Hi, I’m Lissanne. I’m a Professional Organiser based in Melbourne, Australia. I run a company called SORTED! organising & decluttering. You might like to check out my website: www.sorted.net.au I help people organise their space and create more efficient homes and offices. I love getting rid of clutter but am a big fan of balance… it’s not about living a minimalist life!
I have also written the best selling “SORTED! – the ultimate guide to organising your life – once and for all”. I share many organising secrets: from managing mail and paperwork, systems for paying bills, wrangling your clothes and kids rooms – there are 42 ‘recipes’ that show you, step by step, how to get your life under control. My book features many simple philosophies that will get you organised and free from clutter! visit http://store.sorted.net for your signed copy. Also at the webstore, you’ll see I’ve created a series of comics to help you teach your kids/teens how to get organised. There are 7 in total being released once every month starting in September 2010.
I hope you enjoy my decluttering blog! Please join in the discussion on all things organising and getting rid of clutter.
I am a big fan of your blog Lissanne, I have added you to my Blogroll.
Keep up the great work!
Hi! I’m a teacher on Guam and am going to be moving in a few weeks to a condo that I just bought. It is about 200 sq. ft. smaller than my present place. So I have been sorting and purging. I am no longer in the classroom so I have offered my elementary teaching books & Materials to the Special Ed teachers at the high school where I am currently assigned. I am also the chairperson of the teachers union of our local school system, teach a reading comprehension class for the union and sit on the school board representing the teachers. I cannot believe how much I have accumulated! I also recently had a mild stroke and though I have almost recovered completely, it leaves me unable to drive for the time being. My question is this: When I sort and purge, I make all these piles either on the ground or on shelves, and these piles make it difficult to walk in the room I’m working on. Does everybody do this, or am I unique. I would appreciate any tips on moving and sorting and purgin g prior to the move. thank you very much, and Sunny Smiles from Guam! Neeti Prakash
Neeti, sounds like you have been very busy! Great news that you are making a recovery from your stroke. Creating piles is perfectly normal, but you might want to try using some cardboard cartons with flaps at the top, so if you’re mid-sort, you can close the flaps and stack your boxes up (preferably against a wall) and clear the floor. That way, you can stop and start your sorting and still move around the room! Hope this helps, and do have a great move…. congratulations on your new home….
Hi Lissanne, I bought your book last year – love it! I bought my mother one also. Everyone should have one. I loved the bit on “procrastination” page 13….guilty and did conduct a massive email/file cleanup on the computer.
Anyway, I only just found your blog so wanted to say thanks.
Keep up the great work.
Regards
Kylie.
Thank you Kylie! Always great that my words can give you a jump start into action! Hooray!
Hi Lissanne, after I bought your book you came and helped me to get the process started. Since then I have caught up with my outstanding tax and I now feel better equipped and less overwhelmed in dealing with my clutter.
Best regards,
Philip
Lissanne , excellent newsletter, look the look. Couldn’t have arrived at a better time, 2009 has been out of control and I have just spent the week filing a year’s worth, remembering your words of wisdom from the workshop. As each day passes and each pile reduces (with many rubbish bags building) I am starting to feel a lot better and more in control. Thank you and Happy New Year!!:)
Hey Sandy C! Nice to hear from you – I am very please that you are getting back on track… Happy to New Year to you too!
Hi Lissanne… I like your book “Organize!”, It’s very cool… simple but detail ^^ thanks
Lissanne – I love your book, your website, your style. What I would love to know more about is – packing bags for travelling and avoiding taking clutter. I travel a great deal and still trying to get it streamlined and only take what is necessary – do you have tips please? I’m always just a little overweight with my baggage. Thanks for whatever you can tell me.
Did you see this post, Joy? http://lissanne.wordpress.com/2010/06/16/best-ever-travel-tips-and-how-to-pack-light/
I hope this helps!
HI Lissanne –
I have been trying to get sorted for quite awhile now, I sometimes feel like I spend my whole existance trying to get organised! Here’s the thing – we are moving house in December and this is my big chance to get rid of all things hoarded and the clutter that I really don’t want.
I have your book, ‘Sorted’, and am in need of re-igniting my dedication!! I have a genetic code from my mum that makes me sentimental and find it a bit hard to get rid of some stuff (she is much worse than me).
Things like tax info etc – which I am cleaning out as I write – is it 5 years of returns that must be kept?
Can you give me some tips to keep focussed and keep on throwing out? My mantra at the moment is – ‘we are not taking any crap to the new house!’
Thanks for your ongoing inspiration, Amanda
Hi Amanda, your mantra is great, I bet it kept you on track!
Hi Lissanne,
I had the pleasure of photographing you for the Herald Sun a couple of years back. Since then my clutter has grown completely out of control. Is a good plan to simply cull things..Plan on reducing possessions by 50% regardless of their original value? Not simply find cute boxes which hide things but hire a skip and do the final solution. I am sick of mess!!!!
Take care.
Hi Mark! I love your question…
First, we need to define what your clutter is. If it’s worthless junk/rubbish/flotsam jetsam that you’ve accumulated, then yes, order that skip and get going!
If, however, you do have anything of value that you can bothered with selling on, then go for it (money is hard to make and easy to lose).. BUT have you got better things to do with your time.
You are spot on too: “storage solutions”, cute boxes and moving to a bigger home are NOT the way to go.
You can do it!
I subscribe to William Morris’s philosophy “have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful” useful OR beautiful isnt enough, it has to be both or it’s out.
On the other hand I can be lazy when I’m stressed and then things don’t get put away and I then spend forever trying to find them, which leaves me even less time to put things away so that I can find them. That’s one really viscous circle. (thisis starting to sound like a blog post, mm) I’m adding you to my blogroll in the hope that associating with you will keep me in good habits. Fingers crossed.