attention and focus. If you want to improve your mental state and effectiveness, organize and clear out physical clutter. And if you want some tips on how to do that, contact me. When you're ready to tackle your tough organization project, I am here to help you learn how. Let's RETHINK organization together. For more information, visit the RETHINK website today. Mandy Thomas is a professional organizer fulfilling her lifelong passion for creating order out of chaos. She finds joy in helping people tackle their most overwhelming spaces and collections to create the optimal living space and enjoy their homes. RETHINK organization is on a mission to help you develop long-term patterns of organization that you can maintain and feel good about long after our work together is done.

Is iCloud backing up your photos? The answer is that it might be. When iPhone users sync their phone to the Apple iCloud servers, they may assume that their photos are being backed up. But Apple iCloud is only a sync which means what exists on the cloud is a mirror of what exists on your phone. And that means without iCloud Backup enabled, when you delete a photo off your phone you're deleting it off iCloud, too. Unfortunately that means iPhone users can mistakenly delete photos and files off their phones believing them to be safely on the cloud when they're not. iCloud Backup does exist. Enable this option by going to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup and turn on the toggle by Back Up This iPhone. In iOS version 10.2 or earlier, go to Settings > iCloud > Backup. According to Apple, "When you set up iCloud, you automatically get 5GB of storage. You can use that storage space for your iCloud backups, to keep your photos and videos stored in iCloud Photos, and your documents up to date in iCloud Drive." To get a full list of what is included in iCloud backup and how it works, click here. Even if you do enable a backup, you're paying a monthly fee for your storage (beyond the initial 5GB). If you stop paying that monthly fee, you lose all your data. Other Options (It's not good news) Backup solutions for your photos and videos are available, including creating a series of external hard drive backups or using other cloud services. There are many cloud services, including Google Photos, Amazon Photos, and photo services like Shutterfly and SmugMug. People upload photos to Shutterfly to create photo books and believe that is a backup as well. People also post photos to social media believing that will always be there, like Facebook or Instagram. Unfortunately, despite your payments to them the storage at most cloud services does not belong to you. You're renting space on Apple, Google, or Amazon servers, and if you read the fine print, they make no promises about preserving your memories. Just like iCloud Backup, if you stop making monthly payments, you lose it. Worse yet, if you create photo books in services like Shutterfly, you cannot export those projects. Those print projects belong to those services. And they also make no promises about preserving those photos for you. And even worse yet, the copies of the photos you upload to Facebook and Instagram are compressed. Facebook users upload more than 3 million photos a day. That’s a lot of data to store, and your feed needs to load quickly or users won’t stay engaged. To lighten that load, Facebook compresses your images. What does compressing an image mean? Your photos are made tiny. Pixels are eliminated. Facebook and Instagram were created for posting & sharing images. Facebook is not designed to store your most prized possessions. Finally, external hard drives can and do fail. In researching this article, I found some startling information. External hard drives, like other storage devices, have a limited lifespan. You need a better solution. Consider FOREVER® Permanent Storage Permanent storage solutions for your digital photos and videos are only available right now through FOREVER®. When you purchase FOREVER® Storage, about 70% of the payment is deposited into the FOREVER® Guarantee Fund. That money is invested so that it increases in value and pays for the recurring maintenance and preservation costs of your FOREVER® Storage, as well as the migration of your content to new digital formats over time. Similar to a university endowment, the money invested is carefully managed to fund the preservation of your content over a very long period of time. It is fully restricted, meaning that they can only withdraw a very small amount from the Fund each year, and the money withdrawn must be used to preserve and protect your digital content. Life insurance companies use carefully managed reserve funds to make sure they can always pay claims. Universities use carefully managed endowments to pay for their operations over hundreds of years. In the same way, FOREVER® uses their reserved fund to save, protect, and make your information available for generations into the future. I don't usually encourage my clients to purchase things. I am not an organizer that has products to sell and buying something doesn't automatically make your organizing more easy to do. But preserving your memories in a permanent, secure, and private space is so much safer than hoping that your phone backs up to the cloud correctly, or that your series of external hard drives don't fail, or that your online service doesn't decide to delete your photos or restrict access. These are the belongings that you cannot replace. If you want to learn more about FOREVER®, please reach out to me here. Your memories are too precious to lose. When you're ready to tackle your tough organization project, I am here to help you learn how. Let's RETHINK organization together. For more information, visit the RETHINK website today. Mandy Thomas is a professional organizer fulfilling her lifelong passion for creating order out of chaos. She finds joy in helping people tackle their most overwhelming spaces and collections to create the optimal living space and enjoy their homes. RETHINK organization is on a mission to help you develop long-term patterns of organization that you can maintain and feel good about long after our work together is done.

