Last week I got two great chances to fly by the seat of my pants. And, I HATE flying by the seat of my pants. I’d rather go to the dentist or chew aluminum foil! Whether I’m scheduled to speak to audiences for fee or for free, I prepare very carefully. I want people to leave my speeches ready to take action and change their lives. Being prepared grounds me to be able to handle the stress of speaking and whatever else comes my way.

Last Thursday I was ready to speak to a study group of the American Society of Interior Designers. I was more nervous than usual because two men from a local speaker’s bureau were going to be in attendance to see if I’m the kind of speaker their company wants to represent. I thought I had my act completely together. I was going to do a slide presentation that required that I use my laptop computer. As I got ready to set up I suddenly realized that I’d left my computer on my kitchen counter, at least 40 minutes away. My first thought was, “Well, I guess you’ve got to make every mistake possible as a speaker so you can learn from them!” I’ve come a long way from the days when I would have bludgeoned myself with, “How could you be so stupid!”

As I usually do when faced with a sudden challenge like that, I went into problem-solving mode. I’d given that speech many times without using slides. I could certainly do that again. And, that’s what I did. I spent some time calming myself down, mentally reviewing the material, and I gave a good speech. Under the circumstances I was pleased to have been able to do that. Had I not been well organized in every other way, it would have been much harder to recover and give my audience a good experience.

The next day I made sure I took my laptop to a speech I was doing for employees in the Mortgage Division of Village Bank. Again, I was very organized, pleased that I’d remembered the laptop. I thought to myself, “You’re really ready this time!” Wrong!!!!

With the help of some Village Bank employees I began to set up my computer to project my slides through their system. That’s when it hit me that though I had the computer, I had left my power cord at home. I had to laugh at myself. Another lesson! You need both the computer and the power cord to run your slide presentation.

Fortunately, the Village Bank people were so nice, helpful and understanding. One man had a flash drive to use to load my speech onto so I was able to project it through their system. There’s more than one way to skin a cat! Or rather, there’s more than one way to project a slide program!

Having made those two amazing mistakes back to back gave me the impetus to get more systematized about loading my AV bag. Most items in that bag never leave it between speeches. My computer and power cord do. My current solution to make sure I’m never without my computer and power cord again is to have tags tied to my bag handles that read “Computer” and “Power Cord” when those items are not in the bag. They are reminders to make sure my computer and power cord are in the bag. When I put the computer in the bag, I’m going to take the computer tag off and put it in the bag. When I pull the computer out of the bag I’m going to tie the tag to the handle. I’ll do the same thing with the power cord tag. And, for good measure, I’m putting a flash drive with my speeches on it in the bag.

Making mistakes can lead to improved organizing solutions! I’ll bet I’m not likely to forget my computer or power cord again, or at least not any time soon!

© 2012 Clutter Clearing Community | Debbie Bowie

“Author, Organizing Expert and Feng Shui Practitioner Debbie Bowie, is a leading authority on clutter clearing to attract more of what you want in your life. If you’re ready to finally clear the clutter from your life and move your life forward, get your FREE TIP SHEET, “Feng Shui Tips for Instant Success” at http://www.clutterclearingcommunity.com.

Big news! I’m offering my first three hour public seminar on February 12 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Retail Merchants Association, 5101 Monument Avenue, Richmond, VA 23230.

Why bother spending three hours with me? In this seminar I will share proven strategies for clearing clutter and organizing your time and tasks so you can be more focused, productive and successful.

It’s so easy to lose your way in the volume of paper and things that come into your life. Once your space is cluttered so too is your brain. And, with more to do than ever before, are you making good choices about how you spend your time?

When you leave this presentation, you will be know how to tackle the clutter challenge using the Love It, Use It or Lose It™ method. You will be motivated to seize control of your time and tasks using proven prioritizing approaches. And, you will find that you are armed with an array of organizing tips that will make it possible for you to work with more focus, more momentum and less stress.

