The Speak Organized Podcast

Let me ask you a question… and I want you to be honest (since you’re just over there thinking the answer to yourself.) When you think of a professional organizer, how do you picture them? Their home is always put together? They judge their friends every time they get invited over for dinner? They only help wealthy clients with lots of money?
 
Y’all… I hear these assumptions or some form of them all the time. So I’m here to set the record straight and bust 5 of the most common myths about pro organizers. My goal is to show you the value in hiring a good professional organizer and how that partnership could help you live the lifestyle you truly deserve.
 
Here are the myths we’re talking about in today’s episode 👇
 
Our homes are always perfectly organized
They will judge me and my home
They’ll make me get rid of everything 
They’ll make me file fold and color code my whole wardrobe
They are for famous people with lots of expendable income
Bonus - I can’t hire one because that means I’m lazy and should be able to do it myself
 
Special offers 👇
 
Use the code: EARLYBIRD2022 for an exclusive discount to my awesome mini course - Better Habits in 30 Days. You’ll be on your way creating more time in your day to get things done AND still have #metime 
http://www.melaniesummerscoaching.com/better-habits-hub  
 
Join my Facebook group! It’s a super supportive community with access to free training and tips to help you live a more organized and productive life. http://www.facebook.com/groups/ispeakorganizedpnw 
 
Hope you enjoy!

Whenever I talk to folks about productivity practices and time management, I’m surprised that there is still this idea that being productive means cramming your schedule with priorities and finding the perfect system or hack that will help you balance it all and get it all done in as little time as possible. I am on a mission, along with my fabulous podcast guest today, to help you simplify life’s clutter and employ the mindset shifts that will allow you to be truly productive and take back your free time. 
 
I’m pleased to interview Megan Sumrell, host of the Work and Life Harmony podcast, Productivity Coach and Time Management Expert. Megan shares some dynamite mindset shifts that got me rethinking my own concepts of finding balance in my life and what that really means. You definitely don’t want to miss what she has to say so stick around, let’s get into it. 
 
Special Offers 👇
 
Join my free Facebook group 👇
http://www.facebook.com/groups/ispeakorganizedpnw
 
Check out Megan’s Pink Bee app in your app store!
 
Sign up for Megan’s bootcamp 👇
www.thetopbootcamp.com 
 
Learn more about Megan 👇
 
Megan Sumrell is a former corporate techie turned entrepreneur.  As a business owner, mom, and wife, she knows exactly how hard it is to juggle #allthethings while still maintaining your own sense of self and purpose. When her daughter was born in 2010, life as she knew it completely changed.  After struggling to manage work, motherhood, family, etc, Megan set about a new way to manage her time and organize her calendar.  She took her 20+ year career in systems and processes and applied it to one of her favorite things…time management!
 
As a Time Management Coach for women seeking Work+Life Harmony, Megan teaches specific strategies to help women get on top of their time, calendar and goals while getting rid of stress, overwhelm, and exhaustion.
 
Her proprietary planning approach is the only "feminine" planning system that works from the "bottom up."  It acknowledges that women have a lot on their plates and gives pragmatic, real-world strategies to help women manage #allthethings.  Her courses and planner teach exactly how to plan your weeks and days to maximize productivity and efficiency while still allowing for flexibility and down time.
 
She is the creator of the TOP Program and TOP Planner, a program and planner that teaches her proprietary system and processes regarding time management, organization and productivity for women.   
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Thanks for stopping by. Consider becoming part of the Speaker Fam and subscribing to this channel for more home organization and decluttering tips + coaching to start a professional organizing business.
 
If you’re new to my channel, my name is Melanie and I’m a Professional Organizer and Productivity Coach. I help hard working families and professionals find form in their space and purpose for every phase of life. 
 
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ispeakorganized 
Facebook - https://www.fb.com/ispeakorganized 
OR join my private Facebook group! https://www.fb.com/groups/ispeakorganizedpnw
Website - https://www.ispeakorganized.com

When it comes to getting organized, the key to lasting progress comes down to one word - Maintenance. 
 
In order to keep the results of a hard-fought decluttering and organizing session you’ll need a simple routine to help make that progress stick. 
 
Today I’m going to be sharing one of the organizing principles I teach all my clients and students - it’s called the 10 Minute Reset. I’m spilling all my tips and mindset shifts to make this principle work for you. 
 
