Top 5 tip from your professional organizer:

 

1. Declutter with Purpose: Look beyond the surface. Use that objective eye to see your space anew. What’s gathering dust? What’s been ignored? What doesn’t belong in this space? You’ll be amazed at the details you notice when you eliminate the context of the entire house, focus on 1 just one area.
2. Sort and Conquer: Create designated spaces for items you plan to read, donate, or fix. No more “later” piles—just organized spaces.
3. Zone It Out: Divide your home into zones. Tackle one area at a time. Whether it’s the bookshelf, countertops, or that neglected corner, focus on each zone with precision.
4. The 15-Minute Rule: Feeling overwhelmed? Set a timer for 15 minutes. Dedicate that time to decluttering a specific area. You’ll be surprised at what you can achieve in those focused minutes.
5. Celebrate Small Wins: Don’t underestimate the power of completing small tasks. Each drawer organized, each surface cleared—it all adds up to a more organized, happier home.

 

“Used Tina for help with combining two households, including cleanup & reorganization. She took control immediately and gave us direction with resources for carpentry, cleaning some of which was extreme. She was in constant contact, prompt, efficient. The job took several months & she brought it together for us. We are impressed & pleased and recommend definitely recommend her.” Ed Harmon

 

Schedule your 1-hour complimentary Consult by calling: 847-421-8651 or online at: Contact – Curtis E Organizing

 

Curtis E Organizing is your primary problem solver for business, personal, and transitional life challenges. From your complimentary one-hour consultation through your project’s completion, Tina and Curtis E Organizing focus on the whole picture of your unique challenge, helping you to prioritize, prepare, execute, and finalize all of the details. We have the experience you need to make your project stress-free and streamlined.

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Unless you’re living completely off the grid, you’ve probably noticed a significant uptick in the mail – primarily of the political sort – arriving in your mailbox. It can be very easy to throw all of this unsolicited, unwanted mail in a pile somewhere in your home. The problem? Because this mail isn’t important, it’s easily put off as a “when I get to it” task. Before you know it, you’ve got a huge pile of mail that needs to be dealt with.

The solution? Touch it once.  

The “touch it once” rule has long been the golden rule of paperwork. When you pick up a piece of paper (in this case, mail), you should immediately handle whatever action is associated with it. This keeps you from shuffling through the same stack of paper over and over again which saves a tremendous amount of time.

If it’s a bill, pay it. If it’s an important document you need to hang on to, file it. If it’s junk mail, toss it. 

Some mail will need more than one touch, so we’re giving you permission to modify this rule. The caveat? Touch it more than once as long as you’re moving it forward. For anything that requires more time or attention, set aside time in the near future to manage it. Create a reminder on your phone if you need to. 

Use an ID shield stamp to protect sensitive information.

Protect Your Identity

Before all that junk mail goes straight into the recycling bin, we recommend you take one small extra, but important, step to protect your identity. Credit card applications with your information pre-printed on them are like gold for identity thieves. Shred all those unwanted applications, bills that could be paperless, or anything else with sensitive information immediately. 

We also recommend getting an ID shield stamp which obscures your identity for mail that isn’t getting shredded. 

For more ideas on how to cut down on the amount of mail getting delivered, check out this article from 20Something Finance.

Need Help?

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the seemingly unscalable mountain of mail or other paperwork you have to sort through, Tina Curtis is your lifeline. Using proven organizational management techniques, she will work with you to determine what’s important to hang on to and what can go to the shredder. Together, you will create a plan that will help keep your paperwork organized. To schedule your complimentary consultation, click on the calendar icon on the upper right-hand side of your screen. 

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Take Courtney’s advice and “don’t overthink and convince yourself to hold on. Fun music will help. Challenging a friend to join will make it more fun. Do it to make space. Do it for more light. Do it to smile. Do it because things are too heavy and too much right now. When excuses pop up, turn up the music.”

Decluttering your entire home can quickly become an overwhelming project, so we are going to focus on 5 things you can remove from your life – this weekend.

10 articles of clothing that don’t fit (your body or your lifestyle).
The changing of the seasons is a great time to reassess your wardrobe. Why store summer clothes you didn’t wear once, all summer long? Or, if you’re unpacking your fall and winter wardrobe and find an article of clothing that you know doesn’t fit you, is hopelessly out-of-style, or just isn’t “you” anymore, it’s time to get rid of it. 

10 emails sitting in your email box.
Some of us are very diligent about cleaning out our email inboxes, and then there are those of us who have 95,000 unread emails, taunting us every time we open our emails. Spend a few minutes this weekend deleting emails taking up space in your inbox and your life. While you’re at it, unsubscribe from those you no longer wish to receive, and start to tackle that unread-email behemoth.

