Getting Your Ducks (Or Geese) In A Row

Just before I was about to reach the school driveway earlier this week (I was going to pick up my daughter from softball practice) I noticed the large flock of Canadian Geese that lives nearby, off to one side of the road. 

When I was only feet away from them, one silly goose who was closest to the road started to very casually wander into my path. YIKES!

I honked as I put on the brakes. 

But he paid me no mind.  He acted as if he hadn't even heard a sound, continuing to amble casually across the street. And then his buddy decided to follow him. 

And then another friend too...

Next thing I knew EVERYONE--all 15,000 geese (no, I am NOT exaggerating)--had decided to cross the road.  And I was going to get nowhere fast. 

So, WHY am I telling you about this?  It is because the way these geese crossed the road was meaningful, and we can learn something from it...

Really???!?

Really. 

At first, these birds were all over the place. The message that 'IT WAS TIME' to cross the road had not reached everyone, there was no order, rhyme, or reason to how they were moving--disorganized pairings of feathered friends went to and fro (what are we doing? ohhh right, we are crossing the road!), stopping to preen themselves in the middle of the road even--why rush?!? But within a few minutes, the whole operation gained momentum and purpose. Their ducks--ahem, *geese*--were in a row. And they were moving forward!

It is like this with our houses when we decide we want things to change for the better. It can be messy at first, and seem to lack a plan. The other people we live with don't really understand what is going on (what are we doing??), and they may question your resolve (Ohhh she has tried this whole "organization" thing before. Ignore her--it'll be over soon enough).

The important thing is to remember to slowly keep moving forward-- putting one cute little webbed foot in front of the other, decluttering one drawer, one pile of papers, one bag to Goodwill at a time. No shouting, cajoling, or fretting needed.

Ignore those that honk at you. You are on a mission. You are going to get to the other side.

The momentum and purpose that is created is powerful. Big changes can happen in little baby steps taken one after another. I see this all the time with my Keep Moving Forward clients. Our meetings of just two hours each month completely change their houses for the better, and I am amazed & filled with gratitude each time I experience it with them. 

SO, set your intention. Walk on. Keep moving forward! Your peaceful, nurturing home is SO CLOSE... just a few purposeful steps away.

My House On Philly Mag's Property Blog!

I am so excited to share something very exciting that happened while I was away in Maine last week on our family vacation...

You see, back in 1996 when my husband and I bought our house, it looked like this:

And I cooked our meals in a kitchen that looked like this:

At that time I was working as a psychiatric nurse, we had no children yet, and we bought our house knowing that both of us longed for a creative project (well, okay…especially me).  Little did we know that the purchase of this house would help me to launch a business a decade later and help me realize a dream. 

And now, 18 years later my home and my business is featured in Philadelphia Magazine's Property blog. Somebody pinch me. 

You can read the article and see all of Laura Kicey's amazing photographs here.

Spoiler alert: the kitchen looks a little different now. :)

What an amazing journey it has been, and continues to be. I am truly honored, humbled and so excited about the future helping YOU to create a nurturing and beautiful home that helps you to live your life to the fullest!

Here's To Your Independence!

Since today is the day before Independence Day, I thought it would be good if we talked about some things that can keep us from truly experiencing freedom...

In my line of work, the thing that most often keeps people from feeling free is the excess of STUFF in their lives. So how does decluttering promote freedom?!? Getting rid of stuff that we don't love and don't find useful gives us...

• Freedom From Guilt--are you still holding on to the cake plate that was a wedding gift from your Aunt Florence just because you feel guilty about getting rid of it?? Let it go (along with all of those negative emotions), and know that it doesn't mean you love Auntie Flo any less.
• Freedom From Debt-having just what we need and love around us keeps things simple, and makes it easier to live within our means.
• Freedom From Claustrophobia-less stuff means MORE SPACE. Nothing like some more elbow room to make us feel free.
• Freedom From Dust-all those things that are kicking around in our house are things that we have to MANAGE and TAKE CARE OF. Give yourself freedom from more things to dust. Donate them and let them go bless someone else.

Declare your independence today! Promise yourself that you will spend just 15 minutes sometime this weekend clearing out things that you don't love and/or don't find useful. You will be amazed at how much more free your time and your spirits will be!

The Afterthought That Is Your Home Office

Revealing Redesign's 'World Headquarters' :)

There can be many problems that come from focusing on your work but never focusing on HOW you work...

A couple of years ago, I was working with a client who was frustrated with a number of things around her house, and she especially wanted my help in re-thinking her master bedroom. As we talked things through and toured the house, we arrived in the room that bothered her the most...

Yes, there was some clutter. Yes, there was a lack of “pretty.” But the thing that smacked me in the face as I looked around the bedroom were the objects that were right next to her side of the bed. 

“What’s this?” I asked.

“Oh! Well, you know, I work from home just one or two days a week, and this set up just seemed to work for that....”

This woman was a successful professional woman---a successful professional woman who had placed a cheap card table and an ugly grey filing cabinet in her master bedroom. 

Because a home workspace is usually all about getting the work done --professional or personal--we quickly shoehorn our home workspace into whatever open square footage is available and just get down to business.  But taking a minute to focus on how we work can have far-reaching implications for our productivity and pleasure while working, so let's think through some very important questions:

How Do I Want To Work?: It is good to dream a little here. Picture what your workspace would be if there were no limitations. What environment, colors, and furnishings would inspire and nurture your creativity and productivity? If we are honest and allow ourselves to think big, that rickety card table and dusty old file cabinet won’t stand a chance. 

How Do I Complete Tasks?: I once knew a writer whose printer was across the room from her computer, necessitating that she hook up a long cord each time she wanted a hard copy of what she was working on...and that was several times a day. It wasn’t until she looked at her “how” that she saw this for the time waster that it was. We all do things in the trenches that we wouldn’t do if we had a bird’s eye view. Step back from your daily tasks and scrutinize how your space is set up.  Make sure it is especially easy  to accomplish the things you do all the time.

How Do I Want My Work To Fit Into My Life?:  We would never answer this question by saying, “Well, I would like my sleep and sex life to be negatively affected by my work!” but that is a likely outcome when you choose to house your office in your bedroom. Make sure that your choice of space serves your vision for your life overall.

Honor yourself and what you do for a living by making your home office all it can be--not an afterthought, but a well designed, well thought-out place that enables you to do your best work.