Please join me! Members of the Retail Merchants Association, NAPO VA, and my clients pay only $47. You too can pay just $47 if you preregister and prepay by February 5. The cost is $77 at the door.

To register, send a check for $47 to Rock Scissors Paper Institute, 7293 Jay Way, Mechanicsville, VA 23111 or call 804-730-4991 and leave credit card information including name on the card, number, expiration date and the three numbers on the back of the card.

Please pass the word about this seminar on to your friends and colleagues!

“Time will tell,” said Lee Sansom of Village Bank Mortgage. I had just finished a speech to the Mortgage Division entitled “Clearing Clutter to Create Prosperity” and Lee and I were talking with his manager, Ruth Hipp. Within minutes of that statement the door to the room burst open and in came one of the speech attendees with a large box in her arms. She smiled and said, “Don’t laugh! I’m starting with the big stuff.”

In my speech I teach that the best way to approach a clutter clearing project is clear big stuff first so you can see results immediately and be encouraged to keep clearing. Well, apparently that message was received!

© 2012 Clutter Clearing Community | Debbie Bowie

“Author, Organizing Expert and Feng Shui Practitioner Debbie Bowie, is a leading authority on clutter clearing to attract more of what you want in your life. If you’re ready to finally clear the clutter from your life and move your life forward, get your FREE TIP SHEET, “Feng Shui Tips for Instant Success” at http://www.clutterclearingcommunity.com.

This week I worked with a client in her two storage units. When she divorced and moved into a much smaller home she filled two small storage units with furniture and boxes that she couldn’t fit in her new home. It was to be a temporary storage solution. That was over 5 years ago.

Storage units seem like SUCH a convenient solution for things that don’t fit in your home or office. I had one for a short time when my parents divorced and my mother no longer had room to store my precious belongings that wouldn’t fit into my VW bug. The rent seemed low. And, it was an easy answer, easier than “getting real” about the value of the things I was paying to store.

I’ve since learned that anything that belongs to a person holds their energy, and in a sense is an extension of them. When you store things in a storage unit, you are dividing your energies in two locations. Having watched clients do this over the years, I noticed that having a storage unit seemed to keep a portion of their attention split off. When a part of you is split off, it’s very difficult to feel grounded and focused and make good decisions about your life.

This certainly has been true for my client. In the past five+ years she has been struggling to find her way post-divorce and post-retirement. Having her energies spit in thirds, in one condo and two storage units, probably has not helped. Our first goal is to eliminate one storage unit.

What about you? Are your energies split in several locations? What can you do to get yourself together?

© 2012 Clutter Clearing Community | Debbie Bowie

“Author, Organizing Expert and Feng Shui Practitioner Debbie Bowie, is a leading authority on clutter clearing to attract more of what you want in your life. If you’re ready to finally clear the clutter from your life and move your life forward, get your FREE TIP SHEET, “Feng Shui Tips for Instant Success” at http://www.clutterclearingcommunity.com.

“I never spend time at home.” Those were the words of a woman who recently heard me speak about clearing clutter to get more of what you really want.

When I hear those words they usually mean one of two things:

1. Her house has some serious clutter challenges because she doesn’t have enough time at home to do what it takes to maintain a clutter-free home.

2. Her home is so uncomfortable because of clutter that she’d rather be anywhere else.

People who are never home often develop the dangerous habit of “drop and plop.” When they do get home they are usually so tired that they drop their mail, their bags, their clothes, etc., and plop on the sofa or into bed from exhaustion. Consequently, the all important habits of regularly putting things away, throwing things away, and cleaning up take a back seat to the more pressing need to get rest from the exhaustion of doing too much.

If you suffer from “drop and plop” or if you are over-committed to the point where you have no time or energy to make maintaining a clutter-free home a priority, evaluate your commitments and let go of at least one.

Think of it this way. You are making space for your needs and your well being. Your ability to help others will only increase and deepen when you first MAKE TIME to take care of yourself!

Commit yourself to the path of a clutter-free human “being” by ceasing to be a human “doing!”

