Archive for Organizing Challenges – Page 2

Are you managing Chronic Disorganization?

Posted by Carolyn on
 April 18, 2023
  ·  No Comments

 What is Chronic Disorganization?books

You many be managing chronic disorganization if you have been disorganized for awhile, tried to fix things and failed and are frustrated you can’t get stuff done in your life. While the term is not a medical diagnosis, it is a very real experience that many people are trying to manage.

Someone who is chronically disorganized has three defining features as identified by Judith Kolberg in Conquering Chronic Disorganization:

  1. They have been disorganized all or most of their adult life;
  2. Being disorganized negatively effects their quality of life in some way everyday; and
  3. Previous attempts to be organized have not been successful.

A significant amount of knowledge and understanding about chronic disorganization has been gained since Judith Kolberg first identified the concept in the early 1990′. The Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD) was established later that same decade. It’s mission is specifically to “provide education, research and strategies to benefit people affected by chronic disorganization, and the professionals who work with them.”

Why Am I Chronically Disorganized?

There are many factors associated with chronic disorganization.  This  fact sheet from ICD provides a comprehensive chart of all factors. The most common factor associated with my clients’ inability to get and stay organized is a brain based condition, usually Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder.  Most of my clients do not exhibit hyperactivity but do struggle to maintain the correct level of focus for the task at hand. Another common reason is my clients have simply never learned.  Organization may not have been a priority for their parents.  As a result, they have never learned how to organize and don’t have any intuitive skill or talent. In addition, they tend to acquire easily and shed with difficulty.

Is Chronic Disorganization the same as Hoarding?

The simple answer is No, it is not.  Hoarding disorder is a mental health diagnosis.  Individuals with hoarding disorder are a subset of the larger population of individuals managing chronic disorganization. 

What Works?

People managing chronic disorganization do not respond to conventional organizing practices and strategies.  I frequently hear from clients that they have tried all the tricks and tips and still can’t make them work. These individuals think, learn and organize in ways that are unconventional or just more creative.  Their brains don’t think in a typical logical, linear fashion. The solution is to use more creative, innovative organizing solutions that work specifically for the chronically disorganized individual.

Where can I get Help?

purple, orange and green boxes. Institute of challenging disorganization logo.

If this sounds familiar, either to you or someone you know, reach out for help.  ICD has a professional organizer directory which can help you find someone in your area. It is important to work with someone trained in supporting chronic disorganization to ward off further frustration. Some professional organizers such as myself have made a commitment to this area of organizing by achieving the Certified Professional Organizer in Chronic Disorganization credential.  And since I work almost exclusively virtually, I work with clients all over the world.

There is hope.  There is help.  You don’t have to live and work this way.

Declutter Organizing Challenges Productivity
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garden shed with clear glass ceiling, a table, pots and potting supplies

Organize the Garden Shed

Posted by Carolyn on
 April 17, 2023
  ·  No Comments

It’s Spring – A great time to Organize the Garden Shed

With the warmer weather comes a great chance to head outside and enjoy then garden. With the snow gone and tulips and daffodils popping up from the once frozen earth, this is a great time to organize the garden shed and get ready for some digging, planting and blooming oil your garden. An organized shed avoids wasted time looking for trowels and gloves. You will also save money as you get organized; you won’t be repurchasing items that you can’t find.

Uninvited Guests

If your garden is anything like mine, there is a pretty good chance that you have had a few critters decide to bunk in for the winter. Despite our repeated attempts to keep them out, wildlife finds a way in. We’ve had squirrels, skunks, mice and rats over the years. Keep this in mind as you open the latch and get started.

Here are ten tips to help with your project to organize the garden shed.

1 Plan for critters.brown squirrel sitting on post.

Unless you know with absolute certainty there isn’t a critter in the place, assume that there is. Keep yourself safe. Keep the young children away until the critters are gone. Wear gloves and possibly a mask while you figure out if you have had winter guests bunked in.

2 Empty the entire shed.

If at all possible start start by emptying the entire shed. Use a mask and gloves to protect from animal scat, dust and mold. With the shed empty, you will be able to check pots, bins and barrels for those unwelcome guests and plan eviction.

3 Sweep and inspect up and down.

This is a great way to check out the status of the building. Check the floor, corner and side supports while sweeping the floor. Overhead sweep out the cobwebs and check the roof.