5 ways (plus a bonus thought) to keep an organized kitchen One of the most frequently used spaces in a home is the kitchen. Because it is used daily, it is also one of the easiest spaces to become cluttered. Following a few simple guidelines can help you prevent clutter from building up. 1. Keep Things Where You Use Them Whether your kitchen is enormous or has a tiny footprint, save yourself time and effort and store things close to where you use them. Some of this is obvious, like pots and pans being kept near the stove or oven, and silverware and plates near the eating area. Mixing bowls and food prep tools are great near open stretches of countertop, and knives near the cutting boards. Cups and glasses are best near the refrigerator. But I always like to ask clients how they use the space. Sometimes where I might prepare dishes is not where they do in practice. So, arrange your kitchen how you want it to be arranged – not how you think it should be arranged! 2. Group Like Items Together This is a simple rule that can be applied all over your home. But in the kitchen, it can really be a daily lifesaver. Store your wooden utensils in one ceramic container and store your metal ones in a drawer. Store your bakeware nested together in the one cupboard, all spices in the same drawer or shelf, and all canned goods together. Generally, the place you first think they should be is a good place to store it. You may rethink that later – and you’re allowed to! – but the first place you think of is generally a good place to start. But keep going to #3 to balance another aspect . . . 3. Store Your Most Frequently Used Items in the Most Accessible Places I just told you to choose your storage location based on where you’d expect to find it. But a balanced approach will also consider how often you use it. Keep things you use the most at eye level or in easy reach. Store heavy items down low and infrequently used items up above or even in a basement or storage closet. A good example of this is a slow cooker on a shelf in the basement if you don’t use it a lot, with your stand mixer if you bake only occasionally. Formal serving ware can be kept in a display cabinet, picnic ware can be kept in the garage, and the fondue pot you use only on New Year’s Eve can be kept in a cupboard in the basement. 4. Use Drawer Dividers and Smaller Containers for Storage Divide drawers into spaces that can usefully store and divide the contents. For example, most people use a silverware divider to keep your spoons/forks/knives separated. The same concept can be used for canned goods using expandable bamboo drawer dividers or shallow containers. You can also repurpose items for this. An unused shallow food storage container can be filled with sandwich bags from a box too tall to slide into the drawer. There are many shallow boxes available in various colors, types, and sizes that can be used to divide and store anything including seldom used serving utensils, hand towels, or measuring cups. 5. Declutter Once a Year Once you have gone through the work of sorting, reducing, and storing all your kitchen items, plan to maintain that hard work for the future. Move left to right, top to bottom around your kitchen space once a year. Take the time to rethink how you have been storing your items. Reduce unnecessary duplicates, remove items that are damaged beyond repair, and donate things no longer used. While you’re at it, wipe down those shelves. This will give your kitchen a refresh and help you feel organized and prepared. BONUS: Give Yourself Some Grace Something I tell my clients all the time is that they do not live in a magazine. If you’re reading this article, it is because you are interested in or hopeful to become an organized person with an organized kitchen. But you’re a real person. You have a life and activities that you love that do not include organizing your kitchen. You may even have people you live with that seemingly undo all the good organizing you just completed! So, remember that you do not live in a magazine. You’re allowed to try a storage solution that ends up not working. That does not mean you can’t be organized – it just means that solution did not work for you. Give yourself some grace! Organizing your kitchen – like so many other things – starts with the work of a major overhaul and continues with daily upkeep and annual checkups. You can do it! When you're ready to tackle your tough organization project, I am here to help you learn how. Let's RETHINK organization together. For more information, visit the RETHINK website today. Mandy Thomas is a professional organizer fulfilling her lifelong passion for creating order out of chaos. She finds joy in helping people tackle their most overwhelming spaces and collections to create the optimal living space and enjoy their homes. RETHINK organization is on a mission to help you develop long-term patterns of organization that you can maintain and feel good about long after our work together is done.