Let go and GO HOME!

© 2012 Clutter Clearing Community | Debbie Bowie

“Author, Organizing Expert and Feng Shui Practitioner Debbie Bowie, is a leading authority on clutter clearing to attract more of what you want in your life. If you’re ready to finally clear the clutter from your life and move your life forward, get your FREE TIP SHEET, “Feng Shui Tips for Instant Success” at http://www.clutterclearingcommunity.com.

Do you have a reliable filing system? Are you a disciplined filer? Setting up a filing system is not great fun (it’s really tedious, detailed work!), but the benefits of doing it and having important papers at your fingertips far outweigh the difficulty of the task. If you can’t make yourself set up a filing system, and the thought of filing makes you want to throw up, hire a professional organizer to get that task done! You’ll be glad you did the first time you really need to lay your hands on an important piece of paper.

I was recently reminded of the benefits of having a reliable filing system. My cell phone battery had been dying on me at the most inopportune times. What an annoyance! I postponed gong to Verizon to get the battery replaced AGAIN as long as I could. Going to the Verizon store is like entering a war zone!

When I finally bit the bullet, I was told I’d need the receipt for the battery because they didn’t keep a specific record of that transaction. Great! That’s when I started praying that I had followed my own filing system! I really have set up a filing system and do file regularly, but I swear that sometimes little birdies mess with my stuff! I just hoped I’d done what I should have done with that receipt! I had five hours driving from Bristol, VA back home to Richmond, VA to think about it.

It was nice knowing there was just one place to look for the receipt. If it wasn’t filed where it should have been, I was out of luck because I didn’t have a clue where else it could be! I’m happy to say I don’t have piles of miscellaneous papers lying around.

When I got home I went to the cell phone file inside the telephone file. And, there it was! The receipt was proof that the battery was only 6 months old. With that receipt in hand, a new battery was ordered with no hassle and no additional cost.

That incident reminded me again of why a good filing system and good filing habits can really reduce stress! It was so nice to know where to look for the receipt, to know there was just one place to look. Had I not found the receipt where it should have been, my dilemma of getting back to having a reliable phone would have been so much more of a hassle.

File and be happy!

© 2012 Clutter Clearing Community | Debbie Bowie

“Author, Organizing Expert and Feng Shui Practitioner Debbie Bowie, is a leading authority on clutter clearing to attract more of what you want in your life. If you’re ready to finally clear the clutter from your life and move your life forward, get your FREE TIP SHEET, “Feng Shui Tips for Instant Success” at http://www.clutterclearingcommunity.com.

It is a good rule of thumb to immediately do tasks that take less than two minutes to do. It’s a way to clear “little task” clutter. I’m talking about making that quick phone call to the hotel where you left a personal item to ask them to mail it back to you. Or, taking items all the way up to the attic instead of letting things accumulate at the bottom of the stairs. Or, filling out a form that needs to be sent back to school with your child.

If it’s a good rule of thumb, why did the little pile of the last Christmas decorations sit on a table annoying me for a week before I finally pulled down the attic stairs and put them away? Hmmm. . . .

I think I procrastinate on tasks that I think will take more time than they actually do. In my head pulling down those stairs, climbing the stairs and putting those items away seemed like a lot to do. The whole task took less than a minute to complete when I finally made myself do it!

I also procrastinate when there’s something I need to do before I can actually complete the action. In the case of the Christmas decorations, I really needed to get a plastic bag to put them in so they won’t get covered with attic scum. Just having to do that one simple, easy step before I could complete the task kept me procrastinating. Amazing!

And, finally, I procrastinate about things where there is a possibility of discomfort. In this case, the attic is very cold right now. I don’t like to go into cold places. That was the icing on the procrastination cake for me.

Wow! There were quite a few barriers to me getting those decorations to the attic! Time, an extra task and discomfort barriers. It wasn’t just one thing.

