Challenging Disorganization and Hoarding Expert Ellen Hankes

Organizing Cues from Mother Nature

The outdoors is a wonderful place to pick up organizing inspiration. During our walk along the Wabash Trace this weekend,weI found a bench to sit and talk. As I looked out upon the early morning view, I thought about the cues that Mother Nature gives us about organizing our living spaces.

Leave room for change. Over time our interests change. If we fill our space with so much of the past, there is no room for the future.

Accept stewardship. Having more than we can take care of in a responsible manner means we have not accepted stewardship of those things.

Simple is good. Simple lives have fewer parts and pieces. Without the complexity and multiplicity of thing overload, peace and serenity can emerge and shine.

What are some of the organizing messages that Mother Nature presents to you? I would like to hear your thoughts.

Help Conquer CyberOverload

A new book by Your Mind on Media founder and self-described “recovering cyber-addict” Joanne Cantor, PhD, provides insightful and valuable strategies for living and working in today’s media rich world. Conquer CyberOverload: Get More Done, Boost Your Creativity, and Reduce Stress goes a step further than many books by describing in lay language how the brain, and thus our behavior, is affected by the constant barrage of media in our everyday lives. According to Census Bureau statistics, Americans consume 8.5 hours of media (television, internet, radio and more) each day outside of work.

Given the incredible drain on time that media causes, it is no wonder that multi-tasking is needed. Cantor devotes one whole chapter to convincingly explaining why multi-tasking is counter-productive. If we were handwriting a letter or document, we would never think of writing one word with a pencil, and the next word with a pen, continuing to alternate tools until the letter was finished. This is similar to what we ask the brain to do when we attempt to multi-task. The brain has to switch back and forth between the two tasks. Multi-tasking is inefficient, time-consuming and error-prone.

 
This easy-to-read book is full of convincing ways to deal with cyberoverload with sound life-balance principles. While each strategy is explained in easy-to-understand language, each chapter ends with a bulleted list of Practical Steps. With additional features such as quotes and statistics, glossary, index and resource list, the book appeals to various learning styles.

 
As a professional organizer specializing in chronic disorganization, I observe people in their work and home environments who are affected by the time constraints and stress of cyberoverload. In addition, some individuals have physical space issues related to electronic gadgetry. Outdated and unused computer hardware, obsolete software boxes and other unused media-related equipment and supplies takes up valuable space. We have become adept at learning to use the media of the moment, but the obsolete or seldom used media may be relegated to a growing clutter and disposal problem.

Are you affected by cyberoverload? I would like to hear from you.

Reuse: Reality or Ruse?

 People with chronic disorganization or hoarding behaviors often have a preference for reuse of items. Much time and space is dedicated to allocating volumes of material to piles, bins or bags for recycling or passing on to others. Recycling has become part of mainstream American behavior. According to the Paper Industry Association Council, over 57 percent of the paper used in the U.S. was recovered for recycling. Most Americans (87 percent) have curbside or drop-off access to paper recycling.

If you are chronically disorganized or have hoarding tendencies, you may find multiple uses for items. You can recycle materials such as paper, glass, metal and cardboard through community recycling programs. WIth the downturn in the economy some of these public recycling programs are not as profitable as they once were and are in danger of being reduced or eliminated.

Some people want to recycle materials but they become bogged down between the saving behavior and the releasing behavior. For example, Burt saves the two daily newspapers in his garage. Because he lives in the country and there is not curbside pickup, the boxes and bags of old newspapers pile up creating a fire and safety hazard. As the pile grows, it gets harder to muster up the energy for Burt to load up the damp and critter-infested paper. Eventually there is no room for Burt's truck in his garage. Still, Burt believes this material must be recycled. His preference in reuse does not translate into the practice of recycling.

For some who are affected by chronic disorganization there are simply too many steps in recycling. While Jeanette knows someone across town that can use her excess books, she never gets over there and is not sure if her contact still needs them. Jeanette doesn't remember to call the friend so the box sits there year after year. Jeanette truly believes she needs to pass along the books but she does not or cannot take the steps to put her reuse preference into action.

A professional organizer experiences in working with people who are chronically disorganized or have hoarding tendencies can help people like Burt or Jeanette to make the decisions that are consistent with their admirable preferences for reuse.

Do you practice reuse or do you stop at the preference for reuse? I would like to hear from you.

