Is your home a hot mess?
If the answer is yes you’re going to enjoy today’s guest organizer Laurie Palau of Simply B Organized in Pennsylvania.

Laurie is a speaker, author, and host of the podcast, This Organized Life, where listeners get a glimpse into her not-so-perfect world as a wife, mom and professional organizer. Her book, HOT MESS: A Practical Guide to Getting Organized is a must-read for anyone looking to streamline clutter from their life.

With over nine years of organizing under her belt, Laurie is another industry veteran here to share her unique perspective on getting organized along with road tested practical tips.

Now, we want to hear from you. Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com and click “Ask Spark Joy” to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show.

While you’re there, sign-up to join our Spark Joy podcast community and get notified when each episode airs. You can also join the Spark Joy podcast community on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter at the handle @sparkjoypodcast.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

-How Laurie found her true calling as a home organizer when she identified that organizational principles were part of the solution to feeling anxious and overwhelmed in the home.

-Laurie discusses the 3 types of clutter that she finds with her clients:
Physical, emotional, and calendar clutter

-Learn about ArtKive, Laurie’s recommended app that will help you organize your kid’s artwork online:
ArtKive

-Your dominant clutter source and how it impacts your home organization.

-Organizing diagnostics: reviewing your current clutter situation.

-Learn about the ESP Method: Empty, Sort and Purge.

-The Four Purge Piles: Donate, Reuse, Recycle, Discard.

-How Laurie defines the cost of clutter.

Gems:

“Clutter doesn’t just have to be the physical stuff. It can be the burn out. How you end up snapping at your kids or spouse because you are just spread too thin.”

“How much time and money do we waste buying things we already have that we can’t find?”

"Most people if given the choice would rather live in an organized space."

"I’ve relocated kitchen items outside of the kitchen.”

“The average US citizen wastes an hour a day looking for lost or misplaced items."

Favorite Tidying Tip:
Open the mail every day and make a decision.
Mail should fall into three categories:
Action, Reference, Recycle

What sparks joy for Laurie:
Laurie covets her quiet time in the morning!

Parting words of wisdom:
Start small. Just wanting to make a change is a huge hurdle that you’ve already accomplished.

To connect with Laurie you can find her at www.simplyborganized.com

Listen to her podcast:
This Organized Life Podcast

Simply B Organized on FaceBook
Simply B Organized on Instagram
Simply B Organized on Twitter

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home
You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy

Special Guest: Laurie Palau.

In this episode, we usher in spring by discussing the rituals of cleaning and tidying. We also explore the similarities and differences between these two common domestic activities and how they complement each other and your KonMari lifestyle.

Now, we want to hear from you. Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com and click “Ask Spark Joy” to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show. While you’re there, sign-up to join our Spark Joy podcast community and get notified when each episode airs. You can also join the Spark Joy podcast community on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter at the handle @sparkjoypodcast.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

• Joy checks! Karin just purchased a new Chemex and Kristyn finished moving #studiotidy (For the Love of Tidy headquarters) to the Wicker Park neighborhood in Chicago

• The difference between cleaning and tidying

• How tidying makes many aspects of cleaning that are often deemed challenging, much easier

• How decluttering exposes areas of your home in need of attention

• Tips from Marie Kondo's Guide to Spring Cleaning

• How the act of spring cleaning can trap you indoors during the warmest season

• The importance of tidying before you clean

• How to bring your clothing out of hibernation

• Kristyn's favorite Foldable Storage Bag

• How to conduct a spring time version of the KonMari home greeting

• Three unconventional tips for moving your tidying and cleaning forward

• How the Mel Robbins' 5 Second Rule can help push you beyond procrastination and into action

• Our big announcement: 100,000 downloads!

Gems:

"Tidying addresses objects, while cleaning addresses dirt."

"By tidying you're confronting yourself. By cleaning, you're confronting nature."

"It's easier to clean your home when it's already tidy."

"[Decluttering] lifts the spirit of the home by waking up dormant items that haven't received attention."

"I appreciate things better because I can see them year-round."

"Spring is the perfect time to plan or begin your KonMari tidying event."

"Action breeds motivation."

"Clutter is finite."

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home
You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy