A Professional Organiser works with individuals, families and businesses to declutter, organise and streamline their personal possessions within their living and working space. They cater for different learning styles, life-stages, physical abilities and mental health when assisting their clients.
That is what a Professional Organiser does. But what IS a Professional Organiser?
Most Professional Organisers have niches, areas of expertise or specialisation. They are mature adults with a rich and varied life and work history. Exactly like their clients.
I specialise in decluttering services for retirees and seniors to make sure that the next phase of their lives are lived safely and surrounded by the items they love or need.
How to choose a Professional Organiser?
- Check out their website and social media platforms.
- Read what they write or share. Does it resonate?
- Check out their professional development journey if they highlight it. It may be on LinkedIn. There is a lot of ongoing quality training available for Professional Organisers to create their niche.
- Are they a member of a Professional Body with a Code of Practice?
- Do they hold Public Liability and Professional Indemnity insurance?
Occasionally I am approached by insurance assessors requesting decluttering and organising services for clients with work injuries and there is just not enough information to quote.
Recently, I have been asked to quote for 2 sessions of 3 hours, including teaching the client during sessions how to declutter & organise. No other information provided.
My experienced Professional Organiser brain immediately goes into overdrive. What injury has prompted the need for decluttering and organising services?
How was 2 sessions of 3 hours decided? What is the client's issue/injury that is impacting their ability to organise and declutter their own items? Prior to a person’s injury, how did they manage their home? In a naturally organised and orderly way or have they always struggled to stay tidy and find things they own? If the situation is temporary, like a broken leg, then decluttering and organising is just about making the space safe for the client. Access to items of daily and immediate importance needs to be prioritised until the client is back to managing life and their home as usual. If there is a brain injury however, then teaching them strategies might require far more than just squeezing it in, along with decluttering the space, which is already a mentally fatiguing exercise for anyone. If we are decluttering, that implies items leaving the home. Are the items going, in a suitable condition for donation or a council cleanup or a commercial rubbish removal? Will they be going into off-site storage for a period of time? This implies extra time and costs that impact the quote too. If someone has had a life changing injury, then having to relinquish personal items that are part of their identity can be very painful and challenging. That corporate wardrobe or the beautiful furniture they have worked hard to purchase might have to go, so they can continue to live and move around at home in a safe and accessible way. A lot of grieving needs to happen and you can’t ride roughshod over that.
The Self-Storage Industry metrics show that 10% of the population in our capital cities use self storage. 39%
of people use self storage because they need more space at home. What’s more, it comes at an average cost of
$298.00 per sqm .So if you are renting a self-storage unit the size of a single car garage for a year it is
costing you nearly $5,400.00. Ouch!
Using self-storage can be enormously helpful when you are downsizing and used wisely can make the whole
process simpler. WHETHER YOU ARE A RETIREE getting excess items out of the home during pre-auction open houses,
to SOMEONE DOWNSIZING storing packed items waiting for the move, they can be really helpful in the short
term.
Self-storage can also resolve short-term problems like what to do with your things before finding or
completing the renovation on your next home. People often use off-site storage while renting to store useful or
precious things, and excess furniture that won’t fit into the current rental.
Self-storage can be problematic if it is the repository of your delayed decisions.
Items deemed useful but never used. Valuables you think family members might or should want despite them
already telling you that they don’t.ARE YOU FEELING GUILTY BECAUSE THESE ARE GIFTS FROM LOVED ONES AND FRIENDS
or inherited by you? Sometimes it is just as simple as being overwhelmed or not wanting to bother about making
decisions.
Let’s look at some tricks and tips to help you make the most of self storage.
Ask why you need self-storage
If Self Storage is just a temporary measure while a reno or house move takes place, then it can really be a
really smart way to make sure you continue living in a comfortable space that isn’t swamped by boxes and other
clutter. But if it is about delayed decisions, you risk ending up with big annual self-storage fees as you avoid
the challenge of a declutter. Set a time frame once you know why you need self-storage and add reminders in your
calendar to ask if you still need it.
Do your research on self-storage
Is it traditional self-storage you are considering in one of the big complexes scattered around? Location
impacts cost as does local population density. An area with a high density of rental properties will have
different charges and a high rate of turnover compared to established suburbs with fewer.
Inspect the unit you are being offered. Does it feel humid? Is it on an external wall and impacted by extreme
seasonal temperature variation? Think of an oven in summer and an icebox in winter. That will impact how well
your items stand up to really long-term storage. If it has a roller door, ask yourself if dust can get in and
dirty your items. Pest control in managed facilities is generally excellent.
Remember, whatever you choose to send to storage has to be packed up. Are you going to do it and how then do
you get it to the unit?If you opt for a storage unit further away from home you either pay a contractor to
transport large and bulky items or you may find yourself making multiple trips.
What do you want to store?
It’s a good idea to pack it all up together so you are making a sensible rental choice based on volume, not a
guesstimate. Think about how to best pack your items to keep them safe both during transport and while in
storage. If you need to locate any item while it is stored, how will you do that?
Be smarter about self-storage.
