Lessmess Blog

Be less stuff centered

sanne — Thu, 17 May 2012 07:28:17 +0000

A while ago I read an article by Annie Leonard, author of the book ‘the story of stuff’. She writes that she gets accused of being against stuff. That accusation/question is often raised when prospective customers ring me. They are afraid that we will make them throw out everything. We don’t and we won’t and you shouldn’t let us.
What we do is asking lots of (sometimes confronting) questions and raising awareness about what’s needed and what’s just wanted.
With getting to grips with our own consumerism, we can model to our kids and others, showing them that live isn’t about stuff. Annie says in her article:” we have more stuff than previous generations could have dreamed of, but we also have less leisure time, fewer friends and spend less time with our kids.” A couple of the tips she gives for parents about how to raise less stuff cantered kids does apply to adults, too:
Be aware how often you get your wallet out. Just because the petrol station has milk and newspaper and sweets, doesn’t mean you always have to purchase something.
Create Community Seek out other people/families that value people based on their character rather than their stuff.
Bring back sharing Share the lawnmower with neighbours (it takes up a lot of space in the shed). Borrow a tent for your first trial camping trip – you might not like it. Share the trip (and the kids) to the soccer game, piano lesson, swimming coaching… saves petrol and time.
Talk about it Cultivating a resistance to the constant barrage of commercial messages.
Create commercial free zones/times We simply must reclaim our physical and mental landscape from the constant barrage of messages telling us that we will be happier, more successful, and more loved if we buy more stuff. Watch public commercial-free TV, don’t buy magazines. Unsubscribe to newsletters (not this one, of course). Try generic products. Be aware whether you buy the label or the product. Don’t buy stuff on top of experiences. Do you really need a souvenir from the zoo? Merchandising is one of the things I get to chuck out a lot!

15% off LessMess services

sanne — Mon, 14 May 2012 07:33:58 +0000

This is a once a year opportunity, because, as existing customers might know, I don’t discount my services.
Mother’s Day is different, so take advantage, mention this blogpost book before the end of the month and receive 15% off your next consultation.

storing your travel information

sanne — Thu, 10 May 2012 07:18:16 +0000

After the recent outback trip I decided to give my ‘Map and brochure Box’ a once over and chuck everything that is too old to be relevant any more, all the duplicated cycling maps we own and information about areas where we are not very likely to go in the next 5 years.
I use a suspension file box with a clear lid. Fits nicely under the shelves in my office, I didn’t have to buy any hanging files or clear tabs, because I use them anyway, and it gives me the possibility to create broad categories to easily find things to take on a trip or give to a visitor.
As with all filing I strongly suggest to go for broad categories. If you are too detailed it gets hard to find the right spot for a document and you might give up all together to file that item away.
Living in Sydney I found these categories working for us:

Sydney
Cycling
North of Sydney
West of Sydney
South of Sydney
(a new one) NSW outback
Canberra
Rest of Australia
Rest of the world (I am tempted to call that one East of Sydney)

More Jewellery Storage

sanne — Mon, 07 May 2012 10:01:08 +0000

I know I have posted a fair bit about Jewellery storage products and ides, but it’s one of the Mother’s Day items in this week’s Target catalogue. So it might not be around in the shop for too long.
If you have too much jewellery declutter; decide on what you still wear and let go of everything else.
For the rest; this item might be the right storage solution for you.
got to page 22

Outback Experience

sanne — Thu, 03 May 2012 07:14:16 +0000

I hope you have noticed, that it’s been 4 weeks since the last post– I hope you missed it??!!!!
During the Easter Holidays, our family went on a road trip to outback NSW. I took my laptop with all intentions to write some content, but you know, as soon as we left Sydney, I just completely lost interest. I was much more focused on taking in the landscape and watching all the wildlife that is abundant with all the rain we had.
We do camping, because it fits the budget and you experience nature much more first hand. And you are very flexible. Two times we just pitched our tents at the edge of a paddock.
The kids loved it: open fire, strange animals, cotton crops and 100 year old woolsheds.
I immensely enjoyed Broken Hill for its rich, very Australian history. I will definitely suggest it to all our overseas visitors – you can actually take a sleeper train there on Wednesday nights from Sydney!!
Back home it was de dusting and putting all the gear back in its proper space. Luckily, we own a pressure water gun; unfortunately, the washing machine broke down…
And then there are always the crates and boxes with mixed content that are so hard to get started on. However, much the same as I work with my customers, we just did one box at a time. The last one was mine, with all the minerals and real cotton balls, the national park brochures and maps. I even found a couple of stray chocolate Easter eggs in the bottom!

