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Collector Care Interviews Organizing Extraordinaire Peter Walsh

You may have seen this handsome Australian American on the TLC hit show "Extreme Clutter", or heard his enchanting voice on the radio. He is a compassionate helper, an amazing organizer and absolutely the kindest for allowing me to interview him on our blog. Folks, let's get a round of applause for Peter Walsh!

Rachel:  At this moment in time, who would you most like to get (free) advice from and why?

Peter: Hmm - great question! I'd like to get free advice from any social media guru and I'm sure there are things in that domain that I could be doing more effectively.

Rachel:  Define success and name a few people you think are successful.

Peter: I think that many people forego success and happiness because when it arrives it doesn't look the way they expected it to look. I think success has to be defined as being firmly in the present with a balanced and reasonable set of expectations. From this perspective, then, success is something that is first achieved internally and not assessed by external criteria. So, for me, another person's success is determined by them, not by me.

Rachel: I'm a new business owner trying to grow my organizing business. What are 3 things you wish you'd done differently when you first started your organizing business?

Peter: I wish I'd spoken with more professional organizers to get some broader perspectives on the profession. I wish I'd embraced social media earlier and more aggressively.
I wish I'd realized that 20% of a job usually takes 80% of the effort.

Rachel: By my standards you are a very successful person; a brand. Would you share some of the types of support you have in place to keep the Peter Walsh brand going strong?

Peter: Sure - I have a very clear vision for my brand, what it is, what it represents and how it presents itself. I call this 'brand intention'. I don't do anything that doesn't align with that. I answer every email that comes to me myself. I delegate wherever possible. I make every effort to work with and to employ people who are much smarter than I am.
As well as his work on TV he has written a few best-selling books about clutter and organization. His first (and favorite) is “It’s All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff”. He is now also designing some cool organizational products and hosting a national radio program. This all keeps him busy when he is not travelling or helping people turn their clutter and chaos into calm.

Rachel Seavey, Professional Organizer At Collector Care
Collector Care  serves the San Francisco Bay Area. We specialize in clearing clutter, hoarding disorder, and chronic disorganization.
We  love what we do, and  provide realistic expectations and timelines.

Please visit our website at www.collectorcare.com  or call 925-548-7750
Tweet us on Twitter : Like our Facebook page : Pin us on Pinterest

Collector Care Goes Charlie Chaplin Style - Organizing Fun

Hello Collectors! If you know me, you know I have a sense of humor. I have collaborated with some talent and we came up with this video. Do you ever feel like you are always searching for items in clutter? You are not alone. At Collector Care, we understand!

This video may not be sold or redistributed - Copyright Collector Care 2013
However please feel free to share using the social media links provided on this blog, thank you!

Got Clutter? Call us today! 925-548-7750. Clear clutter and start enjoying your new space in no time.
Now offering hauling and on-site shredding!

 

3 Quick Tips On Organizing Your Pantry

Macaroni and cheese, peanut butter, plastic grocery bags, plastic utensils, a fondue set, extra cleaning products, PET FOOD... you name it, it's probably in the pantry.

Organizing your pantry can be a dreaded affair, but following these three steps will make it easier. 

1. Purge. Anything that doesn't belong should be tossed or put in it's correct location. Check dates for expired food.
2. Invest in sliding shelf organizers. Given the pantry's deep shelves, sliding shelf organizers make it easy to see what you are looking for. 
3. Maximize your space. Expanding wire racks double the shelf area by having some things under and others on top. A shoe or purse organizer hung on the closet door provides storage for small packages. 

You can find these products at your local Home Depot, Walmart or Target type of store.
Online, you can check out www.stacksandstacks.com, www.closetmaid.com or www.containerstore.com

Rachel Seavey, Professional Organizer
I am located in Pleasanton Ca, and serve the San Francisco Bay Area.
I specialize in Hoarding Disorder, Chronic Disorganization and helping the overwhelmed with clutter. I love what I do, and I provide realistic expectations and timelines. Don't suffer in chaos any  more. Every breath is a new beginning! Please visit my site at www.collectorcare.com
Tweet me on Twitter : Like my Facebook page : Find me on Pinterest

Seven 15 Minute Clutter Busting Ideas

SEVEN 15 MIN CLUTTER BUSTING IDEAS

We’ve all been motivated to de-clutter our homes but don’t have the time.
I believe if you take 15 minutes a day dedicated to clutter busting a specific area - your results will be visible at the end of the week.
Visible results provoke enthusiasm and consistency making you more motivated and less stressed. 