Paper photos from grandparents, parents, or your own lifetime do no good sitting in boxes in your closet. Does this sound like you? Many of my customers have multiple boxes of photos and family memorabilia stashed in closets or attics or basements. They have a vague feeling of guilt when they think about them. They either collected them over a lifetime or they inherited them, and it is daunting to even start through them. If this is you, I want to encourage you to tackle this project. These precious family memories are so fun to find! Our family have been doing this and the joy it brings as we share with extended family is worth the work. That said, I understand the stress! So let’s keep it simple. Like everything I advise, take it slow, do not stress, and take it one item at a time. Breathe. Have some water to drink nearby. Also, be prepared for this to take some time. It likely took you (or someone you love) a lifetime to gather these photos; you won’t finish sorting them in one afternoon or even one weekend. Choose a flat surface where you can work, preferably one that won't need to be used for a while so you can walk away and not lose progress or place. Set out three containers and label them A, B, and C. Divide them into 3 groups: The A photos are your best ones, the ones you definitely want to keep, the ones you just love. These are worth digitizing and preserving. They bring you joy! I recommend you record details about them on a Post-it and attach them to the photos as you go, or write gently with a photo-safe pencil on the back. The B photos support the stories of the A photos. They can and should be kept but are not favorites. They will be archived but not necessarily digitized. The C photos are the ones you do not keep. Yes, it is okay to throw photos away! Examples are duplicates, triplicates, blurries, or simply bad photos. They can also be photos that cause you pain or memories you don’t want to keep. This is YOUR collection - make it what you want it to be. If it isn’t an A or a B, then it’s a C. Be ruthless. One rule of thumb is to eliminate 80% of your photos. Keep that in mind as you go through your collection. Above all, have fun with this! Try to keep moving but enjoy the process. When you're ready to tackle your tough organization project, I am here to help you learn how. Let's RETHINK organization together. For more information, visit the RETHINK website today. Mandy Thomas is a professional organizer fulfilling her lifelong passion for creating order out of chaos. She finds joy in helping people tackle their most overwhelming spaces and collections to create the optimal living space and enjoy their homes. RETHINK organization is on a mission to help you develop long-term patterns of organization that you can maintain and feel good about long after our work together is done.

How do you decide whether to keep something or throw it away? Simply ask yourself 3 questions: Do you need it? Do you use it? Do you love it? If the answer is “No” to these then it may be clutter. Donate it, sell it, recycle it, trash it if you must, or give it away. If not, keep it. There, that was easy! Do these 3 subjective questions leave you wishing for more? Read on for some more thoughts . . . and 5 better questions to consider. Marie Kondo, author of The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, famously says to get rid of anything that does not “spark joy”. I need to use my toothbrush twice a day but I would not say it sparks joy. So, there is a legitimate category of things you should keep because you use them and without which you could not accomplish basic tasks. Pens and pencils. Can openers. Kitty litter. Toothbrushes. These objects have jobs and can and should stay in your space. Then there is the category of things you may not use frequently, but when you need it, you need it. A great example of this is winter coats in the Gulf Coast of Texas. With a subtropical climate, you rarely need a heavy coat in South Texas – until it dips into the 30s in January or you travel to Scotland on business in February. Another example of this is holiday decorations. Even though you use special holiday table settings only once a year, you aren’t going to throw them away each year and buy all new. If you legitimately will need something, even infrequently, store these items in your space, and preferably with labels so you can locate them easily. There are also