What about alternatives like mobile self-storage? There are some great companies who deliver a self-storage
pod to your property where it can stay for you to pack and then empty as you need. They will also remove and
store the pod for you until you ask for delivery. Does a friend or family member have some self-storage that
isn’t full? Ask if you can share the space and the costs. A win:win
If you are overwhelmed then Decluttering Solutions can help with every step of your self-storage experience.
1. Rightsizing the current messy storage you may have to identify what’s there, find new homes for unwanted
items to reduce the volume and allow you to downsize or even eliminate your rented self-storage.
2. Assist you with space planning so things are stored well packed to protect them and in a logical manner.
Making for easy identification to find what you need at short notice.
3. We can organise and supervise the whole process from beginning to end
From space and storage planning, the logistics of getting everything there and away safely right up to
emptying the unit and getting items where you need them to be.
Not feeling confident? Please give us a call if you’d like to know more about our services.
As part of our month of tips and tricks to kickstart your ‘declutter to downsize’ journey, I showcased the transformation of a townhouse that was situated in a predominantly over 55’s zone into a home that would appeal to young families and professionals moving into the area.
Our focus was on keeping open house styling costs to a minimum and using what we had to present the home instead of purchasing or hiring unnecessary items. Following is another example of a similar journey. This time, our clients were leaving their apartment in an Over-55’s complex for a Supported Living unit in Residential Aged Care.
No change in the target market, but their home was imbued with wonderful family history and expressive creativity. We had to declutter to amplify the sense of space and reduce the stamp of the family’s personality. Inviting potential owners to imagine themselves in this lovely apartment.
This time a little bit more money was spent. We hired a single bed to turn the crafters room into a place for a grandchild to come and stay.
All the beds were covered with exquisite and lovingly made quilts with matching, but dated, coloured linen. The Real Estate agent asked us to tone it down so white linen was hired for the period of the open houses leading up to Auction day.
We reduced the volume of items in all rooms, and had some real fun with colour and the beautiful objects our clients already owned.
If you have to empty your home of items to relocate, then obviously this is not an option. But it helps to think creatively to save on costs.
Do consider the triple benefit of decluttering, packing and open house styling offered by Decluttering Solutions. It will lighten the mental stress and physical exhaustion and free you to enjoy the auction outcome and the new chapter in your life.
This time a little bit more money was spent. We hired a single bed to turn the crafters room into a place for a grandchild to come and stay.
All the beds were covered with exquisite and lovingly made quilts with matching, but dated, coloured linen. The Real Estate agent asked us to tone it down so white linen was hired for the period of the open houses leading up to Auction day.
We reduced the volume of items in all rooms, and had some real fun with colour and the beautiful objects our clients already owned.
If you have to empty your home of items to relocate, then obviously this is not an option. But it helps to think creatively to save on costs.
Do consider the triple benefit of decluttering, packing and open house styling offered by Decluttering Solutions. It will lighten the mental stress and physical exhaustion and free you to enjoy the auction outcome and the new chapter in your life.
Downsizing is a major project. Especially when you are caught up in the pressures of the current real estate market.
You may have made some judicious spending updating the street appeal, creating an outdoor entertaining space or tidying up the garden. Tweaking and refreshing window treatments, or updating fittings in the kitchen and bathroom. A fresh coat of paint and a deep and thorough clean all help.
Judicious spending without over-capitalising.
But you live in this house. Before you move out, each piece of furniture, every item in and out of cupboards, will reflect your life and your personality…and can influence a buyer’s ability to imagine this house as their future home.
So, set the stage: create a mood, suggest a use…breathe a sense of space into every room.
If budget isn’t an issue then empty the house and get it fully styled. But, if you also need to invest in assistance to get you decluttered and packed for your move, then styling can feel like a spend too far.
If you can only do one thing, then declutter your home for potential buyers. Make sure it is clean and tidy.
Here is what can be achieved when we declutter and style as-we-go for our clients. Mostly just by using what the client already owns. These are not professional shots but Decluttering Solutions photos recording progress that our clients are happy to share.
CASE STUDY 1
Our lovely client was selling her townhouse to move closer to family. When she first purchased, it was a predominantly over-55’s area but is transitioning to professionals and their young families wanting to be close to Macquarie Park – a health and education precinct and an important economic and employment powerhouse. So the styling was aimed at welcoming a young family.
On a tight budget we took her cluttered sewing room via this clever trick to create a second room for a child.
Her tiny third bedroom, being used for excess storage, is now a room for another child.
The comfortable clutter of her living room was simply rearranged for better flow and to give a sense of space.
Total expenditure? $10 on two pillows. Follow us in June for more styling transformations.
Her tiny third bedroom, being used for excess storage, is now a room for another child.
The comfortable clutter of her living room was simply rearranged for better flow and to give a sense of space.
Total expenditure? $10 on two pillows. Follow us in June for more styling transformations.
WHY SHOULD YOU HIRE EXPERTS FOR CLEARING A DECEASED ESTATE?
Clearing a deceased estate may seem a fairly straightforward task but it can be complicated, emotionally charged and overwhelming at times.
An Executor or Administrator has 12 months from the date of death to distribute the estate. So many administrative and bureaucratic duties to make happen before that distribution can take place. The role is often tinged by personal grief if managing the estate of a loved one.
Firstly, people need to be notified and the funeral arrangements made. Then there are all the entities and organisations that need to be notified. Outstanding claims made, bills paid or payments suspended.
