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D.E.C.I.D.E.™ to be Organized! by Lisa Montanaro

Achieve Results at Home, at Work, and in Life!

The purpose of the DECIDE™ to be Organized blog is to motivate, inspire and empower success-minded individuals and busy professionals to achieve results at home, at work, and in life. The blog is a great clearing-house for me to share ideas, tips, information, expertise, and musings as I draw upon my experience as an organizer, business & life coach, and speaker (as well as my background as an attorney!). Hopefully, it will prove to be a valuable source of information to you, along with a little entertainment at times. So sit back, relax, get a cup of coffee (or tea!) and come along for the ride.

Latest Posts:


Join the DECIDE™ to be Organized Online Group Coaching Program! Many people say they want to get better organized, but in order to act upon that wish, you must deeply examine your motives for wanting to do so. Your motives must be strong enough to sustain you through the change process. DECIDE is an empowering process that leads to change. It will assist you in achieving results at home, at work, and in life in general. While the process guides a person in making decisions that lead to a more organized state, it is itself a decision; a decision to take control. How do you do that? If you are ready to change and need help with any of your organizing or time management projects, then join me for the *DECIDE to be Organized Online Group Coaching Program, a 6-week teleclass series that allows participants to be guided through the entire DECIDE process in a group coaching environment. Dates:* Tuesday evenings, October 5 to November 9, 2010 Time: 7:30 – 9:00 pm EST Investment: Early Bird Special – $199 if register by September 14th ($249 thereafter) Bonuses: Includes MP3 recordings of all classes, the DECIDE to be Organized 58-page e-book, e-mail access to me and the group members, laser coaching session, and more! Click here for details and to register During these teleclasses, I will offer guidance, support, and expertise as you embark on this empowering process for change. Through DECIDE, you will learn the tools needed to get better organized, take control, and make positive changes. Listen to my message about this exciting program AND a free 10 minute audio about the DECIDE process. What the DECIDE to be Organized Group Coaching Program Includes: Time, motivation and inspiration to work on your organizing projects. A fun, supportive environment made up of individuals that also want to get better organized. You don't have to go it alone! Lasting tools to help you learn your organizing style, change your mindset, and maintain your organizing systems long after the program is over. Decluttered physical space and clarity of mind so that you can focus on the things you really want, love, and need in your home, work, and life! If you are interested in having your very own organizing coach, but aren't able to invest the money to work on a one-on-one basis with an organizing expert, this affordable program is the answer!... Read more... posted on: 8/25/2010 1:30:00 PM by Lisa Montanaro category: General Organizing Tips

Organizing After the Loss of a Loved One I have worked with many clients over the years to organize after the loss of a loved one. Living in the greater NY metropolitan area, I have helped many 9-11 widows and widowers organize after losing a loved one in the World Trade Center terrorist attacks. It is an emotionally draining process. My best advice is to take it slow and go at your own pace. After the death of a loved one, some people are tempted to sift through belongings and make decisions quickly. If this feels natural to you, fine (consider checking with a grief counselor before moving too quickly through the process). But most people need more time after a loss to organize a loved one's possessions. So give yourself permission to grieve first, heal, and then organize... Read more... posted on: 5/19/2010 1:30:00 PM by Lisa Montanaro category: General Organizing Tips

"Green" Organizing - An Earth-Friendly Combination While "green" and organizing may sound unrelated, promoting green consciousness is a natural extension of the organizing process. Professional organizers enter homes and businesses on a regular basis, and armed with proper knowledge, a professional organizer can assist clients in becoming more Earth-friendly. As the Chair of my town's Earth Day Clean Sweep for the past five years, I am well aware of the importance of reducing and recycling, and relish the opportunity to influence clients and the general public in this regard. What can you do to get better organized in a "green-friendly" way? Here are some tips. Read more... posted on: 4/14/2010 1:30:00 PM by Lisa Montanaro category: General Organizing Tips

Got Clutter? Do the Spring Fling! Spring marks the transition from winter into summer. It is a time that most of us equate with renewal, increasing day length, and a symbolic changing of the seasons. Spring is seen as a time of growth, when new life (both plant and animal) are born. The term is also used more generally as a metaphor for the start of better times. For many, it is also a time for cleaning and organizing - i.e., the Spring Fling! During the winter, we tend to stockpile. It is in our nature. Chances are you've got some clutter left over at work, at home, in your car, on your computer, and in your head. This is an ideal time to do some eliminating. The old adage, "Out with the old, in with the new" definitely applies this season. To help you with... Read more... posted on: 3/31/2010 1:30:00 PM by Lisa Montanaro category: General Organizing Tips

Using Meta Decisions to Get Organized What is a Meta Decision? A meta decision is an umbrella-type decision that impacts all of the smaller decisions that come thereafter. It is made with the intention of impacting or replacing a number of future decisions. Thus, meta decisions are crucial to organizing because they save the mental anguish and time involved with making hundreds of individual decisions one by one. How Can You Use Meta Decisions to Get Organized? You can use meta decisions with clothing ("I will not keep anything that I have not worn in the last 2 years"), magazines and newspapers ("If I have not read it in the last 3 months, it gets donated or thrown in the recycling bin!"), e-mail ("I will check email for 1 hour in the... Read more... posted on: 3/24/2010 1:30:00 PM by Lisa Montanaro category: General Organizing Tips