Special Offers 👇
 
To dive in and take action towards achieving your goals, start by joining the waitlist for my newly updated mini course - Better Habits in 30 Days. Click the link below to join the waitlist
 
https://www.ispeakorganized.com/course-waitlist
 
Want to get started living an organized + productive life? Check out the link below for my Decluttering Roadmap! This is my signature 6-step process to tackle any organizing project - no matter how overwhelming it may seem.  
 
https://www.ispeakorganized.com/decluttering-roadmap
Thanks for stopping by. Consider becoming part of the Speaker Fam and subscribing to this channel for more home organization and decluttering tips + coaching to start a professional organizing business.
 
If you’re new to my channel, my name is Melanie and I’m a Professional Organizer and Productivity Coach. I help hard working families and professionals find form in their space and purpose for every phase of life. 
 
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ispeakorganized 
Facebook - https://www.fb.com/ispeakorganized 
OR join my private Facebook group! https://www.fb.com/groups/ispeakorganizedpnw
Website - https://www.ispeakorganized.com

When you're working on an organizing project, it's not always easy to get your clients to visualize the final product. That's why we do all of these extra things like space mapping, project planning, taking super detailed measurements, providing specific product suggestions and making sure that that vision becomes their reality.
All of these things are essential to running a successful organizing business, but they're also very time consuming and there's no specific tool to help us with any of it. Or is there? 
In today's episode of the speak organized podcast, I am pleased to interview professional organizer, Kristy of KLP Organizing based out of Southwest Florida. We talk about everything - from her leaving her corporate job to start her organizing business, what it's like to be a member of NAPO, and how during the pandemic, she was able to use her background in engineering to build a software specifically for professional organizers, to help them with project planning called Sortifi.
Kristy is awesome. She's got a lot of great things to share. So you're definitely going to want to stick around. Let's get into it. 
 
Snag 15% off your subscription to Sortifi - Use code ISPEAKORGANIZED15 at checkout.
Join my exclusive Facebook group!
Contact Kristy for info about Sortifi.
 

Some folks out there may think I’m crazy, or lying, or even be slightly annoyed by what I’m about to say… I love Mondays… There, I said it - and I’m on a mission to make Mondays marvelous for you too.
I know not everyone follows a traditional weekly schedule, so if your work or school schedule is different, just replace Monday with your weekly reset day. The sentiment here will be the same. Mondays are a gift because every week, we get another chance - a fresh start to prioritize, get ahead of our tasks, and achieve our goals. Yet, many of us prioritize fear and procrastination that leave us struggling to catch up and dreading all that lays before us.
In today’s episode of The Speak Organized Podcast, I’m sharing a few golden nuggets with you about goal setting. I’ll talk you through 7 tips and show you how to turn them into a repeatable strategy that will help you actually get things done. Ready? Let’s go!
Special Offers 👇
To dive in and take action towards achieving your goals, start by joining the waitlist for my newly updated mini course - Better Habits in 30 Days.
Click the link below to join Better Habits in 30 Days 👇
https://www.melaniesummerscoaching.com/better-habits-hub 
Have you considered 1:1 Coaching to up your game with living an organized + productive life?
Check out the link below for a chance to work with me! 👇 https://www.melaniesummerscoaching.com/coaching-and-courses
Here’s what we’re discussing in today’s episode:
1. Come up with your list of goal ideas and split into the 3 categories we cover in this episode.
2. Choose your theme for the year.
3. Plan and simplify your month - Create focus challenges for yourself that have a beginning and an end.
4. The Procrastination Pass.
5. Have a weekly check in - Time management tips: Time blocking and scheduling practices.
6. Automate what you often forget.
7. Plan a way to celebrate.
Thanks for listening - Enjoy!

Isn’t vacation supposed to be relaxing? Then why does planning, packing, and paying for vacation have to be so dang stressful? So many details and wrinkles to iron out to make sure that accommodations are booked and everyone knows where their meeting for dinner, and who packed the sunscreen! It’s a lot.
Today’s episode of the Speak Organized Podcast is aimed at taking the stress out of planning and packing for vacation.
Join my FREE Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/ispeakorganizedpnw
Snag copies of my Travel Packing List: http://www.ispeakorganized.com/packing-list
Here’s a breakdown of what topics we’ll be discussing in today’s episode:
1. Have a plan at every stage
Plan ahead for destination, budget, activities, even free time to get lost and explore, include a day or two to do nothing
2. Check the weather and use a packing list
3. Plan your outfits for each day and pack them together
4. Consider budgeting, shopping, and meal planning for breakfast in
5. Pack light and bring an extra bag for additional items you may bring home
6. Locate emergency services near where you are staying
7. Clean your house before you leave
Thanks for listening. Enjoy!

