Declutter Your Mind and Space: Transform Your Life

Subscribe to the video podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@SomaMandalsays/videos   In this episode of 'Soma Says,' Dr. Soma welcomes Melanie Summers, the founder of 'I Speak Organized.' Melanie shares her journey from helping a friend with chronic disorganization to becoming a prominent figure in the organization industry. She discusses her approach to helping busy women and professionals, especially those with ADHD, declutter their lives. Melanie offers practical tips such as 'putting the house to bed,' and insightful strategies for maintaining organization. The conversation touches on the holistic benefits of organization for physical and mental health. Additionally, Melanie shares resources like her YouTube channel, books, and public speaking engagements to further assist those looking to lead a more organized and fulfilling life.     00:00 Introduction to Today's Guest: Melanie Summers 00:43 Disclaimer and Show Start 01:25 Melanie's Journey into Professional Organizing 04:35 Challenges and Solutions in Home Organization 11:38 Organizing for Mental Health and Well-being 25:16 Practical Tips for Staying Organized 28:52 Teaching Kids Organizational Skills 32:41 Resources and Final Thoughts   To learn more about Melanie Summers and her organizing business, please visit: https://ispeakorganized.com/   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ispeakorganized/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ispeakorganized/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ispeakorganized

Episode Transcript

(00:01):
Hi, this is Dr.
Soma.
Just a disclaimer, this podcast is for informational purposes only and isn't intended as medical advice.
Always consult with your doctor before making any changes to your diet, exercise, or health regimen.
Let's go to the show.

(00:43):
Welcome back to Soma Says.
I'm thrilled to introduce our guest today, Melanie Summers.
Melanie is the creative force behind I Speak Organized, where she empowers busy women to declutter their lives and homes with simple, sustainable solutions. 9 00:00:59,509.999 --> 00:01:03,579.999 With a background in education and a passion for organization. 10 00:01:04,9.999 --> 00:01:08,879.999 she's transformed countless spaces into functional and beautiful environments. 11 00:01:09,249.999 --> 00:01:16,779.999 Melanie is also a devoted mom and entrepreneur, balancing her professional expertise with the demands of family life. 12 00:01:17,89.999 --> 00:01:24,659.999 Get ready to be inspired by her practical tips and motivational insights on living a more organized and fulfilling life. 13 00:01:24,919.999 --> 00:01:25,789.999 Let's dive in. 14 00:01:27,636.144 --> 00:01:29,366.144 I discovered the. 15 00:01:29,551.144 --> 00:01:33,161.144 power of giving somebody their life back. 16 00:01:35,7.289 --> 00:01:39,92.289 if you just break it down into small manageable chunks, You'd gamify it. 17 00:01:40,892.289 --> 00:01:44,862.289 You'd give yourself an expectation and a boundary and number boundary works really well. 18 00:01:45,572.289 --> 00:01:49,162.289 Then you can start to make slow, incremental, consistent progress over time. 19 00:01:49,162.289 --> 00:01:52,472.289 hire a professional, stop feeling bad about it. 20 00:01:54,282.289 --> 00:01:56,992.288 Like you should be able to do it all yourself. 21 00:01:56,992.289 --> 00:02:02,52.289 Stop shitting on yourself and allow somebody else in to help you get through it. 22 00:02:03,862.289 --> 00:02:14,367.289 Yeah let's just dive into it what led you down this journey to help other people who need help with organization and decluttering. 23 00:02:14,777.289 --> 00:02:18,67.289 What inspired you to do that? Great question. 24 00:02:18,382.289 --> 00:02:20,322.289 Two things and I'll try to keep it brief. 25 00:02:20,422.289 --> 00:02:26,732.289 The first one being back in about 2016 my husband, my boy, he was my boyfriend at the time. 26 00:02:26,732.289 --> 00:02:38,332.289 He and I had a mutual friend whose mom was battling breast cancer and she and her family needed to refinance their home to free up some cash to pay for treatment. 27 00:02:38,342.289 --> 00:02:40,472.289 So she was getting ready to go in for that. 28 00:02:40,782.289 --> 00:02:44,962.288 And they were, I didn't know anything about professional home organizing at the time. 29 00:02:45,377.289 --> 00:02:50,147.289 But they were what I would now consider to be chronically disorganized, a chronic accumulation disorder. 30 00:02:50,147.289 --> 00:02:59,557.289 And we went in there with a bunch of friends and we decluttered and organized as much of the space as we could so that their appraisal value would be higher. 31 00:03:00,17.288 --> 00:03:03,897.388 And My friends were like, wow, you're really good at this. 32 00:03:03,907.388 --> 00:03:05,267.388 You're good manager. 33 00:03:05,267.388 --> 00:03:06,357.388 You know what to do. 34 00:03:06,387.388 --> 00:03:09,147.3875 You were very calm and, felt zero pressure. 35 00:03:09,147.3875 --> 00:03:10,337.388 I feel so much better. 36 00:03:10,687.387 --> 00:03:14,797.387 Can you come back and help us with this again? And so I came back a few times and help them with that. 37 00:03:14,797.388 --> 00:03:18,897.388 And over the process of doing that, I discovered the. 38 00:03:19,82.388 --> 00:03:22,692.388 power of giving somebody their life back. 39 00:03:22,692.388 --> 00:03:28,772.388 And I realized there was more to this than just making things look pretty and neat and tidy, there's way more to it than that. 40 00:03:28,772.388 --> 00:03:36,932.3875 And so that was my initial plunge into discovering that it was an actual industry full of various different stories. 41 00:03:36,952.3875 --> 00:03:39,252.3875 Services and it was a real career. 42 00:03:39,252.3875 --> 00:03:44,602.3865 Fast forward a little bit to 2019 where I was still in my previous career and I had just had my first child. 43 00:03:44,602.3875 --> 00:03:50,372.3875 And I realized in becoming a mom, just how difficult it is to function in a disorganized space. 44 00:03:50,372.3875 --> 00:03:56,872.3875 And I have ADHD, I struggle with executive function and time blindness to this day is, something that I really struggle with. 45 00:03:56,872.3875 --> 00:04:10,427.3865 And learning all of the different skills of how to manage my And going on my own organizing and decluttering journey, and then learning about productivity practices and how to manage my time and my schedules and my routines better really, truly changed my life. 46 00:04:10,477.3875 --> 00:04:18,337.3875 And that's when the pandemic hit a year later, I realized that I wanted to begin my entrepreneurial journey. 47 00:04:18,367.3865 --> 00:04:21,767.3875 I no longer wanted to work for other people, wanted to do my own thing. 