Below are 7 “things” that you can easily get rid of in 15 minutes or less.

1. Hangers from the dry cleaner. Go into your closet(s) and remove all of those wire hangers from the dry cleaners. Most dry cleaners recycle these back - or toss them into the recycle bin. They are awful for your clothing not to mention unsightly. If you have clothing wrapped in those plastic dry clean bags, remove the bags and recycle them right away. According to Mary Marlowe Leverette from About.com “Leaving freshly cleaned laundry in the bag can cause yellowing, staining and weakening of fibers”.
2. Plastic stadium cups. Faded from love, who knows what’s in them. Recycle them. This counts for plastic children’s cups too.
   Are we positive that the BPA standards are being met here?
3. Clothes with stains. These do not double as rags. They are not donate-able. Toss them.
4. Florist’s vases. Great for donating or tossing. Keeping these only take up valuable space in your kitchen or pantry.
5. Expired coupons. As a single mom I coupon a lot. I do not have a binder or a stock room. I have one envelope where I keep the most relevant coupons. No matter how detailed your couponing is you are bound to have a lot of expired ones. Go through them and recycle the ones that have expired or that you really won’t use.
6. Junk Mail. It’s easy to spot, easy to recycle folks and not helpful to anyone! Do not bring junk mail into the house. Immediately put it in the recycle bin if you can.
7. Receipts from the grocery store. If the receipt is over a week old, you’re probably aren’t planning on returning anything. With the price of gas plus time and effort, would that return be worth it?
   Shred or recycle these out of your purse, pockets, drawers etc.

Rachel Seavey, Professional Organizer
I am located in Pleasanton Ca, and serve the San Francisco Bay Area.
I specialize in Hoarding Disorder, Chronic Disorganization and helping the overwhelmed with clutter. I love what I do, and I provide realistic expectations and timelines. Don't suffer in chaos any  more. Every breath is a new beginning! Please visit my site at www.collectorcare.com
Tweet me on Twitter : Like my Facebook page : Find me on Pinterest

Overwhelmed With Clutter? 5 Tips To Keep You Motivated

Is the laundry piling up? How are your floors looking? Do you get aggravated when you can't find something? Besides having a busy life, there are only 24 hours in the day, How do you work, be a parent, have a relationship, dare to think of having a hobby AND keep your house clean? 

You might think you are the only one out there with dirty clothes or papers stacked up, but you are not.

Keep it real people. It is not easy to juggle all of these things at once. If you are feeling overwhelmed at home, there is hope!

There are ways to simplify to your life by using systems that work with your life. Every life and family is different. There is no right or wrong way to do things, but there are ways to help yourself get through the day without feeling hopeless.

1. Start by making time for your sanity and space. Take 15 minutes a day to tackle small areas at once. You will be amazed at how much you can get done over a work week. 
2. Set reasonable expectations.  Instead of the whole closet try half first.
3. Leave time to put things back away. Adding to the clutter will not help.  
4. Don't be hard on yourself. If you miss a day, onward and upward, no big deal.
5. Reward yourself by cleaning the new space you cleared.

Yes folks, it is possible to live a happy and (relatively) clutter free life. Are you ready?

Rachel Seavey, Professional Organizer
I am located in Pleasanton Ca, and serve the San Francisco Bay Area.
I specialize in Hoarding Disorder, Chronic Disorganization and helping the overwhelmed with clutter. I love what I do, and I provide realistic expectations and timelines. Don't suffer in chaos any  more. Every breath is a new beginning! Please visit my site at www.collectorcare.com
Tweet me on Twitter : Like my Facebook page : Find me on Pinterest