10 spices you never use (or sauces, condiments etc.).
You know you have them. Lurking in the back of the fridge or cabinet with expiration dates back when George W. Bush was president: it’s time to let those babies go. Make room for the spices, condiments, or foods you do want to eat. Or, just free up more room and enjoy the “unclutteredness” of it all. 

10 coffee mugs.
Make room for new mugs! 

10 goals, hopes, or dreams for the future that you’ve held on to but don’t really care about anymore.
This one took us a little by surprise when we saw it on Courtney’s list, to be honest. We all have long-held goals (“Someday, I’ll write that book.”), but now is a great time to re-evaluate if that goal is something you’re still interested in, or something you’re hanging on to out of obligation or a fear of letting yourself down. As Courtney says, “You are allowed to have new goals, hopes, and dreams but you have to make room for them.”

Addressing these 5 things is a great step toward freeing yourself from things weighing you down. However, if this project feels out of your comfort zone, contact Tina for a complimentary consultation on how we can help you gain control over your clutter. 

The post 5 Things to Remove From Your Life – This Weekend appeared first on Curtis E Organizing.

This strategy is a win-win for everyone involved, but most importantly, the customer, who feels you have gone above and beyond for them. Happy customers lead to more word-of-mouth referrals, which is great for business.

Helping a customer get organized before construction begins is just one example of how a professional organizer can provide a better customer experience. We partner with a variety of service providers to streamline processes and manage what can sometimes be emotionally laden, complex situations in a way that the client feels well-cared for and empowered. Other examples include:

Contractors

Have you ever been called out to repair an appliance in a basement, but you can hardly maneuver in the space? We work with homeowners to declutter overstuffed basements and create a safe working environment for the contractor.

Realtors

Staging a clean, uncluttered home is critical prior to listing it for sale. If your client’s home isn’t quite ready for photography yet, we help the homeowner pack up items efficiently and thoroughly clean the space so the home shows its true potential. This article from the National Association of Realtors explains why staging is critical to selling a home.

Businesses

Whether you’re a startup or an existing business looking to expand, we work with you to maximize your space to make room for new employees or create a more efficient layout. This is also beneficial for your customers, who view your office space as a reflection of your business: clean, orderly, and efficient.

The Bottom Line

If you want to create a winning experience for your customers and drive more business, consider partnering with Curtis E Organizing. We serve a variety of clients in the Illinois Valley area and beyond. Contact us today to get started.

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Start the school year off right with these organizational tips.

Create a Family Command Center

If you and your child were scrambling before the bus came to find their shoes, backpack, or jacket, it might be time to create a “command center” in your home. Think of it as the space everyone in the family knows to look first for important information (and shoes. It’s always shoes). By dedicating a space where kids know to put on their shoes, hang up their backpacks and jackets, and share important school paperwork, you can streamline your morning routine and reduce the stress of not finding “that one thing” right before the bus comes to pick them up.

Homework Starts Here

While the kitchen table might make a nice, large workspace, it’s likely to be in the center of your home, meaning there are plenty of distractions and opportunities for important paperwork to go missing. Creating a homework station in a quiet space of your home provides a distraction-free area for your child to concentrate on their work, makes it easier to keep their things organized, and gives your child a sense of ownership over the space. It doesn’t have to be a large area; a quiet nook in your home is just the right size for a homework station. Have your child help pick out the necessities and let them personalize it so it’s a place they want to spend time in, not a space they have to spend time.

Get on a Schedule

If you don’t control your schedule, it will control you. Time blocking is a simple and effective way to create order in your daily routine. It’s a time management method that asks you to divide your day into blocks of time. Each block is dedicated to accomplishing a specific task, or group of tasks, and only those specific tasks. Instead of keeping an open-ended to-do list of things you’ll get to as you’re able, you’ll start each day with a concrete schedule that lays out what you’ll work on and when. This can be especially helpful after school. By designating blocks of time for play, homework, winding down, and bedtime, you can reduce stress and be more accomplished- win-win!

Pro tip: set aside time in your schedule to prep for the next morning; whether it’s getting lunches ready, or clothes picked out, you’ll feel great waking up knowing you have some tasks already completed!

Need a Hand?

Whether you’re working parents, managing a house full of little ones, or aren’t sure where to start, Tina Curtis is here to lend a hand. She has years of experience helping clients get – and stay – organized and works with you to design systems that work for you. Contact us today for your complimentary consultation.

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One of my clients, let’s call her “Jane,” recently contacted me about getting some help with cleaning out a storage unit belonging to a relative who had passed away. I came to find out that she actually had 3 relatives who had passed away, each leaving behind a storage unit filled with “stuff.” Jane felt overwhelmed by the thought of sorting, managing, and disposing of items from her family members.

She’s not alone.

An average of 1 in every 10 Americans has belongings in a storage unit. The average cost of a small unit in Illinois is $100 a month, or around $1,200 a year. If you want a climate-controlled unit or insurance, you’re looking at even more per month to store items you’re not even using and can’t access easily. Often, storage units end up being more expensive than the items being stored in them.