48 00:04:22,257.3875 --> 00:04:27,837.387 And that was where I remembered my experiences years before with what I was experiencing now. 49 00:04:27,837.387 --> 00:04:28,497.3875 And it just. 50 00:04:29,212.3875 --> 00:04:31,222.3875 Happened, I speak organized, was born. 51 00:04:32,932.3875 --> 00:04:49,827.3875 And so your company was born at that time? And how do you work? Do people call you to help get them organized or, tell me about, what kind of people do you help and what are the most common organizational challenges that you deal with? Sure. 52 00:04:49,857.3875 --> 00:04:50,267.3875 Yeah. 53 00:04:50,297.3875 --> 00:05:00,607.3875 My business has shifted over the years and I've become more of a thought leader in the industry where I do a lot of speaking engagements and education and workshops for various different types of businesses. 54 00:05:00,867.3865 --> 00:05:04,727.3865 I work with a lot of healthcare facilities, a lot of mental health facilities. 55 00:05:04,757.3875 --> 00:05:06,67.3875 I work with a lot of therapists. 56 00:05:06,567.3875 --> 00:05:08,677.3875 Helping their clients that have ADHD. 57 00:05:08,717.3875 --> 00:05:12,577.3875 I'm an ADHD organizing specialist, which some people laugh when I say that. 58 00:05:12,897.3875 --> 00:05:16,487.3865 But it's a real thing that you can get certified for. 59 00:05:16,487.3865 --> 00:05:24,492.2875 But in terms of the physical organizing aspect, my, my project manager and all of my assistant organizers work onsite with. 60 00:05:24,492.4875 --> 00:05:28,122.3875 And we work with all different types of people. 61 00:05:28,122.3875 --> 00:05:29,182.3875 It's not just folks. 62 00:05:29,182.3875 --> 00:05:37,922.387 I think there's a misconception that organization like home organizing is a luxury service, but we really work with people that live in small apartments. 63 00:05:37,922.387 --> 00:05:41,652.3865 We work with people that live in large 10, 000 square foot homes by the lake. 64 00:05:42,672.3875 --> 00:05:49,736.07840909 And we work with folks who generally I think it's generally speaking, when somebody calls a professional organizer, there's been a trauma that has occurred. 65 00:05:50,236.07840909 --> 00:05:54,186.07740909 There's been a death in the family, or there's been an accumulation of somebody else's stuff. 66 00:05:54,686.07840909 --> 00:05:56,226.07840909 There is existed. 67 00:05:56,236.07740909 --> 00:05:57,656.07740909 There's an existing condition. 68 00:05:57,666.07840909 --> 00:06:05,376.07940909 There's there may be it might be a senior citizen who is disabled and can't physically do the work or they've had a stroke and they need somebody to come and help them. 69 00:06:05,436.07940909 --> 00:06:13,196.07940909 Or they're getting ready to transition from their home that they lived in for 35 years to an assisted living facility or a smaller apartment. 70 00:06:13,696.07940909 --> 00:06:15,876.07940909 A lot of people are loving to age in place these days. 71 00:06:15,886.07940909 --> 00:06:19,196.07940909 So lots of different folks come to us. 72 00:06:19,246.07940909 --> 00:06:29,966.07940909 But generally speaking, there is some trauma, anxiety, depression, neurodivergence or some form of disability that prevents them from getting organized and they're just overwhelmed. 73 00:06:31,516.08040909 --> 00:06:36,886.08040909 As I was mentioning to you before, I still find it challenging. 74 00:06:37,221.08040909 --> 00:06:47,601.08040909 To get myself organized in certain ways, mostly because of the lack of time, or maybe because I don't make the time for it. 75 00:06:47,921.08040909 --> 00:07:06,126.07940909 How do you educate your clients to, Make the time, what tricks do you, advise them to what, after you help them organize, what educational tools do you provide for them so that they continue maintaining the organization? Yeah. 76 00:07:06,136.08040909 --> 00:07:06,916.08040909 Great question. 77 00:07:07,151.08040909 --> 00:07:08,891.08040909 And it's going to look different for everybody. 78 00:07:09,451.08040909 --> 00:07:13,171.08040909 And it depends on how you utilize your 24 hours in a day. 79 00:07:13,171.08040909 --> 00:07:23,941.07840909 I think that there is a, there's a huge pressure, especially as women that we put on ourselves to be everything, and you're a physician, you're a busy person. 80 00:07:23,941.07940909 --> 00:07:27,431.07940909 I actually work with a lot of people in the healthcare industry. 81 00:07:27,701.07940909 --> 00:07:34,851.07940909 A lot of folks, doctors, nurses tech assistants, people that work very long, crazy hours. 82 00:07:34,861.07940909 --> 00:07:44,691.07840909 And it's just, it's unrealistic and it's unfair in my opinion, quite frankly, to then task yourself with all of those extra responsibilities at home. 83 00:07:44,701.07940909 --> 00:07:51,741.08040909 And then, other people that don't work in the healthcare industry, people that, are single, we work with a lot of single moms who are everything to everybody. 84 00:07:51,741.08040909 --> 00:08:03,36.08040909 They're both parents and they're taking their kids from One activity to another and then they're making the dinner and they're trying to clean their home and they're trying to host Thanksgiving and they're just doing all the things. 85 00:08:03,46.08040909 --> 00:08:05,376.08040909 It's just, it's a lot and I can relate. 86 00:08:05,386.08040909 --> 00:08:11,56.08040909 I run two businesses and I work for an arts organization and I homeschool my children. 87 00:08:11,56.08040909 --> 00:08:11,846.08040909 I'm insane. 88 00:08:11,856.07940909 --> 00:08:12,526.07940909 Like I get it. 89 00:08:12,946.07940909 --> 00:08:14,536.08040909 So I hire a house cleaner. 90 00:08:14,926.08040909 --> 00:08:21,836.08040909 I actually have my staff come and organize in my own home sometimes because there's only 24 hours in a day. 91 00:08:22,406.08040909 --> 00:08:32,646.07940909 And you have to be realistic with what you're going to be doing with those times that you need rest and relaxation So the biggest piece of advice, two things. 92 00:08:32,646.08040909 --> 00:08:38,845.98040909 One would be to set realistic expectations about what you are physically doing. 93 00:08:39,956.08040909 --> 00:08:48,436.08040909 Emotionally capable of doing are you really going to want to spend your two free hours that maybe that's all you have in the week. 94 00:08:48,446.07940909 --> 00:08:52,826.07940909 Are you really going to want to spend that time decluttering and organizing your pantry? No. 95 00:08:53,106.07940909 --> 00:08:55,66.07940909 So cut the check and hire the organizer. 96 00:08:55,86.08040909 --> 00:08:55,815.98040909 Let them do it for you. 97 00:08:55,856.08040909 --> 00:08:56,356.08040909 for you. 98 00:08:56,376.08040909 --> 00:08:58,146.08040909 That's what we love to do. 99 00:08:58,686.08040909 --> 00:08:59,906.08040909 And that's why we're there. 