Services
Closets
Eliminating chaos in your closets – whether they contain clothes, cleaning supplies, sports equipment, or seldom-used serving pieces – means that you can find what you need when you need it. Before you shop for one more storage basket or package of hangers, call us!
Clutter
“I don’t know where to start!” is the cry we hear most frequently. Your home is the physical, emotional, and spiritual center of your life. What message does the clutter you keep give to you and those who visit? We believe that you deserve a tidy, peaceful, organized living space that works for you and your lifestyle, and we can help you achieve it.
Collectibles
When your treasures outnumber the space you have in which to keep or display them, you can reorganize them, cull them – or buy a bigger house! We know how much it means to be surrounded by the beautiful things that you love and which you’ve thoroughly enjoyed accumulating. Each one represents a great find or special gift, a memory or a legacy. They can be appreciated more fully if you can see and interact with them on a daily basis. Let us show you how.
Decisions about charitable giving
Like most of us, you are solicited year-round by numerous charities, but are unsure of which – if any – to support. How can you evaluate these requests, decide how much to give, and be sure where your money goes? Let us teach you how you can give pro-actively, not reactively, by creating a Charitable Giving Plan, which will help you define and give focus to your giving goals. Learn how your donations – of any size – can help change a life, solve a problem, or support an institution important to you, giving you great pleasure in the process.
Family activities
Are you the chauffeur for ballet lessons, Little League, swim team, chess club, and Scouts, as well as room parent, library volunteer, and church bake sale coordinator? Is there a place for all these activities in the life you want to lead? Making decisions about what to keep in your life and what to release isn’t just about stuff. It’s about your time. We understand how hard it can be to juggle your family’s activities and your own needs (“What needs?” you say? We hear you.) Contact us today.
Hobbies
Has your hobby taken over your entire living space? Do you have partly-finished sewing projects in most rooms? Model trains on the dining room table? Dolls “living” on every chair, shelf, mantle, and bed? Do you have a new set of golf clubs but no time to play? By helping you create a dedicated, contained space – and time – for your hobby, we will show you how to find more pleasure in the leisure activities you enjoy.
Holidays/life cycle events
Are you getting married soon? Is your daughter becoming a Bat Mitzvah? Are you in charge of arranging your parents’ 50th wedding anniversary or your sister’s big birthday party? Do planning, cleaning, and shopping for a major holiday overshadow the joy of the celebration? Let our expert consultants show you how your home can run smoothly and efficiently – even in times of high stress.
Home office
Running a small business from home is a challenge – and all the more so if your client files are in the kitchen and under your bed, or if receipts are on your dresser, in your wallet, and in the sun visor of your car. Perhaps you haven’t yet figured out how to separate your home life from your work life. If you have children at home, it’s even more of an adventure! In addition, we all need a dedicated desk or office from which to pay bills, answer correspondence, plan meals, and organize household routines. We can show you how to be more productive and more profitable.
Inability/unwillingness to deal with money
It’s not true that you can't deal with money; many of us just don't want to. With more than fifteen years of experience teaching financial literacy to women, we can show you how to: set realistic financial goals; overcome fear, reluctance, or dislike of money; communicate effectively with financial professionals; and become more confident about and competent at managing your money. You will not be asked to reveal personal financial information – we will teach you the skills you need to take charge of your own financial future.
Inherited furniture/heirlooms
You loved Great-Aunt Martha but not her Victorian horsehair sofa. Inherited items can be a joy – or a burden. Do you feel obligated to display them when other relatives come to visit? You want to preserve your family treasures, but you also treasure your living space. We will advise you as you make the often-tough decisions of which to sell, which to donate, which to keep – and where.
Kitchen
What is that moldy green stuff in the plastic container in your refrigerator? How often do you use your olive pitter, egg slicer, or electric yogurt maker? Seldom-used gadgets and appliances, mismatched dishes, too many mugs, or an overflow of cookbooks can take up space you could use more effectively. Most kitchens have more than 25 categories of stuff – we will work with you to give them the best home, making meal preparation and family dining a pleasure, not a chore.
