Clutter Busting Coach

...clearing clutter from your mind, body and space

Do You Have an Advanced Care Directive?

by

For many years I have been involved in programming for National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD) which is annually recognized on April 16. National Healthcare Decisions Day exists to inspire, educate and empower the public and providers about the importance of advance care planning.

A key goal of NHDD is to demystify healthcare decision-making and make the topic of advance care planning easy and part of family conversations. NHDD’s aim is to help people understand that advance healthcare decision-making includes much more than living wills; it is a process that should focus first on conversation and choosing someone to speak your wishes for you should you not be able to do so yourself.

As you finalize your tax filing for this year, plan to take care of another important piece of paper…your advance care directive.

Begin the conversation now, and not in the emergency room or the intensive care unit, with the people you love, before it’s too late for them to know your wishes. These difficult conversations don’t have to be that if done in advance. And we can make sure that our own wishes and those of our loved ones are expressed and respected.

Join me in having an advanced care directive (I have had mine since 2002) and make sure your advocate has a copy or knows where it is filed.

I’m prepared. Will you be too?

 

Clutter Busting: Decluttering versus Cleaning and Organizing

by

Decluttering and cleaning are not the same thing.

Organizing and decluttering are also not the same thing.

Cleaning is easier and faster when you’ve eliminated clutter.

Trying to declutter and organize at the same time can be stressful because you must stop and problem-solve storage, usage or systems for your items. Decluttering is just getting rid of the stuff you no longer use or love or don’t have the space for.

My recent basement project has again reinforced the concept that decluttering, cleaning and organizing are different things. And that realization has lifted a weight off me. I can declutter without a specific plan other than making sure the decluttered items leave my house immediately or very soon after the decluttering session.

And even more good news is that by ‘just’ decluttering, the space feels more organized because there is less stuff.

What would happen if you only just decluttered a space?

Back to School: Planning Healthy Lunches and Snacks

by

With the start of the new school year, set yourself and your child up for more success by planning healthy meals and snacks.

Here are some tips for preparing for healthy lunches:

  • Use a cycle menu (yes it can be done) or rotate between 3 – 5 easy meals. Keep these staples on hand so you don’t have a reason to skip packing a lunch and resorting to handing out lunch money instead.
  • Shop in bulk for staples like juice boxes, plastic ware and other non-perishable.
  • Prep vegetables right after grocery shopping and then pre-package items like cut up veggies in bags or containers.

Plan ahead for snacks by trying the following: [Read more…]