things you keep around for no other reason than you love them. This is where “spark joy” comes in handy. My mother gave me a carved, wooden manatee figurine that is mahogany, highly polished, and has two small wooden paddles that are very delicate. This object is materially useless. I rarely touch it for fear the paddles will crack so I cannot even use it as a paperweight. But that wooden manatee makes me smile every time I see it. I love it and it sparks joy, so I keep it. So, if these 3 questions are subjective and sometimes not foolproof, are there other questions to apply? Sometimes people say things like “If you have not used it in a year, get rid of it”. Well, maybe. But a better question might be “Is this something you will use again?” But even that can be tricky because you can fall into the trap of “Maybe I will use it someday!” You can end up keeping a lot of things you will never use again because, well, you might. Here are 5 better questions. 1. How realistic is it that I will ever use this object again? Be honest with yourself. Do you enjoy camping enough to take up all that space in the garage? Did you learn to snorkel long ago, but you do not plan to do it again? Did you read that book but not like the ending? 2. Is it taking up much space? Consider if the space could be better used for something else you love. Did you buy a piano but only ever dust it? Do you ever actually sit on the ottoman in your bedroom, or does it just accumulate junk? Do you have a dining table that seats 20 and you don't enjoy entertaining? 3. Does this object make you feel guilty? Sometimes we keep things with good intentions, but really just do not want to do it. Release those items to someone who really will use it properly. Will you ever learn how to can tomatoes with your mason jar collection? Do you always mean to do yoga, but you just really don’t want to? Did your grandmother give you those knitting needles but sewing of any kind gives you anxiety? 4. When you do decide to use it, will it even be nice enough to use? Sometimes we hold on to things for a long time, knowing we'll want to use it someday, only to discover when the time comes that the version you stored all that time isn't good enough to use anymore. Release these items to someone who will use it now. Is the duffel bag you used at summer camp as a kid going to be sturdy enough for your own children to use at camp? Are the favorite trousers that you’ll fit in when you lose 30 pounds still going to be in style once you lose those 30 pounds? If you kept those linens for a "special event", will they be threadbare and old-fashioned when you pull them out? 5. And how many do you really need? We can accidentally stockpile multiple versions of things we need, and end up using the mediocre version because our favorites are hidden in the mass. Do you need enough coffee mugs for everyone in your home and all your neighbors to have 4 cups of coffee a day? Do you need to have enough pens and pencils to fill 6 pen holders when only 2 people live in your home? Do you need to keep all of the Christmas tree ornaments when you never have space to use them all during Christmas? Thinking you can use something is not the same as using it. Thinking that you might use something is not the same as using it. And you don’t need to own something to address every possible situation. Don’t get caught up in the idea of your “fantasy self”, or the person you wish you could be, which ties you to an identity that you simply aren’t. Some things you use or need, so keep those. If you genuinely love it and it brings you joy, keep it. If it makes you feel bad, get rid of it. If you go through this process and you still feel cluttered, distill your belongings down to the ones that work best, that you like the best, and that you feel joy to use. When you're ready to tackle your tough organization project, I am here to help you learn how. Let's RETHINK organization together. For more information, visit the RETHINK website today. Mandy Thomas is a professional organizer fulfilling her lifelong passion for creating order out of chaos. She finds joy in helping people tackle their most overwhelming spaces and collections to create the optimal living space and enjoy their homes. RETHINK organization is on a mission to help you develop long-term patterns of organization that you can maintain and feel good about long after our work together is done.

