The Clutter Fairy Weekly

Ancient wisdom tells us that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. But negative emotions and attitudes can make it hard to find that first step in our organizing process. In episode #86 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly, Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, shares simple techniques to short-circuit negative thinking, get unstuck, an...

Aging forces us to shift our thinking about many aspects of our lives, including our mobility, safety, comfort, and independence. In episode #85 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly, Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, considers the pros and cons of “aging in place” from an organizing perspective and offers strategies for preparing your home for the futur...

Children aren’t just small adults, and kid-related clutter presents a unique set of organizing issues. In episode #84 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly, Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, offers strategies for organizing children’s bedrooms and playrooms. And for our kid-free audience members, we’ll also talk about man-caves and she-sheds. Show notes:...

Change is inevitable, and changes in our lives and our habits can turn important stuff into clutter overnight. In episode #83 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly, Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, examines how change impacts our relationship to stuff and explores how to leverage the organizing process as a means to accept and adapt to change. Show note...

There are critical areas of your home where clutter seems to be drawn as if by a magnet. In episode #82 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly, Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, explains why problematic spaces collect so much clutter and suggests strategies for trouble-shooting these special organizing issues. Show notes: http://cfhou.com/tcfw082 The Clut...

In conversations about clutter, we frequently return to the concept of creating a supportive environment—setting up conditions for success as you work toward your goals. One key condition for success is having the right tools and supplies at hand. In episode #81 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly, Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, offers tips for asse...

Vacation travel means stuffing a week or two of your life into one weight-limited suitcase—or at best, into the cargo space of a car. In episode #80 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly, Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, offers pointers for right-sizing your packing to prepare for stress-free vacation travel. Show notes: http://cfhou.com/tcfw080 The Clu...

Careful packing can save time and money and make or break your move, but how you unpack can set the tone of life in your new space for years. In episode #79 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly, Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, offers strategies for unpacking a recent move (or the remnants of an old one) to optimize the use and enjoyment of your new sp...

We’ve compared prioritizing projects to a juggling act, but with training and practice, decluttering can be as elegant as dancing. In episode #78 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly, Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, offers principles for setting organizing priorities to help you “choreograph” your work on a variety of spaces and projects. Show notes:...

We took the week off from our live show, but we’ve put together a bonus edition of our webcast and podcast to respond to your comments and questions. In special episode #77 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly, Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, talks about clutter negotiations, e-mail bankruptcy, catch-and-release shopping trips, and why Gayle doesn’t n...

For people who struggle with stuff, clutter permeates every aspect of our lives: our space, our time, our emotions, and our relationships. In episode #76 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly, Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, we set ourselves a challenge: to identify and explain an organizing concept, issue, or tip for every letter of the alphabet. Show...

We constantly make judgments about worth, assessing and assigning value to our lives and our stuff. But our notions of perceived value can clash with the reality of our physical surroundings. In episode #75 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly, Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, examines value-based emotional responses and habits of thought that sabotage...

The creative impulse is an essential human need to enrich and beautify our world. But clutter erodes the space, free time, and mental clarity we need for creative pursuits. In episode #74 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly, Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, explains key principles for organizing an art or craft workspace and offers tips to keep your c...

Our collections of decorative items can fall out of synch with our changing senses of style and the desires and goals we have for our spaces. In episode #73 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly, Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, identifies the behaviors that lead to decor clutter and suggests strategies for cleaning up your “look.” Show notes: http://cf...

Getting organized is simple, but it’s not easy. For your project to succeed, you need a realistic plan and a clear process. In episode #72 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly, Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, revisits the basic steps in the decluttering process and how to apply them to your cluttered space. Show notes: http://cfhou.com/tcfw072 The Clu...

Dealing with our clutter can feel like stepping into quicksand—we’re stuck, helpless, can’t move forward, and struggling only makes matters worse. In episode #71 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly, Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, examines the many flavors of decluttering stuckness and suggests strategies for extracting yourself from the mire. Show n...

Our stuff can stifle our efforts to adapt to shifting circumstances, or it can support the new life we’re seeking. In episode #70 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly, Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, explores the transitions that disrupt our lives and suggests ways to adjust our thinking and behavior around stuff to help us move forward. Show notes: h...

We all have “must-haves”—things we think we can’t do without in our homes, but that can stand in the way of successful decluttering. In episode #69 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly, Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, examines the assumptions and expectations we inherit from our family or culture—or entrench in our own habits—and offers fresh perspect...

The universe of available organizing solutions can be overwhelming. Stores that sell organizing products want to solve your stuff problem with more stuff. In episode #68 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly, Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, shares how a few carefully selected organizing products can make a world of difference in your space. For links t...

Spouses, parents, children, roommates, housemates, and even guests who overstay their welcome can introduce extra complexity to our organizing challenges. In episode #67 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly, Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, examines these complicating factors and suggests ways to improve communication, negotiation, and cooperation to d...

Wrangling the stuff required for the gym, the dojo, the trail, the beach, the picnic, or the pool shouldn’t be an obstacle to your health goals or recreational activities. In episode #66 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly, Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, offers strategies for organizing clothing, gear, and accessories for relaxation and fitness to m...

Habits are a powerful force in our daily lives, and the study of habits has revealed surprising relationships between our thinking, our action, and our “context”—our location and circumstances. In episode #65 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly, Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, explores interesting findings from the field of habit research and suggest...

If we don’t plan and prepare carefully for moving or even temporary relocation, we waste time and money and make the project harder than it has to be. In episode #64 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly, Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, offers strategies for planning and preparing for a successful move or a major home renovation project. Show notes: ht...

Paper pileup often outstrips the time, energy, and enthusiasm we can muster for processing. Inboxes overflow, and the dream of an orderly filing system gives way to stacks, bags, and boxes of paper chaos. In episode #63 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly, Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, explores ways to rethink paper sorting and storage by defining...

I’m delighted, proud, and honored to announce that I’ve won the 2021 Founders’ Award from the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals (NAPO). I want to thank my NAPO colleagues for nominating and voting for me, and I would especially like to recognize the NAPO leaders and volunteers with whom I’ve worked over the last 13 years. We’ve accomplished a lot together! It's...