Category: Get Started

Introduction to Home Organizer Services with free resources

When to ask for help with clutter and hoarders?

Leave a comment

8 signs of when to ask for help for clutter and hoarders who live in a hoarder home.

What’s the difference between a cluttered house and a hoarder house?

A hoarder house typically has –

  • Clutter on all floors, sometimes pathways from points A to B
  • Junk on all surfaces including tables, counters, chairs, couches, etc.
  • Piles on piles of stuff with an assortment of items

How does hoarding impact daily life and routines?

  • Difficult to do basic tasks such as cooking and cleaning
  • Limits social interaction such as inviting friends and family over
  • Constant loss of time and stuff by having to search and look for items
  • Spending more money on stuff the person already has causing duplicates and more clutter

Can the hoarder meet their basic needs?

A hoarder can have a low threshold for living standards. It’s important to be aware if the hoarder can still meet their basic needs in the home.

  • Can they wash their hands and take a shower?
  • Do they have access to laundry and warm water?
  • Are they able to cook beyond a microwave?
  • Where do they sleep? Is the bed or couch accessible?

How long have they been living this way?

  • Has it been a year or more?
  • Is it getting visibly worse each time you visit?
  • Is it difficult for them to downsize and declutter?

If you answered yes to the above questions, I recommend asking the person(s) if they want help.

Get A Free Consultation

Is the house unsafe and unhealthy to live in?

  • How high are the piles?
  • Is there access to exit and entry doors?
  • What contents are in the home? (There is usually a pattern.)
  • Are there signs of mold, infestations, or asbestos?
  • Are there pets, feces, or any hazardous materials?

If health and safety is in question then now is the time to help.

hoarder shed with clutter on all floors and surfaces making it a dysfunctional space

What kind of stuff is being collected and hoarded?

One of the key signs of hoarding is when the person(s) keep items of little to no monetary value:

  • Napkins
  • Pieces of paper
  • Broken items
  • Paper boxes
  • Plastic bags

What are signs and symptoms of hoarding?

  • Unable to get rid of items and declutter
  • Inability to let go
  • Anxiety about the potential future use of items
  • No designated home or organizational structure for things
  • Keeping distance between the home and friends, family, and social events
Before & After Photos

What causes hoarding?

People with hoarding disorder may or may not recognize that their habits and behaviors are negative. It’s important to acknowledge that the onset of hoarding usually starts from a stressful or traumatic event.

The exact cause of hoarding is unknown but it can be associated with ADHD and OCD.

Do you know someone who is hoarder and needs help?
Connect with a Professional Organizer

Now serving the cities of: Lafayette, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, Orinda, Concord, Oakland, Berkeley, San Francisco, Daly City, Burlingame, San Mateo, Belmont, Redwood City, Palo Alto, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, San Jose, Fremont, Hayward, Castro Valley, Alamo, Danville, San Ramon, Dublin

minimalist living room couch for simple living

How can I start a more minimalist lifestyle?

Leave a comment

8 minimalist ideas to start your minimalist lifestyle today!

How can I be more minimalist with clothing?

Create a Capsule Wardrobe.

What is a Capsule Wardrobe? It is when your clothes are composed of interchangeable items that maximizes the number of outfits you can wear. Learn more about how to create a minimalist wardrobe.

How can I declutter books when I love reading?

Keep books that spark joy® when you see them or that you will read now. Be honest with yourself. If you haven’t read a book that’s been sitting on the shelf for years, will you really read it?

Get A Free Consultation

How can I become more minimalist with books?

This sounds super old school but I recommend renting books from the library. I find that I actually read the books I get when I know I have to return them in 2-3 weeks. This also allows me to read all kinds of books (old and new) without them taking up space in my home.

How can I downsize paper in my house?

Stop the flow of paper coming in! It’s important to have a routine when it comes to mail:

  1. Immediately toss advertisements/spam/junk (less paper accumulation)
  2. Open envelopes and discard, only keep the important paper/letter (keep only what you need)
  3. Place important papers, bills, letters in a pending box
  4. Set a day to go through the mail once a week (no pile build ups)

If you haven’t done so already, automate all of your bills online and sign up for the paperless setting.

minimalist kitchen ideas on how to have less

Is it possible to have a minimalist kitchen?

