"What an awesome place this is! I can't wait to suck up as much knowledge as possible about pursuing my dream! Thanks for providing such a wonderful guide!" -Laura
Read More Testimonials»

Our Getting Organized Experts

Peter Walsh

Peter Walsh

Design professional and star of TLC's Clean Sweep

Shared by First30Days View Profile»
Meryl Starr

Meryl Starr

Organizing expert, author and personal consultant

Shared by First30Days View Profile»
Debbie Stanley

Debbie Stanley

Author and owner of Red Letter Day, a professional organizing...

Shared by First30Days View Profile»

Meet all of our New Directions Experts»

Expert Network

Get help from our network of more than 300 experts on changes big and small, personal and professional.

Peter Walsh on Getting Organized

Peter Walsh on Getting Organized

Peter Walsh was the star of “Clean Sweep,” a TLC television show that took people through the process of getting organized. His company, PeterWalshDesign, helps people organize their personal space and eliminate obstacles preventing them from reaching their life goals. Author of How to Organize (Just About) Everything: More Than 500 Step-by-Step Instructions for Everything from Organizing Your Closets to Planning a Wedding to Creating a Flawless Filing System, Walsh offers this advice on the first 30 days of getting organized.

What motivates you to be organized?

For me, the one reason to be organized is to live a richer, fuller, less stressed life.

Once people make the commitment to get organized, what are the most important things to do during the first 30 days?

The biggest mistake people fall into is focusing on their stuff. During the first 30 days and beyond, your focus has to be on defining a vision for your life, your home and each room. Ask yourself, “What do I want from this space?” That’s the criteria for deciding what stays in a space and what goes.

What are some of the top areas that people need organizing ideas for?

There are four things: Paperwork, clothing, kids’ toys and the garage. These are always the things people want to get organized—with paperwork and clothes being on the top of that list.

What advice do you have for someone who is hesitant to make this change?

I explain that clutter robs us of so much. You simply can’t function in a room that’s overrun with stuff. Clutter robs us of our physical space; it robs us socially, because we’re embarrassed to have people in our home; and it robs us emotionally, because it’s hard to be focused or calm in a space where you feel stressed and overwhelmed. If people are hesitant to get organized, I explain that clutter is stealing all of this from them, and that they can’t imagine how much happier and focused they’d be in a decluttered, organized space.

Why has getting organized become such an issue for so many people?

We buy into this idea that the more successful we are, the more we should own. When we buy things, we buy the “promise,” not the objects. We overload our homes with stuff, expecting this promise to be filled. The irony is that more is not better.

Are there any specific emotions people experience as they first start the organizing process?

Definitely. When people have a lot of clutter in their house, they feel overwhelmed and paralyzed—meaning they don’t know where to start. Clutter makes people feel buried, suffocated and overwhelmed.

How do you help them overcome these fears?

The trick is not to focus on the actual stuff, because it will overwhelm them. I take people away from their stuff and ask them what their vision of the space is. For example, I deal frequently with master bedrooms. I’ll stand in the space with a person and ask them what they want. Most people say, “…a haven, a sanctuary, a spa-like retreat, a kid-free space, etc.” I tell people to hold those words in their heads as their vision for the space. We then start by looking around the room and eliminating all the things that hinder achieving that vision.

Explain the theory from your book, of living a richer life with less stuff.

We’re taught from a very early age that whoever has the most toys rules the sandpit. You get a bigger job, you buy a bigger house; you get a salary increase, you buy more clothes. What I discovered is that more is not necessarily better. Your home should be a haven—a place of quiet, peace and rest. If your space is full of stuff, then it’s impossible to maintain the peace and calm a home should give you. If you focus on the quality of life you want, rather than on the quantity of what you want, you’ll end up with a space that reflects who you are.

Do disorganized people lose out on any aspect of life?

Peace and harmony. I just don’t think you can be a relaxed person if you’re constantly losing stuff.

Is it possible to get organized in 30 days?

Oh, absolutely! It’s possible to get organized in three days, provided you focus first on what you want from life and the space you’re creating. Change is possible, but it has to be driven by inner vision.

What part of a person’s life should he or she organize first?

The place you have to organize first is your mind. If you’re not focused in your head, you can’t be focused anywhere else.

How does getting organized affect people?

I think it makes you feel alive. For the first time in your life, there’s a feeling that you own your stuff, not the other way around. You can focus on relationships, rather than your possessions. It’s a massive shift.

