Decluttering and downsizing are often associated with simplifying, in line with the concept “less is more.” Both may be necessary as we continue our journey with Parkinson’s disease. But there’s a third D-word missing: difficult.

My oldest son said, “Downsize now because you want to do it together. Don’t wait until you have to do it.”

So our family decided it was time to make a change. As parents, we didn’t want to put the burden of moving us on our boys. Our decision to downsize now will benefit them later.

We needed a home where getting older and living with Parkinson’s would be safer and easier. However, our timetable was accelerated when life threw us a curveball. This time, we didn’t miss. An unplanned job opportunity became the push we needed to head in the right direction.

Recommended Reading

Time to declutter

It’s trendy now to minimize your belongings and keep only what you need. There are many decluttering tips and checklists out there to follow. However, “difficult” makes its debut when you try to define “need.” The bedtime stories we read to our children are no longer needed, but they are not irrelevant. Our high school yearbooks aren’t necessary, but they are important to us. Where is the line between clutter and comfort?

My husband and I started with some guidelines: one box for our memorabilia and one box for our boys’ memorabilia. This lasted almost an entire day. We now have a new guideline: If it speaks to our heart, it’s coming with us. We can get a bigger box.

Downsizing and planning with purpose

There are many benefits to downsizing, including:

• Less cleaning, which allows more time to do things.
• Fewer home maintenance expenses.
• A safer living space designed to fit your needs.
• Peace of mind for your friends and family.

The most important benefit is safety. Following are several safety concerns to consider.

• Avoid a home with stairs, if possible. If that is not an option, install carpet and handrails on both sides of the staircase.
• Ensure your shower is safe and accessible by installing tools such as grab bars.
• Eliminate tripping hazards, especially area rugs and uneven floor transitions.
• Organize closets and cupboards to make frequently used items easily accessible.

The actual moving process also is difficult and draining. Physically, it will be a struggle, but we will take our time. The emotional aspect is a different story. We are leaving the only home our family has ever known. Thirty years of memories were made within these walls, on the porch, and in the yard. Our attachment is magnetic.

Honestly, I am struggling, but I find comfort in a fellow columnist’s wise words. Referring to his home as a sanctuary, Dr. C wrote, “The beauty of this physical sanctuary can be recreated, and we carry the rest with us.”

For us, we will start a new chapter by creating a new home. We will take the most important stuff with us: the memories we have in our hearts. No boxes required.

Note: Parkinson’s News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Parkinson’s News Today or its parent company, BioNews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to Parkinson’s disease.

KEEPING the children’s room in order is a mammoth and never ending challenge.

Plenty of parents find themselves drowning in piles of toys, books and clothes. 

1

The professional organiser explained how to keep your children’s bedroom tidyCredit: Getty

Professional organiser Vicky Silverthorn shared her top tips for keeping the kids’ room in line.

She said: “When my daughter arrived I knew even how important it would be to stay organised! I was shocked at how quickly I saw the potential for that to go out of the window.

“I’ve found some really simple tricks, like making games out of tidying up and using cute labelling systems made using my Cricut Joy™, have really helped to keep on top of things!”

FABULOUS BINGO: GET A £5 FREE BONUS WITH NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED

Here are Vicky’s top tips for keeping things in order:

Keep it simple

She said: “Don’t overcomplicate tidying up, it’s the worst thing you can do for kids.

“No child has the patience to line up their toy cars and neatly fold the dressing up. And believe me you will end up tearing your hair out trying to make it happen.

“So create a simple organisational system they can follow and ‘gamify’ it.

“Get a few boxes that fit the room decor and give them labels that your children can put their toys into – I use my Cricut Joy for this.

“Whether it’s a box for dolls, another for puzzles, or one for blocks; it’s a simple dumping technique that saves the floor space and your time!”

Label everything

Vicky said: “Make your labels fun and age appropriate.

“If you’ve got young children, why not create pictures of the things to go in each box or storage unit so that they can easily identify what goes in?

“Or if your kids are a little older, simple word recognition is great too.”

Ditch the clutter

The pro organiser said: “Declutter and giveaway excess toys to charity. Often more toys equals less play as children forget about the ones they don’t see or use regularly.

“Ask yourself, is your child’s favourite toy really their favourite toy? Or simply the one they can find the easiest amongst all the others?

“So have a clear out and donate to a charity, it’s a great excuse to get children involved too and implanting this idea so it becomes a part of their lives.” 