Yes. Although this category is probably one of the hardest for me personally. I maintain having less in the kitchen by:

  1. Mindful spending: Less kitchen gadgets and more questions like, “What purpose does this item serve?”
  2. Buy food you intend to eat now not later.

How can I have less cleaning products?

Honestly, the only cleaning product I use is vinegar. Vinegar is a natural antiseptic and a perfect solution if you have pets or kids in the house. I have 2-3 spray bottles each filled with vinegar that I keep in the kitchen to wipe tables/counters and in the bathrooms.

I’ve used vinegar for years and love the simplicity of having one product to clean everything.

Before & After Photos

How can I feel more minimalist with laundry when I hate folding?

It’s normal for laundry to be left in a basket for a few days. It is not normal when that is literally the place it lives and if it does – it better be in a designated spot in a closet. If you absolutely despise laundry and folding then I recommend –

  1. Hang most/all clothes
  2. Designate separate drawers for small items: socks, underwear, bras
  3. Designate a spot for your hamper to live that does not create visual clutter

The key is to have a home for your clean clothes even if you don’t fold them. Simply toss items into drawers or on hangers. If you’re really lazy just leave them in the hamper but have a designated spot for that hamper to live. Create a system that works for you, is easy to maintain, and doesn’t disrupt the look and feel of your minimalist home.

Do I really have to declutter my sentimental items?

Absolutely not. It’s important to keep and display sentimental items throughout your home! If an item really means a lot to you then why not appreciate and look at it daily? Minimalism is about creating an environment that energizes and supports your lifestyle.

sentimental vase displayed for joy in minimalist home
Ready to work with a professional organizer near me?
Hello Minimalism

Now serving the cities of: Lafayette, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, Orinda, Concord, Oakland, Berkeley, San Francisco, Daly City, Burlingame, San Mateo, Belmont, Redwood City, Palo Alto, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, San Jose, Fremont, Hayward, Castro Valley, Alamo, Danville, San Ramon, Dublin

organized kitchen cabinet

How to Organize Duplicates Guide

Leave a comment

Learn how to declutter, organize, and maintain duplicates with our step by step guide!

What are the pain points?

  • Having too much of the same thing
  • Buying items and then realizing you already have them
  • Wasting money by buying what you don’t need
  • Losing time by searching for items and then rebuying when you can’t find them

What are the causes?

  • Items do not have a designated home (place of belonging)
  • Like-items are stored in multiple places
  • Items are stored in inconvenient places – too high, far back, or out of sight

What is the solution?

Step 1: Joy Check Duplicates

Learn How to Joy Check

Step 2: Designate a Home for the item(s)

When picking a location, pick a place that is:

  • Easy
  • Convenient
  • Flows with your daily routine and lifestyle

Step 3: Pick a place to Store and Display

  • Bin/Basket/Bowl on a counter
  • Basket/Bin on a shelf
  • Hook on the wall
  • Rack on the wall
  • Designate a drawer
  • Box on bottom or top shelf

Step 4: How to Store and Display

  • Organize items horizontally instead of vertically
  • The goal is to see everything instantly
  • The location and way it is placed is easy to get, put back, and maintain

Step 5: Practice and Repeat Habits

  • Try finding and putting items back regularly for 7 days
  • When you shop, be mindful of what have.

With a functional and organized system it is easy to take inventory and buy only what you need and truly want.

Step 5: Adjust and Evaluate

You know you need to readjust your system if:

  • You start to accumulate more of the same things
  • Your storage space can’t accommodate the amount you have
  • You buy more than what you use and need

Do you want help with how to organize duplicates?

Connect with Nicole

How to stop Losing & Searching for Things

Leave a comment

What can you do today to stop losing & searching for things?

What are the pain points?

  • Misplacing items on a regular basis
  • Spending time and energy to find items
  • Feeling frustrated/annoyed by repeating the same tasks
  • Feeling out of control in your environment
  • Panicking when you’re in a rush

What are the causes?

  • Items do not have a designated home (place of belonging)
  • Stress, fatigue
  • Multitasking

What is the solution?

