Life Made Simple With Carlarae Motivation Inspiration Home Organizing Time Management Lifestyle & Wellnes

As a Lifestyle and Wellness Coach, and Professional Home Organizer for the last 15 years, and now as the host of this podcast show, I want to help inspire and motivate you to let go of all the clutter in your life that weighs you down. Anything and everything that holds you back from living the life that you you've always dreamed of. I am on a mission to help individuals and families take control of their chaotic homes and schedules and find the freedom of simplicity in all areas of life. Which is why one of my well known motto's is to Have Less. Do Less. And Be More. Unfortunately, for a lot of you, when it comes to simplifying your home, you dread the idea of going through all your stuff and sorting out things that you don't love, use, or need... which is probably why many people avoid the process of de-cluttering all together. The fact is, simplifying your life doesn't always have to be hard and tedious. What if I told you that you can actually have fun letting go of all your stuff? How, you ask? Well... i

What do you collect? Coins, baseball cards, antiques, bottle caps, beer cans, comic books, miniatures, postcards, hats, spoons, stamps, thimbles, cookie cutters, teddy bears, frogs, action figures, concert tickets, magnets, or PEZ dispensers… the list goes on and on. Whatever the collection, in my 15 years of being a Professional Home Organizer, I’ve seen it all! Some are very valuable and worth a large chunk of change and other collections are simply for fun or nostalgia. The question is: Where is your collection? Do you keep it buried in a box in the basement? Or, worse, is it piled all over your guest bedroom, master closet, or home office cluttering up your usable space? Either way, how can you really appreciate what you have if it’s buried or becoming a burden? My challenge to you is to find a fun and clever way to display all or a part of your collection. It doesn’t necessarily need to be out for everyone to see. Albums of paper objects can be stored on bookshelves. If your collection is too big, consid

Very important, if you don't already know, this particular episode is a Part 2 to last week's show, Episode #33.  If you haven't listened to that entire episode yet,  go back and push play... you'll definitely not want to miss anything from Part 1! On this week's Part 2 episode, I pick up right where we left off. I give you a bunch more tips on how to not only boost your energy physically, but also mentally and emotionally. To stay updated on all our new episodes, so you don't miss any, just subscribe on iTunes or whatever podcast app you prefer to use. You can also go back and listen to as many past episodes as you like. And it's, of course all completely free. If you're new to the whole podcast world, and want more info on how to subscribe, just check out my website for some detailed information on what a podcast show is and the best way to tune in to listen.  Just go to CarlaRaeArneson.com/subscribe. Or you can click on the link in my show notes. Do you know anyone who could use a little energy boost today

Can you believe that it's December already?!? Seriously, where did the year go? We are in the homestretch of 2016... and 2017 is just on the horizon! I'm sure you've already started to hear a bunch about New Year's resolutions. It seems that everyone jumps on the whole New Year, New You movement. And don't worry, I'll definitely be covering that topic in the upcoming months. I recently saw a funny quote that said, "My goal for 2017 is to accomplish the goals I had in 2016, which I should have done in 2015, because I made a promise in 2014 after planning them in 2013." Can you relate? If you tend to cringe at the idea of making New Year's resolutions, or maybe you like them but - if you're honest with yourself - you have a hard time following through with them, then let me share an idea with you... While we're closing out this current year and starting fresh with a new one, use this time to definitely reflect on your specific goals and intentions, but then take a step back from the list and adopt a power phras

We can try to get all the areas of our life in order (like our home, our finances, our to-dos and relationships), BUT if we don't learn how to manage healthy habits - if we don't feel good physically - how can we really enjoy our day to day life, whether we find the freedom of simplicity or not? Which is why every once in awhile we have an entire episode dedicated to your health. On today's episode of Life Made Simple, I give you a whole bunch of quick and easy tips on how to feel good. Specifically, I give you some strategies and techniques on how to double your energy. Super easy things that you can do today, to boost your mood and help you to feel like you can conquer the world! Some tips may seem obvious, but you may not actually be in the habit of doing them yet. And some things, you may not have even thought of before. I actually have so much I want to talk about on this subject, that we decided to break it up into two different episodes. So first check out this week's Part 1 and then you can tune in to