Learning disability
You see the world differently from others around you. You are creative and intelligent, yet you have “impaired executive functioning skills,” and you’ve struggled all your life with organization. You like to see all your stuff right out there in front of you. But often that stuff – papers, closets, time management, and tasks – can feel overwhelming and distracting. We respect your learning style, and will help you design systems that work well for you.
Life transition
A new job or the loss of a job, marriage or divorce or widowhood, a new baby or your baby leaving home for college, moving into your first home or downsizing at retirement, caring for aging parents – any of these transitions, whether expected or unexpected, can wreak havoc on your household routines. “When will things get back to normal?” you might wonder. Our compassionate, capable staff will help you meet the challenge your new situation brings, by helping you create systems for a “new normal.”
Loved one requiring special care
Your child, sibling, or spouse with special needs or your frail elderly parent requires calm, consistency, and a patient loving caretaker. And time. A lot of time. How can you be a good advocate, companion, and caregiver and also have time for the rest of your family and friends? How do you find time for yourself? It’s not easy. We understand, and will work with you to establish a serene, smooth-flowing, efficient household routine that works well for you and your loved ones.
Meal planning
Do you alphabetize your spices, but dread that five o’clock “what’s for dinner” hour? Has your teenage daughter’s new foray into a vegan diet thrown you for a loop? Are you constantly running out to the grocery store to pick up items you forgot? Our consulting Registered Dietitian will help you create nutritious, economical meal plans – and a grocery list – that will meet the needs of all members of your household.
Memorabilia
Those A+ high school term papers, your child’s baby teeth, letters from your first sweetheart – lovely memories or clutter? Only you can decide. How about files from that old car accident, nastygrams from your ex, or photos of you having a “bad hair year?” Do the boxes of photos, papers, trophies, and other memorabilia in your attic or basement enhance the life you want to live, or do they tie you to the past? We will assist you gently to let go of that which does not enrich your life now, and show you how to display your most important and meaningful treasures, so you can enjoy them every day.
Messy roommates
If you clicked on this link first, sorry, no, we can’t organize messy roommates, spouses or boomerang kids without their knowledge and consent. But we can teach you how to set boundaries for yourself, how to talk with them about their stuff in a non-confrontational, productive way, and how to negotiate until you both are comfortable. Call us at 508-655-4473, and start on the path to clear communication and a cleaner home environment today.
Overscheduling
Too much to do in too little time? Too much caffeine and not enough sleep? Constant work and no play? Is the busyness of your life preventing you from fully enjoying the people, places, and things you love? You’re not alone. Effective time management is a fundamental skill that most of us were never taught. We will guide you in taking a realistic look at your life as it is, and in creating a life of serenity, efficiency, and balance.
Piles of paperwork
So much for the promise that personal computers were going to create the “paperless society!” We seem to have more paper – snail mail, email print-outs, catalogs, flyers, and magazines – than ever before, and many of us just don’t know where to put it all. We will help you determine what to toss and what’s important to keep, and will work with you to design a personalized system to store it so you can retrieve it quickly as needed.
Thesis/dissertation
How are you supposed to finish your thesis or dissertation when you can’t find your notes? Why is doing anything – anything! – easier than just getting down to work? We will guide you through a step-by-step process to help you overcome reluctance, fear, procrastination, and paralyzing perfectionism. Let us help you find your voice and get your dissertation finished so you can get that well-earned degree!
Unfinished projects
OK, so the green turtleneck wool sweater you started to knit for your boyfriend’s 18th birthday is still on your closet shelf, and he just turned 53! You know those vacation photos you’ve been meaning to put into an album? The novel you’ve been working on for six years? Whatever that unfinished project – you know which one we mean – it’s been weighing you down. You might need a gentle push, you might need a plan, or you might just need permission to let it go. Will finishing it be worth the time and effort? We will help you decide, so you can make space and time for the projects that are most meaningful to you.