100 00:08:59,906.08040909 --> 00:09:00,986.08040909 We're there to help you. 101 00:09:00,986.08040909 --> 00:09:02,636.08040909 So stop putting the pressure on yourself. 102 00:09:02,666.08040909 --> 00:09:03,546.08040909 That's the first thing. 103 00:09:04,66.08040909 --> 00:09:13,246.07990909 The second thing is if you really just don't have the wherewithal or the money to invest in, in hiring somebody, break it down into smaller steps. 104 00:09:13,246.07990909 --> 00:09:15,316.08090909 So I love to gamify things. 105 00:09:15,786.08090909 --> 00:09:21,806.08090909 So I will look at my schedule and I'll say, all right, where do I realistically have a block of time? Maybe it's 20 minutes. 106 00:09:22,171.08090909 --> 00:09:33,791.08090909 Where I can devote, I can set a timer and I can devote that time to organizing my desk because it's driving me insane and I can't get anything done and I've lost all my patient notes and what, whatever else I need to do. 107 00:09:34,731.07990909 --> 00:09:38,181.08090909 Set a timer for 10 minutes and just start working through it. 108 00:09:38,511.07990909 --> 00:09:45,421.08090909 Or you can gamify it by saying, I'm going to try to remove 10 items from one room every single day. 109 00:09:46,66.08090909 --> 00:09:47,296.08090909 So you start with your bedroom. 110 00:09:47,306.08090909 --> 00:09:56,721.08090909 What are 10 items I can get rid of today? What are 10 items I can get rid of in my bathroom tomorrow? And so if you just break it down into small manageable chunks, You'd gamify it. 111 00:09:56,721.08090909 --> 00:10:00,691.08090909 You'd give yourself an expectation and a boundary and number boundary works really well. 112 00:10:01,401.08090909 --> 00:10:04,991.08090909 Then you can start to make slow, incremental, consistent progress over time. 113 00:10:04,991.08090909 --> 00:10:12,471.07990909 And if you're just truly, totally overwhelmed, have a friend help you hire a professional, stop putting the pressure on yourself to do it all. 114 00:10:13,736.08090909 --> 00:10:14,486.08090909 I think you're right. 115 00:10:14,486.08090909 --> 00:10:18,876.08090909 And I think, doing it in little bits instead of overwhelming yourself. 116 00:10:19,86.08090909 --> 00:10:25,416.08090909 It's similar to a lot of things, when you practice medicine, patients come in and they're like, I want to lose 50 pounds. 117 00:10:25,936.07990909 --> 00:10:40,531.08090909 And I'm like, so I'm like, okay, instead of focusing on the 50 pounds, why don't we focus on five pounds over the next year? Four to six weeks and let's do it in this way and we'll do it in little increments. 118 00:10:40,831.08090909 --> 00:10:44,61.08090909 So that you don't feel overwhelmed and that you have a goal. 119 00:10:44,81.08090909 --> 00:10:47,251.08090909 So it sounds like it's like a similar kind of thing. 120 00:10:47,651.07990909 --> 00:11:12,731.08090909 A lot of people might be wondering why I even introduced this topic, but I purposely invited you to my podcast because I meet a lot of professionals who are both my patients and not my patients who really feel overwhelmed with the organization of their homes and perhaps even at work and they find it, it causes a lot of anxiety. 121 00:11:13,91.08090909 --> 00:11:26,21.08090909 And as you can imagine, I see patients of various types, some of who may have ADHD or other issues that they feel overwhelmed in terms of keeping themselves organized. 122 00:11:26,311.08090909 --> 00:11:33,41.08090909 with their health issues and their health data, as well as their appointments. 123 00:11:33,481.08090909 --> 00:11:43,931.07990909 As someone who works with people who have ADHD, how do you help people who are like that, that have these kind of struggles? Yeah. 124 00:11:43,991.07990909 --> 00:11:44,261.07990909 Yeah. 125 00:11:44,261.08090909 --> 00:11:45,391.07990909 That's a great question. 126 00:11:45,431.08090909 --> 00:11:58,521.08190909 And I just, In general, if you think about it, people that don't think about home organization or just, organizing in general if you don't nerd out about it, like I do 24 seven, you may not realize that it's just a holistic approach to life. 127 00:11:58,831.08190909 --> 00:12:13,411.08190909 And It really is the first domino in a cascade of various different effects that if you have certain things in place, other aspects of your life, your health, and your mental health all come together into a much more functional state of being. 128 00:12:13,421.08190909 --> 00:12:31,486.08190909 So in terms of the ADHD aspects, so those are folks that are struggling with executive function, time management, there's unhealthy coping skills that come along with that because they have They've had to deal with not being able to remember all of the details. 129 00:12:31,496.08190909 --> 00:12:33,756.08190909 Short term recall is an issue. 130 00:12:34,196.08190909 --> 00:12:36,466.08190909 Object permanence is an issue. 131 00:12:36,816.08190909 --> 00:12:47,986.08190909 So we're really helping those clients simplify their lives and give them healthier coping skills so that they Don't feel as overwhelmed. 132 00:12:47,996.08190909 --> 00:12:54,996.08190909 They don't feel as anxious or depressed because those things often are the result of not taking care of the root cause. 133 00:12:55,6.08190909 --> 00:13:00,566.08290909 We are setting them up with really simple organizing systems in their homes and removing a lot of the pressure. 134 00:13:00,566.08290909 --> 00:13:03,826.08290909 So we implement what I call the one action or the one hand test. 135 00:13:04,1.08290909 --> 00:13:08,291.08290909 where every storage system in your home needs to pass that test. 136 00:13:08,331.08290909 --> 00:13:17,401.08190909 And if you can't put something away, when the motivation has fled, you're very motivated in the beginning of a task when you want to get an item out of its home. 137 00:13:17,411.08290909 --> 00:13:21,601.08190909 But when it comes to putting it away, that's where the clutter starts to accumulate. 138 00:13:21,601.08390909 --> 00:13:28,51.08290909 And so if your storage system is too complex or doesn't exist at all, a lot of people don't have homes for things in the first place. 139 00:13:28,631.08290909 --> 00:13:33,161.08290909 Which is a whole other issue entirely then that's where the clutter starts to accumulate. 140 00:13:33,161.08290909 --> 00:13:35,51.08290909 So it has to pass the test. 141 00:13:35,61.08290909 --> 00:13:50,661.08290909 So instead of using hangers for a lot of our ADHD organizing clients, we'll invest in hooks instead, because it's much simpler to open the closet, stick something on a hook and close the door than it is to pull out the hanger and futz around with two hands and try to put it on the hanger and put it in the closet. 