I Helped My Parents do some Purging

Last week I was on the East Coast where my parents live and besides celebrating my dad’s 78th birthday I helped my parents do a little purging in the garage.  I would have loved to stay for another month.  We could have easily worked in the basement and attic as well and gotten a lot more done. Peeled back a lot more layers so to speak.  My parents aren’t moving anywhere just yet but maybe down the road they’d like to downsize and move into a retirement community.  In that event it’s smart to start the process early and really start to whittle down.  They’ve lived in their home for 42 years.  And when you live somewhere that long it’s inevitable that you accumulate stuff.  Things that aren’t really serving you anymore and that you don’t really need.

When you have stuff you don’t need around you it weighs you down. It clouds your thoughts.  And I know for my parents too much stuff has been weighing them down. 

I’m not gonna lie, it wasn’t totally easy working with my parents.  I think there were so many charged emotions. Maybe I reverted back to being 15 again.  And I’m not sure I was totally being as patient as I could have been.  I may have thrown the term hoarder around and my mom may have called me evil. We took one very large load to the thrift store and made a plan for giving lots of other things away. We made a really good dent in the garage.  After I arrived back on the west coast when the dust had settled my parents thanked me again and told me how much they appreciated my help.  I’ll be back again for another round as soon as they say they want my help again. 

In the meantime I’ve reminded them to do a few things to help with the process of letting go.

• Really ask yourself, is this serving me?  Do I REALLY need this?
  

• If I don’t need this can someone else use this?  Maybe someone else will cherish this as much as I did.
  

• And when you are purchasing something ask yourself, do I really need to bring this home?  Again, do I really need this?
  

Too Much Stuff

I just booked a ticket to see my parents in a few weeks for the Memorial day weekend and my dad’s 78th birthday.  My main reason to go home is to start helping them get rid of stuff.  They’re not totally hoarders but there's a gray area.  Hi mom and dad, I know you read my newsletter ;).  Or maybe they’re on the spectrum we’ll say.  Let’s just say that the basement and garage need help.

They’re not moving anytime soon but they do entertain the idea of downsizing and moving into a retirement community someday and that would mean most everything would need to go. But go where?  My siblings and I don’t want most of the things. This is the dilemma that my generation faces.  Our parents hold on to things like china and family silver that they think we might want but it’s a hard sell to us.  We don’t have space for that stuff.  I know I don’t have room in my house or garage for any more things.

Here’s how I plan to help them.

Start to purge.  Really purge. Take things to the dump.  Recycle what we can.  And throw things in the trash that are broken or that no one wants.

I’d love to help them post some things on craigslist or offer up. Just to make space.  To free up some space to think more clearly.  Especially things to give away for free that someone else might want and put to good use. My parents would love to know that their things might find a good second home.

I always hope that when I’m helping someone get rid of things that I will light the fire within them to continue doing it on their own. 

I’d love to work with you to help light the fire to feel more centered and organized!  

How I'm finding an extra hour in the day to write

For quite a few years now I’ve had this really strong urge to write a book. I figure even if I’m the only one that will read it, I’m ok with that.  I just need to do it.  I have so many stories to tell and I think I’m pretty good at doing it. I’ve had experiences unique to me and my therapist says that I’m quite good at articulating them.  I think I was inspired in 2021 when the LA Times published an article I submitted (you can read it here if you like).  I had a lot of fun writing it and the feedback I got was amazing. The editor from the LA Times told me to please keep writing.  That the world needed to hear my stories.  Maria Shriver even read my piece, loved it and had her editor reach out to me to write a piece for her weekly newsletter the Sunday Paper here.  I was flattered and I think more than anything it gave me the impetus to write more.

Since then I’ve started and stopped and spent more time thinking about writing than actually doing it.  I was in an amazing accountability group for my business for about three years and from time to time would add in writing as a goal.  That definitely helped but I don’t think I was being totally honest with myself about my goal. Maybe I wasn’t ready to really dive deep into my writing.