Addressing Your Layers of Life

  The early morning or late afternoon walks along the Wabash Trace are wonderful for counting blessings, solving life opportunities (no problems, just opportunities), and soaking in the wonderful fall sensory pleasures.

There are so many layers within the wooded trail. Year after year the leaves fall, the branches and brambles break, an occasional tree becomes more horizontal than vertical. Layer upon layer of material piles up. What was once on top of the pile sinks to the middle, or even to the bottom of the material.

As I walk I think about the wide and varied interests of the fascinating people we have encountered. For some, one new hobby or interest falls on top of the other interests. Overwhelm sets in as there are not enough hours in the day or room in the workspace or home to accommodate all of the material. Things seem to pile up in the brain with the most recent interest falling to the top, obscuring what was important yesterday and the day before.

Come along on a walk with me, and we will talk about your opportunities for addressing your layers of life! We can also talk or email. Let's talk about those layers of life and how you can prepare for the important things ahead in your life!

Consider the Possibilities of Organization

  Imagine the possibilities when...

• Left shoes always are found with right shoes.
• Grocery lists match the dinner menu for tomorrow night.
• The last vitamin in the bottle is backed up by another full container in the cupboard.
• The identification badge for work is not at home while you are walking in the workplace entrance.
• The only snow shovel is not serving as a spine for a five feet tall snowman.
• Recyclable materials like newspapers and cans make it to the curb or the community recycle bin.
• Bills are paid on time because checkbook, bills, stamps and time are in perfect alignment.

Organization can be tough everyday work! What would you do with your new-found time and space with a more organized life?

Future-Purpose Fun

When determined to calm the clutter, have you ever saved items and said, "But it will come in handy someday?" You may have proclaimed, "It might be useful in the future!"

So the best of intentions to purge turns into a exercise in future-purpose.

The cardboard box could become a great container for magazines. The rusty baking pan might hold something in the garage.

The broken umbrella could become a high fashion gown, or even a piece of elegant jewelry. Huh? Take a look at such an elegant gown in Discover magazine! The abandoned umbrella has found new life as design components and accessories for a high fashion look.

Rewards for Recycling Dead Electronics

Americans have closets and basements full of dead electronics. Technology has moved on and many consumers still have outdated, unused electronic equipment lurking in their offices and homes.

If someone gave you a free pre-paid shipping label would you move the old computers, LCD monitors, game systems, MP3 players and more out of your valuable space?

A program that reclaims the materials in obsolete and unusable electronic equipment is ecoNEW. Check their website for participating retailers. Currently, Sam's Club is listed as a program participant.

Enter information regarding the type of electronics and specific details about the item. If there is a value to the components, that will be shown. For example, today's value of an iPod Nano is $32.

Have you used a service to recycle your obsolete electronics? We would like to hear about your experience!

Change Along the Way

  Tonight as we drove along the country road we observed the fawn separated from its mother which we could see on the other side of the road. The exquisite baby dappled with white spots was calm and still as we watched each other.

The fawn's white spots were clearly defined on this early August evening. In just weeks the spots will disappear, never to be seen again on this white tail deer. Another sign of change was presented in this graceful creature.

I couldn't help but think about change and the way we humans resist change. When we survey the contents of our homes we may see things that no longer serve our needs or our future lives. Consider the past, present and future. What percentage of your belongings would you assign to the past, present or future for you?

How do you deal with change? We would like to hear about your experience.

Green Email is Call to Action

Email signatures sometimes include motivational quotes or "Ask me about..." notes. Here's an environmental call to action that was included in the signature of a member of the Rolodex team:

Please consider the environment before printing this email.

When fewer emails are printed, less paper, printer ink and electricity is used. There is less wear and tear on the printer. There are fewer papers to process, file and organize! Desktops function better without stray printouts.

There are times emails need to be printed, but this is a valuable reminder to consider resource conservation instead of just hitting PRINT.

Do you have a reminder to refrain from printing non-essential material? We would like to hear from you!

Obsolete Technology is Space Robber

The black bag was on the lower shelf of an office shelf. It occupied precious space Anna needed more space for storage of project binders, office supplies and reference materials.

As we worked together to identify materials that could be archived, I asked Anna to tell me about the black bag. She said she didn't know what was in the bag and that it was there when she came to the position three years ago.