142 00:13:50,661.08290909 --> 00:13:54,821.08290909 Like it's just, if that's too much for you, there is no judgment here. 143 00:13:54,821.08290909 --> 00:13:57,21.08290909 Like we just put a hook in there and it's fine. 144 00:13:57,31.08290909 --> 00:13:58,961.08190909 Same thing with With folding your clothes. 145 00:13:58,981.08190909 --> 00:14:23,461.08090909 If you don't have time for that, we will rip all the closet doors off and take big laundry baskets or big baskets from the dollar store, slap labels on them, and then when you're clean clothes are done in the dryer, you throw them in the basket, like really super simple, not very aesthetically pleasing in some cases systems, and then you're just setting up organizing systems where clutter tends to accumulate. 146 00:14:23,846.08190909 --> 00:14:42,916.08190909 So if you, instead of pressuring yourself, if you live in a three story house and the master suite is on the top floor, are you really going to want to take every single pair of shoes that you wear up to the third floor every single day to put them away? No! So set up your storage system right by the door or inside the garage where you can put your shoes away where you actually access them. 147 00:14:42,931.08190909 --> 00:14:43,241.08190909 them. 148 00:14:43,801.08190909 --> 00:14:53,351.08090909 So it's just little things like that to eliminate and alleviate those little annoying stresses and pressures that build up day after day that just wear you down. 149 00:14:53,531.08190909 --> 00:14:57,21.08190909 And when you're already exhausted trying to keep track of everything else. 150 00:14:57,31.08090909 --> 00:15:01,931.08090909 So there's a million different things that I could tell you that we do with our clients. 151 00:15:01,981.08090909 --> 00:15:04,471.08090909 But those are just some things to help people get started. 152 00:15:05,431.08090909 --> 00:15:19,406.08090909 And for your clients who it takes a mental toll on them with the organization and the clutter that happens after you help them organize themselves. 153 00:15:19,576.08090909 --> 00:15:26,731.08090909 What do you see in terms of their mental health? What do you witness with them? Yeah, that's great. 154 00:15:26,731.08090909 --> 00:15:27,291.08090909 Great question. 155 00:15:27,301.08090909 --> 00:15:29,11.08090909 And it's actually, it goes beyond mental. 156 00:15:29,11.08090909 --> 00:15:40,111.08140909 And I'm glad you had me on this podcast to bust through some objections of okay, this is, for medical professionals, what are we doing here with this organizer lady there's physical there's physical benefits as well. 157 00:15:40,231.08140909 --> 00:15:45,651.08140909 What we see often people that come to us struggle with a variety of different things. 158 00:15:46,111.08140909 --> 00:15:48,821.08140909 ailments, both anxiety and depression. 159 00:15:48,861.08140909 --> 00:15:50,531.08140909 OCD can be in there. 160 00:15:50,541.08140909 --> 00:15:52,621.08140909 ADHD, other forms of neurodivergence. 161 00:15:52,671.08140909 --> 00:16:02,96.08140909 Things where people start to disassociate, they have panic attacks because the visual overstimulation is just so All consuming. 162 00:16:02,96.08140909 --> 00:16:05,916.08140909 It's just it makes people literally have panic attacks and they'll leave the room. 163 00:16:05,916.08140909 --> 00:16:16,176.08140909 So we have to be equipped to be able to handle that and continue working through the process in their absence so that we can get rid of the visual clutter that's overstimulating and causing that reaction. 164 00:16:16,176.08140909 --> 00:16:27,576.08140909 So there's, once we have curated their belongings, gotten rid of the excess, set them up with a good system in their home where they can actually function in their space, they can start to breathe again. 165 00:16:28,46.08140909 --> 00:16:30,256.08140909 That, that can have a positive effect. 166 00:16:30,331.08140909 --> 00:16:35,441.08140909 effect on if you are really affected by stress and it raises your blood pressure. 167 00:16:35,711.08140909 --> 00:16:37,741.08140909 Stress really affects my blood pressure. 168 00:16:37,741.08140909 --> 00:16:40,121.0814091 It'll go up like between five and 10 points. 169 00:16:40,791.0814091 --> 00:16:42,51.0814091 It's just crazy. 170 00:16:42,51.0814091 --> 00:16:46,891.0824091 So just like being able to have that calming effect can really help the connection. 171 00:16:46,911.0824091 --> 00:16:53,901.0824091 Then there's also the fact that a lot of people that live in disorganized environments often they don't have clean environments either. 172 00:16:54,481.0824091 --> 00:17:03,11.0824091 So they haven't had a cleaner come to their home or they haven't been able to clean their home because it's just so disorganized and messy and there's just stuff everywhere that they can't do their dishes. 173 00:17:03,451.0824091 --> 00:17:07,291.0824091 And then you're introducing bug and rodent infestations. 174 00:17:07,641.0824091 --> 00:17:13,101.0814091 We have clients that have haven't cleaned their cat's litter box or their cat is, throwing up all over the house. 175 00:17:13,111.0814091 --> 00:17:15,971.0814091 And so you're introducing parasites into the environment. 176 00:17:16,291.0814091 --> 00:17:19,971.0814091 You have clients that don't clean out their pantry or their refrigerator enough. 177 00:17:20,11.0814091 --> 00:17:24,171.0814091 And so you're introducing bacteria and pantry moths. 178 00:17:24,201.0814091 --> 00:17:25,271.0804091 And and mold. 179 00:17:25,281.0814091 --> 00:17:28,991.0814091 So sometimes the clutter covers up. 180 00:17:29,526.0814091 --> 00:17:32,116.0814091 Issues that are literally making you sick in your home. 181 00:17:32,126.0814091 --> 00:17:38,476.0814091 We'll start to, we'll start to declutter a pantry and you'll see that there's black mold growing and you wonder why you're having trouble. 182 00:17:38,486.0804091 --> 00:17:45,786.0804091 You've got brain fog, you've got issues with your breathing and your lungs and you're not able to sleep as well. 183 00:17:46,266.0824091 --> 00:17:58,56.0814091 And if the more stuff you have, guess what? The more dust accumulates on your belongings because you're not dusting things and it's covering up dust on your surfaces because it's hard to clear a bunch of crap. 184 00:17:58,76.0814091 --> 00:18:00,266.0814091 Wrap off a table to dust the surface. 185 00:18:00,266.0814091 --> 00:18:04,196.0814091 So then people say to me, oh, I've got asthma, I've got this and that. 186 00:18:04,196.0814091 --> 00:18:08,906.0814091 And guess what? When we declutter and get rid of all of that, their symptoms start to dissipate. 