Often, the deceased person’s residence holds all those important documents and items that make up part of the estate. The will, shares, bills, debts, insurance, utilities, rent, trust funds, property deeds. They all must be gathered, collated, paid or certified. There may be items in the home that have not only sentimental but monetary value too.
WHO NEEDS ESTATE CLEARING SERVICES?
Executors, administrators or family members who are overwhelmed with the task.
Sometimes the Executor or Administrator just can’t be physically present. They may be interstate or overseas. Their own health issues that prevent them doing some or all of the physical tasks involved. Limited time or not being local makes it harder to know what services and supports are available.
A team of expert Professional Organisers from Decluttering Solutions can support you by undertaking all that sorting, identification and location of documents, valuables and sentimental items. We can reduce the volume of items to be dealt with shredding unnecessary or superfluous paperwork that contains sensitive personal data.
Sorting all that household minutiae. Separating what needs to be kept from that which can be donated, or ethically disposed of. We identify all the various and most suitable avenues of disposal. Building waste, asbestos, household chemicals and poisons. Items large and small.
If you’d like to discuss how we can help you resolve your problems clearing a deceased estate, please give Decluttering Solutions a call.
What does a Professional Organiser do?
A Professional Organiser works with individuals, families
and businesses to declutter, organise and streamline their personal possessions within living and working
spaces.
They cater for different learning styles, life-stages, physical abilities and mental health
when assisting their clients. Busy professionals, expectant parents, overwhelmed families, people heading into
retirement and their parents: a Professional Organiser works with people across the entire life
spectrum.
Most Professional Organisers have niches, areas of expertise or specialisation. They are
mature adults with a rich and varied life and work history. Exactly like their clients. Decluttering Solutions
specialises in retirees and seniors and their lifestyles.
When might you need help with home
organisation?
Life and lifestyles change and evolve. You may realise you are the owner of a whole
lot of things you no longer want or need. You can be unsure where to start or simply too busy to do what is
required to declutter and reorganise your existing home.
Working from home during the recent
lockdowns produced two notable outcomes.
Firstly, people realised just how cluttered and
dysfunctional their space could be. So, help with home organisation can be about reimaging your spaces and their
use, to improve functionality and flow.
There has also been a dramatic shift in the housing market
with prices soaring and people desperate to move. Professional Organisers can be involved in all stages of
moving to a new home. From decluttering what you don’t need to space planning your new home. Management of the
entire move including packing you up and unpacking you at the other end so you slip into your new life as
quickly and seamlessly as possible.
What are the benefits of hiring a home organiser?
- You get access to our professional expertise. The best avenues for disposal of items whether donation, recycling, selling or disposal. We know where and how to get it there.
- We bring a clear eye to examining how you use the space in your home and its functionality, finding solutions for problem areas: how you can better utilise the space and advising on storage solutions.
- You get expert advice on what to keep and what not to. If you are struggling, a Professional Organiser can coach you through your options, keeping your end goal in mind, and support you when decision-making gets tough.
- Check out their website and social media.
- Read what they write or share. Does it resonate?
- Read their reviews and client comments.
- Check they are a member of a Professional Body or Organisation with a Code of Practice.
- Ask for a copy of their current Public Liability and Professional Indemnity insurance
A relocation deadline waits for no one. Whether it is the exchange of contracts or your start date at a new job interstate or overseas, moving house can be an extremely stressful time.
REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD AVAIL YOURSELF OF PACKING AND UNPACKING SERVICE
You simply lack time. Despite those deadlines you still have to work, maybe mind the grandchildren or help with after-school activities. Are you supporting elderly relatives with their day-to-day life as well?
You are unsure where to start and how to schedule your house move so items you need right up to the last minute can be found. Nothing worse than having to unpack and repack boxes to find things you unexpectedly need.
Packing up a home is both physically and mentally exhausting. Do you have the physical strength and stamina to get the job done then the necessary reserves of energy and time to unpack at the other end?
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF PROFESSIONAL PACKING AND UNPACKING SERVICES?
They are fast and efficient.
Skilled packers use quality packing materials and techniques to get your precious items and personal possessions to their end destination.
Your items will be labelled in such a way that you know both where they came from in your old home but also where they are going in the new one.
They have all the appropriate insurances if something should be damaged.
You can relax into a made bed, have a functional kitchen and know where your important items are at the end of move day. So important if you have to hit the ground running in a new location or a new job.
You can have your home fully unpacked and all the packing materials removed so you can just get on with life.
WHY CHOOSE A TEAM FROM DECLUTTERING SOLUTIONS TO DO THIS?
Because you’ll also get the benefit of decluttering services as well. Why pay removalists to move items you no longer need in your new home?
You’ll have our trusted presence in the new home when the removalists arrive and can direct placement of furniture and boxes on your behalf since we have helped you with your planning.
You’ll get our expert eye on your new home. What storage is lacking and how best to maximise the functionality of your space.
You can call on us if you need to rearrange your new home and possessions or to declutter further. Sometimes you need to live in a place for a while to work out how you want it to be.
Moving house interstate or overseas? We have a network of colleagues who can help you at the other end. Just ask.
