I can help you get organized in areas where you need help!

Almost everyone needs help with organizing some part of their life. I have a gift for helping people create order in their space, thinking,  projects,  diet, time and much more.

The more I help people get organized, the more I yearn to support myself and others to develop skills that help them to live a fuller, more creative, more productive and service-filled life.  With all the challenges we fact, it is imperative that people rise to the occasion and use their gifts to help create a better world.

Being organized does not mean being so rigid that life is no fun.  Rather, it is about creating strong banks so that a beautiful and vibrant river may flow freely. Spontaneity,  freedom, joy, laughter, creativity, and love spring forth when those banks of organization are stable.

This blog will include information that will support you in getting organized whether it be clutter clearing, gardening, communication, family life, involvement in community and much more.

I fervently hope that this information is useful to you, and I welcome your feedback and comments.

Life style opportunity: A beautiful rental in the country with a wonderful neighbor

Hi friends,

My friend Lillian sent me this notice and I thought that my organizing clients might be interested in passing this on to their friends. This looks like a great situation for someone who wants to live cooperatively.

Available for rent middle of January:

 New little house in the woods near Hobbs Park, Rogers, AR.

2 bm, bath, kitchen, liv-din combination, huge deck overlooking

 Beaver Lake

Perfect for Individual or Couple who love nature and animals, quiet and peaceful lifestyle, stable, friendly, orderly, good communication skills.

           Rent is $535 per month including water, plus electric bill.

    The right persons will be my neighbors, tenants and friends, we

 will share land use and lake access, plus some maintenance chores.

Call to make and appointment to see the place and get acquainted.

Lilianbern@aol.com

Love and Peace,
Lilian Bern, (479)387-2108
Holistic Psychotherapist

I used to help produce Jack Canfield’s seminars: a recommendation

Sometimes I forget that I have been organizing for much longer than the decade that I have spent in helping people organizing their space. It was about thirty years ago that I helped produce Jack Canfield’s seminars when he was really starting to take off.

“Patricia Mikkelson worked for me in the company called Live Love Laugh. She was always a dynamic and energetic presence in making things happen, coming up with creative new ideas, coordinating many volunteers, organizing events, workshops and publicity– just to name a few of her many contributions to the success of Live Love Laugh. During that time she also helped organize and produce various Self Esteem workshops led by the now famous Jack Canfield, co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series. Patricia is a forward thinker and seems to always press for things that make it a better world for everyone.” Cliff Durfee

Organizing a garage in two hours with phenomenal results

In just two hours two people cleaned out the chaos in a garage with phenomenal results. here is how we did it.

For various reasons we had only two hours to work for I had a deadline. In some ways, having a deadline is a good thing. It really motivates you to get the job done in a shorter amount of time.

We started by getting the big stuff out that was obvious. Fortunately it was a nice day so it was easy to use the space in the driveway.

Because of lack of time, and because the categories were pretty obvious, we did not make labels.

Instead, I had about 20 shallow boxes which we laid out in the driveway. because the boxes were shallow we could see the items easily so therefore did not need a label.

We started by clearing off one table which was going to be the tool table. we sorted all items on the table quickly into boxes and kept the tools there.

Then we started clearing off another table which we envisioned would be the hardware table.  all things sorted into boxes except hardware.

Now we proceeded to sort the rest of garage. with the tool table and hardware table being the largest categories, we knew that at very least getting these items in one place would make it easier to find things and clear the rest of garage.

Another big category was metal. All that went into a corner. I discovered that he wanted to get rid of a large amount of plastic bags which immediate went out.

As the boxes of categories were filled, the gargae became less cluttered of course. Within 1 1/2 hour  most things were in categories. We did not open new boxes of stuff that were easily stacked.This we saved for a later date.

We took the last 1/2 hour to find places for things. the gardening tools and materials went one place. the larger tools went to antoher. the lawn mower was rearranged. Within the 1/2 hour we had everything in its place.

Now my client says that he can find things and in his own time he can fine tune the sorting. He can now walk around, put his vehicle in the garage, and feel safer as well.

This was the fasted job I have ever done with the most amount of progress. Two people really do make the work go faster. If you use a technique such as mine, then it is easier to make the most out of the helper’s help.

I really hope you try this and it helps you to find a peace of mind so that you can realize your worthwhile goals and make a better world.