4 Review all your tools, shovels, rakes and hoes.

Are there any that are broken, rusted or beyond repair? Throw out the unrepairable and fix what’s needed.

5 Store vertically.shovels, spades, rakes hanging on side of shed

Think vertical and you will find fresh storage space that you may not have realized existed. The rakes, hoes, shovels can be stored on hooks or nails on the walls. Then they will be out of the way and readily available when you are ready to rake. Most hardware stores carry a wide selection of hooks that will suit the purpose. Nails are also good.

6 Contain small tools.

Hang one shopping bag on another hook or nail to hold your digging and planting tools and a separate one for your garden gloves. The cloth recycled plastic bags readily available in stores are a great storage tool. Label with a permanent marker.

7 Store seeds in a rodent safe box.

Store seeds in a plastic or metal box so they are unavailable to rodents. For example, grass and bird seed are major attractions for mice. 

8 Check bottles of liquids for leaks.

Review your solution bottles and know your pesticide by-laws. Many jurisdictions have outlawed the use of pesticides. Check with your municipality to see where you can take the pesticides for disposal. Find an environmentally friendly alternative at your local garden centre.

9 Review pots for breakscolourful ceramic flower pots

Older pots may not have withstood the cold as well as others. Check through your collection for breaks and damage and discard any you don’t use, don’t like or just don’t want. Break damaged clay pots into pieces for use in the bottom of containers and pots. This helps with drainage and avoids water pooling in plant roots.

10 Set up a potting bench.

Now the shed is decluttered and organized, set up a potting bench at one end or side of the shed. You can repot and replant containers even on a rainy spring day. And you and the soil stay dry.

An hour or two spent organizing the garden shed can save time and money later in the spring and summer. Your gardening will be more effective and efficient. All of which adds up to more time to enjoy your blooms and greenery and less time frustrated with garden shed clutter.

 

Declutter Organizing Challenges Organizing Strategies
the lower legs and feet of two people running on a dirt path. Taking small steps

The Magic of Action

Posted by Carolyn on
 April 3, 2023
  ·  No Comments

What is the Magic of Taking Action?

Taking action creates magic in the most wonderful and unexpected of ways.  For example, I’ve been working with a new accountability partner.  JJ, a colleague, reached out for assistance with a procrastination business issue, and I realized I had my person. I was having the same issue. While our businesses are unique, the struggles to overcome resistance as a solo entrepreneur are sometimes more than we can tackle alone. We made a pact for 90 days.

Curiously, the minute I asked about working together, and he said yes, the magic started to happen. Suddenly I was creating crystal clear, 90 day goals.  Soon, I had them broken down into three sets of 30 day goals. We both agreed we needed a clear, written vision for what we wanted to accomplish by the end of the 90 days. So I wrote a vision statement. Then I remembered I had started a vision movie a year ago. The movie was dusted off and updated and dropped to my desktop. Before I knew it I was in full-on action mode and the magic was everywhere. Things were getting done.

Action Creates Energy

Action is like its own feeding station. Once you make the first move in the direction of your goals, energy is created and the next move gets easier. And then the next one and the next one.  It’s like swimming; with just one small stroke you start moving through the water. Another stroke and you move faster. Put the two together and suddenly you’re moving through the water like a fish.

Nothing is more stagnating than stagnation itself.  Standing still is inertia and inertia is the hardest state to shake out of.

Action Reveals a Pathway

Have you ever renovated a room in your house or apartment? Then you know the expression “one thing leads to another”. Action is like that. Much like walking in the forest and following a path. One step, then another, then another and like magic the path reveals itself between the trees.

Often we just don’t know what the path looks like.  Procrastination reinforces the unknown like “I just don’t know how to do this” or “I just don’t know how to make this happen or get it done”.

Taking just one small step forward can change all that.

Action is the Solution to Fear

Nothing feeds fear like fear itself. Fear makes us freeze or run away. Neither is helpful to managing clutter or trying to accomplish our goals and dreams.

Action is the antidote to fear, is a quote from Amy Porterfield course creator, podcaster, online content industry leader, author and speaker. We think our challenge looks like this rock climber. We think we will be hanging from the cliff edge with a few ropes and carabiners.

Often the reality is quite different than our fear-based perspective. Often the reality is more like that walk in the forest where a simple step forward reveals the next section of pathway.

How to Break out of Inertia

Earlier last year I wrote about self coaching your mindset when mindset is the reason for not taking action. Let’s look at three specific activities you can use to propel yourself in the direction of success.

