Blog & Media
Everything in Place with Allison Weigensberg: Professional Organizer in montreal
BIG NEWS!!! One of my favorite Professional Organizers just released her book on Amazon and it is FREE to download today!! I just downloaded it myself and haven't read it yet but I have yet to be disappointed by Lisa Woodruff of Organize 365.
Just to let you know there is absolutely no affiliation here and I am not being compensated for this in any way, I'm just super excited to read this book and wanted to share it with all of you! Get it on Amazon here.
As featured on The Suburban and Huffington Post
While organizing a space isn't rocket science, it’s not always intuitive either. I was with a client the other week who is whip smart, highly educated and has designed a beautiful home for herself, yet she continually beats herself up for her lack of organizational skills.
I had her sifting through some of her paperwork and she kept getting up to put them into the recycling bin, so the other organizer I had with me asked if she would like the bin next to her instead. A simple step, like moving a recycling bin closer seemed so obvious to us, yet would never have occurred to my client, and she said just that. And then felt dumb for not having thought of it herself. But she wasn’t dumb. Organizing just isn’t her forte.
In the same way that I would never have thought to mix colors and patterns the way she does to create the beautiful home that she has, she wouldn't look at the eight junk drawers in her kitchen and envision a neatly organized command center. We all have our strengths. We all have areas we excel at. Why beat yourself up for the the areas you don’t?
It seems that every listicle, Buzzfeed article, and Instagram post out there has a million “simple hacks” and “super-easy DIYs” to get you and your family organized. Like if you read that article some magic spell will wash over you and *poof* you're organized. And if you try these techniques and STILL can't get your s*&t together that you are some kind of failure. You’re not.
What many of these articles tend to leave out is how personal an experience this can be. And how the only way to truly make changes is to find what works for you and not try to mold your behavior so that you can finally make use of that DIY picture frame turned meal-planner-dry-erase-board that still doesn’t look quite like the “after picture”.
I get that this may be a bit of a strange article coming from a Professional Organizer and a blogger who frequently writes how-to articles on organization. But I’m really tired of friends, clients and sometimes even strangers telling me how embarrassed they are of their kitchen drawers, linen closets or basement. There is nothing to be embarrassed about. But, if it’s not working for you then don’t be afraid to ask for help and change it.
It’s funny what society deems is acceptable to delegate or outsource to others. You’re not embarrassed to having a weekly cleaning person come and wash your floors. Or a company to come and mow your lawn. It doesn’t mean that you’re a failure or that you are incapable of doing these things. You just recognize that your time would be better spent focusing on the things that you are good at.
There are so many things beyond our control that can contribute to a lack of organization. Both major and minor life events can cause our plans to shift and our routines to go out of whack. School ending, a change in jobs, the birth of a new baby, adding a family pet, the death of a loved one. It’s not always easy to adapt to these changes without feeling overwhelmed. So it’s okay to ask for help. It’s okay to outsource the tasks you can’t or don’t want to do. It’s also okay to not feel guilty about it. We’re all in the same boat, we all have busy lives with different obligations pulling us in different directions.
If what you’re doing is working for you then don’t worry about what other people say or think. But if it’s not then commit to change. Reach out to a friend, or family member or even to a Professional Organizer. Just stop beating yourself up about it.
As featured on Huffington Post
Maybe its that I have it hardwired into my brain from having the summer off of school as a child but my mind definitely forms a direct line between summer and relaxation. Unfortunately, my brain has yet to catch up with my reality. With soccer for the kids four nights a week (at 6:15pm!!!), daily multi-location drop-offs and pick-ups, clients wanting their spaces organized, oh, and a 4 month old baby, there has not been a lot of downtime this summer.
I’m definitely one of those people that is way more relaxed when my space is clean and organized. In fact, it’s the only way I can actually keep my sanity when things get super busy. Here are some of my favorite summer organizing tips that will help keep you feeling like you can conquer this summer too.
Stop Cooking
Okay, I obviously don’t mean stop cooking entirely thereby letting yourself/partner/kids fend for themselves and consequently die of starvation. But I do mean to take a break from the same type of cooking you would do during the rest of the year. The key to this one is really to plan your meals and try to re-use what you have. If you’re marinating chicken for the BBQ double up the recipe and throw the rest in the freezer for an easy meal next week. Opt for no-cook meals that can be thrown together in minutes. Our family fave is “make-your-own-burritos”. I even joked that because of the whole soccer all week during dinnertime thing that I was instituting a “sandwich only” summer long policy for dinner. Then we actually had sandwiches only for a whole week. It was unpleasant. But sandwiches once a week are ok. Either way try to scale down the cooking and keep it simple. If you need more inspiration check out Pinterest. I always find great dinner ideas there.
Plan For The Morning Chaos
Summer = Sunscreen. Every morning. On every child. So make it easier on yourself and set up a sunscreen station for yourself wherever it makes sense for your routine. For us we have two open baskets in our entryway. One has hats and the other has sunglasses, sunscreen and bug spray. The kids can grab what they need and we can help with the sunscreen application on our way out the door. Once it becomes routine it becomes easier.
The other scramble in the morning is planning for special day camp/daycare activities. Whether it’s remembering a bathing suit, craft project or running shoes. A good way to avoid this is putting the schedule or special note on the back of the door. If you are forced to look at it before you leave the house you are more likely to remember what you need.
Summer Car Kit
SO MUCH TIME IN THE CAR. Ugh. Best to be as prepared as possible. Folding chairs for soccer, picnic blanket, paper towels, emergency snacks, wipes, sports gear, bug spray, bubbles (for bored toddlers); whatever your summertime essentials are, try to do a bit of pre-planning prep work and keep them in the car. There is no sense in taking them in and out all of the time if you don’t have to. Be Prepared.
Drop Zone
I don’t know what it is about kids and dropping all their stuff the second they come in the door but they do. Backpacks, lunch bags, towels, rocks (why do they even need to come in at all???), toys. Everything gets thrown on the floor in the front. At least in my house it does. Even though we have hooks and a bench, the gravitational pull once they walk through the door is just too strong and it all hits the floor. To combat this phenomenon try putting a large bucket in the front ( or some type of bin, heck, even a laundry basket would work). The goal is to have one place to put all the crap that you can then grab and put away in one trip.
Go Bag
Whether you are heading out to the pool, park, or just to a friend’s house, have a “go bag” ready. It’s like the older kid version of a diaper bag. Change of clothes, spare bathing suit, extra hats, suntan lotion, water, snacks, all of the essentials. Nothing is worse than having the kids all ready to leave while still running around prepping the gear. If you miss that very small window when their sandals are on and they’re not trying to kill each other you may never get it back. If you let one kid go back for “one more toy”, your whole schedule goes out the window. Go Bag. Trust me.
Wishing You All A Happy And Organized Summer!
Lets face it. Moving sucks. What person in their right mind enjoys spending hours upon hours of carefully packing up all of their belongings only to undo the whole thing a few hours later in a totally new and unfamiliar environment? Sure, you can come back at me with all the ‘fresh starts’ and ‘better space’ reasons you want, but when it really comes down to it, there are not too many redeeming aspects to the actual physical moving of your things.
In the hopes of preventing countless people from ripping their hair out during their next move I have put together some moving advice that I hope will make the process a bit easier.
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