What things can people do to achieve successful results on the path to organization?

Follow your vision and assess what you own. If something helps you achieve your vision, keep it; if it doesn’t, let it go. You should control what comes into your home and focus on quality, not quantity. Look at organization as a way to become fully organic, fully whole—that should be your focus. It’s not about the file or photo boxes; it’s about being the best person you can be.

SIGNATURE QUESTIONS

What is the belief you personally go to during times of change?

That change is possible—that growth can be painful, but if you pursue something with honesty and integrity, the place you end up at will always be better than where you are now.

The best thing about change is…

…it makes me know I’m alive.

What is the best change you have ever made?

Realizing that I can do whatever I want.

For more information on Peter Walsh, visit www.peterwalshdesign.com.

Posted: 9/25/07
Alexandria22

Save Your Marriage OR Get Your Ex lover Back!Powerful Love Spells That Work Fast contact dr.unity at: Unityspelltemple@gmail.com OR Whats-app him: +2348055361568.

Hi, I’m Natasha. I’m a wife, mom to 3 kids and After 14years of marriage, me and my husband has been into one quarrel or the other until he finally left me and moved to California to be with another woman. I felt my life was over and my kids thought they would never see their father again. i tried to be strong just for the kids but i could not control the pains that torments my heart, my heart was filled with sorrows and pains because i was really in love with my husband. Every day and night i think of him and always wish he could come back to me, I was really worried and i needed help, so i searched for help online and I came across a website that suggested that Dr Unity can help get ex back fast. So, I felt I should give him a try. I contacted him and he told me what to do and i did it then he did a Love spell for me. 11hours later, my husband really called me and told me that he miss me and the kids so much, So Amazing!! So that was how he came back that same day,with lots of love and joy,and he apologized for his mistake,and for the pain he caused me and the kids. Then from that day,our Marriage was now stronger than how it were before, Thank you dr.unity for bringing back my husband and i recommend dr.unity for anyone who is having troubles in their marriage/relationship.Here’s his contact Call/Whats-app: +2348055361568 ,or Email him at: Unityspelltemple@gmail.com ,website:https://drunity.simplesite.com

TomReed3

My Ex girlfriend left me and my daughter since 6 weeks ago after, i tried ALMOST EVERY thing to restore my relationship and i was disappointed. None was working out, A week later i saw Dr Trust website and after i contact Dr Trust for help, everything automatically change, my sadness became joy, smile was all over my face, everything happened very FAST and the result was effective. Dr Trust is the ONLY spell caster who i had success with, my girlfriend called me and said she wanted us to come back and also want to marry me. She came back to me begging me to accept her back and this happened Due to the help from Dr Trust. I Am so happy that i have my Girlfriend back. Contact Dr Trust now for urgent and fast love spell to win your relationship back.
Ultimatespellcast@gmail.com or Ultimatespellcast@yahoo.com ((WhatsApp or call him +2348156885231))

You can read more about him on his website and contact him: Link
Name: Tom Reed
Country: Canada

TomReed3

My Ex girlfriend left me and my daughter since 6 weeks ago after, i tried ALMOST EVERY thing to restore my relationship and i was disappointed. None was working out, A week later i saw Dr Trust website and after i contact Dr Trust for help, everything automatically change, my sadness became joy, smile was all over my face, everything happened very FAST and the result was effective. Dr Trust is the ONLY spell caster who i had success with, my girlfriend called me and said she wanted us to come back and also want to marry me. She came back to me begging me to accept her back and this happened Due to the help from Dr Trust. I Am so happy that i have my Girlfriend back. Contact Dr Trust now for urgent and fast love spell to win your relationship back.
Ultimatespellcast@gmail.com or Ultimatespellcast@yahoo.com ((WhatsApp or call him +2348156885231))