Along with the financial cost of keeping items in a storage unit, there are usually sentimental or emotional issues at play, too. Like Jane, it can be emotionally overwhelming to sort through the belongings of a loved one who’s passed. Perhaps you don’t have room in your own home for their personal belongings, or you just don’t want them but can’t bring yourself to get rid of them. If the storage unit is for your own belongings, it might feel wasteful or “wrong” to get rid of items you’ve spent your hard-earned money on, so you keep paying the rental fee, month after month. The items often end up left in storage, collecting not just dust but expensive rental fees.

“It’s typically all about procrastination,” says Ann Gambrell, a founder of the National Association of Professional Organizers, who runs decluttering workshops and clutter support groups. “People end up spending money because they can’t make a decision.”

By following three simple rules, you can help minimize your need for long-term storage.

• Ask yourself if you have used an item in the last 12 months. If not, donate or get rid of it.
• If you rarely use it, or if it is something that can be replaced for less than $25.00, let it go. (At $100/month in storage, you’ll have paid for it several times over. Also, items tend to decrease in value over time, so the longer you store them, the less they’re worth.)
• If it is a family item you have inherited, ask yourself if your children really want to deal with it in the event of your passing. Would they really want it? If not, let someone else find joy in it.

If you absolutely must place items in storage (such as a relocation for work or home improvement projects, for example), be intentional about your storage unit:

• Purge and eliminate before purchasing the unit.
  • Be very clear about what you’re storing and why; don’t store items you know you won’t need in the future just because you have a place to put them.
• Have a plan for the length of time that your items should stay in storage. Set a goal with a time frame to either eliminate or sell the items if necessary.
• Shop around – most rental facilities offer minimal fees for the first month, saving you money.

If you need help with managing or eliminating your storage unit, schedule a free consultation with us today.

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Url disappeared one morning recently without a trace, guessing due to a coyote.   He has been a light in our life for most of the 4 years we have lived here on the farm.

He has not been without issues (see previous blogs: Why an emergency fund matters, Tails of Url and More on Url) but we would not trade a moment of our time together!

I just felt the need to close the chapter in the blog with a note:

There are few investments (financial or emotional) that have any guarantee of a return of investment and are a RISK by their nature.  This is one investment that I don’t regret 1 cent or 1 moment of…

He repaid me, IN KIND!

The post Url of La Moille – The Final Tail appeared first on Curtis E Organizing.

NOW…back to the reason for today’s post. When Url had his broken leg, he went through a cast every week…well, most weeks. One particular week the process had complications!

I had to go out of state and Url had a bladder infection during his cast weeks and we did not want to leave him in care of a friend or have to keep him at the vet, so my wonderful husband stayed home with Url and I boarded the first of a flight (of 2) and started my trip.

The trip was longer and complicated by the fact that my connecting flight was cancelled, so finally arriving at my destination well after midnight and headed to my hotel.

Finally checking in just before 1 am….I was startled awake at 5 am by a call, when I answered, there was only (and I’m not exaggerating) “Where’s his cast, where’s his cast”….My reaction was “Who is this?”.

Slowly waking, realized that before I left (now in a different time zone), Url was going in for his weekly cast change and to see how his infection was doing….so as the lady on the other end is rambling on about the cat and being “dropped off” with no cast, simply answered ” I don’t know, didn’t you put one on yesterday? It’s 5 am and I didn’t drop him (there)”!!

Once realizing what was going on, she took my husbands phone # and hung up.

Now wide awake, texted the following to my husband…”so, what’s up with Url”?

He was just mortified!  He called me and told he had the cast in the car. He had dropped off Url in his crate when he arrived (as soon as they opened) and was told by the intake person it would be a bit…so he went up the road for a cup of coffee. The “cast” was never mentioned, so he didn’t think to bring it in at the time.

So how does a cat come to be without a cast…No idea, we know this much: when Url hobbled behind my husband for “shower time” he had his cast on, once out of the shower, Url was on the bath mat grooming his leg…you can imagine the confusion as as my husband wondered how did he get out of his cast and where is it (just outside the bathroom door).

We have no idea how he go out and our vet had never had that happen, figures it would be Url.

Url didn’t seem to mind one bit, he rather seemed to be happy to be free of the cast to groom what I can imagine was an itchy leg, if only temporarily.

We love Url and have learned to expect the unexpected with him.  He has not been a cheap cat, but he brings us so much joy (and so many “treats” and “gifts” in appreciation) and is a favorite with the grandsons.

This photo is Url with the boys.

Watch for the next installment – Url of LaMoille!! Coming this Summer.

In the interim, if you need assistance with your personal, business or household finances, please give me a call for a complimentary consultation.

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