Create an art gallery

She said: “Create your own mini gallery for children’s doodles.

“We all love the beautiful works of art our little ones create, but with so many they can quickly stack up and create clutter around the house.

“So why not create a designated area for wall art in their rooms?

“You can personalise it so your kids feel like little Van Goghs, simply use a Cricut Joy machine to create a name sticker in your preferred font and colour, apply to the top of the frame and voila!”

Apply some colour

Vicky said: “Colour code the room and teach to share at the same time – If your children share a room, a great way to get them tidying their toys away is to give them a colour coded box for their toys to go in.

“Get them involved and ask them to pick their favourite colour. Some toys are for sharing so can have a designated neutral space or live in another part of the home.

“It’s a brilliant way to get the room in order, encourage tidying and teach them vital life skills that will help them as they grow up too.”

Get creative with the walls

The professional organiser said: “Give the room fresh life with bespoke wall stickers.

“Once you’ve got the room in order and looking neat and tidy, a great way to freshen up the space is to create decals to brighten up the walls.

“You can make removable vinyl decals which means you can chop and change designs as much as you want!” 

Speaking of organisation, this woman is one of Britain’s most organised mums, and has shared her tips on how to declutter.

Budgeting expert explains how to use the snowball method to clear your debt.

And this organisation expert and mum of two does this nightly to make her mornings easier.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/lifestyle/4716139/im-a-professional-organiser-here-are-6-easy-steps-to-declutter-your-kids-rooms-and-what-to-chuck-out-immediately/

GET ORGANIZED AND DECLUTTER LIKE A PRO
March 3, 7p.m. ET & 7p.m. PT

Are you or a loved one looking to get rid of some unwanted stuff around the home? Join us for our free decluttering webinar featuring the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals (NAPO). You’ll learn important organizing tips to get you started while exploring how streamlining your things can help you feel happier, less stressed and more productive.

Plus, you’ll have the chance to get your questions answered by experienced members of the National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals (NAPO).

Register today »

Source: https://states.aarp.org/how-can-you-learn-to-declutter-your-space-what-will-you-learn-at-our-webinar

Just like your body, it’s funny how different toxins can build up within your business without you noticing. 

We saw many real estate businesses cleanse themselves of a whole range of unnecessary toxins in 2020 and 2021, but with this Covid thing dragging on longer than any of us wanted, have distractions, bottlenecks, and headaches crept back into your business?

Is it time for another detox?

Here are the top things to cleanse from your real estate business as you head into 2022.

Toxic team members

There is nothing that will undermine your strategy and vision more than a misaligned team member.

The gossiper. The disrupter. The gorilla.

The guy with the bad energy that, no matter what is happening in the business, will always have a negative version of events.

Your people are the heart of the business – do not tolerate team members that undermine your culture or, even more importantly, your values.

Toxic clients

We have all taken on a vendor, landlord or tenant that we now know we shouldn’t have.

But, when a client goes rogue and starts to abuse your team or are forever changing their mind, maybe it is time for a client cleanse.

There are many schools of thought on approaching a client cleanse, but my preferred starting point is asking the team they hate working with and to define their ideal client.

Usually, these clients are the ones that make them tense up when they see their number calling on the phone.

Silent shareholders

Many people set up a business with a silent shareholder due to funding restraints.

They are not necessarily a toxin in your business (because they helped you make it happen), but, over time, the need for those silent shareholders may diminish.

If you are starting to build resentment towards them, then maybe it’s time to realign your individual goals and consider a buyout or change in arrangements that are fair and equitable to everyone.

Just start with a discussion, but tread carefully; there is no need to blow everything up.

Too many options

Whether it be marketing packages, salesperson commission structures or pricing options, every time you add a new option into the mix, you have just added a whole layer of complexity and confusion. 

Revert to ‘keep it simple stupid’ to streamline your business inside and out.

Surplus subscriptions

When was the last time you reviewed the monthly subscriptions going through your bank account?

Often, we subscribe to something with the best intentions but never use it or forget about it.

At least every 12 months, run your finger down the bank statements and unsubscribe from any surplus subscriptions.

Redundant reports

I’m a big advocate of putting together a standard report pack for management each month, but over time some of those reports they once asked for are no longer needed.

Maybe management doesn’t realise how much effort you put into producing that one graph, or perhaps the focus has moved on from one issue to another.

