I recently read someplace that if your kitchen is organized it can help you loose weight.  My first thought about that was “Silly people!” But after thinking about it for a little while, I realized that maybe there was some truth in this.  I thought about how I go about my day.  My mornings are usually busy, trying to get a few things done around the house or fit in some office time before I leave to see clients. Then there are days when I’m in between clients and I only have enough time to run home and walk the dogs.

So, what do I do when I am in a hurry?  Grab for the first thing I see of course!  And I bet you do too!  But if I had planned ahead, I would have something nutritional ready to grab and go.  Furthermore, I think about some of the kitchen cabinets I’ve seen that can’t even survive the opening of the door without something falling to the floor.  Items are shoved in there like sardines, some never to be found until their expiration dates are long passed.

I think by having your kitchen cabinets organized, you can find things faster, get to pantry items easier, and save time making your meals.  Organizing your pantry by type, say one shelf for pasta, one shelf for canned goods, and one shelf for snacks, it helps you to make better choices on what to eat because everything is in front of you.  And if you were smart, you would put all the healthy stuff in the front!  

Boy, all this talking about food is making me hungry, I think I will get a snack! 

I don’t know!  Maybe you do!  Seriously!!!  We all accumulate clutter in different ways. 

Maybe it’s clothing that your friend hands down to you (and two years later you still haven’t had a chance to look through it).  

Maybe it’s the stack of notepads, pens, and free key chains you collected at last year’s expo, or maybe it’s the many sets of salt and pepper shakers you purchased at the Brimfield Fair over the years that you plan on making a display with, someday.  

I think creating the clutter is pretty easy to do - - Keeping it from starting is the hard part.  So, what do we do to prevent it from happening?  Easy, we need to be more aware of our actions while we are doing them!  Taking care of the mail as soon as it comes in, instead of putting it off because we are too tired or too busy.  Not taking things, just because they are “FREE”.  And not making purchases because “someday” you might use that for …….

The Clutter Doctor was pleased to receive the 2014 Business Woman of the Year award through Woman Business Owners Alliance of the Pioneer Valley.  Here is my acceptance speech.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
05/22/14 West Springfield, MA

Each year, the WBOA recognizes and honors a member as the Business Woman of the Year, a woman who has been inspirational and has “stood out” in both her business and personal life. 

Congratulations to the 2014 Business Woman of the Year, Carleen Eve Fischer Hoffman, "The Clutter Doctor." 

Carleen is best known by her business name, "The Clutter Doctor, Inc." She helps her clients gain control and balance in their lives as they correct the clutter situation. As a member of WBOA she has held many chairmanships and Board positions and now serves as our Secretary. At our monthly breakfast meetings Carleen can be found greeting new members and getting to know each person and their business on a personal level. She is also very engaged in the local community, currently serving her home town of East Longmeadow as the Director for the Medical Reserve Corps. She has been a member of WBOA since 1999, and each year has been marked by increasing commitment of service to our organization and its women. 

Ms. Hoffman provides personalized and innovative solutions to empower the growth of her clients. She helps them gain control and balance through her three-step approach: Examine, Diagnose, Prescribe.

Ms. Hoffman is a local authority on the subject and has been featured in several radio shows, newspaper and magazine articles, and television interviews. She also has been awarded the prestigious Golden Circle Award from the National Association of Professional Organizers. Ms. Hoffman has taught classes on conquering clutter at Springfield Technical Community College, Holyoke Community College, and Asnuntuck Community College. She has also produced a local TV show entitled “Clearing the Clutter”. Ms. Hoffman volunteers her expertise as an advisor for the Western Mass Clutter Support Group which she started six years ago. She is an established freelance writer whose work has been seen in the “Springfield Republican” and “OnlineOrganizing.com,” and various other places. 

Ms. Hoffman is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (“NAPO”), NAPO Golden Circle of New England, NAPO-CT, Women Business Owners’ Alliance of the Pioneer Valley, Western Massachusetts Eldercare Professionals Association, Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association, The Red Thread Network, Living Local, and OnlineOrganizing.com. She currently is the Director for the Town of East Longmeadow Medical Reserve Corps and previously sat on the town’s green committee for 4 years. She is responsible for the design and creation of The Green Learning Center, a series of displays and sitting area dedicated to green initiatives. Ms. Hoffman is also member of the Town of East Longmeadow Local Emergency Planning Committee and the Community Emergency Response Team.