Step 1: Designate a Home for the item(s)

When picking a location, pick a place that is:

  • Easy
  • Convenient
  • Flows with your daily routine and lifestyle

Step 2: Pick a place to Store and Display

  • Bin/Basket/Bowl on a counter
  • Basket on a shelf
  • Hook on the wall
  • Rack on the wall
  • Designate a drawer
  • Box under bottom shelf

Step 3: Practice and Repeat Habits

  • Try finding and putting items back regularly for 7 days

Step 4: Adjust and Evaluate

You know you need to readjust your system if:

  • You place items in random places
  • You place items outside of the designated home
  • You have to search for items

Try to move the location to an easy and more convenient place that makes sense around your habits.

Example: “I always lose my keys, wallet, and glasses.”

Step 1: Designate a home

  • Near the entryway so I can drop and pick up items easily at the door.

Step 2: Store and Display Options

  • The right drawer in the entryway console.

Step 3: Practice and Repeat Habits

  • For 7 days I will put my keys, wallet and glasses in the drawer when I come home.
  • For 7 days I will retrieve my keys, wallet, and glasses from the drawer when I leave.

Step 4: Adjust and Evaluate

  • After 2 weeks, I started to put items on the surface of the entryway console.
  • I placed a beautiful glass dish on the entryway console to place my keys, wallet, and glasses.
  • I find it’s much easier to empty my pockets and pick up my stuff easily off the counter rather than open a drawer.

What things are you losing and searching for?

Connect with Nicole
questions and answers tidy lifestyle organizing

Q & A: Tidy Lifestyle Organizing

Leave a comment

Q & A: Tidy Lifestyle Organizing

What triggers cause people to want to organize?

  • Feelings of frustration, stress, and distraction regularly when at home or in the office.
  • Life events like expecting a baby, a recent break up, or the passing of a relative or friend.
  • Special Occasions such as upcoming holidays, weddings, and birthday celebrations.
  • Situations involving a big move or trip abroad where organizing and preparation are a must.

What are the signs to start organizing now?

Physical:

  • Visual clutter from surfacing being covered and piles of stuff
  • Hidden chaos when you open drawers and closets
  • Duplicates of the same items

Behavioral

  • Losing track of items
  • Spending time searching for items
  • Consistently buying items at the store only to come home and realize you already have it.
  • Buying items only for them to be left unused with tags on or sitting around in original packaging
  • Organizing day by day, yet nothing changes

Emotional

  • Distraction
  • Frustration
  • Overwhelmed
  • Hopeless
  • Out of control

What can I do today?

Start with a category. Clothing is the easiest category to get started with. Clothes are something we touch and use daily. It is much easier to decide what to keep and discard because you know what you wear and what you don’t. Before you organize your clothes, first sort through them one by one.

Begin with a super simple subcategory like socks. Pick out the socks you use often and are prone to grab; use these as a basis for what to keep. Try to compare your favorite socks with the others. Is the band loose and fall down when you walk? Are there holes on the bottom? How old are these socks? If socks are 3-5 years old I recommend purchasing new socks. Once you know what socks you are keeping, check out your storage space – will all of your socks fit nicely? Should they be folded in half or in thirds so they can be lined up horizontally? Learn how to display and fold your sock with Tidy Lifestyle’s How-To Videos.

What can help me stay motivated to tidy?

Take a moment and think about why you want to tidy. If everything in your life was completely organized and seemingly perfect, what would that look like? What is your ideal lifestyle? Describe the physical space, how you feel in the space, and what you would do. Why do you want that lifestyle? Why do you want to tidy? Create a detailed image of this ideal lifestyle.

Before you begin to organize, transport yourself into this vision. This long-term goal is a great motivator and reminder of why you are organizing. Remember that the journey is just as important as the destination. Have fun and take breaks if you’re feeling burned out.

Find a nice space to fold or do a short meditation before you get started. Try your best to reframe your mindset to see organizing as a positive habit that helps make your life easier.

What does Tidy Lifestyle offer that I can’t do on my own?

A personal guide who will support you with solutions that are tailored to your specific habits and lifestyle.