If you're listening to this episode on the day that it was released, then you know today is December 1st.  Thanksgiving has passed, and it's now time to officially dive into the Christmas holiday season! And I know for some of you out there, you took that dive somewhere in the beginning of November.  It seems like these days, people get so excited about Christmas they just can't help themselves... the Christmas lights down our street keep popping up sooner and sooner each year. And for some of you, your decorations from last year have yet to come down. But ya know, to each his own! On today's episode I give you a little inspiration to de-clutter and clean out your Christmas decorations.  And keep in mind, even if you and your family don't celebrate the Christmas holiday, you can still apply these tips to pretty much any holiday throughout the year!    Links Mentioned in this Show:   Share this Episode: CarlaRaeArneson.com/episode32 Share this Podcast: LifeMadeSimplePodcast.com   Free Download: "5 Steps to Org

Do you ever feel stressed, overwhelmed, with way too much to do and not enough time to do it? Are you constantly putting out fires, just to turn around and find a new one starting right up? At the end of a hectic day, do you sit down, completely drained and find yourself thinking of all the things that you tackled but for some reason you don’t feel like you truly accomplished anything. Cause your to-do list is still a mile long? And let's be real, some of those things have been on that darn list for weeks, even months now. Am I right? But it's not like you sit around doing nothing! For most of you, you really do keep yourself extremely busy, right? Do you ever ask yourself, “If I’m doing so much, why do I feel like I’m going nowhere?” Well, then this episode is for you! On today's show I introduce you to Eisenhower's Urgent vs. Important Principle.  I also directly apply it to Stephen Covey's Time Management Matrix (see the picture below for reference), a framework for prioritizing to-dos in regards to how im

So, what is Small Business Saturday? Well, in 2010 American Express invented it as a shopping holiday to support small businesses. In the last few years, not only has Congress officially sanctioned it as a national day, but it has completely evolved into a “shop local” movement that gives retailers nationwide a considerable sales lift. Now I know when you have shopping to do with a long list of presents to buy, it’s tempting to take the easy route and head down to the mall and shop at one of the big chain stores. And I'm definitely not against doing that sometimes.  But why not shop small every once in awhile? There's really no denying that small businesses are essential for healthy local economies. Did you know there are currently 28 million American small businesses, which account for 54% of all U.S. sales?  But unfortunately, they can at times get overshadowed by major corporations and Black Friday madness. Especially since Mom-and-pop shops don’t have the resources to pull off million-dollar promotions. S

Today, I'm keeping it real. I know that this week is Thanksgiving, which is traditionally our time to give thanks and gratitude for all that we have in life. But if you really stop and think about it, do we really always feeling so grateful and thankful? Just because we take the time to show our thanks during this annual holiday (and we really do intend to show our gratitude) it doesn't mean we actually do. Are we really counting our blessings? Or are we just kinda going through the motions? The fact is, it's the end of the year, Christmas is only a month away, some of us are still recovering from the craziness of Halloween. In my family, I'm not totally sure what even happened to the month of October... it was just totally gone before I knew it was even there. Then there were the recent elections. And oh my goodness, talk about craziness! At this time of year, we tend to glance back at how this past year has treated us... we ponder all the ups and downs that we've been through. And you know, if you look arou

In one week, all across America, family and friends will join together to celebrate one of the most beloved holidays: Thanksgiving. And how do we celebrate our thankfulness? We cook up a glorious feast, of course! With Turkey Day – ahem – I mean Thanksgiving Day just around the corner, it’s time to make room for one thing that I know we can all be thankful for… leftovers! That’s right, it’s time to clean out your fridge and make room for a whole bunch of tupperware containers filled with leftover Thanksgiving dinner! Sadly, Americans waste roughly 14 percent of their food purchases. All too often, food items get buried and forgotten about, particularly in refrigerators. My challenge to you this week is to spend a few minutes taking inventory of all your food items in your fridge, in your cupboards, and even pantry. On today's episode, I give you some ideas of how to do just that. I also give you a helpful website you can refer to when figuring out what to toss, as well as a website that can give recipe sugges