Ms. Hoffman resides in East Longmeadow with her husband Brad and her two dogs, Madison and Maxwell. In her spare time she enjoys writing and creating art, metalsmithing, running, belly dancing, traveling, trying new restaurants, shopping for vintage jewelry, coffee with friends, and napping with her dogs. 
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On a recent episode of “Reba” the daughter asked the mother “How do people balance their life?  There seems to be so much to juggle; work, school, being a mom.  How do you do it?”  The mother replied “Organization”.

The mother was right.  Finding that perfect balance between work, family, and fun can be a challenge.  But it’s even more of a challenge if you’re not organized.

So, what are some things you can do to create more balance?  Well, first of all, sit and map out those things that are important to you.  For example, staying in shape is important to me.  I tried going to the gym, but I found that my workouts were not enjoyable and that is was a project for me each time I wanted to go.  So, I thought.  How can I make this work?  Finally, I found a solution; I have a trainer that comes to me.  So, now I have no choice, no “opting” out.  And, I am accomplishing my goal, but at the same time, making it easier for me to do.

Which leads me to saying that looking at the things you do now and seeing how you can do them more efficiently, or in a different way.  Let’s use holiday shopping as an example.  How often do you go to a store to find that they don’t have what you’re looking for?  Why not instead do research online beforehand to make sure they have it.  Or even better yet, just purchase it online and forget the trip altogether!

So, I am going to leave you now, to ponder over how you’re living life and how you can make it a balanced act.

I recently read somewhere that most people wear 20% of their wardrobe 80% of the time.  So what does that mean?  Should people start tossing away their belongings?

I have to admit, while there may be some truth to not wearing “everything”, I feel this statistic is very aggressive.  And if you feel like you may fall into this category, please, take my advice.  Don’t toss everything out, get organized instead!

I find that most people I work with feel like they don’t wear everything they own.  While during the process of going through the wardrobe things may get tossed, I find that after spending some time re-arranging the way the closet or drawers are being used (i.e. “getting organized”) seems to be a more fruitful adventure and they “find” things to wear they had “forgotten” about due to being unorganized.  

No matter what types of things we’re talking about, clothing, kitchenware, or compact discs, if things aren’t easy to find or to get to, we will not use them.  So, before tossing everything you own, try getting yourself organized first!

Twelve.  I can fit twelve pairs of jeans into my front load, energy efficient washing machine.  This is what the salesman told me when we purchased the washer.  I was thinking about this a few minutes ago as I was cramming my king size comforter inside the machine.  “Well, if I can fit 12 pairs of jeans in here, I can certainly fit this comforter in here” I thought to myself.

Then I let my mind run, as I usually do.  What the heck was that salesman thinking anyway?  Twelve pairs of jeans?  We are a two person family, me and Brad.  I thought more.  I would have to be pretty unorganized to have to wash twelve pairs of jeans at the same time.

Ok, what if you’re a family of six?  Ok, each member goes through two pairs of jeans each week.  I get it now!!

So, if you have to wash THAT many pairs of jeans each week, chances are you have lots of other things to wash that are just as important; say socks and underwear for starters!

Ok, enough rage.  Issues with laundry seem to be a common complaint among most people I meet.  So, how do you prevent “laundry overload”?  Lots of ways!  First, do it often.  Second, have a system for sorting.  Third, time your loads so you know how long each one takes.  Fourth, fold it immediately. Lastly, enlist other family members to help put it away.

Remember, a little bit goes a long way.  This is where you nod your head and say “Yes, Carleen, I believe.”

I love this statistic:  “Cleaning professionals say that getting rid of excess clutter would eliminate 40% of the housework in an average home.”  So, what do you think about that?  Well, I totally agree!!

Imagine all the things taking up space in your home.  Think about it.  Basically, everything needs to be “managed”.  And what do I mean by that?  Well, it has to be dusted, vacuumed, cleaned, put away, hung, folded, or filed away.  The more stuff you have, the more time you’re spending managing your stuff, instead of doing fun things!

And, if you hire someone to help manage your stuff, well, the more stuff you have, the more $$ you are spending because now they have to waste more time to dust, vacuum, clean, put away, hang, fold, or in some instances, file.  Why give your hard earned money away like that?  You don’t have to! 

So, I want you to think about how much stuff you have, how much time you spend managing it, and how much $$ you could save if you slimmed down.

Carleen Eve Fischer Hoffman, aka The Clutter Doctor, chats with Ashley Kohl on MassAppeal about how to store things after decluttering.

Carleen Eve Fischer Hoffman chats with Ashley Kohl on MassAppeal about the importance of decluttering.