pitching the tent at the end of the day

outback NSW

some clever ideas

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 01:40:40 +0000

one of the US based Organisers I follow on twitter and/or FaceBook put this video up on YouTube. Worth a look or is it taking organisation from practical to over the top?

Woolies Boxes

sanne — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 03:40:53 +0000

That’s how they are called in our household – and with the soccer season starting last weekend, I have been in and out of this one quite a bit.
They are 50cm x 35cm x 27cm see through plastic with a lid that closes by folding over the handles. They are big enough for most items and small enough to not be overloaded. Because of their size, they are a bit sturdier then the bigger ones you get from hardware houses and container stores.
See through is good for labeling. I just slide some scrap paper with the content clearly written in big letters on it on the inside. Easy to change and no endless rubbing to get rid of last year’s labels.
It’s a excellent idea to decide on one main storage container for the whole household or office. (Which doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a couple of other fitting sizes, but the general purpose ones). It makes it easier to replace broken tubs or lids, the spacing between shelves can be adjusted with a minimum of wasted space – and I think it looks good if everything is uniform, even if it’s just in a garage.
In addition, these have been around at Woolies, Big W and SuperBarn for the last 15 years, and you can always buy more or replace bits and pieces.

You can break clutter’s grip

sanne — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 02:44:13 +0000

By Kathryn Weber, Tribune Media Services Living SpaceMarch 13, 2012

Everyone has to deal with general messiness around the house, but clutter can become overwhelming — judging by the number of TV shows about hoarding! Whatever the level of disorder in your house, solving the problem starts with motivation. The problem isn’t the possessions, but us. Once we get our thoughts straight about clutter, stuff has a way of finding its way out the door instead of in…

Los Angeles times – Real Estate

Structure not gadgets

sanne — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 03:35:24 +0000

When customers book LessMess, there is a lot to talk about up front. I tell people in as much detail as possible what to expect, my customers do the same.
At the end of that conversation, most people ask what they have to buy before we come. My answer is always: nothing
There are two reasons for this:
Organising is about less rather than more. We try to declutter so you have less stuff. Less stuff doesn’t need more shelves or plastic containers. Quite the contrary. Most clients would have storage infrastructure left over. It’s about structure and procedures, not about gadgets.
Secondly, getting organised is an entirely personal process. Despite trying to get to know my customers over the phone as good as possible I just have a vague idea about how they live their lives, their priorities and weaknesses. We offer personalised solutions, and that doesn’t mean one size fits all containers. Something that might be a brilliant solution for one customer, will just not work for someone else. There is also the, albeit much smaller, consideration of taste and looks. Organising as such is not about looks, but we know, that you are more inclined to use an organising gadget if you like the look and feel of it (Kiki-K anyone?)
So, if you are getting started on your own (over the Easter break, maybe?), don’t waste your motivation and time by going shopping. Ikea is great, but shopping is the icing on the cake after you have decluttered and decided on a structure that will work for you.
That doesn’t mean that there are no good products around. Pressed for the one and only all time usable organising product, I would pick this: TO BE CONTINUED

How to store your broom(s)

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 03:06:58 +0000

up side down, of course. Never just fling them into a broom cupboard, it will break all the bristles and next time you use them, you have broom hair all over your floor. This is easily made in 1/2 an hour. Just take any board, melamine, MDF, particle board… and hammer some long nails in the right position. Hang it in the broom cupboard or, as this one from our laundry on a free wall in the laundry.

If you are not into the DIY why not buy one from Howard’s storage?
5 Broom Magic Holder

$25.95

It’s easier and faster when you can find all your tools in one place.
The magic holder fits most size brooms.
shop online here