We all know them, we all have them and we all struggle with how to organize them — the inevitable ‘junk’ drawer. Things that belong nowhere and everywhere at the same time. These are items that need to be easily accessible: pens, gum, gift cards, stamps or an extra charger but do not necessarily warrant their own designated space.

Ever wonder where to start? Feeling overwhelmed and unsure how to tackle the clutter? Let me share a little secret, step one is not going to The Container Store.

Decluttering is all about the edit. The National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals (NAPO) found that 80% of items we keep are never used. This may sound like a daunting statistic, but use it as confirmation that it’s ok to let go! It’s important to set realistic expectations when it comes to the editing process. If peace is what we want, we must remove the excess. If we’re seeking connection, balance and more free time, we must get clear on what serves us and what doesn’t.

At the end of every year I enjoy reflecting on the lessons I’ve learned. This year provided many, but here are the top five biggest takeaways I’ve encountered in 2020.

Clutter is often the physical manifestation of an underlying problem within ourselves. Despite our best efforts, it’s unrealistic to assume that we’ll never buy anything new after we make the decision to declutter. This is why it’s so critical to establish healthy consumer habits. It’s easy to maintain order when we become intentional about purchases and create a concrete organizational system that works for our lifestyle.

I strongly suggest the entire family takes this time to reset and revaluate how they want to end 2019. That’s right folks it’s September and there are 3 months left to check off those resolutions you set back in January.

While living in New York City I was accustom to noise clutter each and everyday. Walking to work, in the office, on the train, and just sitting in my apartment. I was surrounded by noise. But my favorite time would be a Sunday morning as I walked my two little dogs along 22nd street in Chelsea. It was quite, calm and free of distractions. I would be able to breath and take in the beautiful city that I loved. The silence allowed me to appreciate all that I had; and take in the architecture of the buildings.

Is your sex life cluttered? I find clutter in ALL aspects of life. Clutter comes in so many different forms and once you identify it as clutter it’s easier to phase it out of your life. Clutter could be a lack of communication, too much communication, overcommitting and not allowing space in your schedule for sex.

Shopping is what makes the world go round, sparks simple happiness and fills the many voids in our lives. Fashion has transformed over the past 25 years going from two and four seasons to 52 seasons. Yes, you read that correctly fashion companies are putting new items out every week to aid our toxic habits. Fashion is no longer something you use for life, it’s something that if it’s lucky gets used once. Our world is made up of excess and disposable products. If it’s cheap we wear it once and forget about it. If it’s too expensive we hoard it and never let it see the light of day.

Yes, overbooking yourself is creating life clutter. I look at clutter in a holistic way ensuring my days are light and clutter-free. When planning out me week I make time for self-care, family and time to connect with clients to reach their goals.

Ok… let’s be serious here. How many emails do you get a day outside of your work email?? It’s crazy, right?! Let’s talk about where to start, questions to ask before unsubscribing vs. deleting, and how much time are you really spending deleting emails.

There are so many layers to the bedroom organization process because this space is so multifunctional. It’s a place to sleep, rejuvenate, and a place for passion. It’s the space that determines how you start every morning and a home for ALL your clothes. Without digging too deep, I’m going to focus on the visual clutter today. Typically I see too many furniture pieces, Tv, artwork, mirrors, clothes hanging on the back of the door, and surfaces covered with paperwork, jewelry, perfume and odds and ends.

This is marketing at its best – making items like sticky notes, paper clips, and pens “sexy.” And it’s just everywhere I look in stores. I see well thought out notebooks, color plates created from pins, clips and staples and productivity planners. Even someone that has gone 100% paperless will find purpose for these tiny tools.

Pantries of sorts have evolved over the past 100+ years. However, the thing we actually call a “pantry” only dates back to the 1900’s with a little company called Hoosier out of Indiana. They created an all in one cabinet that was designed to hold your household staples like spices, flour and sugar.

This organization tidbit applies to my ladies and gents! We all tend to lug around a purse, backpack, messenger bag, or for my family clients, a purse, backpack, child and diaper bag! This is physical weight we carry day in and day out. Wouldn’t it be nice to lessen the load?

I’m currently attending a year-long program at the Institute of Integrated Nutrition to further my knowledge for personal gain and for my clients. The program looks at all our primary foods and ways to create balance. I see chaos in a holistic way and want to be the best “clutter coach” I can be. Yes, some days I’m just making spaces look beautiful but others I’m having deep conversation with clients to get to the root of why they are over spending their time and money in all aspects of their life. My goal for each and every client is to have a calm and supportive space, I want them to flourish and I know it’s possible once we are organized.

This week I started to look at the products I use every day and decided it was time to remove the excess and organize! Seeing that I make conscious decisions at the grocery store to buy all organic, sustainable sourced and local foods, why am I not doing the same with the product I put directly on my skin?

Parents with kids can all relate, even if you are a functional minimalist like me, that it’s nearly impossible to stop family and friends from over buying all those small adorable toys and clothing pieces for your kids.

It seems we have a desire to own every gadget out there to make cooking and baking at home “Fun & Easy”. Well, that’s what marketing tells us at least. There is a huge push to cook at home, know what you are eating, and shopping for the best produce. All these are great goals and we all have the best intentions to follow this new lifestyle. Unfortunately, our kitchens become filled with gadgets and tools that are never actually used.

I would say 90% of my clients own boxes of memories. What are boxes of memories? Well, anything from photos, cards, mementos, jewelry (that they will never wear since it’s in this box and not with their other jewelry) along with other odds and ends. Are you one of those people?