As a team of fully insured and expert professional organisers, we bring all our decluttering, packing and organisational skills to work on whatever stage of your relocation you are. The size of the team depends on how big the job is, your time constraints and how much you can or want to assist. Give us a call to discuss a bespoke plan tailored to you.
A client made me laugh the other day, saying he had “man-looked” but was unable to locate some very important paperwork in a cluttered office.Flying back and forth from interstate, he has been working alongside a family member whose apartment must go on the real estate market as soon as possible. Having already moved into residential aged care, the sale is urgent to be able to fund the required RAD (Refundable Accommodation Deposit).
So, some attentive and methodical sorting of paperwork located these very important documents: the long-lost contract for a burial plot and the missing Pensioner Concession Card urgently required to avoid paying full cost for an upcoming medical specialist visit.
Ageing in Australia is complex in its bureaucratic requirements. When decluttering to downsize, it can be overwhelming to manage your own transition to a smaller home, residential aged care or assisting someone else as their next of kin, Power of Attorney or Enduring Guardian can be overwhelming.
There is a lot of time and mental effort to keep up with all that needs to be done. Are you are living at a distance? Still working and juggling both parents and children as part of the sandwich generation? Do you have health issues and support needs of your own?
What makes Decluttering Solutions unique is not only do we carry out the physical work required for decluttering to downsize but we are that “thinking partner” to support you as you reflect, decision make, and problem solve during a challenging time.
Our initial onsite assessment does two things. It lets us scope the work to support you in your project. Also identify problems, issues and solutions you may not have thought of…all the while fitting that into the sequence of tasks in the project’s timeline.
During our services, we respond to immediate problems that crop up, like finding that high priority, missing paperwork. Or flagging issues we notice as the service progresses.
In this instance we recognised that since moving to Aged Care, our client was missing the connection and independence their computer gave them. So, we sourced the right desk and chair to fit into the residential aged care room and delivered their home computer, getting it set up and working. We then helped them to complete their online change of address notifications for Australia Post, the AEC electoral role and Service NSW for their Seniors card. We’ve organised an offsite and temporary self-storage contract to hold important family archives and art work until they transfer into a larger room at the facility. We’ve also researched bar fridges to add to the comfort and utility of the room!
Decluttering Solutions offers support that is personalised to the individual needs of each decluttering to downsize project. If you’d like to discuss your particular situation then call us on 0431 144146 or fill out our contact form and we will be in touch, shortly.
Some things just signal that it is time for a good declutter.
You are struggling to get out of the door on time because you are continually looking for things you should be easily able to find. Like your car keys, your phone and your glasses.
Maybe you can no longer shut the door properly on your wardrobe. You find your favourite sweater has moth holes or clothing and shoes are speckled with mould…. because things go in the wardrobe but never actually leave.
You hunt through cupboards looking for that baking tray you were sure was in there, or the batteries, tools or light globes that you know you bought but can’t remember where they are. What about that precious book your friend lent you and you now can’t find and they want it back?
At its worst, it is the frustration of forking out unnecessary money to replace items you already have. Spending as much time as possible out of your home because it isn’t a place you can relax in. Or, are you embarrassed to even have people come into your home?
New challenges and needs require that we look at our space with a critical eye: is it still serving its purpose? Calling in decluttering experts may feel like failure but it can be so empowering and get you back on track in record time.
HERE IS HOW DECLUTTERING HELPS YOU!
Get the excess and unnecessary out of your home and into the circular economy where they can have further use.
Decluttering experts critically evaluate how you are using your available storage. We are all creatures of habit and sometimes just relocating items in the home makes it all so much more functional.
Rediscover lost treasures so you can both enjoy them and display them with pride. We help you ensure they are stored in optimal condition so you can get full use and value out of them.
Create organising strategies so your space works for the life you have as well as free up extra living space for the new.
Reduces costs as you aren’t purchasing items to replace because you now know where they are stored. Decluttering experts help you create strategies for storing and locating items that suit you.
Your home should be a functional haven. By calling in decluttering services in Sydney you will be surprised at what a boost it is to your personal productivity, creativity and general wellbeing.
REASONS WHY SENIORS SHOULD USE THE SERVICES OF DOWNSIZING AND DECLUTTERING EXPERTS
Did you know that decluttering and downsizing are actually two separate processes that need to be planned for and coordinated?
Preparing to downsize is a major task that can take a whole lot of physical and mental energy. There are often financial and time driven deadlines that must be met and it can all be a bit overwhelming.
Unwanted delays can be caused in a variety of ways.
If you have been in your home for many years then chances are, you have a huge collection of clothing, paperwork, art work, books, kitchen utensils and tools that have to be gone through first. Decision making about all these items takes time and can be really fatiguing. Never mind when you are trying to fit that into your busy life complicated by activities, grandchildren, and medical appointments. Or, are you geographically distant from family who would help you if they could?
You may have decided which charities will take certain items without actually investigating and be surprised at what they will and won’t take. Do you know what items you have that could be sold? Are there things you want to give to family members, or just keep out of the landfill? What about awkward items like household chemicals and poisons…how do you dispose of those in an environmentally friendly way?
Decluttering services for seniors and retirees help you hone down to what will be useful in your new home;help you locate and identify the treasured items you want to take with you. We will not only support you through all the decision making, but have a whole lot of strategies, contacts and connections to make this process as time friendly and smooth as possible.
