WELCOME TO MY JUNE NEWSLETTER

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Welcome to my June newsletter.  I’ve been travelling a huge amount over the last few months and have really neglected my monthly newsletters.  My apologies.

 

We’re working hard at the moment on a total redesign of www.peterwalshdesign.com .  Over the next couple of months you’ll see some pretty substantial changes there and also in the format of this newsletter.  We’re now approaching 15,000 subscribers which is truly amazing to me.  Many thanks for your support and enthusiasm.

 

One of the first of our new online initiatives is the building of a page on Facebook.  Please join me there for updates, reminders, tips and tricks for decluttering and getting organized.

 

And – perhaps most importantly of all this month – scroll down and check out the ‘Cupcake Challenge’.  Yep – I’m serious!  A vote cast in my direction would be hugely appreciated!

 

JOIN ME ON FACEBOOK!

So many of you have emailed me about not having a Facebook page that I have finally caved to the pressure!    We’re working here at the moment to completely redesign my website and to build a Facebook page that will be a useful tool for keeping in touch – me with you, you with me and you with others dealing with clutter and organization issues.   So – here we go – I’d like to be the first to welcome you to join me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/PeterWalsh and to check in regularly as we work to build a great presence there.

 

 

NEW PUBLICATIONS

 Things have been incredibly busy here with a ton of different projects in the works.  There have been two recent book releases that I hope you’ll enjoy.

 

 

ENOUGH ALREADY! CLEARING MENTAL CLUTTER TO BECOME THE BEST YOU

In my most recent book Enough Already! I take you beyond the clutter in your home.  Together we tackle the clutter that fills your head and impedes you in so many areas of you life – Family, Relationships, Work, Health, Money, and Spirituality.  Here we deal with the underlying feelings that create the clutter in these six key areas and blocks the path to who you want to be.   Change comes from the choices that we make.  By embracing the challenge of decluttering your inner space, you will come to see your life in a new and unclouded way.  You will be present, aware, and fully involved in the small and large decisions that move your life in new and exciting directions.    With a step-by-step plan Enough Already! helps you acknowledge and address the emotional and mental clutter that holds you back from living the richly fulfilling life you deserve.   This process will take you beyond thinking about what you need for your home or your life to understanding what you need from your life to make it truly and uniquely yours.

 

IT’S ALL TOO MUCH – THE WORKBOOK

In my bestselling book, It’s All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff, I helped tens of thousands of people clear the clutter form their homes and lives.  Now, due to many of those same readers’ requests, I’ve released the It’s All Too Much Workbook.   Starting from outside your home and then working through it room by room, the Workbook asks hard questions and presents challenging exercises that will help you to understand why you live the way you do and how to move from the clutter to an organized space that reflects the life you imagine for yourself and your family.   Designed with clear strategies and proven techniques for clearing out each room in your house, and a plan for keeping your home clutter-free and organized, this workbook is the perfect next step in a lifetime commitment to creating your ideal life.   With quizzes, detailed step-by-step plans, a room-by-room assessment tool, and a special area for journaling, this workbook will help you break free of the clutter once and for all.

A LITTLE HELP TO GET YOUR OFFICE ORGANIZED

I’m very excited to announce that OfficeMax has just released the first in the line of my office organizing products.   The [IN]Place System by Peter Walsh is now available in OfficeMax stores across the country or online.   Check out www.inplacesystem.com for a complete run down on how the system can work for you in taming the paperwork in your home or office.   Not only does it work at keeping your paperwork in order – it’s also pretty cool!

 

SOMETIMES IT’S NOT ABOUT THE STUFF – IT’S ABOUT THE CUPCAKE!  SERIOUSLY!!

So here’s the deal …. I need your help.  And your vote! 

During this first week of June Martha Stewart has released a new book about cupcakes and somehow (I know this is a little weird!) I was invited to enter a ‘Cupcake Challenge’ with other radio hosts on XM and Sirius where I have my weekly radio program on Oprah Radio.

 

Below is my entry – from the disorganized to the organized cupcake!

 

 

Anyway, the best part of the challenge is that YOU get to pick the winner!

 

Please vote on appearance since you obviously can't taste the cupcakes. Check out the photos below, and scroll to the bottom of the blog page to cast your vote and (if you feel so inclined) your comment! 

    

http://blogs1.marthastewart.com/radioblog/2009/06/cupcake-contest-.html

 

Trust me – I’m no pastry chef so any vote my way would be greatly appreciated! 

 

So get to it – GO VOTE!

 

FROM MY EMAIL TRAY – LESS REALLY CAN BE MORE!