187 00:18:09,116.0814091 --> 00:18:12,866.0814091 Some go away completely because you've eliminated the parasites. 188 00:18:13,386.0814091 --> 00:18:17,386.0814091 the dust, the mold, the infestations, the just the nasty stuff. 189 00:18:17,386.0814091 --> 00:18:26,996.0814091 So not only does it help your mental state and your emotional wellbeing, but it literally impacts your physical health as well. 190 00:18:27,6.0814091 --> 00:18:32,326.0814091 So that is why I'm like, thank you for having me on the show because it's important stuff. 191 00:18:32,326.1814091 --> 00:18:32,976.1814091 Of course. 192 00:18:32,976.1814091 --> 00:18:37,236.1814091 As you can imagine, I have patients who have allergies and asthma. 193 00:18:37,506.1814091 --> 00:18:43,806.1814091 And I can't go to their home, but you have to wonder what keeps triggering their stuff. 194 00:18:43,856.1814091 --> 00:18:50,676.1794091 And for some people, I do suspect that there, there is an environmental meaning home environment. 195 00:18:51,16.1804091 --> 00:18:52,516.1804091 That's playing a part in it. 196 00:18:53,516.1804091 --> 00:18:54,496.1804091 One issue. 197 00:18:54,806.1804091 --> 00:19:06,486.1804091 And I ran into this when Marie Kondo came out and I realized that and I won't name anybody because they might get mad at me, which is a family member. 198 00:19:09,396.1804091 --> 00:19:13,186.1804091 But there's a huge attachment that people have. 199 00:19:13,491.1804091 --> 00:19:29,671.1804091 To their things, right? Whether it be an article of clothing or whatever it is that they likely don't need anymore, that it serves them no purpose, right? And it can be donated or given to other people so that they can use it. 200 00:19:30,231.1794091 --> 00:19:41,801.1794091 Do you run into that? And how do you deal with it? When you see that there's an item that's taking up too much space, but yet your client is attached to it, it's better for them to get rid of it. 201 00:19:42,526.1794091 --> 00:19:45,576.1794091 Oh, man, that, that is that's the million dollar question. 202 00:19:45,576.1794091 --> 00:20:06,776.1784091 And that is, that's probably the most challenging part of our job is helping people to put things into the proper perspective in their lives and learn how to curate there's various different things at play and I won't go into all of it because we'll be here for hours, but there's just a few things to keep in mind. 203 00:20:06,776.1784091 --> 00:20:07,976.1784091 And then I'll tell you a quick story. 204 00:20:07,976.1784091 --> 00:20:10,636.1774091 One is that older generations. 205 00:20:11,116.1784091 --> 00:20:25,636.1784091 baby boomers and before that, they lived in a very different time economically, where they lived through the great depression and world wars, and you had to conserve and repurpose and reuse all of your belongings because the materials and the belongings simply weren't there. 206 00:20:25,976.1774091 --> 00:20:46,176.1774091 They were used to every little thing having a use like you kept this thing because you could use it for X, Y, Z purposes, whereas now we live in a world of mass abundance where you can have things delivered to your home, not even in two days or less, like now it's in the same. 207 00:20:46,596.1784091 --> 00:20:47,486.1784091 Frickin day. 208 00:20:47,486.1784091 --> 00:20:49,216.1784091 You can have, you can order something. 209 00:20:49,216.1784091 --> 00:20:51,206.1784091 It's on your doorstep four hours later. 210 00:20:51,576.1784091 --> 00:21:02,376.1774091 So there's a lot of inflow, not enough outflow coupled with that mentality that our parents and grandparents have instilled in us that we must keep everything, that there's a purpose for all of it. 211 00:21:02,386.1784091 --> 00:21:08,166.1774091 So you can see where the imbalance happens there, right? So there's that. 212 00:21:08,876.1774091 --> 00:21:12,766.1784091 And then and then I'll tell you a quick story of how we help our clients through this. 213 00:21:12,766.1784091 --> 00:21:14,116.1784091 So we had a client who. 214 00:21:14,676.1784091 --> 00:21:20,146.1784091 moved in with a friend in a very traumatic time in her life, probably 20 years ago. 215 00:21:20,146.1784091 --> 00:21:32,366.1794091 And this friend took her in when she had nobody and nothing and gave her a little corner of her home with these beautiful French doors that opened up to the backyard with just flowers and the beautiful garden and everything. 216 00:21:32,386.1794091 --> 00:21:36,426.1794091 And then this woman who took this client of ours into her home, she passed away. 217 00:21:37,166.1794091 --> 00:21:43,116.1794091 And And so her son is also living in the home the person who passed away, her son's living in the home as well. 218 00:21:43,426.1794091 --> 00:21:49,636.1789091 And they basically this woman was the mother Teresa to the community was just very selfless and loving and giving. 219 00:21:49,636.1789091 --> 00:21:53,196.1789091 And so they didn't touch anything in the home for 20 years. 220 00:21:53,216.1789091 --> 00:21:55,686.1789091 This woman has been, not earthbound anymore. 221 00:21:56,186.1789091 --> 00:22:01,836.1789091 So things are accumulating dust and little like spider webs and, all kinds of crazy stuff. 222 00:22:01,836.1789091 --> 00:22:04,716.1784091 And they didn't ever make the space their own. 223 00:22:04,716.1784091 --> 00:22:08,146.1784091 It became like a living museum to this person. 224 00:22:08,916.1774091 --> 00:22:18,821.1784091 And so she just kept accumulating more and more stuff into her home, but she couldn't let go of, this person in her life because she just meant so much to her. 225 00:22:19,431.1784091 --> 00:22:31,141.1784091 And so when we encounter something like that, where the attachment is really extreme, we have to, we go in very sensitively with no judgment, with one very specific goal in mind. 226 00:22:31,151.1784091 --> 00:22:38,921.1784091 And our goal in that moment was to attach her desire to be able to open those French doors and get the fresh air in and enjoy the garden. 227 00:22:39,481.1774091 --> 00:22:41,61.1784091 That was our only goal. 228 00:22:41,276.1784091 --> 00:22:49,176.1784091 In that circumstance, it wasn't to like, take ownership of the house and what are you going to do with this space in that space? It was just one very simple goal. 229 00:22:49,846.1784091 --> 00:23:00,556.1784091 And at the end of that, we just were able to clear some things, get rid of the cobwebs and some of the dust and allergens that had been accumulating, clear off her bed so that she had a nice place to sleep. 230 00:23:01,126.1784091 --> 00:23:03,296.1784091 And she was able to access those French doors. 231 00:23:03,316.1784091 --> 00:23:05,146.1784091 And for her, that was it. 232 00:23:05,156.1784091 --> 00:23:06,226.1784091 That's all she needed. 