One of the most common problem areas my clients struggle with is how to set up a work space within the home when they don’t have a spare room which can double as a home office. They are often forced to set up their computer on the dining room table, kitchen bench, living area, and even in the bedroom. This is all very well, and can work if you are disciplined enough to put everything away when you’ve finished your ‘work session’, so the area or room can be restored to its original purpose. Unfortunately the papers, files and bits and pieces that need to be actioned often stay there. You’re not only then left with a clutter area, which doesn’t go away, but you are also diminishing your living space whether it’s the dining room table or kitchen bench. And when your papers are left lying around and not tucked away, you don’t get to forget about them and really relax.

I’m not saying not to use the available bench or table space to work on your laptop, what I am suggesting is that you ‘hide’ everything away when you’ve finished. Here are a couple of suggestions which my clients have found work well: [Read more…]

I’m very excited to be able to tell you about my latest venture – I have co-written a book on Decluttering packed with hundreds of ideas and practical solutions to declutter your home, and stay uncluttered. After almost eight years as a professional declutterer/organiser working in my clients’ homes, offices and businesses, I decided to write this book which is effectively a do-it-yourself easy to follow plan on how to declutter and organise any room in your house, including your garage and/or garden shed.

[Read more…]

You may know that my company name, Gioia, is an Italian word meaning “joy” and that for me is what it’s all about. I count my joys [and blessings] daily and find them in countless guises. Here are just a few of my joys:

– Wonderful family and friends who enrich my life.
– My business which provides me with the opportunity to meet so many lovely people; it brings me joy and I believe makes a difference.
– I love and appreciate our beautiful city every day.
– And of course, I take joy in my home; it is my haven to come home to each day and the peacefulness and order of my surroundings allows me to relax with a sigh of pleasure.

We all have joys in our lives, such as precious family members, special friends, pets, and the opportunity to enjoy our livelihood. Why wouldn’t we want also the joy of a home which is free of clutter? I know you’re probably thinking – okay she finally got it in there. Yes, I had to say it, because clutter really can cause disruptions, frustration, and in some cases even misery. I can’t stress enough what a difference it makes when you declutter and organise your home, and workplace. [Read more…]

I am a great believer in not cluttering up my mind with things I need to remember to do and I confess I am one of those ‘list makers’. However my idea of fun is not searching through a mass of paper, magazines, newspapers etc to find the reminder note I need. So this month I’m going to purely talk about notebooks. Those practical hard covered little books which fulfill a number of purposes, and are so wonderfully portable if you want to carry one in your bag or briefcase.

There are a number of quite diverse purposes for which you can use notebooks:

[Read more…]

You may have heard me say this before, but it bears repeating: the one thing that will make a huge difference to your decluttering efforts in your home is to “clear the surfaces”. Now I know that many do just that moments before visitors arrive, however I also suspect that everything gets shoved into a drawer, under the bed, or in the spare room with the door shut. And then doesn’t get sorted or put away later, and just becomes a jumble of clutter.

Think about how nice the house looks when you have done this rushed, and sometimes desperate, declutter of the surfaces. Wouldn’t it be nice to keep that look and feel. [Read more…]