Now and then, check in with management to see what reports they use and make the others redundant.

Unnecessary steps

Are there steps in your processes that are no longer necessary or could be streamlined through integrating or tweaking the systems?

Draw a picture of your process and challenge yourself to devise ways to remove a couple of steps and make your business more efficient.

Broken systems and bottlenecks

Like the human body, when one of the organs is not working properly, it can impact your body’s efficiency.

If your digestive system is not working as well as it should, your energy levels will drop, and it becomes harder to do what was once easy.

Find and eliminate any bottlenecks or and declutter clunky processes that are holding the team back.

If 2020 and 2021 created the urgency for change, then now, when the industry is thriving, is the time to keep change going and not rest on our laurels.

Source: https://eliteagent.com/john-knight-define-detox-declutter/

A hoarder’s house left in such rough shape the wallpaper is peeling off cracked walls has hit the market in Richmond, with a price that may entice even the most risk-averse buyer to declutter their wallet.

The Edwardian-style home is listed with a price range of $950,000 to $1,045,000, providing a cheaper entry to the suburb where the median house price is $1.41 million, according to Domain data.

But buyers thinking of simply tearing down and rebuilding the three-bedroom fixer-upper at 6 Bliss Street may need to think again, Belle Property Richmond director and auctioneer Daniel Atsis said.

“It has a heritage facade, so the buyers will have to keep the front of the house,” Mr Atsis said. “Pretty much all of Richmond has heritage protection.”

Mr Atsis said the home, which will be auctioned in early March, is being sold as part of a deceased estate.

“An old guy was living in there – he was a hoarder, and he passed on the house to his sons. He had piles of rubbish in the house sitting against the walls … that’s why the walls are in such bad shape.”

The inside walls have been damaged by piles of rubbish.Credit:Belle Property Richmond

Inside, the house still has some of its original charm, including stain glass windows and fireplaces in each of the bedrooms.

The home is also a short walk from Burnley Street and some of Richmond’s favourite cafés and bars.

Source: https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/hoarder-s-house-hits-the-market-for-a-price-that-will-declutter-your-wallet-20220215-p59woy.html

The plaintive bleats of a truck backing into the driveway heralded the arrival of a large metal dumpster, clanking loudly as it slid into place. My partner, Doug, scoffed, “We’ll never fill that!”

But gentle reader – we would fill three more.

The need to downsize presents itself in many ways: deciding to move to a smaller space; the beginning or end of a relationship; tackling a parent’s estate, or just deciding to finally take charge of your junk so that someone else won’t have to.

Doug and I had been together two years when he decided to put his house up for sale since it was too expensive to maintain on his own. Between us, we had nearly 60 years of married life under our belts, but the joint trauma of “gray divorce” had left us both still feeling skittish about living together so he decided to opt for an apartment.

But as chance would have it, his house sold immediately and suddenly there was a firm moving date.

Many things in life make me anxious, but decluttering is not one of them. I’ve made four transatlantic moves and learned to purge as I go, so the process seems intuitive. I do understand, though, that many people really struggle with this and particularly when nostalgia is involved.

Also see: We are in our late 50s and have retired with less than $1 million: ‘Did I jump the gun?’

Decluttering can be overwhelming

I already knew that Doug was sentimental, and this is one of the things that had made me fall in love with him. And, I had seen his basement which was packed floor to ceiling with … stuff. Not everything was his, since the house had been the family home for many years. But there was also, incredibly, a costly storage unit. And although Doug’s superpower is compartmentalizing (ironically!) he became overwhelmed and unsure how to begin.

Watching someone struggle with this slow process is excruciating. There were boxes of childhood drawings to sort through – both his own and those of his children. While I delighted to see his first Crayola cowboys riding across the page, it was clear only part of the posse could join him on his move.

We then uncovered a 1963 Plymouth Fury car model (partially completed, of course); two kettles, neither of which worked; multiple incarnations of Trivial Pursuit games; VHS tapes of “important” baseball games; curled scrolls from fortune cookies (“We had the Moo Shui pork that night!”); ancient keyboards stacked like pizza boxes; User Guidelines for appliances long since departed; carafes that will never fit beneath another coffee maker; tangles of evil-smelling Christmas tinsel and yellowing magazines hailing a new product called Brylcreem.

And that was just the first shelf.