Nicole’s coaching lessons can be compared to a life coach or personal trainer. Nicole teaches clients how to maintain organization through folding lessons, how to categorize, store, and to utilize spaces efficiently. She asks questions to understand habits and behaviors so she can strategically know where and how to place items. She creates an organizing solution personalized for each client and every client.

Too busy to organize? Want to save time and just get the job done? For those busy with work and other commitments, Nicole also offers traditional organizing services where she organizes for you. From organizing, to beautiful displays, to donation drop offs, and shopping – Take advantage of this all inclusive service.

Why should you pick Tidy Lifestyle?

Meet Nicole Sachiko – Organizing means so much more to me than tidying physical spaces. It is a vehicle to help clients learn about themselves, how to maintain organization, and to live their ideal tidy lifestyle.

During my childhood I grew up in a hoarder home. It was typical to walk through “alley ways” of piles upon piles of stuff, a tradition to clear clutter off the table before meals, and a struggle to find items when needed. I can empathize personally with what it feels like to be physically cluttered and mentally stressed. How items naturally accumulate over time and hold us back instead of enhancing our daily lives. In college I studied Psychology, Child Development, and Health Education to ease my insatiable curiosity to help and understand people. After organizing my parents hoarder home I realized how the magic of tidying up can change lives physically and mentally. I went on to get certified with Marie Kondo as a KonMari® Organizing Consultant.

It is my joy in life to help guide you to rediscover what truly sparks joy for you – not only with your possessions but with your life in San Diego!

What are the core benefits of working with Tidy Lifestyle?

Nicole –

  • genuinely cares about you
  • is committed to starting and finishing your project completely
  • carefully considers how to set up your custom organizing systems to make your life easier
  • creates a safe and judgment free zone where you can feel fully self expressed

Q & A: Tidy Lifestyle Organizing

Looking for help? Let a professional organizer tidy and donate for you!

Connect with Me
owner of tidy time organizing san francisco

Why hire a Professional Organizer?

Tidy Lifestyle is a Professional Organizer Service committed to help you live your best life and feel inspired everyday through a sustainable organizing system that makes life easier.

Common Situations

Physical

  • clutter on surfaces, things left out
  • hidden clutter: inside drawers, closets, cabinets
  • frequently searching for things, misplacing/losing things
  • too many items, duplicates
  • similar items are stored in many places with no designated home

Emotional

  • Overwhelmed
  • Stressed
  • Distracted
  • Guilty
  • Frustrated

Spiritual

  • “I want to tidy but don’t know where to begin.”
  • “I’ve tried to minimize but still have too much stuff.”
  • “I have trouble letting go.”
  • “I may use this one day.”

Tidy Lifestyle can help you –

Physical

  • organize more efficiently
  • support with where and what to donate and recycle
  • custom shopping lists with recommended items to buy
  • display things beautifully and practically around the home
  • create a organizing system that you can maintain and that makes life easier

Emotional:

  • keep items based on joy, that add value, and are useful
  • let go of gifts, unused, forgotten items, etc.
  • to build confidence in your decisions of what to keep and discard
  • to rediscover yourself, reevaluate the possessions you own, and to work towards the lifestyle you want and deserve

Long-term

  • hold yourself accountable by putting items back where they belong
  • easily find items when you need them
  • know everything you have, where it is stored, and when you need to buy more
  • to be surrounded by items you truly love, that spark joy, and that make life easier

Why Tidy Lifestyle?

  • Nicole genuinely cares.
  • Nicole is passionate about organizing.
  • Nicole loves learning about others and helping clients reach their goals.
  • Nicole wants you to live your BEST life! You deserve it!
How the Process Works
owner of tidy time organizing san francisco

Meet Nicole Sachiko – Organizing means so much more to me than tidying physical spaces. It is a vehicle to help clients learn about themselves, how to maintain organization, and to live their ideal tidy lifestyle.

During my childhood I grew up in a hoarder home. It was typical to walk through “alley ways” of piles upon piles of stuff, a tradition to clear clutter off the table before meals, and a struggle to find items when needed. I can empathize personally with what it feels like to be physically cluttered and mentally stressed. How items naturally accumulate over time and hold us back instead of enhancing our daily lives. In college I studied Psychology, Child Development, and Health Education to ease my insatiable curiosity to help and understand people. After organizing my parents hoarder home I realized how the magic of tidying up can change lives physically and mentally. I went on to get certified with Marie Kondo as a KonMari® Organizing Consultant.