Planning and coordinating the move is another key service we provide when decluttering and downsizing for Seniors.
Avail yourself of these services. You’ll save time because the physical work packing up for the move is done in a fast and efficient way. More importantly, everything is planned in advance, so when you actually move into your new home what you are taking with you will both fit and serve a purpose. From the placement of the furniture to the delivery of every labelled box to its correct location.
We offer unpacking assistance so that on the first evening in your new home your kitchen is set up, your bed is made and you know where to locate important things like documents and medications. You can also book further sessions to continue the unpack or finesse the layout and location of everything once you’ve been in your new home a while.
Investing in this sort of support means you minimise the stress and anxiety of the move and instead are free to enjoy your new home, your new life and your loved ones. Let us help you enjoy the potential in this new chapter of your life.
It would seem a truism that in life it never rains, it pours.
But we have all had years in our lives where work, health, relationships and circumstance just seem to conspire against us.
The result is clutter and disorganisation that makes what should be your refuge (whether your entire home or just your bedroom) part of the problem. Add to the mix anxiety or depression and the overwhelm sets in.
So, while seeking help from someone who can provide decluttering and home organising services can seem to add to the sense of failure, it is actually a gesture of self-love and self-respect.
You push back and reclaim ownership, so that in a short space of time you acquire a sense of achievement and peace of mind as you take back control of your life and your clutter.
As a Professional Organiser, it is so satisfying to work alongside people in this situation. Supporting, guiding and sometimes coaching them. Watch as the sadness and slouch become a smile and a bounce in their step. Slowly stepping back as they reacquire confidence and motivation: taking back their personal space as just one step in dealing with their “annus horribilis”.
It might seem counterintuitive, but the biggest sign of success for a Professional Organiser is when you, the client, says “I don’t need your help anymore”.
Are you overwhelmed by the number and volume of creative projects you have on the go? Does it frustrate you and all the people you live with? Do they resent the amount of household clutter or the real estate dedicated to your crafting passions?
I bet you recognise your crafting, creative self in at least 3 of these scenarios.
- Projects on the go that need to stay out so they can be picked up and squeezed into pockets of time in day-to-day life.
- Experiments in techniques that were never meant to be completed projects, have no final destination but may prove useful or be nascent ideas for something bigger.
- Pieces from creative courses attended that really didn’t spark any joy or interest but having spent money you don’t feel you should waste it.
- Creations that are at a roadblock and you don’t know what direction to take them next. You leave them out so you can walk by them multiple times a day while ideas percolate in your mind.
- The design epiphany that hits you in the shower and you frantically sketch and design on the steamed up glass to fix it in your mind. Unless you do that, you lose it. Once you step out of the shower it’s gone as you are headed out the door to work or the school drop-off.
- Multiple projects on the go for when you go on holidays and travel, sitting in front of the TV, attending your weekly craft interest group, etc. Complemented by a stash of craft kits bought on holidays or during visits to Expo’s and Design shows.
- You receive or inherit gifts, hand-me-downs, other people’s stashes because you will “appreciate” and use them.
- Colour and pattern and texture are triggers for you. You can’t walk by fabric or wool, plants, trees and rocks without wanting to caress them. Once you’ve touched it you just have to have it, whether buying, collecting or photographing.
Throughout history and across cultures, life’s major transitions have been marked by rituals and traditions.
Birth, puberty, marriage, illness and death. Each emotionally charged moment, supported by rituals and traditions that have been designed to share the burden, alleviate fear and give comfort. Whether you are excited by the opportunities retirement brings or fearful of the changes, the truth is retirement is up there with all major life stages.
So, if celebrating this new phase deserves rituals and traditions, why not empower your retirement with a good declutter?
What does that first declutter look like?
Let’s face it: retirement is a whole new chapter that can last as long as a generation. Those 25 – 30 years required for children to grow up, become adults and have children of their own.
Your plans may differ from those of your friends so it is important to decide what your retirement looks like at each stage.
Early retirement can be about your freedom to explore new hobbies, activities. To do that trip you’ve been putting off. You may want to streamline your home and possessions so you are no longer spending time and physical energy on home maintenance and housekeeping. Be free to jump in the car, on a train or plane and close your home up for an extended period of time.
Might you be decluttering to downsize?
What if you are empty nesters preparing for freedom now with the understanding that the family home may actually need to be reconfigured for future use.
We call that right sizing your home.
Your young adults may leave home but need to return at various stages. You may host them when they are between rentals, going back to study, or a work contract brings them back to the local area. New grandchildren arrive or they need to save for a home.
You may invite older members of your family back into a multi-generational home. So the space needs reconfiguration for ease of use and reduced mobility. You may also have that wing of your house or the granny flat in mind for yourself in a decade or so.
Renovations of this sort can certainly add value to your home as well as priming it for future use.
Whatever you want to do, plan for it and chunk it down into manageable steps. Because your life will evolve and modify over the coming decades. You don’t need unexpected events like a sudden illness or injury to derail your plans
The key to each stage of your retirement declutter?
3 things only. What is going or staying, who is helping to make it happen and your timeline.
If you are unsure how to approach your welcome-to-retirement declutter, I’ll be talking on just this subject at the NSW Seniors Festival Expo 2022. Come and listen or call into stand 58 for a chat.