233 00:23:06,526.1784091 --> 00:23:13,336.1784091 It was that one thing and that one simple little aspect that had been holding her back for 20 years. 234 00:23:13,606.1784091 --> 00:23:20,236.1784091 We were able to overcome that in three hours and all it took was some external motivation and support and one simple goal. 235 00:23:21,476.1784091 --> 00:23:22,246.1794091 That's great. 236 00:23:22,296.1794091 --> 00:23:24,326.1799091 It really, I think breaks down. 237 00:23:24,766.1799091 --> 00:23:31,826.1799091 The stress that's associated with it, because you're doing some positive affirmation for your client. 238 00:23:32,566.1799091 --> 00:23:36,646.1794091 I do something, but I would not call it positive affirmation. 239 00:23:36,646.1794091 --> 00:23:41,266.1799091 I would not even tell someone else to do it, but every time. 240 00:23:41,801.1799091 --> 00:23:45,51.1799091 I, have something that I feel like I want to hold on to. 241 00:23:45,301.1799091 --> 00:23:59,551.0799091 I asked myself, can you take this with you when you're gone? See, that works for me because it doesn't, it's not necessarily negative for me, but I wouldn't necessarily do that with other people because they might find it. 242 00:23:59,761.1799091 --> 00:24:04,621.1799091 Too jarring, but it helps me to, let go of things or be able to donate things. 243 00:24:05,21.1799091 --> 00:24:07,981.1799091 And I also tell myself like, okay, I don't want this anymore. 244 00:24:08,21.1799091 --> 00:24:08,951.1799091 It's still good. 245 00:24:08,951.1799091 --> 00:24:11,251.1789091 It can be used by someone else. 246 00:24:11,321.1799091 --> 00:24:17,16.0789091 And that also gives me some peace of mind knowing that, this is not going to be shredded. 247 00:24:17,266.1789091 --> 00:24:22,696.1789091 Or, put away in, some place where, it'll, it won't see the light of day anymore. 248 00:24:23,256.1779091 --> 00:24:23,426.1779091 Right. 249 00:24:23,476.1789091 --> 00:24:30,936.1779091 Little tools that I've developed, but only for myself, I don't necessarily think it would necessarily be helpful for everyone. 250 00:24:32,341.1789091 --> 00:24:35,51.1789091 You are tools are definitely helpful. 251 00:24:35,771.1789091 --> 00:24:52,931.1789091 So when you tailor these organization strategies for your clients, it's almost this show where they lose, God knows how much weight, right? Then they have to maintain it on their own, right? The biggest loser, if that's what they they call it. 252 00:24:52,981.1789091 --> 00:24:54,481.1789091 And I always wonder, Okay. 253 00:24:54,481.1789091 --> 00:25:06,171.1789091 So how are they going to be accountable? So how do you motivate your clients to stay organized? Obviously, life is stress, stressful and hectic. 254 00:25:06,171.1789091 --> 00:25:21,781.1809091 So how do you motivate your clients to stay organized after you've helped organize them? Yeah, I'll give you a couple of things that generally work for everybody, but obviously we're all different and life hands us various different trials throughout. 255 00:25:22,281.1799091 --> 00:25:31,331.1809091 Especially when you're in the middle of a life transition we all experience various different life transitions when you get married that's a transition when you have a baby, when you maybe if you get divorced. 256 00:25:32,86.1809091 --> 00:25:38,806.1809091 As you're aging and you move it, those are all life transitions that sort of force us to look at these things. 257 00:25:38,806.1809091 --> 00:25:48,666.1799091 But one thing that you pointed out before is basically what I would describe as a tool to give yourself permission to let go of something. 258 00:25:48,966.1809091 --> 00:25:56,376.1809091 And really that's the ultimate goal or the ultimate key rather to staying organized and maintaining it long term is figuring out what. 259 00:25:56,591.1809091 --> 00:26:02,321.1809091 What permission is necessary to control the in and out flow. 260 00:26:02,631.1809091 --> 00:26:16,701.1809091 So for you, that the thing that helps you stay organized is to think is it realistic for me to hold onto this? Can I take it when I'm, when I die? And I've heard stories of people who literally clutch things on their deathbed cause they want to take it with them into the afterlife. 261 00:26:16,701.1809091 --> 00:26:20,561.1809091 And it's just it's a thing which is, it's funny to me that you brought that up. 262 00:26:20,571.1809091 --> 00:26:21,601.1799091 There, as you. 263 00:26:21,926.1809091 --> 00:26:28,246.1809091 Go on, maybe you decide you want to go on a new diet and all of the food in your pantry does not support that diet. 264 00:26:28,636.1809091 --> 00:26:31,876.1799091 That's an opportunity for you to tap into your spirit of generosity. 265 00:26:31,876.1809091 --> 00:26:33,816.1799091 So maybe that's the key for you. 266 00:26:34,276.1809091 --> 00:26:36,596.1799091 Figuring out the permission necessary. 267 00:26:36,611.2809091 --> 00:26:38,781.2809091 Maybe it's tapping into your spirit of generosity. 268 00:26:38,811.2809091 --> 00:26:48,251.2789091 Maybe it is getting really raw and honest with yourself and saying, And this is something that I will use when the landfill comes into play. 269 00:26:48,251.2799091 --> 00:26:51,31.2799091 People are very concerned about sustainability. 270 00:26:51,481.2799091 --> 00:26:52,941.2799091 You got to think about it like this. 271 00:26:52,961.2799091 --> 00:27:06,421.2794091 If you're holding on to everything because you're afraid to throw it away, what happens to you if you get hit by a bus tomorrow? I will literally say that to a client and they'll say and I guess all that stuff is going to have to go somewhere. 272 00:27:06,431.2804091 --> 00:27:06,741.2799091 And it's yeah. 273 00:27:06,741.2799091 --> 00:27:11,726.2804091 And what do you think that now that you are no longer earthbound? No, no longer earth side. 274 00:27:11,726.2804091 --> 00:27:16,366.2804091 Your family is now mourning the loss of you being in your life because you're such an amazing person. 275 00:27:16,366.2804091 --> 00:27:18,376.2804091 And everybody, everybody's sad that you're gone. 276 00:27:18,726.2804091 --> 00:27:21,626.2799091 Now they're also tasked with dealing with your stuff. 277 00:27:21,626.2799091 --> 00:27:28,36.2804091 And what do you think they're going to do with it? They're going to hire somebody to drop off a dumpster and it's all going to the dump. 278 00:27:28,406.2794091 --> 00:27:50,786.2804091 So unless you Take control of the situation now and responsibly remove these things from your home, donate them to the food bank, give them to the local women's shelter, help us help you curate your belongings and make sure like maybe curating your belongings means that they find a home somewhere else that's not in your home. 279 00:27:51,336.2804091 --> 00:27:58,736.2804091 Take control of it now and take responsibility for it now because tomorrow is not guaranteed and by you keeping this thing just in case. 280 00:27:59,226.2804091 --> 00:28:02,86.2804091 That pretty much guarantees that it's going to end up in the landfill. 