Tips for the New Year from your favorite local professional organizer.

I could make a really long list, but here are 5 tips that I have been meaning to share!

1. Don’t buy an Adirondack chair.

This is a hilarious trend that is also painful for me as a person with a bad back. These chairs are designed to sit on the SIDE OF A MOUNTAIN (get it, “Adirondack?”). Not next to your fire pit in the Great Prairie of the Midwest.

This is a bizarre case of a well-designed chair (form + function) getting completely distorted from its original intention through an aggressive marketing campaign (consumerist faux-luxury).

Have you not noticed that they are impossible to get out of? Here is a handy graphic that will bring it all together for you.

See? It’s on a slope. When it’s on a slope, it is a normal chair. For the love of anyone over 35, please stop putting these on flat ground!

Actual picture of how I feel sitting on one of these on flat land. Thank me later!

2. Do let your kids see you giving things away and thrift shopping as a way of life.

2a. Do resist the urge to put everything in “storage” and instead consider where it can be donated.

Part of your duty as a consumer and human being is to maximize your purchases by using them up/out. And/or finding them a home when they have outlived their usefulness for you. When you make a purchase, try to imagine how long you will have it. Picture yourself using it. Do you really need or want this thing, specifically?

3. Do go buy yourself some Earth Breeze Laundry Sheets! (I am not affiliated with them)

Earth Breeze Laundry sheets – light, simple, no plastic. I adore the ease and quality of these laundry sheets. I’ve been doing laundry since 4th grade and take the task seriously (lol, but true).

I honestly can’t believe people still use those giant single-use plastic jugs of detergent. They literally have a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Make the switch!

4. Don’t buy a Dyson stick vacuum (for a high-volume house)

I encounter these in almost every home I enter and 90% of them have a battery problem. I have never seen one over 5 years old and still functioning at a high level. For the cost, it’s just not worth it. Spend your money on a great workhorse for the house and buy a cheaper stick vacuum, like this Black and Decker (no affiliation but I own and love this one) for smaller tasks.

5. Don’t take shells, rocks, sand or fossils (etc.) from natural places.

I throw out a big bowl of these in almost every house I enter. If I have the time and energy, I leave them at a park for kids to find. But people, please leave nature where you found it. Leave no trace. And take no “souvenirs”.

In conclusion, Happy New Year! If you’re in the Oak Park Area and need help organizing, hanging art or executing a new home project, contact me right away to get on the schedule.

I’m your local, professional organizer focused on compassionate support and practical solutions! Learn more about me here.