The decision to downsize has been made. You know where you want to live after inspecting a variety of locations and units, townhouses or villas. You have real estate agents vying for your business and you’ve been focussing on which bits of furniture you will take, which you will pass onto family members or friends.
You may have already decided what will happen with your valuable possessions, but what about the minutiae of household goods you need to declutter?
Decluttering can be a very overwhelming task. You can’t easily free yourself of 20, 30 or 40 years of accumulated possessions in just a few weeks unless you have a very clear plan and a small army to help you. Decision fatigue is real.
So, instead of a “successful move” the result is a tragedy of lost memories, lost income and landfill. This is especially true if your downsizing journey is imposed on you by circumstances not choice. Illness or injury means you have to give up your current home before you are ready. Have you seen this happen to friends or family before?
You can eat an elephant if you do it one bite at a time.
That’s ok, just Here are a few helpful pointers to start.
1. Create your masterplan of the “What”.
The “what” being the contents of the rooms and areas in your home in broad categories. Your kitchen list might be foods, plastic, cookware, cutlery, electrical appliances, and so on.
Then group repeated items together that may be found in more than one place in the house. Electrical appliances, books, household cleaning products and chemicals are just some of the items that are often in more than one room of your home. This will give you an idea of the volume of items you are dealing with.
Whether it is on a notepad or an IPad, jot down ideas in a way that suits you. A brain dump of ideas or an Excel Spreadsheet, just keep it all in one place.
1. Add the “Who” to your masterplan.
The “who” falls into two categories. Those that will give you a hand with the physical work involved in decluttering, whether family members, friends, neighbours. Or the professionals you might engage like Removalists or Professional Organisers.
Don’t forget your “brains trust”. Not everyone will be able to give you physical help, but they may have similar experiences to share about how they solved problems with their move, and the experts they relied on.
The intergenerational “brains trust” is invaluable. Children and their children, (whether yours or of family and friends) dispose of unwanted but still useful items in a completely different way. They will use social media platforms that you might be unaware of to put items through the “circular economy”. That can be as simple as a crate of household cleaning products on the “Buy, Swap and Sell” Facebook page in your local area.
1. Finally, don’t forget the “When”
Time planning is everything. If you are thinking of having donations picked up from major charities then you need to ring them. Not only to book a pickup but to see what they will and won’t take. Big charities may have a lead time of 3 or 4 weeks in particularly busy areas.
Others may have a calendar of scheduled pickups and drop-offs based on localities if covering large metropolitan or regional areas. The classic example is the NSW E.P.A. ‘s calendar of Household Chemical Cleanup. These are generally run in conjunction with your local Councils twice a year. You cannot put chemicals and poisons out for your Council kerbside pickup, nor can ordinary rubbish removal companies take them. Heaven forbid you tip them down the drain and kill off already endangered species just because you ran out of time.
Does the idea of project managing your declutter-to-downsize journey still feel a bit overwhelming? That’s ok, just get in touch, I am more than happy to help.
Ps: I will be speaking at the Seniors Expo in March if you would like to hear me talk about this exact topic. Get in touch for all the details.
At any stage in your pre and post retirement journey, managing personal possessions can be an obstacle to the life you both want and need.
Keep that concept in mind … the life you want and need.
You can be paralysed by the sheer volume of items that you have to make decisions about, unsure where to start decluttering.
You can be grieving, angry and resentful of the emotional burden. Held back by the responsibility of objects imbued with meaning and personal history. Yours, your children’s and of people long gone.
You suddenly find yourself the custodian of items that drag you down because they are not letting you live the life you need and want. A life made of smaller spaces that require less care and maintenance.
No piece of china will protest if a hole is drilled in the bottom so it can be repurposed as a container for succulents. Or smashed to bits by a gleeful mosaic artist to create a decorative piece. No pair of secateurs will sing with joy when a new owner uses it to prune roses. No wooden chair will get the sulks because someone sands it back to paint it bright yellow.
They can be donated, sold or recycled and repurposed.
As a Professional Organiser I can find a new home or purpose for most things in your home. Or a point of responsible recycling and disposal. You can tell the story of your items as you let them go or decide what comes with you into that new life. Help you plan and action those next steps. We are there to support you, listen to all those memories, and then efficiently move those redundant items out of your life.
As a New Year resolution Decluttering Solutions wants to reflect on how we too need to meet the provider standards set by the Aged Care Quality & Safeguards Commission.
Standard 1. Consumer dignity and choice
Consumer outcome
(1) I am treated with dignity and respect, and can maintain my identity. I can make informed choices about my care and services, and live the life I choose.
Advising you you on rearranging your rooms, furniture and cupboards. Removing unnecessary items whether to recycling, donation or even just to another room in your home. We present you with a plan and timeline. Once you have listened to our reasoning then the ultimate decision is yours.
Standard 2. Ongoing assessment and planning with consumers
Consumer outcome
(1) I am a partner in ongoing assessment and planning that helps me get the care and services I need for my health and well-being.
(1)We can plan an initial approach to our declutter and organising services but as the actual work gets underway we may find things change on how we need to prioritise the work. We will discuss any changes needed and why we think they should happen. We will also happily report on what we do to anyone else you wish us to.