281 00:28:02,86.2804091 --> 00:28:04,356.2804091 So if that's what you don't want, fix it now. 282 00:28:04,356.2804091 --> 00:28:09,906.2794091 So that could be a form getting really raw and honest with yourself about where something is going. 283 00:28:10,376.2804091 --> 00:28:17,786.2804091 And then again, the last piece of this for staying organized long term is giving yourself permission to ask for help. 284 00:28:18,66.2814091 --> 00:28:21,656.2814091 It's unrealistic to conjure up the motivation from within. 285 00:28:22,241.2814091 --> 00:28:22,901.2814091 all the time. 286 00:28:22,941.2814091 --> 00:28:23,921.2814091 We're too exhausted. 287 00:28:23,941.2814091 --> 00:28:25,751.2814091 We're too, we've got too much on our plate. 288 00:28:26,11.2814091 --> 00:28:35,761.2814091 So have the friend come and help you sometimes delegate the task to a family member, hire a professional, stop feeling bad about it. 289 00:28:35,771.2814091 --> 00:28:38,481.2804091 Like you should be able to do it all yourself. 290 00:28:38,481.2814091 --> 00:28:43,541.2814091 Stop shitting on yourself and allow somebody else in to help you get through it. 291 00:28:43,551.2814091 --> 00:28:44,931.2814091 When you have those tough moments. 292 00:28:45,831.2814091 --> 00:28:47,591.2814091 I think that's great, honestly. 293 00:28:47,941.2814091 --> 00:29:03,721.2824091 I, the one other thing that I'd like to touch on is I often worry as someone who isn't super organized, how much am I passing this on to my kids? Because they see, okay the laundry has Gone unfolded. 294 00:29:03,721.2824091 --> 00:29:09,941.2824091 We're taking the laundry, clean laundry out of the bucket and wearing it because there's no time to fold it. 295 00:29:10,141.2824091 --> 00:29:22,481.2814091 But how much does that get passed on in terms of organization skills and what can parents do to instill that for their family members, for their children, especially. 296 00:29:22,481.2814091 --> 00:29:29,31.2814091 Yeah, there's a few things that we do in our home and a few things that we help our clients with their kids. 297 00:29:29,441.2814091 --> 00:29:36,311.2814091 The first I'll give you a practical tip because I know a lot of the things that I'm talking about now really center around mindset shifts. 298 00:29:36,696.2824091 --> 00:29:39,806.2824091 And that really is the root and foundation of staying organized. 299 00:29:40,86.2824091 --> 00:29:44,476.2824091 But let's talk in practical terms here to give somebody like something they can do right now. 300 00:29:44,856.2824091 --> 00:29:48,306.2824091 So one technique that we use is called putting the house to bed. 301 00:29:48,916.2814091 --> 00:30:00,186.2824091 And that is a really simple strategy to help your kids Learn how to get organized in a consistent, habitual manner because you have a bedtime routine. 302 00:30:00,196.2824091 --> 00:30:08,66.2819091 You can think through and ask your clients like what is your bedtime routine? What do you do at night? To get yourself ready to go to sleep, everybody's got a routine. 303 00:30:08,66.2819091 --> 00:30:09,526.2814091 We don't have to go through it right now. 304 00:30:09,536.2814091 --> 00:30:11,336.2814091 We all can think to ourselves what we do. 305 00:30:11,756.2824091 --> 00:30:15,316.2824091 So your home is an extension of you, obviously. 306 00:30:15,316.2824091 --> 00:30:17,496.2824091 And so it also needs to be put to bed. 307 00:30:17,496.3824091 --> 00:30:22,756.2824091 So you gotta go through your routine of we're going to make sure that we start the dishwasher to run overnight. 308 00:30:22,786.2824091 --> 00:30:24,216.2824091 So there's no dishes in the sink. 309 00:30:24,606.2824091 --> 00:30:30,326.2814091 We will make sure that we have, maybe our lunches are packed because we have a really busy day tomorrow. 310 00:30:30,336.2814091 --> 00:30:31,996.2824091 We're not going to be able to do that in the morning. 311 00:30:32,226.2824091 --> 00:30:35,166.2814091 Maybe we set our coffee up to be brewing. 312 00:30:35,166.2824091 --> 00:30:41,816.2824091 When we wake up in the morning, you set your clothes out, you fold the blankets, all the different things that you need to be able to. 313 00:30:42,361.2824091 --> 00:30:44,41.2824091 reset your space. 314 00:30:44,521.2824091 --> 00:30:53,691.2824091 And if you do that every single night, just like you would do your own nighttime routine, you won't have those little pockets of clutter that become stagnant. 315 00:30:53,711.2814091 --> 00:30:55,571.2814091 And then you just become blind to them. 316 00:30:55,931.2824091 --> 00:31:07,451.2824091 You won't have those little places where clutter starts to slowly accumulate over time and then becomes an overwhelming mess that you then have to spend an entire weekend handling because you've done it slowly in increments over time. 317 00:31:07,451.2824091 --> 00:31:09,831.2824091 So that's one strategy that we use with our kids. 318 00:31:10,401.2824091 --> 00:31:11,21.2824091 And then. 319 00:31:11,296.2824091 --> 00:31:25,526.2824091 A lot of people will often find that their kids develop sentimental attachments to things and they get really upset when you start to get rid of their artwork or that one toy what we do is we implement container space for everything. 320 00:31:25,536.2824091 --> 00:31:29,346.2824091 That's why having a home is so important for your stuff. 321 00:31:29,356.2824091 --> 00:31:37,66.2819091 So if you take a box, for instance, let's say it's a Barbie bin, where, cause I have two little girls, we keep all of our Barbies in one bin. 322 00:31:37,376.2819091 --> 00:31:37,876.2819091 Okay. 323 00:31:38,196.2819091 --> 00:31:41,366.2829091 They don't accumulate in various different parts of the house. 324 00:31:41,366.2829091 --> 00:31:47,276.2824091 In the Barbie bin, I will say, all right, put your favorite Barbies in and they pick their favorites. 325 00:31:47,276.2824091 --> 00:31:48,766.2819091 I'm like, which one's your favorite? Okay. 326 00:31:48,776.2819091 --> 00:31:49,926.2824091 Which one's your next favorite. 327 00:31:49,926.2824091 --> 00:31:52,6.2829091 And we continue to do that till the space is full. 328 00:31:52,6.2829091 --> 00:31:53,376.2829091 Whatever doesn't make the cut. 329 00:31:54,1.2829091 --> 00:31:55,191.2829091 is getting donated. 330 00:31:55,601.2829091 --> 00:31:58,921.2829091 And so my kids now have done two things. 331 00:31:58,941.2829091 --> 00:32:02,331.2829091 One, they have ownership over the process. 