 We all hit a point where our big, beautiful house feels too large. If it started as a family home, this often happens after your children leave the nest. Also, larger homes require more upkeep, and that means less time to invest in hobbies or traveling. If you’re ready for a change, keep the process simple with these tips and tricks for downsizing your home.
Think About Your New Lifestyle You may downsize to improve your lifestyle and broaden your horizons. For example, some of us downsize in the hopes of becoming a minimalist. As a result, you don’t want to take much with you to your new home. However, if you downsize because you want a home with lower maintenance, you’ll still want to bring more than the minimalist. Sort Through Belongings We don’t think about how much stuff we’ve collected over the years until we move. Since you’ll downsize, there’s less room for all these belongings, meaning you’ll wantk to know how much space you’ll have. From here, determine what you’ll part with—these items include donatable goods and trash. Decluttering isn’t limited to home decor, clothing, and kitchenware. You also want to comb through holiday decorations, furniture, or books. Move room by room so that you can give equal attention to all your belongings and decide what won’t go to the new house. Pro Tip As you declutter, you may come across a few sentimental belongings you no longer have use for. These items could be anything, from a favorite shirt to a blanket you made by hand. You can simplify donating sentimental items by evaluating what makes them special. For instance, that blanket may be worth holding onto, but the shirt can go. Ask for Help Emptying a house is a massive task, and tackling all those belongings alone may feel overwhelming. Reach out to friends and family to see who can help with this. Regardless of age, you can get your kids involved with decluttering to further ease clearing out the family home. These assistants can also help you part with sentimental belongings—if one of the helpers wants it, you can give it to them! Have a Plan Once you have your home clean-out team, strive to create a plan for who should handle each task. Skipping this step leads to disorganization, and people may double up on jobs, making the process less efficient. Instead, strive to have helpers focus on specific areas such as the bedroom, office, and kitchen. Take Your Time The final tip for successfully downsizing your home is to give yourself enough time. What qualifies as enough time depends on your lifestyle and schedule. You may want to start clearing out the house before buying a new home to ensure your schedule is more flexible. Alternatively, some of us are more productive with a regimented timeline. You know what works best for you. Most importantly, you give yourself the time to sort through all your belongings so that you can part with items without future regrets. Achieve the I-Deal-Lifestyle by taking the leap and moving into a more manageable home. Marla Stone, MSW REALTOR® License ID: 01823712 Nora Gallogly Group Beverly & Co. DRE#02078273 i-deal-lifestyle.com | Direct (949) 709-7000 | Connect with Marla on Instagram & Facebook! Marla is the Author of The Clutter Remedy: A Guide To Getting Organized For Those Who Love Their Stuff
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Did you know you can even Feng Shui Your Bookshelf? Marla Stone, Professional Organizer, Décor and Feng Shui Specialist, and Lifestyle Coach says, "Yes you can even Feng Shui your Bookshelves". Use the Bagua above as your template. Place Bagua upright in front of your bookshelf so you know where your books can be placed in order to Feng Shui the bookshelf. So if you are facing your bookshelf, big or small, rectangular or square, simply divide the bookshelf into nine (9) equal parts.
The far left hand corner on the top of the shelf is for all of your money books. This is where you would put books by billionaires or smart financial people, or books that state something positive about gaining wealth. The middle top of the shelf is where you place awards that you have received, and you can put a little décor into the shelf that signifies fame and recognition of you and your family. Any bright colored books on what you are famous for or what you would like to be recognized for can also go into this area. The top right hand side of the shelves is where all the Love and Romance books go. I do not recommend Romance Novels since they actually can create depression if you become too involved in them. But go ahead and put Romantic Poetry, anything shaped like a heart or red or purple décor. The middle left of the bookshelf is an excellent place to put some family pictures since that is the family area, also where you can put "getting along with family" books, and books related to family ties. The middle, middle of the shelf is for Spiritual Books and Spiritual awareness type of books and books related to health and happiness. The far right middle is for Children's books, books that promote creativity, art books or any books that make you feel more creative. This is also a good place for artwork décor. The bottom Left is for books that increase your skills and knowledge. This is where you put books or information on a subject you would like to improve on. The middle of the bottom of your shelf is where you put books related to your career or building a career and finally but not least the bottom right is for books related to helping people or support books that uplift you and help you feel more supported. It could also be a great place to put books that are from your ancestors or pictures of angels or uplifting spiritual leaders. Organizing your bookshelf according to Feng Shui Principles can help you not only get organized but feel organized and it also impacts the nine areas of your life which Feng Shui addresses. Take some time to Feng Shui your Bookshelves and your life will Change! Get a free Feng Shui 30 Minute Phone Consult from Marla Stone, Realtor®, Professional Organizer, Décor and Feng Shui Specialist and Lifestyle Coach Marla Stone Realtor Nora Gallogly Group Newport & Company DRE 01823712 DRE02078273 CEO, I-Deal-Lifestyle Inc & Author of The Clutter Remedy: A Guide To Getting Organized For Those Who Love Their Stuff 1-949-709-7000 www.i-deallifestyle.com info@i-deal-lifestyle.com You don't have to believe in Feng Shui, yet it can help you make lots and lots of money, and better health and happiness in all aspects of your life." Marla Stone