11 Tips to an Organized Job Search "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." ~ Thomas Edison So, you are searching for a new job? Perhaps you are making a voluntary career transition. Maybe you have been laid off, or worse, fired. Regardless of the reason for your job search, one fact remains true: if you are conducting a job search, it is vital that you take an organized approach. Managing your job search is just like managing any other major project. You must create an infrastructure that allows you to operate in an efficient and productive manner. A successful job search requires forethought and action. Here are some tips for conducting an organized job search. Declutter and... Read more... posted on: 3/17/2010 1:30:00 PM by Lisa Montanaro category: General Organizing Tips

Organizing & Marriage: 'Til Death (or Disorganization!) Do You Part "The goal in marriage is not to think alike, but to think together." ~ Robert C. Dodds I've worked with many couples as a professional organizer over the last 7 years. Many of them are married, some are domestic partners, others just roommates, etc. My background as a trained mediator often comes in handy during these client sessions. Often, during an organizing assessment, a client will mention that another user in the home cannot maintain an organizing system (or that the other user IS the organizing problem!). When I inquire as to whether the system was created with the other user in mind, the client usually responds in the negative. Therein lies the problem. Here is... Read more... posted on: 2/10/2010 1:30:00 PM by Lisa Montanaro category: General Organizing Tips

A Tale of Two College Roommates — Learning to Live Together in an Organized State This post is a re-print of an article I wrote that was published by Balance magazine. Balance was a great, but short-lived, magazine that focused on achieving balance through organization. (Photos by Megan Joplin.) It is difficult enough for one person to be organized and maintain that state of organization on a daily basis. Now imagine being thrust into a living situation with a person you have never met before, who is not a relative or even a friend. A person with different sleeping, grooming, eating, and studying habits, who may be from a different background or culture, and who has a different schedule and interests to boot. Enter the college roommate. When described in the abstract, the college roommate... Read more... posted on: 1/13/2010 1:30:00 PM by Lisa Montanaro category: General Organizing Tips

The Power of the Pareto Principle (aka the 80/20 Rule) "Our life is frittered away by detail … simplify, simplify." ~ Henry David Thoreau When I am conducting an organizing, time management or business related workshop, I often ask if anyone has heard of the Pareto Principle. I usually get a room full of blank stares. However, if I ask if anyone has heard of the 80/20 Rule, many people nod their heads yes, and have a better idea what I am talking about. The Pareto Principle takes its name from a 19^th century Italian economist named Vilfredo Pareto. In the late 1940s, business management guru Joseph M. Juran... Read more... posted on: 1/6/2010 1:30:00 PM by Lisa Montanaro category: General Organizing Tips

Want to Get Organized in 2010? Join the DECIDE to be Organized Group Coaching Program Many people say they want to get better organized, but in order to act upon that wish, you must deeply examine your motives for wanting to do so. Your motives must be strong enough to sustain you through the change process. DECIDE is an empowering process that leads to change. It will assist you in achieving results at home, at work, and in life in general. While the process guides a person in making decisions that lead to a more organized state, it is itself a decision; a decision to take control. How do you do that? If you are ready to change and need help with any of your organizing or time management projects, then join me for the Read more... posted on: 1/5/2010 7:02:48 PM by Lisa Montanaro category: General Organizing Tips

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About Lisa:

Lisa Montanaro is the owner of LM Organizing Solutions, LLC, a professional services firm offering organizing, business and life coaching, and motivational speaking to individuals and organizations. Lisa is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) and its Golden Circle, reserved for organizers that have been in business for 5 years or more. Lisa is also an inaugural Certified Professional Organizer© (CPO), an achievement that only a small percentage of organizing experts have achieved.

LMOS empowers people and organizations to DECIDE™ to be Organized, a unique 6-step organizing process created by Lisa, based on her many years of experience organizing and coaching clients. Through the implementation of the DECIDE™ approach, clients create systems designed to achieve results at home, at work, and in life. What sets Lisa apart from others in her field is her varied background and keen intuition. Professional organizing, coaching, and speaking allow Lisa to combine her lifelong passion for creating order with her skills gained as a lawyer, educator, mediator, and performer. Considered by her clients to be an "intellectual organizer and problem-solver," Lisa is skillful at asking questions in a non-judgmental manner that help people and organizations find the answers to create a system tailored to their individual needs.

In addition to her hands-on work with clients, Lisa is a skilled motivational speaker. Lisa is a member of the National Speakers Association (NSA), the premiere organization for professional speakers. Her presentations at national conferences, local forums, and in numerous workplace settings are informative, interactive, and entertaining. Lisa has been interviewed by radio hosts, and is a frequent guest expert for national teleclasses and webinars. Indeed, Lisa was ranked the number 1 speaker of the 2008 NAPO Conference by attendees, sharing the spotlight with such notable speakers as Peter Walsh of TLC's Clean Sweep and the Oprah Winfrey Show, and Hellen Buttigieg of Neat.

Lisa's Website:

www.LMOrganizingSolutions.com