332 00:32:02,381.2829091 --> 00:32:03,841.2829091 They understand how to do it. 333 00:32:04,81.2829091 --> 00:32:08,951.2819091 And then we take them to donate the things to the people that can actually use them. 334 00:32:08,951.2819091 --> 00:32:13,761.2819091 Maybe we're giving them away to a neighbor who doesn't have any, or we're giving them to a charity organization. 335 00:32:13,881.2829091 --> 00:32:17,921.2829091 And the kids are actually responsible for helping pass those items on. 336 00:32:17,921.2829091 --> 00:32:19,41.2829091 So they see where they're going. 337 00:32:19,41.2829091 --> 00:32:23,31.2829091 You're involving them in the decluttering process and instilling the right value. 338 00:32:23,31.2829091 --> 00:32:30,811.2819091 So those are two things that we do relatively often that really help just put it into perspective and teach your kids good habits. 339 00:32:32,411.2829091 --> 00:32:44,321.2819091 In the last few minutes of our podcast, what resources, which could be a book, it could be any tool that you think our listeners would benefit from reading or using. 340 00:32:44,426.3829091 --> 00:32:46,856.3829091 I'll name a few things shamelessly. 341 00:32:46,856.3829091 --> 00:32:50,466.3829091 I'm going to plug, I speak organized, honestly. 342 00:32:50,466.3829091 --> 00:32:53,756.3829091 I have hours of free content on YouTube. 343 00:32:53,756.4829091 --> 00:32:59,616.3834091 YouTube is I'm sure you've heard the the joke YouTube university, So many different things from that. 344 00:32:59,646.3834091 --> 00:33:08,896.3834091 And so my YouTube channel that I speak organized has various different videos where I will go through and show you how I've organized spaces in my own home. 345 00:33:08,896.3834091 --> 00:33:11,116.3834091 I talk about decluttering and organizing theory. 346 00:33:11,386.3824091 --> 00:33:18,786.3824091 If you're somebody who loves organizing and thinks Hey, this is something that, if I retire from my career, I could do that for a living. 347 00:33:18,786.3824091 --> 00:33:19,86.3824091 I am also. 348 00:33:19,151.3824091 --> 00:33:23,751.3824091 a business coach and can teach you all about the ins and outs of organizing in a professional capacity. 349 00:33:24,211.3824091 --> 00:33:26,141.3824091 Same thing with the speak organized podcast. 350 00:33:26,161.3824091 --> 00:33:34,291.3834091 There's tons of different content creators on YouTube that you can find the minimalist mom is a really good one to follow. 351 00:33:34,541.3824091 --> 00:33:36,521.3834091 There's also the clutter bug by cash. 352 00:33:36,531.3824091 --> 00:33:39,111.3834091 She's got a whole a whole resource. 353 00:33:40,136.3834091 --> 00:33:43,826.3834091 Like philosophy, basically, that's really helpful in terms of books. 354 00:33:43,826.3834091 --> 00:33:49,686.3834091 If you love to read, I'm a big fan of the book called decluttering at the speed of life by Dana K white. 355 00:33:50,366.3834091 --> 00:34:00,156.3834091 She is very good at putting things into a realistic perspective, especially for the American consumer and just how we can declutter and organize our homes. 356 00:34:00,156.3834091 --> 00:34:01,346.3834091 And then another one. 357 00:34:01,636.3834091 --> 00:34:12,836.3824091 That I love another book I love is a book by Peter Walsh called it's all too much and it really helps you with curation and putting your items into the proper perspective. 358 00:34:12,836.3834091 --> 00:34:14,356.3834091 So those are just a few things. 359 00:34:14,876.3834091 --> 00:34:21,556.3834091 And I guess the last thing I would say is Just ongoing education, having the educator come to you. 360 00:34:21,556.3834091 --> 00:34:22,706.3834091 I'm a public speaker. 361 00:34:22,706.3834091 --> 00:34:31,876.3834091 So if you're listening to this and you're thinking like, gosh, my staff could really benefit from learning about this, have an organizer come and do a workshop with you. 362 00:34:32,56.3834091 --> 00:34:53,271.3844091 Have me come and speak to your patients or your clients or your your staff about how they can overcome their struggles with productivity and stress in the workplace and this and that there are tons of really generous, wonderful people that are willing to come to you and bring you the motivation and the education that you need. 363 00:34:53,791.3844091 --> 00:34:54,381.3844091 Noted. 364 00:34:54,381.3844091 --> 00:34:54,801.3844091 Noted. 365 00:34:54,801.3844091 --> 00:34:57,531.3844091 And I'll definitely follow you on YouTube. 366 00:34:57,711.3844091 --> 00:35:02,931.2844091 You mentioned your YouTube channel, where else can we follow you and find you on social media? so much. 367 00:35:03,701.3844091 --> 00:35:17,251.3834091 So my handle is I speak organized because obviously I like to talk a lot about being organized so you can find me at I speak organized on just about any platform that you can imagine everything from TikTok to Pinterest. 368 00:35:17,371.3844091 --> 00:35:20,111.3844091 If it's a platform, I speak organized is on it. 369 00:35:20,491.3834091 --> 00:35:25,701.3844091 You can listen to the speak organized podcast on all major podcast platforms. 370 00:35:25,711.3844091 --> 00:35:26,761.3844091 You can find us on YouTube. 371 00:35:27,381.3844091 --> 00:35:29,491.3844091 You can also go to, I speak organized. 372 00:35:29,871.3844091 --> 00:35:30,481.3844091 com. 373 00:35:30,511.3844091 --> 00:35:31,531.3844091 That's our home. 374 00:35:31,976.3844091 --> 00:35:35,106.3844091 Website hub where you can find all kinds of resources. 375 00:35:35,106.3844091 --> 00:35:37,96.3844091 I've got my decluttering roadmap there. 376 00:35:37,386.3844091 --> 00:35:41,676.3834091 And you'll be able to find other courses and resources there for you. 377 00:35:42,356.3844091 --> 00:35:43,16.3844091 Excellent. 378 00:35:43,36.3844091 --> 00:35:43,696.3844091 Excellent. 379 00:35:44,296.3844091 --> 00:35:49,626.3844091 I will definitely include all of this in the show notes so that people can easily find you. 380 00:35:49,636.3844091 --> 00:35:58,586.3844091 It has been so great speaking with you and I'm going to watch your videos and see if I can implement some of that stuff so I can. 381 00:35:58,866.3844091 --> 00:35:59,76.3844091 Declutter. 382 00:35:59,951.3844091 --> 00:36:00,931.3844091 Oh, I know you can. 383 00:36:01,111.3844091 --> 00:36:02,221.3844091 I know you can. 384 00:36:02,221.3844091 --> 00:36:03,421.3844091 Thank you so much for having me. 385 00:36:03,421.3844091 --> 00:36:07,521.3844091 And don't forget to like, share and review my podcast. 386 00:36:08,71.3844091 --> 00:36:11,861.3844091 Remember, it's always ladies first on Soma Says. 387 00:36:12,161.3844091 --> 00:36:15,821.3844091 Let's make a difference one conversation at a time.