Standard 3. Personal care and clinical care
Consumer outcome
(1) I get personal care, clinical care, or both personal care and clinical care, that is safe and right for me.
Letting someone else handle your things, items that are part of your personal history is a challenge. While you might feel uncertain as the decluttering process begins, it is important that you are informed and involved. This is a collaboration to declutter your home in a targeted way will make you feel both physically safer and comfortable at home
Standard 4. Services and supports for daily living
Consumer outcome
(1) I get the services and supports for daily living that are important for my health and well-being and that enable me to do the things I want to do.
Being able to move around your home safely, access items you need every day will make your life more streamlined and enjoyable. Making it safely accessible for everyone you want to see and everyone who is helping you to stay more safely at home.
Standard 5. Organisation’s service environment
Consumer outcome
(1) I feel I belong and I am safe and comfortable in the organisation’s service environment.
It is so important as a service provider, Decluttering Solutions makes you feel safe in your home, involved in the plan and empowered by the informed decisions you are making as we work together.
Standard 6. Feedback and complaints
Consumer outcome
(1) I feel safe and am encouraged and supported to give feedback and make complaints. I am engaged in processes to address my feedback and complaints, and appropriate action is taken.
We’ll check in with you as changes in your home take place at each and every session. Get feedback on how the decluttering is going: both the practical progress and how it makes you feel in frank and open discussions. Any complaints will be addressed immediately.
Standard 7. Human resources
Consumer outcome
(1) I get quality care and services when I need them from people who are knowledgeable, capable and caring.
Decluttering Solutions prides itself on matching clients with experienced Professional Organisers who are also members of an industry body, undertake professional development and follow a Code of Practice.
Standard 8. Organisational governance
Consumer outcome
(1) I am confident the organisation is well run. I can partner in improving the delivery of care and services.
Decluttering Solutions is an ASIC registered business with an ABN. We hold PL & PI insurance and have all appropriate checks. We welcome feedback, both verbal and written by our clients as a way to improve services and identify any gaps in the type of services we provide./span>
It is my own life experiences that give me compassion and understanding for my clients and their difficult choices.
My beautiful mother died quite suddenly in 2005. Our grief was enormous, particularly for my father who ended up battling depression and subsequently Alzheimers.
Dad’s needs took priority over everything, so, the contents of Mum’s china cabinet, filled with treasures were then packed away for 14 years.
Recently, my sisters and I pulled it all out. After Dad passed away, we had to make decisions about these bits and pieces, because they are part of the estate and inheritance.
Things we know our Mum loved, said were precious and valuable. Was that still true? Did we need a charitable outlet, an auction house or the Antiques Roadshow?
There was a lot of laughter at our reactions to certain things. Those that as small children we thought of as beautiful and now find unappealing. Others that continue to sing with simple beauty. Pieces that are a nuisance because never used, yet are an important part of our family’s Scottish history. But after how many generations will that still mean something?
Things we might want to keep but at the end of the day…are they useful? Would we want to pay removalists to move them again and again as our own lives continue to evolve? Do they fit in our own space?
So, I looked at the table and started with a couple of the harder questions I often ask my clients when they are stuck with a decision.
Am I an Egyptian Pharaoh who can take them with me for my next life?
A very Australian question …would I save them in a bush fire?
Will my family want, need or be capable of making decisions about these things when they are grieving because I have died? Am I leaving them rooms full of clutter because I don’t want to face the challenge of decision-making?
There are no wrong decisions about what you keep, sell, declutter, gift, store, whatever. But question what purpose objects serve in your current or future life, and of the people you presume want to inherit them.
I alway say if something truly makes your heart sing, then keep it!
Just don’t put the conversation in the too-hard-box and let time get away. Start the discussion with your family, including grandchildren. You may be surprised at the wise answers you get to the conundrum of how to declutter family treasures.
It’s the 11th October 2021, there were long lines aplenty outside of barber shops, boutiques and other non-essential stores, but no lines were longer than outside of KMart! As confirmed by the nightly news, people were queuing from midnight on Sunday to buy new clothes and replace or stock up on everything and nothing. I’ve spoken to a few desparate parents keen to replace clothing their kids have outgrown during lockdown.
I know myself that the urge to hit the shops was strong after 100+ days in lockdown, but frenzied shopping like this can often mean one thing – the purchase of things that we don’t really need or love. Particularly when we are purchasing clothing, the bargain mentality can be very hit-and-miss in terms of quality, fabric and sizing. Nine times out of ten, we are left short term satisfied but long term disappointed.
Before you race out and purchase a quick-fix item to satisfy that urge, let’s discuss an useful concept that I use with my clients.
COST PER WEAR
Simply put, Cost Per Wear is a way of determining the value for money of each item in your wardrobe. It helps me explain to my clients the importance of spending the right amount of money on the right items that will serve us well, long term. It also helps us clarify what items are important to keep as we undertake the sometimes mammoth task of culling a wardrobe.
Here’s the Math!
Item Cost ➗ The Number of Wears = Cost Per Wear (Value For Money)
5 WAYS TO GET CREATIVE WITH YOUR WARDROBE!
Rather than simply, throwing out clothes that you no longer love, why not read on and discover five interesting ways for you to recycle your clothes. You never know, you just may find a hidden gem or two that will compliment your wardrobe and style perfectly!
