This Organized Life: Decluttering Tips for Moms, Entrepreneurs and Professional Organizers

Hi Friends! Each year around the holidays, Erika and I highlight companies who have a product or service that give back. As much as we preach about experiences over gifts, there is something to be said about unwrapping a surprise treat, or better yet, giving one! We have compiled a list of 10 different companies with one thing in common: SUPPORTING THOSE IN NEED. Our diverse list include companies who help bring people out of poverty through job creation and rehabilitation, to companies donating products or profits to help fund environmental issue- one thing is certain: these companies are worth supporting this holiday season. I encourage you to listen to HOW and WHY we chose each one, LEARN about each of their stories, and SUPPORT them during this holiday season. Whether your budget is $5 or $500 there is there is something on our list for everyone! If we are going to shop, the least we can do is shop with a cause! ***Please note that this is purely our editorial opinions and we have not been compensated in any way by any of these companies. In addition to shopping their sites this holiday season, we would love for you to give them a shout-out on IG and tag us @simplyborganized with the #thisorganizedlifepodcast xo - Laurie   Cause: TYPE 1 DIABETES Company: Pure Vida  Bracelets   Product: bracelet for JDRF ($6.00) Benefit: 10% of sales donated to T1D cure , prevention, treatment, & awareness   Cause: Environmental conservation, human rights, animal welfare Company: LUSH Lushusa.com Product: Charity Pot  (small $7.95/ lg $27.95) Benefit:100 percent of each purchase goes to charity   Cause: Multiple non-profits including animal rescue, breast cancer prevention, rainforests, educate kids, end poverty, fight malaria, protect~ elephants, sharks, ocean, provide water, treat HIV, stop violence, Poverty / disadvantaged kids Company: Conscious Step Socks Product: funky socks (around $14.95) Benefit: $1 per sock to specific cause (15 to choose from)   Cause: at risk youth Company: STATE back packs Product: Backpacks  statebags.com  ($75-$175) Benefit: donates a fully stocked knapsack to a child in an at risk neighborhood   Cause: Sex Trafficking Company: Sudara.org Product: Punjammies Pants ($29 each) Benefit: job creation and skill training for woman in India who are high risk or survivors of sex trafficking   Cause: Autism Company: ev gifts gifts.evnc.org Product: candles, bath and body, jewelry handcrafted by adults w/Autism ($8-$40 each) Benefit: supports employment of adults with developmental disabilities   Cause: Rehabilitation of previously incarcerated individuals Company: Grey Ston Bakery “eat brownies, change lives” Product: Indulgent Eight Brownies ($25) Benefit: open hiring system, workforce dev, housing, etc   Cause: Safe Water Company: Lula’s Garden Product: succulents ($25-$125) Benefit: providing access to safe water in developing countries for 6 months   Cause: Good Hygenie Company: SoapboxSoaps  “soap=hope” Product: Soap Products  (bundle product $33.95) Benefit: Provides 1 bar of soap plus education on proper hygiene both in the US and abroad in countries such as India, Haiti and Cambodia,  just to name a few.   Cause: Animal Rescue Company: Rescue Chocolate Product: Vegan Chocolate (Starting at $6 per bar, or collection $25) Benefit:  From each chocolate purchased, 100% of the net profits are donated to animal rescue organizations around the country. Bonus! Here’s some of our favorite sustainable product lines: Laurie’s Favorites:     Fire Dept Coffee | Grounds & Hounds | Noonday Collection Erika’s Favorites: Thistle Farms |  Warby Parker Please support us! SUBSCRIBE to TOL to have new episodes downloaded each week! REVIEW.  Social influence is the most impactful way to help others find our show! Struggling with Clutter? Click HERE to take our FREE clutter quiz! Stop feeling like a Hot Mess! HOT MESS: A Practical Guide to Getting Organized is my witty little survival guide that helps you get to the root of your clutter. Learn about the 3 types of clutter, Physical, Emotional, and Calendar, along with how to avoid the 5 Clutter Pitfalls.  Now is the time to reclaim time, find freedom, and feel empowered from the “stuff” that is holding you back. Available on amazon, barnes & noble or wherever books are sold.   Connect with Me WEBSITE | FB | IG | PINTEREST