Now I have to give you a heads up, today's episode is a Part 2 to last week's regular Monday episode, Episode #25. It was a special Ask CarlaRae segment where I addressed a question that I received while speaking at a Mom's group recently. The question was, "How can I help my child let go of stuff?" If you missed that episode, you might wanna push pause on this one and go back to listen to it.  You can find it on my website at CarlaRaeArneson.com/episode25.  Or just go to LifeMadeSimplePodcast.com. Sometimes, kids have really hard time letting go of the toys and clothes that they grow out of.  Like I explained in last week's episode, I have ALOT of personal experience in regards to this subject.  Not only was I a pack rat as a child, but I now have a 6 year old son who is also a pack rat.  There's just so much psychology behind why we hang on to things when we shouldn't.  And by understanding that psychology, you can better help guide your child to get to a point where there are comfortable letting things go.

Most of us have to-do lists... lists of things that we intend to get done either today, this week, or hopefully sometime soon.  In addition to a to-do list, many of us should also have an ignore list to keep us focused and on track (like I explained in Episode 24).   But have you ever considered having a victory list? The fact is, life can be so crazy sometimes.  Do you ever feel like you're being pulled into hundred directions?  Do you ever feel like your  to-do list is just never ending?  There are some days and I feel like I'd add more tasks to my to-do list, than I actually get crossed off.  It can be so overwhelming sometimes! Unfortunately, for many people, when they feel overwhelmed by too much to do, they then get discouraged.  Sometimes it's easy to want to avoid your to-do list all together. On today's episode, I explain exactly why you should have a "Victory List" and how you can make one.   Do you know anyone who is overwhelmed with a crazy, busy life?  Do you know anyone who could use a little mo

Over the years, as a professional home organizer, I've done many workshops and other special speaking engagements.  And I absolutely love any opportunity that comes up to do so! Now, I know that most people dread and fear public speaking, but for some reason I love getting up to talk in front of a huge room full of people.    Well, last week I had the opportunity to speak to a mom's group here in the Seattle area. It was a MOPS group (which stands for mothers of preschoolers) and they invited me to talk about how to clean out your closet, which just so happened to be a recent podcast episode I did a few weeks ago, Episode #21 (so I really didn't have to spend very much time prepping for it). Anyways, during my talk, we discussed the psychology behind why it's so hard to let things go sometimes.  And since it was a room full of mothers, the conversation naturally turned into talking about our kids and going through their closets. Well, during the question and answer time at the end, one woman asked a really go

I have two questions for you today. First, what's on your to-do list? Do you need to fold the laundry, schedule a dentist appointment? Maybe go to the grocery store, pay the phone bill? Well, on my to-do list is to record this podcast episode, go to a fundraiser assembly at my son's school, make a mortgage payment, and call a client who left me a message this morning. Those are the most important things that I need to get done today. What's on your to-do list today? Now here's my next question for you. What's on your ignore list for the day? Yes, your ignore list. Do you have an ignore list yet? On today's quick "3 Minute Thursday" episode of Life Made Simple, I tell you exactly how to focus on the important things in life without letting any other distracting tasks get your undeserved attention.   Links Mentioned in this Show: Free Guide:  "9 Ways to Simplify Your Life"    Or send a text to 44222 with the word 9SIMPLIFY   Share this Episode: CarlaRaeArneson.com/episode24 Share this Podcast: LifeMadeSimplePod

I'm going to give you one strategy on how to improve your health and clean up your house, WITHOUT taking any additional time out of your schedule... sounds pretty amazing, right? Back in episode #7 of Life Made Simple, I gave you My Ultimate 3-Day Jumpstart to Good Health. On Day 3 of the jumpstart plan I have you take time to schedule in movement, as in exercise. Why? Because we all know that some sort of physical activity is important... it's what our bodies were designed to do! If we don't use our muscles regularly, if we just sit around all day, they will begin to get stiff and not work as well, which then makes us feel sluggish, and can even make us feel depressed. No movement also leads to a lower metabolism and weight gain. In that episode, I explain that if your health goals are to lose weight, build muscle, or get in shape, then you must schedule a few full body workout sessions. This could be going to the gym, hiring a trainer, joining a sports league, or even working out from home with a few workou