What are the files you need to keep for your taxes? It was Ben Franklin that said there are only two things in life that are certain: death and taxes. He wasn’t wrong. One of my favorite song lyrics of all time is by Rush (the band, not the personality) in their song Freewill. “If you choose not to decide you still have made a choice.” Inaction is as much a choice as action, but only one of them provides the option for you to impact the outcome. Sometimes doing nothing is the right choice, like perhaps when presented with a moral dilemma. But when it comes to taxes (or, in fact, anything related to finances) choosing to do nothing can be devastating and lead to some terrible results. When are taxes due? For my overseas readers, the annual filing deadline set by the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is normally April 15. Detailed discussion of actual tax filing is beyond the scope of this article so suffice it to say it comes once a year, if you have any income at all you need to file, and the consequences are severe if you are found to be dishonest or negligent. The infamous gangster Al Capone was guilty of a lot of terrible crimes but what eventually brought him down was tax evasion. If that’s the bar, you can meet it. Don’t be Al Capone. Don’t mess with the IRS. Tax season can be stressful but there are some things you can do to reduce that stress. Read on to see how a little bit of work through the year can save you hours and hours in the days leading up to April 15. What is records retention? A records retention schedule is a policy that defines how long a type of record should be kept and provides disposal guidelines for how and when those records should be discarded. In terms of riveting interest, records retention can be right up there with watching paint dry. But for me, one of the best Christmas gifts my husband ever bought me was a label maker. Our first New Years Eve I spent with a bottle of wine, a bunch of hanging files, a pile of new manila folders, and our brand new label maker. Not everyone is a nerdy professional organizer-type but I take comfort in knowing where our records are. Being able to put hands on the important items to reduce the stress of uncontrolled paperwork was worth missing out on a party that year. Businesses should always have a retention schedule but we may not commonly develop them for our homes. The sooner you have a system in place and get on a regular schedule, the sooner your tax season can be less stressful. A Disclaimer This article should not be taken as legal or financial advice. Always consult with your personal accountant, financial advisor, attorney, and/or partner or spouse before destroying any documents. As your organizer, I will never destroy your documents. That is solely your responsibility. But there are some recommendations you can follow to manage your household papers. I would rather you have too many files than destroy too many, but that does not mean you need to live in chaos. The IRS provides some good guidelines and so do many personal finance gurus like Suze Orman and Dave Ramsey. My personal suggestion is to do your research, consult with your attorney and accountant, decide on a schedule for your household, and get busy sorting, labeling, and filing. A key takeaway is that you don’t have to keep everything forever. Fear of destroying documents can lead to piles of paper no one will ever want or need. But wholesale destruction of paperwork can be detrimental. So be cautious and consult professionals. Suggested household document storage guidelines The following are some common household document storage guidelines. This list is not exhaustive but rather catches some major categories. Research and decide your own. Top Tip: If you are storing information for multiple people in a household keep each type of record in the same order by person so you can quickly see when one is missing, e.g. Husband; Wife; Child #1; Child #2 for medical records, insurance paperwork, etc. Suggested permanent locked storage documents The following is a list of some items that are best locked up safely either in your home (in a fire safe box) or at a local bank (in a safe deposit box). Again, this list is not exhaustive but catches some major categories. Research and decide your own. How to prepare for tax season To prepare for tax season, get a glass of water or a favorite beverage, gather your papers together on a table, grab a chair, and settle in. Sort all your papers into similar groupings and reduce the overall amount through judicious decision-making. Again, do not necessarily shred right away but set aside things that may not be needed and consult with your financial professionals. Place categories of papers into files. I like to use manila envelopes and hanging file folders, and preferably use some sort of color-coding by subject. Label them neatly so you can locate them easily. Then, store your needed documents in a place where you can easily access them for use. The initial sort of all your papers can be painful. But setting up systems can increase your confidence and decrease the time it takes to file your taxes each spring. If it feels overwhelming, ask for some help. Sometimes having a trusted partner in this process can help. Are your papers serving you? I still have my first ever pay stub from my first job at McDonald’s in 1991. There are beautiful stories of family members finding Food Ration cards from WWII in loved one’s belongings after they are gone. Sometimes holding on to sentimental papers can provide a tangible tie to the past. But paperwork, like everything else in your home, should serve you, not the other way around. Gain control of your papers to make room for what matters most. If you need some help sorting paperwork, contact me. When you're ready to tackle your tough organization project, I am here to help you learn how. Let's RETHINK organization together. For more information, visit the RETHINK website today. Mandy Thomas is a professional organizer fulfilling her lifelong passion for creating order out of chaos. She finds joy in helping people tackle their most overwhelming spaces and collections to create the optimal living space and enjoy their homes. RETHINK organization is on a mission to help you develop long-term patterns of organization that you can maintain and feel good about long after our work together is done.