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by Angela on January 2, 2012
On New Year’s day I was cleaning up my kitchen after lunch and I asked my girls if they wanted to finish“washing” the dishes? They love playing in the bubble water and quickly said “YES”! So I made sure it was only a few dishes and they were pretty clean already. I finished cleaning the counters and putting the groceries from our morning grocery run away. We had music playing from the Beatles as we worked. As they were playing my oldest Ella asked my youngest “would you like some words of wisdom”? My youngest: “Yes, please”. Ella: “Here’s your words of wisdom” as she was pouring some bubbles from one cup to another. This went on and on. They kept passing words of wisdom back and forth, as two sisters probably do throughout their lives. I just soaked it all up. It was the cutest thing.
It made me think for a minute: wouldn’t that be great if we could just pass on words of wisdom like that? Wouldn’t it be great if when we did pass on words of wisdom that the other person would say “Yes, please” and openly receive them?! So then I was curious and seeking my own words of wisdom I decided to get all philosophical on the topic. I searched for the lyrics to the Beatles “Let it Be”. So for 2012, what really struck me were these lines:
“There will be an answer, let it be.”
And
“And when the night is cloudy there is still a light that shines on me
Shine until tomorrow, let it be”
Happy New Year 2012, I hope it brings the words of wisdom you’ve been searching for.
Shine until tomorrow!
by Angela on May 13, 2011
Angela Ploetz has recently been welcomed by the National Association of Professional Organizers to the Golden Circle. This prestigious designation demonstrates Ploetz’s commitment to the organizing profession and recognition of attaining an elevated level of experience.
Becoming a member of the NAPO Golden Circle will provide for business enhancement, and allow Ploetz to increase professional effectiveness. The motto of the Golden Circle is “Together We Are Better!”
For clients of The POSH Space, this means you can rest assured that, from the top down, Ploetz is constantly educating, seeking and refining the best company to serve YOU! Her staff doesn’t just come in and organize your home or office. The POSH space extends professionalism and expertise to consistently bring you outstanding customer service.
You can learn more about NAPO at the NAPO website.
by Angela on February 18, 2011
I recently wrote an article Getting Started is the Hardest Part, which has served as a great inspiration for me personally. Over the weekend I started working on some projects in my own house. I had some boxes of mementoes from college, my wedding, my daughter’s births, et cetera (yes, even organizers are human and have some mementoes). The mementoes were all neatly tucked away in boxes and most people would never have known they were there, but I wanted to start using the space for some other projects. So after years of keeping these things and years of not wanting to take the time to deal with this old stuff I dove in! Things I never thought I would get rid of I was tossing into the recycling bin. It was great! And as I mention in Getting Started is the Hardest Part, it really wasn’t that bad once I broke the ice and just got started.
What have you been putting off that you can get started on this month? I am starting a three week challenge to help you AND me get our projects done before Spring Break! Are you in? Join the conversation on our Facebook page. I can’t wait to hear about your progress!
Here’s to getting started!
by Angela on January 18, 2011
I often tell people that the key to getting someone to get rid of clutter is to find what motivates that person. Commonly I tell people that there are typical things that motivate people to get rid of the clutter like money, giving to a good cause, or finding a good home for something. But there is always someone who none of these things work. I’m very interested in learning about what motivates people. So one night when I was watching an episode of The Middle I had to laugh at what motivated the teenage boy Axel. He is notoriously lazy. He hardly lifts a finger around the house and typically drinks directly from the milk carton.
In this particular episode Axel goes to work at the movie theater to find he has a beautiful new manager. He tries to impress her by being early and showing her the ropes. He quickly realized that he is doing more work than she is, she is always late, and doesn’t know what she is doing. First it was all about impressing the pretty boss, then it changed into him taking ownership in the theater. He knew she wouldn’t be there on time so he had to. When there wasn’t someone to make the decision he had to do it himself. In the end he learns the lesson that just because a girl is pretty that’s not all that matters.
I love this because in the show Axel’s parents are always trying to get him to do things. And once he found something that motivated him, it was like a switch went off. So what do you want in this New Year? What will motivate you to get it? What can be the thing that will make a switch go off for you or someone you know?
I’d love to hear your New Year’s resolutions.
by Angela on November 18, 2010
In case you haven’t been following along, it’s not too late to join in on our 20-day challenge: Positively Organized & Simple Holidays!
All you have to do is follow our Facebook page to see each daily organizing challenge as it is posted. While you’re there, we encourage you to post your questions, comments, and progress. You can also invite your friends to the challenge, so we can cheer each other on!
Are you ready for a POSH Season? Tell us what challenges you most about this time of year! We want to know and we’re here to help!
Here’s to Positively Organized & Simple Holidays!
Angela
by Angela on August 26, 2010
Can you believe we are just a few days away from September? This year has gone by so fast. I was meeting with a client the other day who expressed a similar feeling. She told me that at the beginning of the year she had made a resolution to get organized. When she realized it was August she told herself “I am not going to get to January and still not be organized”. That’s when she called me.
Was organizing on your resolution list this year? Did you reach your goal? If you have not fully committed to organizing like you intended to the good news is there is still time. There are still four months left in this year which is plenty of time to tackle an organizing project or two. You can start the New Year off on the right foot. Here are three things you can do to get your project going.
1. Choose one area to concentrate on. Even if you want your entire house or office organized, the reality is that you can’t do it all at one time. Choose one area or space to concentrate on. During your project you may have to walk to another room to put something away, but don’t get distracted and start working in that space. That is a sure fire recipe for disappointment.
2. Time and project size. Before you start a project try to estimate how many hours it might take, and then increase it by at least a quarter. When you schedule time to work on the project consider how many hours you have available verses how many hours you think the project might take. This may seem elementary, but it’s better to begin the project with an idea of how far along you will get rather than thinking you will finish it and then being disappointed when you run out of time.
When estimating how long a project will take, take these two things into account: first consider how large the space is. Is it a small linen closet which can take an hour or two or an entire kitchen which can take 7 hours or more depending on the size. The second thing to consider is how much stuff is in the space. Using the closet example, is the pantry overflowing? Are the counters covered with piles of dishes, mail, or random stuff? Again, this will all effect how long the project will take.
3. Stay focused. Set a timer to keep you focused and working. It will give you a goal. You can even try to “beat the clock” if you are motivated by racing. Don’t read old letters or magazines as they will only slow you down. When your space is organized you will be able to find the letters or you can set them aside to read later when you are not “working” on your space. Don’t take phone calls or check e-mail. If you have children, consider scheduling a play date for the kid so you can keep focus and utilize the entire time you have set aside.
Again, there is still time to get your space organized this year, it just takes a little focus and discipline, or you can call the POSH Space team and we will be happy to help you.
Was organization one of your New Year’s resolutions this year? If so, did you get organized or not?
I challenge you to get one space organized between now and December 31st? Who’s in?
Angela
Copyright (C) 2010 Angela Ploetz, POSH Space www.theposhspace.com.
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