1. Donate your no longer needed corporate wardrobe to Dress For Success. Their declared mission is to empower women to achieve economic independence and provide a network of support, professional attire and development tools for women to thrive in the workplace.
2. One of my personal favourites – The Remote Opshop. Remote indigenous communities run their own Op shops which ensures a supply of clothing in districts, often vast distances from shops. These small businesses then invest back into their local community.
3. Do a Google search on Pop Up “Clothes Swap Events” in your area. You’ll be amazed at what you can swap to rejuvenate your wardrobe. Not only do you extend the life of a piece of clothing that helps keep textiles out of landfill, you will replace them with useful pieces that you absolutely love!
4. Check out websites like Poshmark or Depop for new digital ways of selling and acquiring pre-loved clothing, shoes and handbags. You can sell items that you no longer need to create a piggy bank for items that you will love!
5. Google “sell my clothes on consignment”. There are Facebook pages and physical shops which will do the hard work of promoting your items for a percentage of the sale price. They have strict rules about what they accept and condition but again, you sell something and gain, not spend.
END UP WITH A WARDROBE THAT WORKS FOR YOU!
Racing out to buy something quickly and without a lot of thought, is not the best idea. Take time to think about what items you need to curate your perfect wardrobe and fill it with key pieces that really feel like you.
Tapping into the circular economy to source new items from unusual places will not only help the environment, it will also keep a few coins in reserve for those bigger ticket items that will make your heart sing every time you wear them.
With a little guidance, you will end up with a wardrobe filled with functional pieces that play together nicely as well as reflecting the interesting, eclectic and unique style that is individually yours.
Happy Curating!
Is it a scary or exciting thought letting people into your home?
We are all tired of this isolation and sick of our own company. Sick of the same old walks. Missing friends and loved ones. Worried about children’s education and our finances.
Wanting out but afraid for our health and safety.
You may have been postponing the inevitable but the time to declutter has come. You need to move house. You can’t really get around safely inside your home. Maybe after months of being stuck inside, you are just sick and tired of the sheer volume of things you possess and have no use for…let alone love.
How do we at Decluttering Solutions prepare for “Covid-normal” work?
- By being double vaccinated and able to show you proof. Did you know the Medicare App let’s me show you in person?
- continuing to wear masks and socially distance as appropriate. Decisions about how we work are based on the health needs and vaccination status of the people involved in each job. We want you to feel safe!
- Covid testing as required. As I write this, self-testing kits will shortly become available and will be a useful tool in keeping everyone safe.
- Using virtual sessions to meet people and check in. Update people on work that is ongoing. Coach and guide people if they want to declutter themselves.
- Above all, we will follow current health orders. Designed to keep us all safe, we all understand they can and will change.
It’s a tsunami of pain, grief, anger, joy…and every emotion in between.
Though overwhelming, that sort-and-purge can be an important part of your grieving. Especially if you can share it with family, or an empathetic friend.
You work your way through cupboards and wardrobes. Bits and pieces surface that remind you of long forgotten holidays and dimly remembered elderly relatives. All bought sharply back to vividity. Surges of love and laughter start at the clothing fashions of your childhood displayed in family photos. You lose yourself in your old school reports. Reminisce about when you went camping or ran away with your teddy bear. Were allowed to play in the streets as long as you were home by the time the street lights came on. That time you fell out of a tree and ended up in hospital. That time you weren’t allowed to go to a party or a school excursion and it wasn’t fair!
Shock, anger or disbelief aren’t to be excluded either. Family scandals or long hidden brushes with the law. Memories that bring up long buried anger and resentment.
Drudgery and sheer boredom as you work through drawers and filing cabinets of paperwork looking for the Will or the shares or the Title Deed to the house…because who knows where that is?!
Never mind the jam-packed, dusty and rusty, garage contents.
So, what do you do when you can’t be there? Maybe you are the Executor? Far away because of work and family commitments. Your health means you just can’t do this, though you must be involved somehow.
Or…you just can’t face doing it by yourself.
That is where a Professional Organiser like myself comes in.
We plan with you what we will and will not be responsible for, with agreed upon rules. We can sort and cull the non-personal items and responsibly dispose of them. Things like household chemicals, and food stuff.
We help you dispose of furniture, clothing, books or artwork in a thoughtful, nuanced way. What might have monetary value that benefits the Estate? Time-spent verses the return, when selling items. What can be ethically donated or recycled rather than going to landfill?
Sort all those flyers, request for donations, catalogues, bank statements, old bills, family history and important legal documents for you to make decisions about. We can recycle or shred the rest.
Above all, we can work for you, alongside you, or with other people involved. Both in person or with digital technology.
Reduce that huge volume of apparent household junk to a manageable quantity of significant and important items, then complete what needs to be done after you have finished your part. That you can deal with when you are ready.
Then let me ask you a question or six.
- Is your house a storage unit for your children or other relatives?
- Have you inherited other people’s stuff?
- Hard-to-reach cupboards and no idea of their contents?
- Drawers in your house that have not been opened for five years?
- Do you look at the clutter in your garage, and think “I’ll get round to it”?
- Resentful of the time required to keep on top of it all?