Doug also had a distorted sense of “treasure.” He was keen to show me a portable “fat-back” TV that still worked and certainly, when plugged in, the power sizzled on. However, I couldn’t help but notice that NBC news anchor Lester Holt’s handsome face was being obscured by a giant number 8 – in red.

“You don’t even notice that after a while,” he shrugged happily, noting my frozen expression. “The kids will love this, right?”

I immediately recalled that “help me” look in their eyes when he’d tried to send them home with some especially hideous lamps, better suited to a 1950s funeral home. This is not how you encourage your kids to visit more often.

Also see: To defuse the culture wars, we should start by decluttering our language of meaningless words and phrases

Designate piles, use a timer and other ideas

Like many women, I sought counsel at my place of work and received some wildly varying advice. One woman, frustrated with her husband’s increasing collection of rags, decided to secretly discard a few herself each week. But one day he came up from the basement and asked in a panicked voice: “Where are my rags?” This story did not end well.

Another situation involved a husband who insisted on devoting an entire cupboard in the garage to what appeared to be a gleaming wall of silver. Closer examination revealed towers of flattened toothpaste tubes, reserved for some unknown future need. (And when was the last time anyone saw a metal toothpaste tube?)

More than a few chums thought I was being “too soft.”

“I’d have that stuff on the curb so fast,” one friend commented over wine. “Do it as he sleeps!”

This did not strike me as the ideal tone for a trusting relationship and I also had no interest in assuming responsibility for items that weren’t even mine.

In the end, I chose the middle road. I would be fine with whatever he wanted to keep (and in fact, had already cleared space in my own basement for extra storage) but something – a lot of something – was going to have to go.

Related: Are you tired of Marie Kondo’s ‘does it spark joy’ question? Here are 5 other ways to declutter

The closing deadline was certainly key and within days, Doug was sorting through clutter like a blackjack dealer in Vegas.

Here are a few tips that worked:

1. Challenge statements such as: “This could be worth something!” or “I’m going to frame/fix/upholster that someday.” Really?

2. Designate piles on the floor for garbage, recycling, thrift store. You may also need one for “To Be Determined” but make it the smallest and deal with it as you go. Facebook has Buy Nothing sites in many communities where neighbors can post unwanted treasures for free.

3. Use a timer. Hokey as it sounds, a little bit, every day gets the job done and a time limit makes the commitment less onerous.

4. Know what you have. Label contents on a paper affixed to boxes or better yet, clear plastic bins.

5. Consider this – if you love something so much, WHY is it in storage? We emancipated a beautiful vintage radio, an antique print and a handmade toy stable.

A few years later, Doug moved into my house. While the basement here is not pristine, it’s no longer the great unknown. Many times, we’ve laughingly recalled those “Dumpster Days” and each time Doug shakes his head in disbelief: “I still couldn’t tell you what I had.”

Sue Sutherland-Wood has contributed to many publications, both in print and online, and her short fiction has won awards. Read more of Sue’s work on her blog. 

This article is reprinted by permission from NextAvenue.org, © 2022 Twin Cities Public Television, Inc. All rights reserved.

More from Next Avenue:

Source: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/dont-let-downsizing-and-decluttering-destroy-your-relationship-11644527996

You may have cleared up the garden for winter, but chances are you put most of the stuff in your shed, from flower pots and bamboo canes to rusty, duplicated tools and half-used compost bags.

If you can’t now get into your shed for clutter, it’s time to have a clear-out, says Jack Sutcliffe co-founder of shed company Power Sheds.

“With sheds being slightly out the way, it’s easy to sometimes forget about them,” says Sutcliffe, who offers these tips for how to get your shed decluttered and reorganised in no time.

1. Take everything out
Sheds can often turn from a place where you store garden tools and equipment into a dumping ground for things you no longer use or want in the house. For this reason, it’s important to take everything out and do a full inventory of all the items you’ve had stored in the shed. This will make it easier to then decide what to keep and what to throw away when you reorganise the shed.

2. Decide what to keep and what to ditch
Once you can easily see all the items you had stored, decide what stays and what goes. Put your things into three piles – the things to keep, anything that’s broken and in need of throwing away, and anything you no longer need that can be given away.

The old paint you’ve had open for months or years, the duplicate tools, the broken garden pots you thought you’d use again, but you know deep down you won’t – it’s time for them to go. Make sure you keep all your essential tools, as well as the ones you know for sure you’ll be using season after season, such as gardening equipment or lawnmowers.

