Just because your guest room is intended for guests, it doesn't have to sit empty and forgotten about except for the three weekends a year you host visitors. If your guest room is a holding zone for returns or “to do’s” - that’s ok! If, however, it has become a dumping ground for all the random things that don't have a proper place in your home, then that's a different story.

This is always a tricky subject but truly one of the most important things in a relationship and when you combine spaces. Start with communicating and asking the right questions.

A garage is a space to house your vehicles, bikes, tools, bulky seasonal decor, and gardening/lawn maintenance items. And a lot of the time, it becomes a dumping ground for outgrown kids stuff, old paint and random gems family members have off-loaded to us.

Organized and tidy go hand in hand but there are some very big differences. Without organizing first, your efforts of tidying will have a shorter impact.

The excitement of moving into a new apartment or home is full of potential and stress. Once you finally find the perfect place, you begin to dream of how you are going to fill it, the parties you will have and how you will make it your own. Then move in day arrives and somehow the closets are smaller than you remember and what used to fit into one room is now supposed to fill an entire house.

Does the idea of being a tidy person feel overwhelming or like you would need to retrain every cell in your body? I believe the key to becoming a tidy person is understanding what tidy looks like for you.

I would say 70% of the people that contact us are at their breaking point and feel like their home is a helpless disaster. Guess what: it isn’t.

The cookies have been made, the gingerbread houses have been decorated, the gifts have been distributed and the elves have all returned to the North Pole.

A mudroom is a dedicated space intended to accommodate our active lifestyles while creating a flexible system that will start and end the day with order. These high-traffic spaces have the greatest potential to keep our lives on track, simplified and safe.

Once we’ve acknowledged that change needs to occur, we must have the courage to implement. I help my clients address their daily routines and work towards creating healthier habits that lead to more fulfilled lives. Removing the excess is step one, but developing the proper skill set needed to maintain a space is critical. I want my clients to benefit from a space that empowers and energizes them, not adds to their anxiety.

Parenting in a world full of excess often contradicts our best intentions to provide and connect with our kids. Why? Because it’s big business and they know how to hit one of our deepest trigger points — inadequacy. They plant the seed of doubt that we’re not doing enough and the roots grow instantly. They know the pressures we face and the comparison games we play. There’s a bigger conversation to be had about aligning our values with our consumer habits, but here are some starting points to restore order.

My clients often contact me because they have a desire to restore simplicity within their lives. The actions to achieve this are not complicated, but they have been disguised by design. The system benefits from promoting a comparison-driven society that idolizes consumerism and busyness.

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.