By Leslie Raycraft
Owner, Posh Organizing
Special to Prime
Leslie Raycraft practiced as a licensed pharmacist for almost 30 years prior to starting her company, POSH Organizing. According to Raycraft, the transition from pharmacist to professional organizer was seamless, as pharmacy is all about helping people and systems and as a certified professional organizer – one of only eight in the state of Connecticut –she can help people more than she ever could as a pharmacist. People are overwhelmed with stuff and don’t know how to start, what to do, or how to get organized, and that’s where her expertise can help.
Raycraft is also a move manager – trained to help people declutter before a residential move or relocation to assisted living – and has specialized training in Chronic Disorganization and Hoarding Disorder and does estate clear outs.
Prime asked her for tips on decluttering to help improve our physical living space, mental health and happiness. Here’s what she shared:
Q: Decluttering – and downsizing – are a crucial part of life as we age. Are there steps that can help people begin what can be an overwhelming process?
“START NOW! It is never too early to start. Get in the habit of one in, one out or one in, two out. It’s easy to bring items into our house, but we often don’t think about removing any until we are overwhelmed with stuff.
“Have well-placed bags or boxes in closets and garage to collect the clutter. When we’ve outgrown an item, put it in the bag or box and when the box is filled, bring it to a donation center.
“Join a challenge – 10 items a day to declutter. Start easy: magazines older than 30 days, the spice cabinet, Tupperware (how much do we really need!), the junk drawer. As we build that decluttering muscle, move onto harder areas, but do small areas at a time. So often people want to tackle an entire room and get overwhelmed and frozen.
“Hire a professional organizer – when we work with you, you will get it done much quicker because we keep you on track and prevent you from going down those sentimental rabbit holes.
“When moving, hire a professional organizer to help you go through your house, helping you decide what you want and don’t want to take. It’s money well spent and it’s an investment in your future. Often I see people who have moved to a smaller space who didn’t put the time into downsizing. The result is a cramped space that is cluttered and overwhelming that came with a high moving bill. “
Q: We declutter for a neater space, but are there benefits to this activity beyond tidiness?
“There are so many benefits with decluttering and setting up systems to keep it organized. The most obvious one is not wasting precious time looking for lost items, paying late fees on bills or buying duplicates because you can’t find it. People tend to lose nine things a day. Over the course of 10 years that adds up to over six weeks of time spent looking for things. Imagine what we can do with six extra weeks of time! Although we can’t “make more time,” we can organize ourselves to better utilize the time we have.
“My favorite words when working with a client is hearing them say “I’ve been looking for this.” By getting organized, you know where everything is, see what you have and what you need, ultimately saving you time and money.
“We don’t realize how much clutter weighs on us. Clutter is anything that stands in the way of how we want to live, taking on many forms; something as small as a sheet of paper to a large piece of furniture. Clutter weighs us down mentally, physically and emotionally. I’ve had countless clients tell me that after working a session with us, the space feels lighter; they feel lighter – like a weight has been lifted off of them.
There is a connection between mental health and clutter; clutter increases our stress levels and creates more anxiety. It’s taxing on the brain because the brain sees it as a distraction which removes our focus from what needs to get done, be it a task or just relaxing. I once had a client that told me her outer world represents her inner world. If we can work on creating a calm and less chaotic external space, this in turn will help us with our internal chaos.”
Q: When we’ve sorted our stuff, what do we do with the cast-offs (and the things our kids don’t want)?
“Donate! Don’t put your stuff in storage units waiting for someone to change their mind about an item. In the end, no one will want it and you’ve wasted lots of money just keeping it for the “what if factor.” You need to ask yourself, is it really worth storing this item? If I got rid of it, how much would it cost to replace it? There are so many places we can donate our gently used items; schools, Senior Centers, non-profits, shelters, local donation centers.
“For a list of donation sources, check out my website: www.poshorganizing.com under resources. The key is not to get caught up trying to find the perfect donation place, because that will backfire. Either you will be spending all your time driving around for that “perfect place” or you will get so overwhelmed it never leaves your home.
For Raycraft’s decluttering advice blog and her resources for recycling, visit poshorganizing.com and click “Resources”