3. Rethink your shed storage
Optimising the storage capacity in your shed is essential. When you leverage its full capacity, you’re then able to find things much easier and store more items.

To maximise storage capacity:

1. Install a few more shelves to help with the vertical organisation.
2. Use a pegboard or a magnet to display small tools such as pliers, screwdrivers or paintbrushes.
3. Put up hooks for items you can hang such as brooms, forks or shovels.
4. Make use of the ceiling by installing bike hangers. This is particularly useful if your household has more than one bike.

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4. Make your storage more ‘green’
Before you buy a pegboard or new shelves, consider if you can recycle any items you no longer use which can be repurposed as storage. For example, any old racks or furniture, including drawers, could work a treat. They will make use of the vertical space and allow you to compartmentalise all your tools.

If you have one at your disposal, you could even use an old car wheel to hang a long hose, and old jars or tins to store small things like screws or nails. Just add some labels and your ‘green’ shed organisation is complete.

5. Spruce up the shed
After the inventory, categorisation and storage capacity have been checked off the list, give it all a deep clean. Dust any surface, sweep the floors, maybe even repaint parts of the shed that need it.

Then place all your equipment back into the shed and make sure you can walk from the front to the back of your shed so that you can quickly and easily access anything you need. That’s how you know you’ve done a great job and your shed is now super tidy.

Source: https://www.rte.ie/lifestyle/living/2022/0124/1275507-how-to-declutter-your-garden-shed-in-5-easy-steps/

Get ready for more emotional battles of the heart and mind when the inspirational Space Invaders returns with a bigger, better than ever season of amazing transformations on Channel 9 and 9Now.

In neighbourhoods across the nation, Aussies are facing a huge problem with household clutter, and our experts are back to change lives and fix even bigger problems with the biggest transformations yet.

Join our remarkable and passionate team of Space Invaders, declutter guru Peter Walsh, renovation queen Cherie Barber and treasure hunter Lucas Callaghan, as they unite each week to help desperate families lighten their homes and their hearts, turning rooms full of jumbled mess into beautiful, relaxing spaces and providing tips and tricks to help us all declutter and improve our lives.

Breaking through their emotional barriers, Peter confronts the overwhelming issues behind family problems to set them free from feeling drowned by unwanted clutter. Cherie then transforms their cleared-out homes, adding spaces and taking dreams to the next level in record time, and Lucas steps in to uncover hidden gems – and treasures that could be worth big money.

Watch as strangers open heart and home to the changes they desperately need, for the biggest transformation of their lives, as Space Invaders inspire us all to ask a simple question: how does your clutter affect you?

Space Invaders is produced for Channel 9 by WTFN.

SPACE INVADERS – SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19, AT 7.30PM ON CHANNEL 9 AND 9NOW

Source: https://tvblackbox.com.au/page/2022/02/12/its-utter-declutter-when-space-invaders-returns-to-nine/

This location also didn’t have the self checkouts the chain plans to add, just the same snack assortments and registers.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Do you have a story to share about a retail or restaurant chain? Email this reporter at [email protected]

Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/bed-bath-and-beyond-decluttered-store-redesign-in-photos-2022-2

Hendrickson Photography/Shutterstock.com

Getting started on your declutter is arguably the most difficult part. However, breaking things down room by room might make the daunting process seem easier. Where should you start first?

According to Jane Stoller, founder of Organized Jane and author of Decluttering for Dummies, your foyer or entryway is where you should begin.

You’re probably thinking Stoller recommends this area because it’s the first thing people see, and that’s certainly not a bad reason, but it’s not the founder and author’s position. Stoller said the entryway is the most likely area to get cluttered because it’s high traffic.

Stoller cites people’s tendency to drop things off in this space. Items like keys, masks, shoes, purses, wallets, and junk mail can all accumulate on surfaces making for a cluttered mess as soon as you enter your home. She adds that the clutter can be particularly problematic for larger families. Those with children might have school work or sporting equipment added into the mix.

The space also shouldn’t be as labor-intensive as another common clutter magnet, the closet. Instead of attacking that scary space first, you can build momentum with the smaller entryway clutter and get started on the right foot before moving on to other areas of your home.

Just in case you’re worried about your entryway or foyer becoming cluttered again, you can always consider a home drop zone.

[Via Apartment Therapy]

Source: https://www.lifesavvy.com/114206/why-your-entryway-should-be-the-first-place-you-declutter/