  1. Review the outcome of what it is you are trying to do or accomplish.  Get a really clear view in your mind of what the accomplishment will look like. Athletes who use visualization to support their success all know how strong this tool can be. Our brain doesn’t distinguish between what we actually did and what we think we did.  When an Alpine downhill ski racer visualizes in minute detail streaking down the hill in perfect formation to successfully cross the finish line in 1st place, the brain believes this is what actually happened. Get clear on the outcome – in colour detail.
  2. Identify the smallest step forward – the smallest action – you could take in the direction of your goal you know you are guaranteed to be successful. It doesn’t matter how small the step is.  Remember, just taking the step forward will generate energy, show you the path and help overcome fear.
  3. Celebrate your success when that first step has been accomplished. Reward yourself for facing your fear, tackling the inertia and getting a step done. Then immediately identify the next, small, guarantee-to-be-successful step.  Commit to a date on when that next step will be taken. Repeat.

You got this. Go for it.

Action Mindfully I AM Evolving Coaching Organizing Challenges
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scrabble pieces spell order and chaos

Mastering Clutter-Free Living: Step 1 – Achieve Clarity

Posted by Carolyn on
 March 9, 2022
  ·  No Comments

Following up last week’s blog post on Mastering Clutter-Free Living, today we are going to look a little deeper at how to achieve clarity.  You may be thinking “what does it mean to be clear on clutter-free?” or “why do I need clarity to just get rid of stuff?”

What does it mean to Achieve Clarity?

orderly clothes closet

chastity-cortijo-oOfuQYniREA-unsplash

Getting rid of stuff and staying clutter-free can be a real challenge for some people.  For those affected by chronic disorganization, getting rid of stuff can be a huge block to moving forward with the personal or professional goals. Achieving clarity includes identifying what you want to do and why you want to do it.

  • What it is exactly you mean by clutter-free? For some people this is an almost empty closet with homogenous hangers.  Others are happy if the closet has nothing on the floor.  Some people would feel they had a clutter-free home if they are able to open the closet door because the floor around the closet is finally clear. Get a clear picture in your mind. Get committed to the outcome you want. This will be helpful when you are trying to figure out what to do next.
  • Why is being clutter-free important to you?  Why now?  What could you do if you could achieve this goal? Getting clear on your why will help when the going is tougher.  When you are faced with your favourite sweater that is now 2 sized too big, remember you wanted a clutter-free closet to make room for the new clothes.

Why is Achieving Clarity important?

woman looking at map

nick-seagrave-1tpLdmxki-c-unsplash

  1. With clarity creating a strategy is easy. Get clear on your goals and what you want to achieve so you can create a pathway for yourself.  When you have a clear destination in mind, finding the map to get there is easy.  It is very hard to find a pathway to someone when you don’t know where or what that somewhere is.
  2. Achieving clarity also sets intention and helps you develop a “can do” mindset. When you have a clear vision of what you want the outcome of decluttering, or a lifestyle of clutter-free living, to look like, you are telling your brain to head in the direction of that outcome.  You are setting the intention for yourself to make that outcome a reality. Give your brain the direction and cheerleading it needs to believe you can accomplish clutter-free living. You can.
  3. Clarity will keep you stay focussed. When other obligations and distractions start to get in the way, being clear on the lifestyle and outcome you want for your clutter-free living will help you stay on task and on track. Having a really clear pathway increase the chances you will succeed.
Clarity Organizing Challenges Organizing Strategies

How to Stay Sane and Organized for the Holidays!

Posted by Carolyn on
 October 29, 2018
  ·  No Comments

Enjoy Organized Holidays

The Holidays are Coming!

Wow, how did we get here so fast? It”s almost Hallowe’en and right behind that is the Holidays.  Overwhelmed?  Totally normal.  Staying organized for the holidays is challenging and overwhelm is common for many people.

Don’t panic.  An organized holiday  schedule and plan is possible.

Organize the Holidays using the Breaking Down Solution

Try the breaking down solution. Do you have an overwhelming job at hand? Grab a piece of paper and pen/pencil and start writing down, in no particular order, all the small tasks that go into the larger project

Organize the Holidays with Verbs

Verb up your list of To Do’s. If your children will be trick or treating, it might include: buy children costume, brainstorm costume ideas with kids, schedule trip to thrift store to buy costume pieces, buy candy, rebook meeting for Oct. 31 evening, decide on supper for Oct. 31.