Hi Friends! On today’s episode we are joined by SBO Partner, Kim Diamond. Kim is a Certified Professional Organizer in Chronic Disorganization (CPO-CD®). She has her Trained Professional Organizer certificate, and her Level 2 certificate of study in Chronic Disorganization, and Hoarding- so she definitely knows a thing or two about people who struggle with Chronic Disorganization! We talk about the differences between a “hoarder” from someone who struggles with chronic disorganization, how she tailors her approach to each, and how she found herself working in this niche. It’s a truly fascinating conversation, and one that we have never done before on TOL. I encourage you to listen to the episode and let us know what you think! If you, or someone you know suffers from either Chronic Disorganization or Hoarding Disorder, feel free to contact Kim and she would be happy to connect you with someone who can help.   xo- Laurie   Please support us! SUBSCRIBE to TOL to have new episodes downloaded each week! REVIEW.  Social influence is the most impactful way to help others find our show! Struggling with Clutter?  Click HERE to take our FREE clutter quiz! Stop feeling like a Hot Mess! HOT MESS: A Practical Guide to Getting Organized is my witty little survival guide that helps you get to the root of your clutter. Learn about the 3 types of clutter, Physical, Emotional, and Calendar, along with how to avoid the 5 Clutter Pitfalls.  Now is the time to reclaim time, find freedom, and feel empowered from the “stuff” that is holding you back. Available on amazon, barnes & noble or wherever books are sold. Links Mentioned in this Episode INSTITUTE FOR CHALLENGING DISORGANIZATION Connect with Kim WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | LINKEDIN Connect with Me WEBSITE | FB | IG | PINTEREST

Hi Friends! Joining me today is Carina Romano, contributing photographer for Apartment Therapy and co-owner of Love Me Do Photography in Philadelphia. Carina has not only photographed countless Apartments, but has resided in quite a few of her own!  Her most recent venture was rehabbing a home in the Catskill Mountains called Black Bear Ridge. I invited Carina to come on the show today to talk about apartment living, how to make the most of small spaces,  and what trends she sees through her work at Apartment Therapy. After you are done listening to the episode, I encourage you to check out the photos of Black Bear Ridge, it looks like an amazing weekend retreat! xo- Laurie Please support us! SUBSCRIBE to TOL to have new episodes downloaded each week! REVIEW.  Social influence is the most impactful way to help others find our show! Struggling with Clutter?  Click HERE to take our FREE clutter quiz! Stop feeling like a Hot Mess! HOT MESS: A Practical Guide to Getting Organized is my witty little survival guide that helps you get to the root of your clutter. Learn about the 3 types of clutter, Physical, Emotional, and Calendar, along with how to avoid the 5 Clutter Pitfalls.  Now is the time to reclaim time, find freedom, and feel empowered from the “stuff” that is holding you back. Available on amazon, barnes & noble or wherever books are sold. Links Mentioned in this Episode BLACK BEAR RIDGE Connect with Carina WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM Connect with Me WEBSITE | FB | IG | PINTEREST

Hi Friends! Joining us today is Cailen Ascher. She is a mom of 2, a Business Coach with a 3-day workweek, and the creator of Six-Figures Made Simple™, a revolutionary framework that transforms under-earning entrepreneurs into abundant business owners with flexible, feel-good hours. After having her first daughter, Cailen developed her 3-day workweek framework, and hasn’t looked back! She has been featured in Business Insider and Huffington Post, and has been interviewed for Entrepreneur on Fire and ‘She Means Business” Podcast among many others. Her coaching and teachings have helped 1000s of women upgrade their lives and businesses with her Success Made Simple™ strategies for working less, making more and living better. I invited Cailen to come on TOL to talk about how she defines work/life integration, how her priorities changed after becoming a mom, and what practical advice she can share with all of you. I hope you find value in our conversation! We’d love for you to hop on over to our facebook group and share your thoughts! xo- Laurie Please support us! SUBSCRIBE to TOL to have new episodes downloaded each week! REVIEW.  Social influence is the most impactful way to help others find our show! Struggling with Clutter?  Click HERE to take our FREE clutter quiz! Stop feeling like a Hot Mess! HOT MESS: A Practical Guide to Getting Organized is my witty little survival guide that helps you get to the root of your clutter. Learn about the 3 types of clutter, Physical, Emotional, and Calendar, along with how to avoid the 5 Clutter Pitfalls.  Now is the time to reclaim time, find freedom, and feel empowered from the “stuff” that is holding you back. Available on amazon, barnes & noble or wherever books are sold. Links Mentioned in this Episode (Free) 3-Day Work Week Schedule Connect with Cailen WEBSITE |INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK Connect with Me WEBSITE | FB | IG | PINTEREST