It is my joy in life to help guide you to rediscover what truly sparks joy for you – not only with your possessions but with your life.

More About Nicole

In-Person & Virtual Clients
Receive up to 15% off!

BA in Psychology & Child Development
Minor in Health Education

Find my Consultant profile ”Nicole Sachiko” on Marie Kondo’s Website

writing organizing resources on notebook

Simple Organizing Tips & Tricks

Ready to tidy? Check out these simple organizing tips & tricks!

Focus on Joy:

Learn how to Joy Check!

Closet Tips

  • Remove clothes from plastic! Mold and moths can be trapped inside plastic covering your clothes. I recommend reusable & washable cloth garment bags.
  • Create a beautiful closet with matching hangers: it’s a simple yet effective visual appeal when you open your closet daily

Simple Kitchen Organizing

  • Try to store everything out of sight, inside cabinets and drawers
  • Install a wall basket on the inside cabinet under the sink to store soap & sponges
  • Store less frequently used appliances in low, easy to reach cabinets
  • Toss less joyful items like disposable silverware and chopsticks
  • Store food in air tight containers to preserve quality and for a lovely visual
  • Store loose dry items in bins
    • Snack bin: popcorn, chips, nuts, crackers
    • Canned: soup, beans, chicken broth
    • Sauces: ketchup, soy sauce, hot sauce
    • Health foods: protein powder, supplements
    • Back stock: backup cereal, energy bars, coffee
  • Keep joyful tools and organizers: high level of function, easy to wash/clean, and aesthetically pleasing

Atmosphere

  • Dedicate a “to-do” area.
    • Place a “pending” box for all incoming mail you want to open
    • Hang a calendar for all chores, appointments, reminders
    • Designate a work area for projects you’re working on
  • Create a drop-zone: this is usually near the front door where you can leave a pair shoes, jacket, mask, and wallet. It’s important to only leave one or time items of each category to avoid visual clutter.
  • Areas for daily rituals need to be easy to access: drop-zone, coffee & tea station, pet zone, workout zone, and more!

Storage Tricks

  • BINS ARE YOUR BEST FRIEND! Kitchen, Bathroom, Closet, Garage – no matter what space you are trying to organize try to CONTAIN all Like-items together!
  • Labels, labels, labels! Label’s help everyone in the home know where items belong and where to put them back.
  • Utilize all storage areas efficiently
    • Store large items first, place smaller items around
    • Install shelves on empty wall spaces
  • Store items of the same category together and label the shelf and/or box

What simple organizing tips & tricks do you want?

For more tips see Marie Kondo’s Website

Tell Nicole

Organize your space around your daily habits.

Organizing Book Recommendations

Leave a comment

Check out these book recommendations to help you start organizing!

Marie Kondo Book Recommendations

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying up: This is such a great book to inspire you! After reading this I just knew I had to hire Marie to help my parents with their hoarder home. Soon after I signed up for her Organizing Consultant Program to start organizing on my own! This is where my professional organizing journey began. In this book she describes the deep impact of how organizing can enhance our lives. After all, don’t we all want to live our best lives?!

Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up: Such an amazing detailed guide on how to organize in each category. Marie includes pictures of how to fold items with TONS of tips and tricks. Take your organizing game to the NEXT LEVEL with this book!

Joy at Work: Organizing Your Professional Life: What I love most about this book is how she explains how to organize your digital life. I swear before I read this I had soooo many old photos, documents spread all over my desktop, and absolutely no order to all my files. She also goes into detail about how to maintain a tidy workspace.

Organizing Book Recommendations

The Home Edit: A Guide to Organizing and Realizing Your House Goals: Clea and Joanna transform spaces to be practical and aesthetically beautiful. They tidy for clients instead of with clients. They love purchasing organizing containers to display everything beautifully and in rainbow color.

