How to Motivate Yourself to Tidy When You are Too Tired

I’ve had a busy day!

Started with two appointments, then the router had to be changed out, a friend visited at the hospital, plant the tulips, clean the gutters before the leaves stuck in them break them off the roof, Christmas returns, pick up a birthday gift for my sister… and a whole lot more before I could get to the basics.

It’s 7:30 pm. There is dinner to make, dishes to clean, laundry to fold and put away, the next day to prepare for & a house that is in shambles not to mention work that still needs to be done. Will I ever catch up!

Frankly, I’m beat! I wish I had a maid who would come through and take care of ...

Inspiration, Organizing, Stylishly Organized, Time Management

Posted January 9, 2012. Written by Leticia Pfeiffer. Edited by .

Happy New Year!

It is a Happy New Year. The holidays are over, you’re back to work, getting back into your routine, the kids are back in school, you have a bunch of new things from Santa to enjoy and show off and you’ve made your resolutions.

Ugh! Those resolutions! They are so pesky nagging you all the time to keep them. Who wants them anyway?! They just make our lives difficult to enjoy while we are chasing after them.

Wait a minute….I thought we made resolutions to make a change to improve our lives? But change is so hard.

Try these simple steps to help you keep your resolutions

1. Start Small

If you want to declutter your home, pick one room or even just one small closet to ...

Inspiration, Stylishly Organized, Tips

Posted January 3, 2012. Written by Leticia Pfeiffer. Edited by .

Why Simplify Christmas?

The last two weeks have been a complete blur. It started when my mother text to tell me to check my email. First, we are finally advancing forward in the texting department; a text vs a phone call for simple alerts. Second, she had just found out that she won a writing contest from Real Simple magazine & the prize was a trip for 2 to NYC to be interviewed on stage. The email asked if I wanted to go. Ummmmm………YES!!! She told me later she heard my squeal all the way across town.

Now I have an older sister who lives in Iowa & my parents have always made sure that we both have the same of everything. So to ...

Family, Inspiration, Stylishly Organized

Posted December 12, 2011. Written by Leticia Pfeiffer. Edited by .

To Empty or Not Empty…That is the Question

It’s 6:45 PM. The kids are yammering at you⎯each needing your attention. You’re supposed to call someone back, & bills need to be paid. You wish the messy dinner dishes would miraculously clean themselves up because laundry waits to be folded & put away. . . . The list goes on.

But you’re so tired, you just need to sit down for 10 minutes! You can get all that done later. You remember the words of Scarlett O’Hara, “….tomorrow is another day!” (Didn’t she say, “I’ll worry about that tomorrow”?)

With that logic, the chores will be waiting for you as you try to start your day tomorrow. What to do?

Option #1

Stack the dishes in the sink or on the countertop since you ...

Inspiration, Stylishly Organized, Time Management

Posted December 5, 2011. Written by Leticia Pfeiffer. Edited by .

Organization Can Be Simple

One of the first things I hear from people about their homes is, “I don’t know how this mess happened!” or “I just don’t have time to keep my house organized!”

Organization is the act of putting things back in their proper places. (Finding—or creating—those proper places is a topic for another day.) It doesn’t have to be a major ordeal & doesn’t have to take a lot of time. It is actually the choice you make to finish each task.

You can choose to put your coffee cup in the dishwasher after your morning coffee or leave it in the sink to nag at you all day, hoping someone will come along and tidy behind you. I have yet to see the latter ...

Inspiration, Organizing, Stylishly Organized, Tips

Posted November 28, 2011. Written by Leticia Pfeiffer. Edited by .

Thankful at Thanksgiving

My neighbor’s son in kindergarten told me the other day that he didn’t really like Thanksgiving. When I probed deeper, I discovered the reason. The Indians scared him. You learn a lot around children.

Native Americans are the whole reason for our Thanksgiving. They took new people in a new place weakened from starvation & disease after a harsh winter under their wing. Without their kindness and empathy, we would be without this wonderful celebration.

And in return, the Puritans invited them to a wonderful feast celebrating the harvest and friendship. And that friendship is what sets the American Thanksgiving apart from every other harvest celebrated by other cultures.

So this year a 6 year old has reminded me of my thankfulness for the ...

Inspiration, Stylishly Organized

Posted November 21, 2011. Written by Leticia Pfeiffer. Edited by .

Be an Organizational Example

My father was an example to me in how to care for my things and be organized. I’m sure having served in the Marine Corps during Vietnam helped a little. They’re pretty particular during boot camp with the quarter bouncing off the bed, cleaning the latrine, and shining those boots. So who better to teach me how iron, make my bed and keep my things in their proper home than my dad.

At the age of 7, I was learning the proper way to make my bed. Around 10, I learned how to iron a shirt that rivaled any military standards. But much before that, I was shown how important it is just to take care of & respect my things simply by making ...

Family, Inspiration, Organizing, Stylishly Organized

Posted November 14, 2011. Written by Leticia Pfeiffer. Edited by .

Organizational Bliss!

What a fantastic week I have had helping all different types of people create sense out of their chaos!

Betty was moving in to a brand new, beautiful retirement community. It can be hard to fit personal belongings into a smaller space. But we did it together. Her response, “My closet has had many admirers! Amazingly, it’s still looking good. Thank you for all you did.”

Linda really needed motivation to starting going thru years of paper. I jumped in and played the Matching game (one of my favorites growing up) sorting through boxes and putting like documents together. By breaking down the mounds into small bumps, she has been able to tackle 1/3 of the “bumps” in a week’s time.

Inspiration, Organizing, Stylishly Organized

Posted November 7, 2011. Written by Leticia Pfeiffer. Edited by .

Be Very Afraid…of that Growing Clutter!

A close friend sent me a card a while back that said, “Sure I could get organized, but where’s the fun in that?” She quickly apologized on the inside for mocking me and my lust for organization, but I just laughed.

I get that I am unique in my quest to have the world organized before I die. That it isn’t normal to drive down an alley looking into people’s garages wondering if they would mind me sneaking in to organize their clutter. That friends invite me over for dinner or ask me for a weekend visit not only because they like me but also in the hopes that I will organize some place in their home. I think it’s fun!

But I also ...

Inspiration, Organizing, Stylishly Organized, Tips

Posted September 12, 2011. Written by Leticia Pfeiffer. Edited by .