You can read more about him on his website and contact him: Link
Name: Tom Reed
Country: Canada

norachrist

GREAT LOVE SPELL CASTER LORD JUMA THAT HELP ME SAVE MY RELATIONSHIP.TEXT OR ADD HIM UP ON WHATSAPP: +1 (859)-203-2241

My name is NORA CHRIST.i want to give thanks to LORD JUMA for bringing back my ex husband.No one could have ever made me believe that the letter I’m about to write would actually one day be written. I was the world’s biggest skeptic. I never believed in magic spells or anything like this, but I was told by a reliable source (a very close co-worker) that Trust is a very dedicated, gifted, and talented person,It was one of the best things I have ever done. My love life was in shambles; I had been through two divorces and was on the brink of a third. I just couldn't face another divorce, and I wanted to try harder to make our relationship work, but my husband didn’t seem to care. and he brake up with me again.I was confuse and do not no what to do again,rather them to get in contact with LORD JUMA. He did a love spell that make my husband come back to me. we are now very much happy with our self. LORD JUMA make him to realize how much we love and need each other.This man is for REAL and for good.he can also help you to fix your broken relationship. I had my husband back! It was like a miracle! He suddenly wanted to go to marriage counseling, and we’re doing very, very well,in our love life.contact email mercyfullsolutionhome@yahoo.com text or add him up on whatsApp at: +1 (859)-203-2241

JB12345

PLEASE BE CAREFULLY IN THIS BLOG, NOT ALL ARE REAL, I JUST LOST $ 1,200 dollars TO A FAKE IMPOSTER. CLAIMING TO BE A REAL SPELL CASTER, BECAUSE I WAS DESPERATELY IN NEED OF HELP TO BRING BACK MY BELOVED HUSBAND BECAUSE I WAS NOT ABLE TO GIVE HIM A CHILD, ALSO TO KEEP MY FAMILY IN PEACE BUT I GOT NOTHING. NOTHING GOOD COMES EASY, FINALLY I HEARD ABOUT THIS MAN CALLED. (Dr Purity) A REAL SPELL CASTER, A GREAT MAN INDEED SO I GAVE HIM ALL TRUST, AND GUESS WHAT? HE TRANSFORMED MY FAMILY BACK IN JUST A WEEK, MY HUSBAND CAME BACK! THAT IS NOT THE END OF THE GREAT SPELL CASTER Dr Purity ( THE CHIEF PRIEST OF ALL SPELL CASTERS) ALSO TOLD HIM I COULDN’T GIVE BIRTH TO A CHILD AND HE PREPARED A SPELL FOR ME, MY HUSBAND SLEPT WITH ME, NOW ON THE THIRD WEEK I MISSED MY PERIOD AND I WENT TO A LOCAL HOSPITAL AND THE DOCTOR SAID I AM PREGNANT, I WAS SO MAD I COULD NOT CONTROL MY EMOTIONS IN THE CLINIC. THAT’S HOW I GOT MY FAMILY AND LOVE BACK, LIKE BACK THEN WHEN WE STARTED. IF YOU ARE STILL IN THIS CONDITION LIKE THIS PLEASE WASTE NO TIME, CONTACT.HIM NOW ON Puritytemple@priest.com or +233237788725 contact him now and your problem will be solved.

  • By JB12345
  • on 7/27/16 11:02 AM EST
Enest500

HELLO!!!!!
I am Ernest From Singapore, When I eventually found testimonies about this spell caster Dr.Akereco, how he helped many people to get their lovers and broken homes back, i contacted him through his email address drakerecospellcaster@gmail.com because I was absolutely desperate to get my wife back. Life without my wife was a real mess for me and my children. i wanted a dramatic change and I thought magic could be the solution. After discussing the resolution with Dr Akereco, he gave me hope that he will restore my marriage. I felt confident that he will actually make my wife to return home and he did! It’s fantastic what this great spell caster have done for me, his help is priceless! I don’t know what I would have done without Dr.Akereco, he does his job so well he is organized and highly functional, i believe he is the best spell caster i can count on when it comes to all kinds of spell, I was floored that his spells worked, if you need help, contact him on drakerecospellcaster@gmail.com

HE FIX THE FOLLOWING PROBLEMS TO ALL
ACROSS THE GLOBE ON:
1. Getting your lover or husband back
2. Spiritual bulletproof
3. Training
5. Long life spell
6. Prosperity spell
7. Protection spell
8. Becoming a manager spell
9. Get a huge loan without paying any fee spell
11. Child spell
12. Pregnancy spell

migratorius

We just spent $4K to get our home organized by professionals; well worth it, every penny, despite the fact that we do not have the funds on-hand to do it, and had to use our home equity line of credit. It has been the most healing, liberating, positive experience... beyond our wildest dreams. If you, like us, work, work, work & have little time and/or energy for household projects, and your "things" own you, instead of the other way around, then I recommend this heartily.