 I was gifted a session with a psychic recently and she told me that I absolutely needed to write my book. I took it as another sign. She mentioned that there are online courses where you can write a book in 40 days. It sounded really silly at first but after a week or so started  mulling it over.  I’m now on day 5. It’s basically an accountability platform for writing.  It’s just the jumpstart I needed to get my booty in gear.  I’ve set the goal for myself that I would write 500 words a day five days a week. I basically sit for an hour and let the words flow.  Somehow I’m ready now to take this on.  I’ve made it my priority.  I’m waking up earlier to write and use some evenings after dinner.  It somehow doesn’t feel hard to find the time.

Who knows where this will go but my goal is to write 20,000 words in 40 days.  I’d love it if you checked in with me to ask me how it’s going.  I would love accountability.  

If you have a project that you’d love to work on or complete and need help finding an extra hour in the day I’d love to help.  Please don’t hesitate to reach out. If you’ like to book a call with me to find out more, click HERE!

3 Easy Ways to Get Time Back for Yourself

Can you believe it’s almost March?!  We’re still having winter weather here in Santa Barbara so spring does not really feel like it’s around the corner.

I was interviewed on a podcast yesterday by my coach, Elaine Lou Cartas who was named the #1 thought leader recently by LA Weekly.  She asked me to give her listeners 3 things to get more time back for yourself.  I thought I would share them with you.

So here they are:

• Start saying NO to the things that you don’t feel aligned with.  Maybe it’s a book club you joined 2 years ago and you’re starting to dread going.  You can politely say that you’ve loved your time in the book club but you’re needing to take back some of your time for other things.  When you say no, you’re modeling for other people that it’s also ok to say no by setting boundaries.
  

• Wake up earlier!  Even 15 minutes will give you a jumpstart on the day and let you ease into your morning.  This might mean you need to go to bed a little earlier.  You’ll be so glad you did.  Trust me on this one.  There is nothing better than a good night's sleep and not feeling rushed in the morning.  
  

• Schedule in time for yourself.  This sounds really simple but we seldom think to schedule ourselves on our calendar.  Just do it.  Schedule that yoga class in . Or eating lunch. Get in the habit each week scheduling in some me time.  

  If you’d like to know more about my coaching, click here to schedule a call.

Why Coaching?

Someone asked me the other day why they would hire an organizational coach instead of just having someone come and organize their space for them and I responded that there are so many reasons.  To really get to the root of the problem of disorganization and not just reaching for a quick fix.   When I work with you, I will help you create new habits, systems and routines for organization. We’ll dive deep and create a foundation for feeling grounded and streamlined in your life.  These are lifelong habits you’ll be creating. 

In my coaching program I’ll coach you on: 

• Creating systems and processes
  

• Work/life balance
  

• How to say No by creating boundaries
  

• Using your calendar more effectively
  

• How to streamline your day and feel more grounded
  

 It takes about 90 days to create a new habit that will stick and become second nature is why my coaching program is 12 weeks. In this time we’ll create the groundwork for not just getting organized but developing lifelong habits to help you stay organized.  If you or anyone you know are interested in creating new habits for organization, here’s how to schedule a call here.

The World Bank Hired Me to Speak to Them

Sorry I’ve been mia these past few weeks.  I was asked to speak at the World Bank on organization.  They asked me to present two 90 minute break out sessions to the 200 accountants of the DC office of the World Bank for their annual controllers forum.  Since they're just going to hybrid work now they wanted me to share some tips and tricks for hybrid work.

I flew home to DC last Tuesday and presented Wednesday and Thursday.  It was especially exciting for me because I grew up in the DC area and my parents still live there.  The part I loved most was riding the metro to work.  I presented at the Grand Hyatt DC which was so cool because I never had to leave the metro there was an entrance from inside the station.

It was so relaxing to be able to stay at my parents house while I was there.  I was by myself (without my son or boyfriend) and got to enjoy my parents solo.  I also took a long hot bath every night which was such a luxury because there isn't a drought in Virginia.

What was most fun was how invigorating and exciting it felt to be teaching again.  I truly believe my purpose in life is to teach and coach.  What is exciting to you right now?