The next time you find yourself procrastinating about doing something that really should not be a big deal, take a moment to see if you can identify the physical, perceptual, emotional or psychological barriers. The first barrier I addressed was to get the plastic bag. That was easy! Once I did that and everything was ready to go, it was much easier to deal with my thinking about how long it might take to do the task and my dread of the cold. Often if you can make yourself take the first step, just removing the first barrier will give you the momentum to finish the task.

What two minute task are you procrastinating about? What’s the first step you must take to get it done? Just do it! Clearing “little task” clutter will allow you to more clearly see what really matters and make better decisions in every area of your life!

© 2012 Clutter Clearing Community | Debbie Bowie

“Author, Organizing Expert and Feng Shui Practitioner Debbie Bowie, is a leading authority on clutter clearing to attract more of what you want in your life. If you’re ready to finally clear the clutter from your life and move your life forward, get your FREE TIP SHEET, “Feng Shui Tips for Instant Success” at http://www.clutterclearingcommunity.com.

Today as I was putting away clean pots and pans I gave myself a pat on the back for having only three saucepans, one large pot, and two frying pans. Some time ago I deliberately pared down the number of stovetop pans I own so I could fit them all in one cabinet. Since I did that I’ve realized that I can accomplish my cooking activities with just six pans.

At one time I had many more pans, just in case. . . . Just in case what? I might grow another two burners? I might need a few extra pans available because the dishes hadn’t been washed? It is so nice not to be stressed by the task of cramming too many pans into my cabinet or fighting off pans that are falling out of the cabinet when I’m trying to get to a particular pan.

Why am I telling you about my pans? It occurred to me that the pan problem can occur anywhere in your home or office. Do you have duplicates of things that you just don’t use? Do you have more things in a drawer or cabinet than can comfortably fit in there. By comfortable I mean, you can retrieve what you want and put it back with minimal effort and stress. What can you thin out to lighten your load and make staying organized that much easier?

© 2012 Clutter Clearing Community | Debbie Bowie

“Author, Organizing Expert and Feng Shui Practitioner Debbie Bowie, is a leading authority on clutter clearing to attract more of what you want in your life. If you’re ready to finally clear the clutter from your life and move your life forward, get your FREE TIP SHEET, “Feng Shui Tips for Instant Success” at http://www.clutterclearingcommunity.com.

“I bought those curtains for my bedroom, but they don’t fit the windows.” This is the kind of statement I often hear when I explore the contents of a shopping bag in a client’s home. And, I’m thinking, “Then, why is it still here?”

Have you ever purchased something that just didn’t work the way you wanted it to? Or, have you ordered a CD course that you were sure was going to change your life for the better, but discovered that the speaker’s voice was intolerable? We’ve all done something like that from time to time.

Once you realized that what you bought was a mistake, what did you do? Did you return it? Or, did you just leave it in your space, immobilized by the feelings of regret about your choice?

Things you’ve purchased that just didn’t work out for you have “mistake” energy, a particularly toxic type of negative energy comparable to the energy of something that is broken. Every time you come across “the mistake” you remember its history, its flaws and you reconnect with the feelings of regret, disappointment, and perhaps even judgment of yourself for making the mistake. And, it also communicates, “There’s something you need to do to fix this problem.” It irritates you because it’s not right and needs tending.

Imagine this. In your space you have a collection of shopping bags, bags that contain items purchased that you don’t want because they aren’t what you really want or don’t work right in your space. They radiate “mistake” energy. They may be buried under other things like piles of recycling or clothes that need to be donated to a charity. But, they are still there holding the energy of the mistake you made. Because the energy of those items is so negative, it drains your energy even when you are no longer conscious that those items are still there. Because mistake energy is particularly toxic, when you have even small quantities of it in your space you run the risk of absorbing that energy. When you do that you begin to feel like you are a mistake. Mistake energy erodes self-confidence.

So, when you make a purchase that is a mistake, return the item immediately. The sooner the better. Some people seem to need a period of time to beat themselves up for their error. Self-flagellation is never helpful and a total waste of energy. Others struggle to follow through with tasks that need to be done. Not following through on tasks that have a direct effect on your self-esteem is a form of self-abuse. Fix those mistakes quickly and view that action as a matter of life and death for your self-esteem. You are worth the effort!