Stay Organized by Ordering

Next, give a number to each task depending upon the importance and order that each needs to be done. For example, scheduling the trip to the thrift store and rebooking your appointment for the evening of Oct. 31 might need to come before brainstorming with the children.

Stay Organized by Estimating Time

Finally, estimate and assign an approximate time to each task. It doesn’t matter if the estimate is perfectly accurate it just has to be close to accurate. This will help you recognize how your time will be used by the items on your list.

Staying organized for the holidays is achievable. With just a few small tweaks to what you are already doing, you can stay on top of the activity and to do’s. You deserve to celebrate with your family and friends. Use these easy tips to stay on track with your plans, sane, smiling and celebrating!

 

Holiday Organizing Organizing Challenges
Letters to Clutter

Letters to Clutter: Tell it how you Really Feel!

Posted by Carolyn on
 February 5, 2017
  ·  2 Comments

The Clutter LettersSend me your letters to clutter.  Does this sound like you?

You’re standing in front of your desk, staring at the stacks of paper, frustrated and overwhelmed.  “Why are you still here?  Why can’t you find a file to climb into and make yourself available when I need you?  Somewhere in there is the invoice I’m trying to get paid for – how will I ever get paid if I can’t even find the invoice?”

You open the closet door and glare at the contents.  “I hate you and I love you.  Ugh, how am I ever supposed to make this closet work when a bunch of you don’t fit, some of you I don’t even like and I don’t even know what’s at the back?!”

Your youngster is finally in bed and hopefully soon asleep.  You return to the family room and flop into the chair realizing you can’t even walk on the floor any longer because of the piles and piles of toys.  “Just put yourselves away, why don’t you! “Can’t you find a nice basket or box and do the Mary Poppins thing – jumping right into them?  And while you are at it, sort yourselves out and take the toys that no one has played with for the past 6 months to the donation centre.  I’m going to bed.”

If you’ve ever talked to your clutter, or think you might like to say something to it, I’d like to hear from you.  Consider writing a letter or letters to clutter and tell it how you really feel.

Why Letters to Clutter?

You letter or letters to clutter will be considered for inclusion in a project being published later this year.  Your letter doesn’t need to be long, 200 – 400 words is perfect although longer or shorter is also welcome.  Start your letter off with “Dear ________ (item or items of clutter i.e. Paper, Baby Clothes, Garden Tools), What am I going to do with you?” and tell the clutter what you are really thinking.

Types of Clutter

Your clutter might include one of the following items or you might have your own version of clutter.:

  • Costume jewelry
  • Inherited jewelry
  • Inherited dishes, flatware, glass/crystal
  • Paper
  • Sports equipment
  • Particular sports equipment e.g. A bag of balls, an old croquet set, a bag of hockey equipment
  • Clothes that don’t fit
  • Clothes that aren’t liked
  • Clothes in general
  • Childhood books
  • Memorabilia
  • Photographs
  • Someone else’s items e.g. a spouse’s sports gear, clothes or other items
  • Tools
  • Leftover renovation material e.g. tiles, paint, fabric
  • Craft goods

How and Where to Send you Letters to Clutter

Identify yourself only by your initials and your town of residence.  Individuals will not be identified in their submissions and any particular identifying information will be removed.

Send letters to me, Carolyn Caldwell at carolyn@caldwellevolution.com.

Looking forward to receiving your letter or letters to clutter and seeing what you have to say to those trinkets collecting dust on the shelf.

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Organize Taxes – Time Tamer Tuesday

Posted by Carolyn on
 March 16, 2016
  ·  1 Comment
organize taxes ahead of deadline

Three principles will help you organize taxes before the deadline.

It’s that time again.  Time to organize taxes. Yup.  Funny how it comes around every year at the same time.

And since it’s so predictable you’ve anticipated tax season and have everything ready.  Right?

Ok if you answered yes, feel free to leave now and come back next Tuesday or next blog post, whichever comes first.  For the rest of us, stick around and let’s see if we can help you with a couple of strategies to save some time, and maybe some money, on your income tax preparation.

Now, let me be clear – I am NOT an accountant.  I am not offering any advise that might actually impact or have bearing on your tax submission.  You will need someone with a CGA or CA after their name to help with that.  But, with a CPO after my name, I can say i know something about getting things ready to organize taxes each year.