Hi Friends! With me today is SBO Partner, Anne Ahmann, a Des Moines-based personal organization consultant and Pinterest craft guru.  The married mother of two teenage girls came later to the personal organization business – for profit at least. Her company, happy.healthy.home., is a passion project, built on 30 years of organizing for fun and catharsis. Anne worked in healthcare for 20 years before starting her business, but she says it was actually a natural transition – helping and healing people is second nature to her and happy.healthy.home. is her way of combining organization and aid. While labeled boxes and bins can be a solution, they are just the start. Anne’s organization philosophy is all about long-term, personalized problem solving. If out-of-the-box organizing solutions are your jam, you’re going to LOVE Anne! From DIY wood slat walls to a rehabbed pink vanity, she has never met a Pinterest challenge she didn’t like! I loved our conversation and I think you will too! xo-  Laurie Please support us! SUBSCRIBE to TOL to have new episodes downloaded each week! REVIEW .  Social influence is the most impactful way to help others find our show! Struggling with Clutter? Click HERE to take our FREE clutter quiz! Stop feeling like a Hot Mess! HOT MESS: A Practical Guide to Getting Organized is my witty little survival guide that helps you get to the root of your clutter. Learn about the 3 types of clutter, Physical, Emotional, and Calendar, along with how to avoid the 5 Clutter Pitfalls.  Now is the time to reclaim time, find freedom, and feel empowered from the “stuff” that is holding you back. Available on amazon, barnes & noble or wherever books are sold. Connect with Anne WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST Connect with Me WEBSITE | FB | IG | PINTEREST

Hi Friends! During the first half of today’s episode, Erika and I give you the 4-1-1 on our AMAZING Partner Retreat that we held earlier this month in beautiful Nashville, TN. We talk about how the retreat came to be, who was there, what we did, and what we have planned for the future.  Check out our IG page at @simplyborganized for highlights of our trip. Then, we dive into my real life saga of Logan’s misplaced envelope of all her important papers, including her birth certificate, passport and social security card! So I pose the question, “where do you store your important documents?”  Join our facebook group, leave us a review, share our show with your friends-We’d love to hear from you!  xo- Laurie Please support us! SUBSCRIBE to TOL to have new episodes downloaded each week! REVIEW.  Social influence is the most impactful way to help others find our show! Struggling with Clutter?  Click HERE to take our FREE clutter quiz! Stop feeling like a Hot Mess! HOT MESS: A Practical Guide to Getting Organized is my witty little survival guide that helps you get to the root of your clutter. Learn about the 3 types of clutter, Physical, Emotional, and Calendar, along with how to avoid the 5 Clutter Pitfalls.  Now is the time to reclaim time, find freedom, and feel empowered from the “stuff” that is holding you back. Available on amazon, barnes & noble or wherever books are sold. Links Mentioned in this Episode SBO Partner Program | Clutter Clinic™ | Find an Organizer Connect with Me WEBSITE | FB | IG | PINTEREST

Hi Friends! Today we are joined by Morgan Tyree, founder of Morganize with Me and author of the new book Take Back Your Time (available at Amazon, Target, or where ever you buy books!) I invited Morgan to join me today to talk about her seasonal organizing challenges that she offers on her website, that help to give you that extra jump-start with the areas that you might feel overwhelmed. Our conversation also crosses over into things like parenting, entrepreneurship and a joint mission to helping empower others live simply and work smarter. If you like this episode please share it with your friends!  xo- Laurie Please support us! SUBSCRIBE to TOL to have new episodes downloaded each week! REVIEW.  Social influence is the most impactful way to help others find our show! Struggling with Clutter?  Click HERE to take our FREE clutter quiz! Stop feeling like a Hot Mess! HOT MESS: A Practical Guide to Getting Organized is my witty little survival guide that helps you get to the root of your clutter. Learn about the 3 types of clutter, Physical, Emotional, and Calendar, along with how to avoid the 5 Clutter Pitfalls.  Now is the time to reclaim time, find freedom, and feel empowered from the “stuff” that is holding you back. Available on amazon, barnes & noble or wherever books are sold. Links Mentioned in this Episode BUY THE BOOK ORGANIZING CHALLENGES Connect with Morgan WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM Connect with Me WEBSITE | FB | IG | PINTEREST