The Personal Organizing Workbook: Solutions for a Simpler, Easier Life: This in amazing guide that really helps clients organize and learn how to maintain organized spaces. I really enjoyed this one!

Real Life Organizing: (Clutterbug Book)

Martha Stewart’s Organizing: The Manual for Bringing Order to Your Life, Home & Routines

Need more suggestions?

Connect with Me

Declutter Guide

What is the key to being able to let go and declutter, for good?

joy checking process

Visualize your Ideal lifestyle

“When you imagine your ideal lifestyle, you are actually clarifying why you want to tidy and identifying the kind of life you want to live once you have finished.”

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo
  • Step 1: Visualize in detail the ideal lifestyle you dream of
  • Step 2: Identify why you want to live that lifestyle
  • Step 3: Dive into the specifics of how you want to live day by day.
  • When we skip this step it-
    • delays the whole tidying process
    • puts you at higher risk for rebound

Focus on What Sparks Joy, not what to Discard

What adds value to your life? When you touch something that brings you joy-

  • A feeling of thrill, often a full body experience
  • A pleasing design/look that makes you feel peaceful
  • An item with a high degree of functionality that makes life easier
  • A sense of rightness
  • An items thats useful in daily life

When faced with something that does not spark joy-

  • you feel heavy
  • your hands pause
  • you tilt your head slightly and frown
  • you have to think
  • you feel guilty
  • for essential items that don’t spark joy, think about the purpose

Prepare to Joy Check

Pick an easy category to start with – I recommend clothing.

Pile all items in one spot so you can see everything in that category at once. Example: pile all long, short, and sleeveless shirts that you own.

Creating a physical pile gives us that “wow” moment while also holding us accountable in the present.

Pick out your Favorite item(s)

Find one item in the pile that you love.

You know you love something because the instant you see and hold it, you feel warm and fuzzy inside. Sometimes items are less about happiness and more about practicality, usefulness, and function. Example: the blue shirt that goes with everything and is always washed regularly.

“Does it Spark Joy?”™

  • Step 1: Pick up one item at a time
  • Step 2: Hold it.
    • Ask yourself:
      • If this got stained/torn would I fix it?
      • If I lost this, would I buy it again?
      • Does this item enhance my life?
      • Do I feel like my best self with this item?
    • If you’re unsure if it Sparks Joy hug it close to your heart!
    • Gaze at it.
    • If it is clothing, please try it on!

Be Present

Be aware of how your body reacts to each item. You know you love something because that feeling is immediate. If you pause or have to think about an item – ask yourself, why?

  • Was it a gift?
  • Was it free?
  • Have I used this? Why haven’t I ever used this?
  • What was I really trying to buy in that moment?
  • Does this item contribute to my ideal lifestyle?

What if I’m Struggling?

Pick 2-3 similar items and compare them. Really feel the item in your hand and think deeply about what purpose it plays.

Be Mindful.

Have the courage to let go and stop all thoughts of “What if-?” Remember your goals and think of how each item you keep or discard contributes to your ideal lifestyle.

Try not to focus on-

  • reducing
  • efficient storage methods
  • feeling wasteful
  • giving items away

Instead focus on-

  • choosing belongings that inspire joy
  • enjoying life according to your own standards
  • appreciate how the items you discard supported you in your life
  • what role each item has in your life

Reframe Letting Go & Declutter

Every item you keep is a possession that brings you joy and/or makes life better.

Every item you discard is an opportunity to learn more about yourself and who you are today.

  • If you let go of something you’ve used until it’s broken and worn out: appreciate how its helped to enhance your life
  • If you declutter something you never used: it taught you a lesson in how you shop, that it did not have a purpose in your life
  • Think consciously about each item you discard: how will you choose to live moving forward? how you will acquire new things?

Keep items with Confidence

If you keep it then…

  • Use and appreciate it.
  • Create a forever home for every item: find it and know exactly what you have.
  • It’s natural to not put away everything all the time. No one is perfect. Make it a priority to create positive habits. Maybe you won’t put belongings back all the time, every day, but commit to putting things away.

Declutter and downsize with ease

Connect with Nicole

Please note items discussed on this post were from the Marie Kondo books and KonMari networking group. Find more resources here.