Motivating tips for entrepreneurs and people needing to get organized

Many of these tips are relevant for people who simply want to get organized. Others are helpful for when you get your space organized, then you can start stepping out and living your dream. I hope these are inspiring and helpful.

http://sparkandhustle.com/resources/hustle-tips/

organizing for the overwhelmed

This article has a great check list for getting organized. The only thing I don’t agree with is the first item: make a plan. Sometimes you just want to get started and to de-clutter the whole house quickly. That is my specialty! But the rest of the tips were great.

http://www.ivillage.com/organizing-tips-overwhelmed-ivillagecom/7-a-219203

organizing for the home office

I really appreciated hearing from this expert about how to organize a home office which I think is essential for those who want to have their own business. I was gratified to hear that he uses a similar calendar system to mine. I hope you find this podcast helpful. Let me know!

http://www.thehomeofficeorganizer.com/the-home-office-podcast-13/

De-clutter super fast

Don’t sweat the small stuff! This is a very rough draft of my guidelines for quick de-cluttering for emergencies like feeling completely overwhelmed or company coming over. By de-cluttering this way you won’t be completely disorganized but will be taking a step to getting to a place where your space is clear permanently.

• When you are organizing a job, big or small–put the small miscellaneous stuff in shallow boxes to sort.
• Larger miscellaneous can go in larger boxes.
• Stack the boxes up and sort the stuff later.
• Important stuff that you need right away–put in a place where you can find quickly and put away.
• Stuff that can be easily put away because you know where it goes–feel free to put it away if you have time.
• Soft stuff like clothes can be put in plastic bags to sort later.
• Stuff that you immediately know can be  given away can be put in a box and placed in car.
• But don’t sweat the small stuff and the unimportant stuff.
• Schedule a time to sort the small and miscellaneous stuff later. Now you have a de-cluttered house, a clearer mind, and instant gratification.

simple:)

Oh, and if you put on some music or listen to a book on tape or a TED production or something else you enjoy–time will go much faster and you will be motivated to keep moving.  This method does not require a lot of thought so you can listen to informative and enriching talks if you like.

great organizing tips

Wow! I was inspired by all these tips. I hope they help you out.

http://www.getorganizednow.com/ideapak-newsletter.html

A transformed house in five hours

Here is how a house got de-cluttered without everything getting lost so that the home could be presentable for a gathering.

1. I hired my daughter to help clean. (Her time is included in the five hours)

2. I got a bunch of shallow boxes as well as other sized boxes.

3. Starting with the kitchen I cleared of counters of everything that I knew was superfluous. Since I know this client very well, I had a good idea of what was not needed. In fact, when he came to look for one missing thing that he needed I immediately found it.

4. As I cleared counters, putting in shallow boxes to sort later–some on shelves–my daughter cleaned surfaces.

5. The living room had piles of papers which were obviously in some kind of order. I put each pile in an unmarked folder to keep their integrity. I put all the files and other stuff  in the room into one large shallow box to be sorted later. Since I kept living room stuff together, if client needs to find something, at least he could look in living room box.

6. I did same with all rooms with the papers and miscellaneous.

7. There were obvious things that could go into basement–I piled them in one place and my daughter helped me carry down.

8. As I cleared floors and surfaces, daughter kept cleaning. I stayed ahead of her.

9. I scheduled a time with client very soon to go through stuff which I had piled into one side room that people could not see but which was easily accessible.

10. I covered some piled up boxes with sheets.

People came to the meeting–which I attended–and there were many comments about how attractive the house looked.

Today I go back and we will sort out the stuff that was highest priority. The rest will be dealt with later since there really is a whole house to de-clutter and organize.

It is very satsifying to see a house transformed in five hours, and I loved working with my daughter. Client was happy, too!

Completing the first stage of the job

st stage of this job. The client’s mom came home tonight looking like a completely different person. The last two nights she greeted us with a sour expression and a weary… acceptance. After the healing we had last night, she continued to have uplifted spirits. She walked into the house eager to look at what we had done. She was impressed somewhat by the progress and wanted to talk more about memories.

What an amazing transformation. With a crew of four people, two of us working 8 hours and two working about six hours, we completed what we wanted to do. Kitchen, dining room and den looking beautiful and almost completely decluttered. Living room has lots of boxes of precious items to sort–but they are stacked so there is plenty of space to put tables on which to sort. Bedroom is all cleaned with mattresses replaced. Bathroom is cleaned. Two car garage that was made into a play room now has an office space where we can sort papers. The largest categories are all together: shoes, clothes, car stuff, precious memories; material, papers and office supplies. The miscellaneous to sort boxes take up very little space and will be easy to get rid of when we have more time. If we had tried to sort all the miscellaneous, we would never have made the progress we did.

Client and her husband keep saying they can’t believe how much was done. Client’s husband estimated we would get about one hundredth of what we got done. Client said it was the best money she ever paid. Client’s husband who eats mostly meat says maybe the reason I came is to show them how to be healthy as I demonstrated that I could have plenty of energy all day on green smoothies and kangen water. He made a very delicious vegetable pot pie for dinner which I happily devoured.

This has been a very rewarding experience. Client’s husband jokes that if they give me a great recommendation I won’t come back. They want to rent me a car so I won’t wear my car out when I come next week. I feel very appreciated. I feel very grateful to use my God-given talents to make a pretty big difference in people’s lives.

Well, I am signing off for this job. Thanks all for your encouragement and comments. I would love to hear more feedback.