Hi Friends! People are always asking us to feature our favorite products, so today we are doing an episode on products we love! However, instead of focusing on big brands, I wanted to focus in on smaller companies who are making a big impact. Although you may not know our guests by name, there’s a good chance you’ve seen their items in The Container Store, on PopSugar, Buzzfeed, or this little list called “Oprah’s Favorite Things.” My guests today are the founders of Three By Three Seattle, Anita Nadelson and Gwen Weinberg. Anita and Gwen are no strangers to the organizing product world. They started Three by Three Seattle 25 years ago-and like any partnership, their business and lives have evolved together over the years. As women and moms, I love how they reference their personal lives when designing new products. With a simple, yet powerful mission of making busy lives beautifully efficient, they repeatedly deliver on that promise with well crafted, functional, and stylish products designed to solving organizational problems. On a personal note, I’ve been using their products for years and love them! I even have their magnetic skinny strip on my refrigerator and jot block on my desk, and LOVE THEM! We talk about things like:      ● How they met      ● The evolution of the organizing industry over the past 2 ½ decades      ● What differentiates them in a marketplace that has become saturated with organizing products and         solutions Gwen and Anita share their personal favorite products and why, and of course I share mine too! I ask them for a sneak peek of what’s on the horizon for Three by Three, and you know I can’t keep that info to myself, so be sure to listen to the entire episode I loved my conversation with these amazing women, and I know you will too. If you haven’t tried out their products, there’s no time like the present! Gwen & Anita have an exclusive gift for all TOL listeners: Use the Promo Code: SIMPLYB for a 25% discount sitewide at threebythree.com Offer valid through Nov 16 and is one use per customer. Happy Organizing! xoxo Laurie Please support us!  SUBSCRIBE to TOL to have new episodes downloaded each week! REVIEW.  Social influence is the most impactful way to help others find our show! Struggling with Clutter?  Click HERE to take our FREE clutter quiz! Stop feeling like a Hot Mess! HOT MESS: A Practical Guide to Getting Organized is my witty little survival guide that helps you get to the root of your clutter. Learn about the 3 types of clutter, Physical, Emotional, and Calendar, along with how to avoid the 5 Clutter Pitfalls.  Now is the time to reclaim time, find freedom, and feel empowered from the “stuff” that is holding you back. Available on amazon, barnes & noble or wherever books are sold. Links Mentioned in this Episode Uprise Monitor | Skinny Strip | Silicone Weekly Planner |Sort It Out Wall Caddy Connect with Three by Three WEBSITE | PINTEREST |  FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM Connect with Me WEBSITE | FB | IG | PINTEREST

Hi Friends! Today I am joined by fellow mom and entrepreneur, Viktoria Harrison.  Vik was 25 when she started building the charity: water brand alongside her husband Scott. Twelve years later, the organization has raised $300 million, helped 8 million people get clean drinking water, while inspiring non-profits and businesses around the world through creative storytelling and design. (You may have heard me talk about charity: water in past episodes about clutter free gift ideas) Now, Vik is helping purpose-driven entrepreneurs find their unique stories and build soulful, authentic and successful brands that deeply reflect who they are, through her  company, The Branded Startup. Vik is also the mom to two adorable kids, and is in the weeds of pre-school, kindergarten and small space living in NYC. Our conversation dives into her experience of birthing one of the most influential and social conscious non-profits, to making the decision to stay at home with her little ones, to now integrating life as a wife, mom, and founder of The Branded Start Up. We chat about her roots of coming to America as a small child and living in a multi-generational home, to now raising a family of her own in an urban environment. (*which for all my suburban/country listeners comes with it’s own set of unique challenges! ) The differences in starting a business as a single woman in her 20’s verses a married mother of 2 in her 30’s. How she handles work/life integration Of course we wrap up our episode with Vik spilling the beans of where she feels like a hot mess, and where she is thriving! I love Vik’s honesty and candor during our conversation, and my hope is that wherever you are in your own journey, that you leave this episode feeling inspired and empowered to be the best you can be. Please be sure to check out the links below which includes one of my favorite clutter-free birthday gift ideas! xo- Laurie Please support us! SUBSCRIBE to TOL to have new episodes downloaded each week! REVIEW.  Social influence is the most impactful way to help others find our show! Struggling with Clutter?  Click HERE to take our FREE clutter quiz! Stop feeling like a Hot Mess! HOT MESS: A Practical Guide to Getting Organized is my witty little survival guide that helps you get to the root of your clutter. Learn about the 3 types of clutter, Physical, Emotional, and Calendar, along with how to avoid the 5 Clutter Pitfalls.  Now is the time to reclaim time, find freedom, and feel empowered from the “stuff” that is holding you back. Available on amazon, barnes & noble or wherever books are sold. Links Mentioned in this Episode THE BRANDED STARTUP | CHARITY: WATER BIRTHDAYS Connect with Vik INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE Connect with Me WEBSITE | FB | IG | PINTEREST