I don't know where to start!

Fri, 27 Aug 2021 16:00:26 -0600

Have a goal, but are not sure how to make it happen?

I love this recent article by Janine MacLachlan in Forbes about using decluttering as a way to accomplish your goals. This is one of the main tenets of the way I help my clients: Identify the goal, then move forward in stepwise fashion to accomplish it.

But, if you don't know where to start, even the idea of figuring out what your goal is can be daunting! Janine has some good suggestions, and it's also where I can help.

Let's say you decide your goal is to have a wardrobe that will get you a promotion. That's great! We will start there.

Umm, ok, but what's next?!?!?!

Here is one way that conversation between us might go:

When you are working, do you want to look strong, approachable, balanced, trustworthy, professional, creative?
(Let's say you pick professional): What does "professional" mean to you?
(You say something along the lines of, "Like I can do the job.") Ok, does that mean suits, jeans, workout gear, ball gowns, etc?

And so on and so forth, until we drill down to what "professional" means to YOU, for YOUR goal. Because if you want to look professional while teaching yoga, that's probably a different wardrobe than professional while working on Wall Street. Both are still professional, but they require different approaches to that wardrobe (and goal). But you still don't know how to proceed. And that's what Janine is talking about in the article by saying:

"You’re overwhelmed at the outset. Perhaps you have a lot of ideas but don’t know where to start. If we look as this as a Marie Kondo-style closet edit, you’re so overwhelmed by the piles of disorganized stuff spilling off the shelves, you don’t know where to start.

You close the closet and psych yourself up to try another time.

If you have so many ideas you can’t decide, take a Marie Kond o sweep and pick one small place to start. Start with the equivalent of your sock drawer, a smaller scale, low risk, easy success venture.

You choose the sock drawer instead the extensive collection of vinyl records because socks are low risk and not filled with emotional attachment.

As a Certified Personal Stylist, KonMari Consultant, Reiki Master, and Professional Organizer, I can help you achieve your goal of Yoga Instructor professional or Wall Street professional with your answers to a few questions. But like Janine says, you've got to commit the time to working with me, so you can accomplish that goal.

Give me a call or book a consultation and and we can figure out how to make that happen.

Here’s my direct scheduling link: https://shanley.zohobookings.com/#/customer/shanley

Until then, move forward with Peace & Grace!

Shanley

520-940-8174

shanley@shanleyteneyck.com

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Ditto | Sustainable Brand Solutions | News (hangers)

Mon, 20 Aug 2018 10:34:11 -0600

As a professional organizer and personal stylist I deal with clothes and closets. A LOT of clothes and closets. This means I'm always running into hangers. All kinds of hangers.

Velvet Hangers

My favorite hangers (for adults) are the velvet/flocked slim line hangers you can buy at Costco or Bed Bath and Beyond type stores. First of all these slim hangers come in a variety of colors. Secondly they take up less space in your closet. Furthermore they help maintain uniformity which gives an overall sense of "like-with-like," the ultimate goal for an organizer. My kids closets get plastic hangers for ease of use. Depending on the brand velvet hangers can be quite flimsy. Mine come from Costco and if I drop one the right way the metal hook part will snap right off. Yesterday we drove up to Phoenix for a conference. As a result it was easier to keep our clothes on the hangers in a garment bag than pack them. Consequently when my husband took the garment bags out of the car one of the metal hooks snapped off. This is why the big boxes are handy, you just pull another one out and throw the broken one away.

What Now?

But, what happens to it after you toss it? This Ditto article states, "An estimated 85% of hangers find their way into landfills. With 30-40 billion garments coming in already on hangers, that’s up to 30 billion plastic retail hangers being landfilled every year, enough to fill 11.5 Empire State Buildings." That number shocked me! Even more it makes me wonder how to help solve this problem as a professional in both fields. I did some research and came across some good suggestions by other NAPO (National Association of Productivity and Organizing) organizers.

Recommendations

Return metal hangers to dry cleaners
Contribute hangers to a "Dress For Success" or "My Sister's Closet" type local organization
Donate to a local shelter/transitional housing who provide clothing (call ahead and as about dropping things off, not all post their locations)
Give hangers to a local thrift store like Goodwill, Salvation Army, or Value Village that accepts plastic hangers (another organizer noted: "One Goodwill location has their own unit to melt plastics, and they would take my client's plastic hangers and melt them.")
Check with local consignment shops or alterations and tailoring establishments and see which hangers they accept (maybe you'll earn a discount too!)
Post bundles of like-with-like hangers for free on sites (Nextdoor.com, Craigslist, Buy Nothing on Facebook, etc.) to "market" them to those who need them
Check with your friends and family to see if anyone needs more hangers

Hopefully you'll find a new home for any hangers you won't be using anymore. And if you need some help clearing up some space in your closet, give me a call, I'm here to help! 520-940-8174 Shanley@ShanleyTenEyck.com

Shipping & Plastic Hangers: A Bad Combination