About a year ago, I sat down with my Dad and filled out a life organizer with him. He scoffed at first, but when I explained how important it was, he agreed and got it done with me. At that time we also reviewed all his legal documents to make sure that everything was in place in case of a tragic situation. I got copies of everything and kept them on file at my house. Today, as I write this, my Dad is laying in the hospital unable to respond. In my state of worry, it is hard for me to think straight. His life organizer has been my saving grace. Having all the vital information at my finger tips has been crucial to handling his affairs for him. Death or illness can hit you or a loved one suddenly at any time. Are your affairs or those of your parents or loved ones organized in such a way that your spouse, good friend or family member can easily step in and take care of things for you? If not, read on….
Every family should have a life organizer. You can make it or buy one (check out the Savvy Senior Organizer at www.colorfulimages.com – not just for seniors!!). A life organizer is a notebook or file that contains all the most important information needed to manage your household. Information about medical, insurance, bill paying, children’s school, pet’s needs, passwords, etc should be included. Having all this information in a safe, central location will save your loved ones a lot of grief at a time when they need to focus on getting things handled. Life organizers are an invaluable gift.
Furthermore, every person should have a will, power of attorney and medical directory. Death is a very hard topic to discuss, however, being prepared for it is the best gift you can give your loved ones.
Meagan Farrell, professional organizer, is the owner of Clear the Clutter organizing services. She can be reached at (360) 631-7268 or at clear_theclutter@yahoo.com. Check out her blog at http://cleartheclutterprofessionalorganizing.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Organizing in the event of a death
The loss of a loved one is difficult in so many ways. One of the challenges at a time like this is clearing out their home or closet, yet it is a task that must be handled.
If there is no statement of who is to get what item, I recommend bringing all the loved ones together and assigning them each a specific colored sticky note. Allow each person to go around the house or room and put their color sticky on any item that they would like to have. Have an agreed upon way to deal with any item that is wanted by more than one person such as a coin toss or a hat to draw a name from. You may be surprised to find that people tend to want very different things.
If there is still a great deal of stuff, consider having an estate sale. If you go this route, you simply need to get rid of the obvious trash or unsellable items and leave the rest for buyers to look through.
If you do not want to have an estate sale, you want to break the space up into small zones and tackle one zone at a time. Set up a pile for “donations” and a pile for “trash.” Mark your piles so it is easy to recall which is which when you get going. Now pull everything out of the zone and start separating it out. Once everything is separated, put the trash in the garbage can and the donations in your car to drop off or on the curb to be picked up.
Keep in mind that hiring a professional organizer can be a huge help at a time like this. People tend to attach their raw emotions to objects and keep things to remind them of their lost loved one. While it is fine to keep mementos, keeping too much or items you don’t have room for creates new problems. A professional organizer can help you to keep things in perspective and offer ideas on how to preserve memories without impacting your living space.
Meagan Farrell, professional organizer, is the owner of Clear the Clutter organizing services. She can be reached at (360) 631-7268 or at clear_theclutter@yahoo.com. Check out her blog at http://cleartheclutterprofessionalorganizing.blogspot.com/
If there is no statement of who is to get what item, I recommend bringing all the loved ones together and assigning them each a specific colored sticky note. Allow each person to go around the house or room and put their color sticky on any item that they would like to have. Have an agreed upon way to deal with any item that is wanted by more than one person such as a coin toss or a hat to draw a name from. You may be surprised to find that people tend to want very different things.
If there is still a great deal of stuff, consider having an estate sale. If you go this route, you simply need to get rid of the obvious trash or unsellable items and leave the rest for buyers to look through.
If you do not want to have an estate sale, you want to break the space up into small zones and tackle one zone at a time. Set up a pile for “donations” and a pile for “trash.” Mark your piles so it is easy to recall which is which when you get going. Now pull everything out of the zone and start separating it out. Once everything is separated, put the trash in the garbage can and the donations in your car to drop off or on the curb to be picked up.
Keep in mind that hiring a professional organizer can be a huge help at a time like this. People tend to attach their raw emotions to objects and keep things to remind them of their lost loved one. While it is fine to keep mementos, keeping too much or items you don’t have room for creates new problems. A professional organizer can help you to keep things in perspective and offer ideas on how to preserve memories without impacting your living space.
Meagan Farrell, professional organizer, is the owner of Clear the Clutter organizing services. She can be reached at (360) 631-7268 or at clear_theclutter@yahoo.com. Check out her blog at http://cleartheclutterprofessionalorganizing.blogspot.com/
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