Are you a shopperati?

The other day I was interviewed by a fantastic and informative website called www.shopperati.com. Check out some fabulous tips on organizing by me and other experts in a piece by Debbi Martin. But reader beware, getting organized does not mean you can purge and restock your closet. The key to getting shopping under control is to simply use what you have. Responsible consumerism comes from being in touch with your needs, avoiding impulse trends and being true to your style!

Enjoy a closet makeover this weekend, instead of a trip to the mall!

Why is there no clutter on St John?

There is no clutter on the island of St John...
This could be for many reasons, first, the island is hard to get things in and out of, unless on a boat, that is one incentive for not cluttering up the natural beauty. And there is a real garbage crisis there, not a lot of infrastructure for disposal and not a plethora of water for the islanders. An odd observation as the island is surrounded by blue water, salty as it may be. But the St Johnians don't need much and this is the lesson that I take back with me every time, I visit, which is yearly. I love the nature, I love the beach and for many that is all that is needed, houses are built on hill tops to enjoy the view, fashion is not as important as comfort from the tropical heat and everyone is casual and kind. It is truly an island resort. St John teaches me that I don't really need that much after all, for a week away, I bring one carry on bag, now that is what I call packing light. Adopting this lesson to my city life is the challenge, at least for the next couple of days, I can tune out the helicopter noise over the Hudson, the crowds of people on the bus and the tall buildings that obscure my view. For now, a little bit of St John remains in my momentarily clutter free mind...

Thank you Oprah!!!

I love Oprah and I was so pleased to see her show on Thursday where she challenged two families to "give something up" for two weeks. I love it, this is exactly the point I was making when I decided to give something up, once a month for a year, a journey that was chronicled in my first book Give it Up! My Year of Learning to Live Better with Less. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Give-It-up/Mary-Carlomagno/e/9780060789800/?itm=4

Living with less is way of life and something that is contagious, I love that the spirit of the book is continuing as a movement. Bravo to living with less and Bravo to Oprah for highlighting this on her program.

Change

The current buzzword for all things lately is change. I think about change often. All things change, but how does change really take root? To really make a change, what are the steps to take? I see this daily as the chronically cluttered make declarations of cleaning their desk, sorting through their finances or straightening out their storage unit. But what do the words really mean? Surely saying them is the first step in triggering the change. But change is really about making a commitment which takes more than words. I just completed another Lenten season where I said no to the martinis and the cabernet for forty days. It was a commitment, a promise kept and once again, a total challenge. Did I change in the process? The answer is more complicated than a simple yes or no. I learned much more than white knuckling my desires when out with friends. I flexed my change muscles. I changed the way I normally do things. Seems like the very definition of change in and of itself. The next idea was sustaining this change over time, with consistent action. Key word consistent, like anything else change takes maintenance, it takes commitment. And most of all it takes courage. As so aptly put by one of my heroes, Thoreau, "Things do not change, we change." So with all this change conversation happening, it seems the perfect opportunity to go about making a personal change. And who knows, maybe this change revolution will catch on... and who knows what could happen next?

Ode to my filing cabinet

Simply put, the best investment for organizing is a filing cabinet. Oh, how I love my filing cabinet, with it's fancy folders and uniform labels created on my ultra sporty Dymo handheld labeler. Love the feeling of creating new files, like new possibilities, filling up my cabinets with potential. Love that everything looks so neat.

Yes, my dear filing cabinet, this post is for you.

My best advice is invest in a good filing system, it's merits have no bounds!

Super Wednesday

It is once again time for lent, time to set resolutions outside of the harsh light and judgment of New Year's Day. So, what should I give up this season? With an eye toward super bowl, super Tuesday, and now Ash Wednesday, I am contemplating a super sacrifice....What kind of super intervention should take place this year to make lent a truly life changing experience?
Perhaps the sacrifice lays not in the giving up, but taking on... So many choices, kindness, patience, charity, volunteerism and forgiveness. Perhaps my super sacrifice is not a sacrifice at all....

A Good Year

I was thrilled the other day to see that A Good Year was on HBO last week, more thrilled that I actually was able to sit and watch the entire movie from start to finish, but that is another blog that involves cable, and on demand, way too complicated to get into. A Good Year is based on Hotel Pastis by Peter Mayle, one of my favorite books about dropping out of society. The character is forced to choose between his high powered advertising job and rehabbing a Provence hotel. In the movie, Russell Crowe's choice is the ad job or reviving a centuries old vineyard and estate. These are pretty good choices to drop out of society... There has been a lot of talk about dropping out, chucking it all for the lottery or the big inheritance lately and I realize that it is more than the money that enables these dreams to happen. Although, money does make things easier. Within that fantasy lies more than just the idea of escape, it represents something much deeper. As a drop out myself, I realized a nagging feeling of missing something, perhaps the thing I wanted to do most that went unrecognized. For Russell and his literary counterpart, balance and quality of life became the major issues, secondary to the money. For me, working in publishing for fourteen years made me want to write. The real question should be what would you do without the lottery winnings, without the inheritance. What would you never trade for an escape fantasty. In essence, what represents your good year? Perhaps the opposite is true, what would represent your bad year?

Organize as maintenance

Dear Blog,
This is my heartfelt apology. I have neglected you, left you unattended and uncared for and for that I am truly sorry.

I realize that my blog like any thing in life, needs constant work and constant maintenance. A fact that I keep learning over and over again especially at this time of year, when I clean out the shelves of the local farmers market and tell red meat, see ya next year!

On day seven, I am keeping up my workout routine where recently a well meaning young sales associate tried to up sell my current membership. He asked about my fitness level, my routine, my likes, my dislikes, everything short of my favorite color workout tank and the question I was waiting for, as I had the perfect answer... "If you could be a professional athlete, who would you be?" My answer is Jackie Robinson, one that, I am convinced could have no correlation to any current workout.

In an exasperated fashion, I answered his questions until I finally hit rock bottom, "I have been working out for twenty years! When can I just stop?" The young man grinned...

And that is when it hit me, it never stops, exercising, eating well, organizing, writing are daily pursuits that need maintenance. So for this year, I am taking baby steps, a little bit of each, each day, seeking balance in the maintenance, the habits, the routines.

I did renew my membership, but drew the line on the personal trainer. For now, anyway, I have lots of veggies to eat....