In my experience as a professional organizer, the difference between getting organized and being organized long term comes down to three key things - Decluttering, storage solutions, and maintenance systems. We are going to talk about the most popular and the most fun item on that list - storage solutions! I’m talking about the bins and risers and pretties you see on Pinterest and Instagram that make your spaces beautiful and organized. But I’m taking it a step further. I’m going to help you choose storage solutions that are also easy to maintain so you can stay organized for good!
Join my Free Facebook group for additional training and resources 👇
http://www.facebook.com/groups/ispeakorganizedpnw
Here are the products we’re discussing in today’s episode + affiliate links for inspiration:
Drop front bins - https://amzn.to/3MC2Wj1
Lateral File cabinet - https://amzn.to/3HSZ3mc
Wing-lid bins (file box and storage bins - https://amzn.to/361nbpx
Octopus hooks - https://amzn.to/3Crbep8
Stacking drawers - https://amzn.to/3Cs6BuV
Shelf Risers - https://amzn.to/3vXUkwW
Clear decanting containers - https://amzn.to/35CqhAu
Thanks for listening! Please consider subscribing and rating the podcast on Apple. Hope you enjoy.

Do you notice how nostalgia becomes more acute as we get older? As years pass we collect a whole lot of memories and a whole lot of stuff that has the responsibility of carrying those memories. Sentimental clutter is a heavy topic and it’s one of the most challenging categories of clutter to conquer.
Whether we like it or not, It’s something that we all have to face as we get older and so I want to help you make the best choices you can to both honor your memories and create space to make new ones. In today’s episode of The Speak Organized Podcast, I’m sharing 5 tips and mindset shifts to help you determine the things that are truly worth holding onto, vs. the things that are holding you back.
Join the Better Habits in 30 Days Workshop 👇
http://www.melaniesummerscoaching.com/join-the-better-habits-workshop
Work with Melanie 👇
https://www.melaniesummerscoaching.com/coaching-and-courses
Here's a breakdown of what we're covering:
1. If everything is special, then nothing is special.
2. Determine firm spacial boundaries.
3. Create a memorabilia box for each memory of the family.
4. Start creating digital photo albums and try the 800 photos project.
5. Create a bucket list of things to look forward to and new memories to create.
Hope you enjoy! Consider subscribing so you never miss a new episode.

Ever wonder why it’s so hard to keep an organized home? The number one thing standing in your way lies in your mind.
Want to make decluttering even easier? Start training with me for FREE in my latest workshop - Better Habits in 30 Days 👇
http://www.melaniesummerscoaching.com/join-the-better-habits-workshop
In this episode I’m going to share 5 questions that I ask my clients during decluttering sessions to help them bust through the roadblocks that keep them cluttered and overwhelmed. You can ask yourself these questions whenever you have trouble letting go or have no idea what to do with something.
1. When was the last time I used this?
2. Who could benefit from having this right now?
3. If I were to keep this, how exactly would I use it?
4. Can I easily buy this again?
5. If I let this go, will I remember I had it in the first place?
Hope you enjoy!
Thanks for stopping by. Consider becoming part of the Speaker Fam and subscribing to this channel for more home organization and decluttering tips + Professional Organizer Business tips.
If you’re new to my podcast, my name is Melanie and I’m a Professional Organizer and Productivity Life Coach. I help hard working families and professionals find form in their space and purpose for every phase of life.
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ispeakorganized
Facebook - https://www.fb.com/ispeakorganized
OR join my private Facebook group! https://www.fb.com/groups/ispeakorganizedpnw
Website - https://www.ispeakorganized.com

Join the waitlist for my FREE Workshop - Better Habits in 30 Days here: http://www.ispeakorganized.com/course-waitlist
Grab your exclusive Affirmations Stack:
http://www.ispeakorganized.com/affirmations
How’s 2022 treating you so far? We are a good few weeks into the year and perhaps your New Year’s Resolution balloon is a little deflated (in more ways than one…)
Today’s episode is all about motivation.
I’ve got a few mindset shifts to share as well as 6 tips for how to build consistency into your habits and get motivated when you’re just not feeling it anymore.
I’m spilling 6 secrets -
1. How to deepen the attachment to your goals to make them stick.
2. How to use a Commitment Device.
3. Examples of eliminating triggers.
4. Strategies for using positive reinforcement.
5. How to be less distracted.
6. How to reframe self talk.
Hope you enjoy and thanks for listening!