It’s great to hear from so many people about their adventures with decluttering and getting organized.  Your emails are amazing!  Here is one of my recent favorites:

 

 

Hi Peter -  I love your show "Clean Sweep" and your books.  I am a single mom and am currently going through hard economic times.  In the past I was an avid shopper and it seemed that shopping made me feel better (I would actually get a shopping "high") and it made me feel like I had more (especially after the divorce).  My daughter and son embraced my shopping habit and we bought and bought but never got rid of anything as we brought new things into our home.  What a mess and a pile of stuff!  But it still didn't cause us to change.    A few months ago, my ex-husband stopped paying child support and I lost my second job so I was forced to make a change.  We could only really afford to buy items we needed - food, supplies, but it is so hard to break the shopping habit.  I knew I really needed to change our mindset!  We participated in our community garage sale but we only got rid of a small percentage of stuff and it is so hard when people want everything for practically nothing.    We ask ourselves the following questions before we buy anything - do we really need it, how are we going to use it, is it just going to end up in our sell pile.  And I am in the process of redecorating our home with items we already have (just our favorite items we want to keep), create a new look and have less clutter (I didn't change my bedroom since the divorce and it has been 12 years!), I don't know why I was so stuck.  But I now feel 100% better.    My daughter, she's 15, is also helping me keep in check by saying "mom I don't think you need that" (at first it ticked me off but I am learning to appreciate it) and she is watching her spending too!  We just opened a savings account with the money we are saving.  We want to save it for emergencies and to save up for a vacation or something fun!    Less is truly more!!

If you have a story to tell about how the current economic situation is affecting you and your family you can email me with your ideas, experiences and opinions by going to my website at www.peterwalshdesign.com and clicking on ‘Your Opinion’ at the bottom of the page or just email me at peter.walsh@peterwalshdesign.com.  I’d love to hear what you think.

IF IT’S JUNE YOU MAY HAVE THE KIDS AROUND MORE THAN USUAL – AT LEAST IN THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE

 

With the kids on vacation June is a great month to get them involved in all of those decluttering and organizing tasks that they can really help you with.

 

Here are some tips for the month from It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff.  Enjoy the decluttering!

 

“But Mom, I’m bored!” Nobody wants to hear that all summer.  Now’s the time to get your children involved in the maintenance of good systems in your home. Reward their positive behavior and let them see that decluttering and organization have definite benefits.

 

Tackle your kids’ spaces

Work with your children to identify what is working and what’s not in their bedrooms. Make a project of their personal space. Identify as many zones as make sense for your child—reading, clothes, homework, crafts, computer games, laundry. Have fun making artistic labels for the areas. Work with your child to make sure that items are in their correct area.

 

Make kid-friendly closets

Our closets need to change as we age, so make sure your child’s closet suits him or her. Are her favorite things easily accessible?  Make room by putting off-season items high up on shelves, get everything but shoes off the floor, and buy or build appropriate storage containers for the things she needs every day. Help your child decide which clothes and shoes it’s time to discard. Before you know it, you’ll have a clean closet.

 

Tackle the toys

Gather old toys, games, and books that are no longer used or age-appropriate. Even consider establishing a giveaway bin or a broken-toy bin so your child can make these decisions part of regular cleanup. When you go to make the charity drop-off, bring your children along. That way they can make the donation themselves and learn the value of giving to others less fortunate than themselves.

 

Limits and routines

Your child’s toy, book, and clothing limits should be clearly set by the size of the toy containers, bookshelves, and dresser or closet. Reinforce these agreed-upon limits. Make it part of your household routine to identify items that need to be donated to charity or sold at a yard sale. Without the pressure of school, create or revise a schedule of chores. Make sure you and your child agree that it will still work when school starts again and homework becomes a factor.

 

Rewards

No child is going to enjoy sitting around organizing his room all summer. Make the projects as fun as you can. Find a balance between organization and play. Spread projects out throughout the summer. It never hurts to schedule less-than-thrilling tasks next to favorite activities. For example, you might go to the pool every Saturday after addressing one of the zones in your child’s room. And remember to keep everything on a calendar which you and your child discuss and anticipate.

 

 

ON THE OTHER HAND …… IF IT’S JUNE AND YOU’RE IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE - IT’S TIME TO BRACE YOURSELF FOR WINTER!

 

Those falling leaves are a sign that winter is around the corner, but don’t go into hibernation mode yet. Better to clean out your garage and winterize your home before the first frost.

 

Garage cleanup

Your car is one of your most expensive and useful possessions. The goal here is to park it in the garage so the winter elements don’t diminish your investment. Take everything out of the garage, sweep out dust and debris, and hose down the floor. Discard unused items, arrange like items together. If you haven’t already, now’s the time to install sturdy shelving to clear items off the floor.

 

Designate zones

Specify where items belong. Install shelving, a Peg-Board, and racks for sporting goods, tools, and storage bins. Label everything clearly. You can even mark areas on the floor for the kids’ bikes. If the garage is a tight fit for your car, install mirrors to make parking easier. Check each zone to make sure it is meeting your storage needs.

 

Winterize the house

Clear gutters of leaves and debris. Have your chimney, fireplace, and heating system inspected. Make sure all your gardening tools and equipment are properly cleaned and stored out of the weather.

 

Improve the heating efficiency of your home. Check doors and windows for drafts and reseal accordingly.  The planet will thank you!

 

 

Best to you and yours!

 

Peter

 

 

 

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