Many of my clients need help with this task.  Some are running a small business and while creative, are not very organized.  But they are clever and have hired me as a professional organizer to help.  To organize taxes we use 3  simple principles.

File When it Arrives

organize taxes

Sort files both paper and electronic as they arrive to organize taxes ahead of the deadline.

As soon as those receipts and invoices show up, get them filed.  Leaving receipts and invoices lying around, whether paper or electronic, is asking for them to start wandering around.  And they do.  Ever noticed how those chiropractor receipts managed to wander from the bag your were carrying when you got your last adjustment to the stack of paper on the table?  The e-receipt from your last product purchase?  Might still be buried in your email. File it as soon as you see the email to help organize taxes ahead of tax season.

File by Expense Type

Simple right? For some people, yes.  They likely aren’t still reading.  For the rest of us, resisting the temptation to drop all files into one folder, paper or electronic, that says “Income Tax”, is a tough job.

You know what your expense categories are unless our are filing income tax for the first time, as a young new employee or new business owner, and therefore have to organize taxes for the first time.  By taking that one extra step to file the material according to the expense type, you will be saving yourself time and effort down the road.  Depending on the role your book keeper and/accountant plays for you, you could also be saving yourself some money.  Their time is precious and usually expensive.  Especially around tax time.

Match Paper and E-Files

organize taxes

Match up your paper files and electronic file categories to reduce the work for organizing taxes.

Although more and more paper files are becoming less and less of our lives and businesses, the reality is we are not yet free of the paper.  So, you are likely to still have some paper and some e-files for your accountant.  An accordion file works well for paper files.  Most office supply stores carry accordion files with anywhere from 6 to 26 (alphabetized) pockets.  Use the one that best matches the number of expense categories you use.  I keep my categories lean so I use the 13 pocket style.

On the electronic side, set up an Income Tax folder with subfolders of the same categories.  The result?  Your brain only has to remember one set of categories and you will get used to using the folders, paper and e-files, the same way.

Can you feel your brain relaxing yet?

We organize taxes every single year.  These three principles will help make it easier for you to be prepared.  And might save you some money in book keeping and accounting fees.  No more running around at the last minute looking for the telephone receipts.

Business Organizing Organizing Challenges Organizing Strategies Time Tamer Tuesday
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Great things can happen in an organized home office.

The Organized Home Office: 3 Key Ingredients

Posted by Carolyn on
 November 9, 2015
  ·  6 Comments
sign spelling office in white letters on black background

Making sure you maintain an organized home office takes basic ingredients and your own spice.

So you’ve decided to work from home – congratulations!  Chances are you’re going to love working in your jeans and t-shirt, without a commute and with the flexibility that a home office provides.  It takes some work, however, to ensure your work space is functional, productive, has all the tools you need and  is available to you when you need it.  These are important criteria for an organized home office.  Here are some key ingredients that can help your office meet those criteria.

Basic Ingredient: An Organized Home Office is Separate from Home Functions

When setting up a home office, clients frequently start by taking over a small part of an existing space in their home.  This is a great way to see if working at home is feasible.  You know the place: the computer table in the kitchen; the family computer desk in the den; the craft corner in the basement rec room.  These areas are often already multi purpose space.  Its where home work, crafts and family organization and communication are happening.  Adding the additional pressure of a home office is sometimes more multi than these multi purpose spaces can manage.  Professional organizers  are brought in to  help organize the home office when clients find the geography project has exploded over the latest market research report and invoices ready to be mailed.  

Find a way to physically separate the business work from anything else that happens at that work station.  If you can’t  fully take over a space, and have to share with other household activity, use a cupboard, box or even just a shelf where your material can be collected and put away before the homework starts up.  Role model to other family members that you put away your material when not actively working at the common space; they are expected to put away their things when leaving the space.  It might take a bit of reminding at first but your material will be secure and the work station can continue to be used by the family while you enjoy the advantages working at home can bring.

House big enough you get your own corner office?  Lucky you. Just make sure that room has a door.  Opening the door is like stepping into a corporate setting.  It says “I’m at work”.  Same with the office-in-a-box approach.  When you empty the box onto the dining room table, you have arrived at work for the day.

Resist the temptation to use a corner of your bedroom for your home office.  The bedroom is a place for rest and relaxation, not work.