© 2012 Clutter Clearing Community | Debbie Bowie

“Author, Organizing Expert and Feng Shui Practitioner Debbie Bowie, is a leading authority on clutter clearing to attract more of what you want in your life. If you’re ready to finally clear the clutter from your life and move your life forward, get your FREE TIP SHEET, “Feng Shui Tips for Instant Success” at http://www.clutterclearingcommunity.com.

We all know that clutter clearing ALWAYS improves the feel of a space. But, many people ask me, “Where should I start?” Following are 9 tips to help you prioritize your clutter clearing efforts. The first three tips are focused on the best locations to begin clearing. The final seven tips identify the types of items to clear for immediate feng shui benefits.

1. Clear clutter from spaces that greet you when you first enter your home.

The condition of the space that greets you when you first enter your home has an immediate effect on your energy. If it’s neat, organized, clean and lovely, you will feel comforted and your energy is likely to go up. If, however, you are greeted by a chaotic environment with lots of clutter, dust and grime, your energy will plummet because you are being assaulted by the negative energy of the space. Create a clutter free greeting and everything that happens after you enter your home is likely to be more peaceful and positive.

2. Clear clutter from spaces where you spend the most time.

After you create a positive greeting you can move on to clear clutter from the kitchen, family room and bathroom areas, places where you spend significant amounts of time. The energy of places where you spend the most time have the most impact on your energy. Clutter clearing shifts the energies of those spaces from negative to positive. Positive energy results in positive interactions with others, positive experiences, and optimal productivity.

3. Clear clutter from your bedroom.

You spend more time sleeping than doing any other activity in your home. The quality of your sleep is directly affected by the condition of your bedroom. A cluttered bedroom is full of negative energy. Negative energy is noisy energy, alerting you to the fact that all is not well, that there are things that need to be done. It’s hard to sleep well when distracted by the shouting chorus of bedroom clutter. And, persistent clutter in the bedroom can have a profound impact on health because you are being exposed to that negative energy for prolonged periods of time.

4. Clear out anything you hate.

Why would you keep something you hate? Hated items are negative energy pure and simple. Their energy will make it easy for you to keep a negative focus. A negative focus will attract more negative circumstances into your life. If the hated item belongs to a family member, make sure it is located in an out of the way area where your aren’t greeted by it on a regular basis.

5. Clear out anything that is broken that can’t be quickly fixed or that is not worth fixing.

Broken things attract being broke or having a broken body (health issues). They are strong sources of negative energy requiring some type of work on your part. If you accumulate numerous broken items you are likely to start to feel broken. Decide quickly whether a broken item is worth the effort and/or cost necessary to fix it. If fixing it is not worth doing, pitch it quickly. If it is worth fixing, take immediate steps to fix it.

6. Clear out irritants that can’t be made less irritating.

Wires are a common source of irritation. If they can be bundled or hidden, they are usually less irritating or not irritating at all. A trash can that is too small for the needs of a space is an irritant when it is constantly full and overflowing. Removing it is the only option for reducing that irritant.

7. Clear out items that immediately remind you of a painful relationship, event or time in your life.

Items with painful negative associations hold the energy of the particular pain in place. It’s hard to move on to a more positive future when you are regularly exposed to the energies of old painful memories.

8. Clear out items that remind you of past failures.

If every time you look at an item you are reminded of a failure, you are being exposed to negative energy that says, “You are a failure!” It’s impossible to feel good about yourself and your successes when surrounded by failure energy. And, failure energy attracts more failure.

9. Clear out items that are used less than once a year.

Using an item is one way to keep its energy alive and positive. Items that are used less than once a year tend to have energies that have gone dead. Dead is negative. You wouldn’t keep dead animals or bugs in your space, why keep dead things. Either activate the item by using it more frequently or pitch it.