If you know me well and listen often, you might notice that on today's episode I sound a little stuffy and congested. That's because I'm at the tail end of a cold that my little boy gave me. And while I feel very blessed that my family and I are usually pretty healthy throughout the year, it's just inevitable that when the weather changes, some kind germ or bug comes knocking on our door! It's officially the beginning of the cold and flu season, which is actually the perfect time to clean out your medicine cabinet. And on today's quick 3 Minute Thursday episode I give you some tips on how to do exactly that.   Links Mentioned in this Show: Free Guide:  "9 Ways to Simplify Your Life" Or send a text to 44222 with the word 9SIMPLIFY   Share this Episode: CarlaRaeArneson.com/episode22 Share this Podcast: LifeMadeSimplePodcast.com   Website: CarlaRaeArneson.com Facebook: Facebook.com/CarlaRaeArneson     Submit Questions: CarlaRaeArneson.com/AskCarlaRae Full Transcript of this Episode: CarlaRaeArneson.com/transcrip

Are you ready for this?!? I'm going to give you an action plan to help you clean out one of the most dreaded areas of your home. Your closet! For most of the country, we're right now in the middle of Fall. The weather is changing, and therefore, so is your wardrobe. It's getting colder and wetter outside. Goodbye sunshine, hello rain clouds! Although I'm really resistant to it, it's time to put away our capri pants, tank tops, and those white leather wedges. While the temperature lowers, I'm sure those warm snuggly sweaters and cute high boots are starting to call you name.  You might even be drooling over the clothing catalogs that have somehow found their way into your mailbox, showcasing the newest winter trends. But before you go shopping for some new digs, take the time to clean out your closet! Cause, no matter where you live in the country - or world - and no matter what time of year it is, the changing of the season is the PERFECT time to clean out and update your closet. Unfortunately, for some peopl

In life, we often put a lot of focus on what we really want... qualities we want to embody, goals and accomplishments we want to achieve. We especially put a lot of focus on material possessions that we wish to acquire. At times we even put focus on particular relationships that we desire and long for. We're always wanting more, which isn't necessarily bad. However, instead of always seeking to add something to our life, we must discover what we need to let go of first. By doing so, we can uncover WHO we really are, and therefore, figure out what we really want. Let me introduce you to the “Michelangelo Method.” Legend has it that when Michelangelo finished his statue of David, a local patron of the arts approached him, awestruck, and asked how he did it. The artist responded simply, “David was always there in the marble. I just took away everything that was not David.” What many people don’t know is that the a giant block of stone that Michelangelo started sculpting was so damaged that his contemporaries con

Have you ever wondered why some people never seem to arrive to places on time? Now I know that everyone is late now and then, but I'm talking about people who tend to run late most of the time. Surely you must know someone in your life who is habitually late for almost everything. Some may run only 5, 10, 15 minutes late on occasion, so it's not always so noticeable. In those cases, they are late enough that it isn’t detrimental to their event, but still a little annoying to those around them.  But then there are those who run anywhere from 30 minutes to over an hour late. Know anyone like that? Well, no matter how late one might tend to be or how often, being late can become a bad habit. It's never good! Chronically late people can be so frustrating and baffling to anyone stuck waiting for them. Yet, it can be so hard to change that habit. Unfortunately, for a good percentage of Americans, three little words accompany their entrance into most business meetings, gym class, dinner with friends, or even dates..

In this day in age, you'd think that the technology and our world of digital everything would at some point replace paper coming into our homes. But nope, it's just not the case! No matter how much we try to do online, paper just seems to keep piling up. I could talk hours about how to take care of paper piles and how to organize good filing systems, but I only had 3 minutes for this "3 minute Thursday" episode, so I kept it super brief and short. In this episode, I give you one quick tip on how to prevent paper from even coming into your home in the first place... specifically how to prevent it from coming into your mailbox. The holiday season is just around the corner, and soon, you are going to be inundated with unwanted catalogs, coupons, credit card offers, donation requests, and other junk mail. You see, most companies send you all that stuff because you because you most likely did business with them at some point in time. But many other companies send you mail because they bought your information from