Binding Ingredient: An Organized Home Office is Mostly Self-Contained and Holds its own Tools.

Great things can happen in an organized home office.

Great things can happen in an organized home office.

Think of this as permission, resources permitting, to shop for the tools your office will need and to keep them in your office, even if it is just a box.  Often, we identify the space for our office space and then use tools from elsewhere in the house to stock it;  paper from the family computer station, stapler from the kitchen, pens from the junk drawer, hole punch from the craft boxes.  This can be an excellent use of extra tools around the house.  It can also mean, however, that your office is raided when that hole punch is needed for the science project.

You will need holders for those tools.  Use a decorated juice container from your 8 year old, or top of the line from the office supply store.  An organized home office has the tools there when you need them easily accessible.  The more self contained it is, the more likely your organized home office will stay organized.

Spice it Up: Add Your Unique Style

desk with flowers in vase

Add some spice to make your organized home office reflect your taste.

It might be a business office, but one of the advantages of a home office is the freedom to decorate to your own style and taste.  Go to town and have fun.  The more comfortable and personal you make the space, the more likely you are to keep it organized and functional. About to land the company’s next largest order?  Do it in style.  If your office is stored in a box while supper is on the table, add your own taste with a special picture, pencil holder or the coolest file folders you have ever seen.  Using a cupboard?  Try putting your special pictures on the inside of the cupboard and leave it open while you are at work.

A home office can be fun and flexible.  A home based business can be rewarding.  Keep yourself productive with an organized home office that reflects your business needs and your own personality.

 

Business Organizing Home Organizing Office Organizing Organizing Challenges Productivity
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How Many Synonyms Does Planning Have?

Posted by Carolyn on
 March 31, 2015
  ·  1 Comment

Life comes at us all at about 150km/hour in my estimate. Occasionally a little faster; sometimes a little slower. Usually, pretty fast.

Being organized is being prepared to respond to what’s coming at you no matter how fast it arrives. Anticipation, preparation, planning all work the same way when it comes to organizing for life’s challenges.

Take tax season for example. I know today, 30 days before most of our taxes are due, that next year on June 15th, 2015 my business taxes will be due. I have more than a year to prepare myself and all the bits and pieces associated with tax submission in order to submit on time, or depending on your circumstances, early.

Tonight, on the other hand, I have no idea what time everyone will be home for supper and in fact, I’m not even sure anyone will be home for supper. So I have about 5 hours to figure out how to handle that challenge. My solution, a stash of nutritious freezer foods that even my 12 year old can safely prepare for himself after swim team training session.

Home Organizing Organizing Challenges Organizing Time

Children’s Behaviour when parents exhibit Hoarding Behaviour

Posted by Carolyn on
 September 10, 2014
  ·  No Comments

A friend and colleague recently contacted me regarding behaviour she had seen in one of her contacts.  She poses an interesting question and I thought you all might be interested.

VB writes: Is Hoarding in the genes? Have you ever seen young children hoard? In a family I recently worked with, one of the children cried and was very upset when his Dad sent a couple of pieces of furniture to the curb hoping someone would pick up for free.! (The aunt is a “collector” and another aunt shows evidence of hoarding behaviour.) Dad is worried about his child. He understands not wanting to part with toys, but furniture? Any thoughts or advice for this situation?”

Here is my response: Although there is much work currently being done with children of those with hoarding behaviour,  I am not aware of any definitive research on the genetic link for hoarding behaviour. We do know, however, that individuals with chronic disorganization, of which hoarding behaviour is a subset, personify objects and have unusually high emotional attachment to objects. These charact traits I see in the children of my clients all the time.

In the absence of a psyche degree, we as organizers ought not to be trying to remove or change those traits but there are tried and true techniques for managing them so the impact of the traits is not harmful. My fear is that this child has now been emotionally impacted – which he/she will remember long after the furniture is gone – and carry forward to other objects preventing him/her from healthy separation in the future.

Try this:
1. Let the child “say good-bye” to the furniture just like they would a friend.
2. Take a picture as part of the goodbye process and create an agreement on how long the picture hangs around.
3. Help the child understand the furniture needs a new home that can use it better. It will have new life with its new family.
4. Help the child understand objects have a natural life cycle with us. We need/ desire, they come, we use/love/use up, they leave (donation/ sale/recycle/garbage), they have a new life.

I’d be interested in hearing from others on similar experiences to VB.

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