Unstuff Your Life – Organize It!Week 1 - Introduction

Instructor:Jennifer Snyder, CPO

Neat as a Pin Organizing Experts

About Me

My Boys…

Andrew, 18Devyn, 15Chandler, 5

My Boys…

My husband, LukeThe most talked-about person in this class!

My Boys…

Boxer: ChiefWeimeraner: Kona

About You

Tell Me About You…Name

Email AddressHow many people live with you?

Do you have children and their ages?Do you work and where?

What prompted you to take this class?

What is Your Learning Style?• VISUAL

You have to see things to remember

• AUDITORYYou have to hear things to

remember

• TACTILEYou have to do things to

remember

What is Your Learning Style?• VISUAL

You have to see things to remember

• AUDITORYYou have to hear things to

remember

• TACTILEYou have to do things to

remember

What is Your Learning Style?• It is possible to be more than

one type of learner

• If you aren’t sure your individual learning type, it is important that you know for this class.

• Free surveys available online. Google “Learning Style Questionnaire”

What is Your Brain Type?RIGHT BRAIN DOMINANT

• Big Picture oriented• You like to “wing it”• Impulsive and Adventurous• Prefer modeling clay over Sudoku• Prefer textbooks to lectures• Remember faces rather than names• You can find what you need, eventually

What is Your Brain Type?LEFT BRAIN DOMINANT

• Detail oriented• Enjoy completing tasks and keeping lists • Prefer Sudoku over the messiness of clay • Planner • Remember names well • Always on time • You prefer function over form

What is Your Brain Type?HOW TO KNOW WHAT SIDE DOMINATES YOUR BRAIN?

Quizzes are available online

Google “Brain Dominance Test”

Toothpaste theory

What To Expect

Expectations…

Expect nothing and you shall never be disappointed.

I have a sense of humor.

What to ExpectThis class is not going to fix your

problems for you.Internal clutter causes outer

clutter.You WILL receive the tools necessary to make your life easier and more

manageable.

Prepare to learn a lot, be vulnerable, and have a lot of fun.

What NOT to ExpectThere will be no required or group

projects

Sharing personal experiences is not mandatory yet very helpful

Generalizations about Hoarding or the clutter of others will not be

tolerated.

Week 1…Introduction

Chronic DisorganizationHoardingClutter BugsADD

Week 2…Emotional Attachments

Learn how we are connected to our things.

Learn tools for making good decisions regarding the things that matter to us.

Week 3…Time Management

Learn to identify where your time goes and how to make the most out of your 24-hours each day.

Week 4…Overcoming Paper

Learn smart methods for handling existing documents and papers entering your space on a daily basis.

Week 5…Going Digital

Learn how to manage email and digital files. Learn to view your computer as an organizing ally.

Week 6…Pulling the Trigger

This week we will cover very specific areas of the home and how to get them organized.

Why Are YOU Here?

CuriousYour closets are color-coded and your pantry alphabetized. You are taking this class to learn bigger and better ways of impressing your friends, family and coworkers by being the most organized person in the neighborhood.

BusyYou were organized in college and before kids. With a full-time job, kids to raise, and house to run, there just isn’t time to put things away. This has been going on for so long that now you so much to do that you don’t know where to start.

DistractedYou love to see the pretty pictures online and in magazines of organized spaces. You try, you buy, then you cry. You struggle to stay focused on one project at a time and forget what you were doing so often that there are hundreds of incomplete projects around your space.

Pack RatYou love your stuff, even your blue jeans from Junior High. Hey! They might fit again one day. Everything is “Bilia” and reminds you of a time long gone. Even useless things you keep, just in case.

Just Can’t Get It TogetherYou desperately want to be more

organized. You look at the big monster mound of “stuff”, which has followed you throughout your life. You wonder how other people can put things in drawers or baskets and still know they are there. You feel that you are a lost cause when it comes to organizing.

Chaos Follows Me AroundYou feel like pigpen on Charlie

Brown. Chaos surrounds you everywhere you go. It doesn’t matter if it is your home, your car, office, even hotel room when traveling! (Those dresser drawers are to make it feel more homey, by the way.) Stuff falls out of your car, out of your cabinets, out of your purse, everywhere. You feel hopeless in regards to your stuff.

My Stuff Runs My LifeYou have so much stuff but don’t know where to put it. Every flat surface in your home is covered with things, old and new. My cabinets are too small to hold all of my coffee mugs and sweaters won’t fit in my closet. I have a side business that is suffering because I don’t know where anything is! And cleaning my house? Yeah right.

I Should Be On TVYou are extremely protective of your secret life at home. On the outside you are put together and well-dressed with a dynamic personality. At home, you sleep on a small piece of your bed that you can reach only by climbing over books, clothes, and videos. I will not let anyone in my house, even the a/c repairman. In the summer I sleep in my car because my house is too hot.

Characteristics of Unsafe Clutter

Unsafe Clutter• Possessions, books, even papers begin to fill an emotional need• As clutter builds life begins to feel out of control• There is the equivalent of three baskets or more per bedroom of dirty laundry• Cleaning practices are disrupted due to clutter• Unpleasant odor permeates the home• Household maintenance cannot be performed • Animal and pest “remains” are present

Clearing the Clutter of Misconception

5-7% of the World population suffers from Chronic Hoarding Disorder

We encounter “Hoarders” in our everyday lives. Although embarrassed by the conditions most “Hoarders” do not think they have a problem.

The Symptoms are Deep Seated

“Hoarders” don’t just hang on to things for the fun of it. They see a value to everything whether it be artistic, functional or sentimental.

Begins During Adolescence Usually begins around 13 or 14, although very rare younger children have been observed hoarding. Severity typically increases with age.

Triggered by Trauma Hoarding behavior is often triggered following a traumatic life event. Causes are typically death of a loved one, divorce, eviction or loss of possessions.

The Brain is ResponsiblePeople who hoard are hardwired to do so. The frontal lobe affects rational thinking.

Alcohol is a ContributorRoughly half of all hoarders have a history of severe alcohol dependency.

Extremely Difficult to Diagnose

Due to the “Hoarder” not acknowledging a problem, statistics and diagnoses are difficult to pin down. There are many afflicted that no one ever reports.

The Collyer Brothers

Squalor

Kitchen in Squalor A filthy, wretched condition or quality. Disgusting dirt and filth.

Living Room in Squalor A filthy, wretched condition or quality. Disgusting dirt and filth.

HomeworkIdentify your learning style

Identify your brain type

Identify something in your space that you believe holds “Sentimental Value” for you and commit to that

item.

jennifer@neatasapin.net