The Feng Shui principles work to help space challenges or disturbances. It could be the home’s architecture, and or landscaping that can disturb the flow of the “chi” (good energy, thoughts, and ideas). A Bagua (above) is the tool to identify specific areas of your space. The bagua tool, if used as a template for getting organized, and can help sort out your stuff in a most beneficial and functional way. Check out the e-book "ORGANIZE YOUR HOME WITH A FENG SHUI TEMPLATE." Print out the free Bagua Template. Hold the template in your hands standing at the front entrance of your home to identify the 9 areas of your home. Visualize the Bagua Template placed over your floor plan, from the front of your home, where you enter. You will then be able to figure out if your front door is in the KNOWLEDGE and WISDOM, CAREER OR HELPING PEOPLE AND TRAVEL AREA. If you are standing at your front entrance and the door is to the far left you are entering through KNOWLEDGE and WISDOM. If your front door is in the middle of the home, you are entering through CAREER and if your front door is to the right of the home's front then you enter through HELPING PEOPLE AND TRAVEL. So if you can identify the bottom part of the bagua the rest of the floor plan will be easily identified, IF, AND ONLY IF, you have a rectangular or square home. But here's the thing, most of us do not have a perfectly rectangular or square house, and even if we do a second floor may have some part missing unless it duplicates the first floor exactly. So what do you do if some part of your home is missing a Bagua area or over extends outside of the Bagua area? There are tricks of the trade in the book! Placement of items such as furniture, trees, vases, equipment, family photos, books, chairs, desks, tables, lighting, artwork, electrical equipment, telephones, wires have to be thought out in order to protect the “chi” from affecting the inhabitants. Open doors rooms can create negative energy when they face stairwells. Placing a red carpet at the foot of the stairs to protect the “chi” energy is considered a Feng Shui "Fix." Windows or mirrors facing each other in rooms, or no windows at all keep energy keyed up. A landscaping faux pas, for instance is a tree in front of your front door. The tree in essence blocks any good power from coming into the home. Furniture placed in a blocking way instead of open to the entrance of a room can impact you in a fierce way. A friend had his couch blocking part of the entrance to his front door (career area) and his business dropped in sales significantly. When I saw the placement of his couch I asked him if he was having business challenges and he asked "How did you know?" Well that is what a Feng Shui Specialist knows just from looking at your floorplan and design of the home or offices! For instance when you walk into a room and the back of a couch faces you, it is not only a block in that part of your Bagua, it symbolizes things that keep coming up from behind, challenges that come "out of the blue", and it is poor decor in most cases. If there is absolutely no other way to place the couch, then you must have a mirror positioned so that, when siting on the sofa, you can look into the mirror to see the entrance or door to the room. Also the colors of your walls interior and exterior, types of objects, odd shaped spaces, beams or sharp corners, where the bathrooms or kitchens are located, and what is painted in a painting, depending on where the image is placed, can all affect the energy and prosperity, health, relationships, recognition, personally and professionally, for all who work or live in the space. Going deeper into Feng Shui you would want to know the year your home was built, and determine the best position for your bed by calculating your birthplace information. Feng Shui positioning of your furniture can help you assess fortune or misfortune, even if it looks aesthetically pleasing. Feng Shu fixes are utilized to correct most architectural, landscaping, and decor challenges you have while enhancing all areas of your self and space.with the building or home. Getting help from a Feng Shui specialist can help you with what you choose to bring into your home or what to get rid of. What kind of art you choose is your choice, but some pieces of art may not reflect your intentions for your space. Each selection of decor has different colors and is made of various elements and can be matched to the best area of your home possible. Plants and or trees in and outside of your home can be placed for better energy flow or symbolize positively or negatively based on where it is. What kind of furniture you choose can mean good or bad health to those that utilize the furniture. Marla Stone Realtor Nora Gallogly Group Newport & Company DRE 01823712 DRE02078273 CEO, I-Deal-Lifestyle Inc & Author of The Clutter Remedy: A Guide To Getting Organized For Those Who Love Their Stuff Call Marla Stone, Realtor® Professional Organizer, Decor and Feng Shui Specialist 1-949-709-7000 www.i-deallifestyle.com info@i-deal-lifestyle.com Let’s get you some great chi and/or let’s just have some tea!
Einstein did have a cluttered desk, and when he heard the saying, "a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind," his response was, "So does that mean an empty desk is a sign of an empty mind?" Our answer is that your desk may be cluttered and overwhelming when you are creating and working on projects, but at the end of the day, you have a place to clear the contents and put things away, so the next day starts fresh. A home for everything is good, a system for papers is intelligent, and coming in the next day with a new, clean desk is always good. We are never wholly clutter-free and paperless. Having a system is vital to getting and staying organized. Being organized definitely creates an affinity for excellence. Feng Shui principles support businesses perfectly.
Feng Shui for managing a business will be fun, exciting, and stirring. A business organizer who uses the principles of Feng Shui understands intricate aspects of your furniture placement and where the executive staff is best seated. Finding belongings in your office that bring you great pleasure and that you love is critical. It is essential to focus on what kinds of objects and furniture are in your office and what they mean to you. Placing the things you love in specific places will bring increased well-being, prosperity, business connections, and employee and customer satisfaction. Life is too short to be surrounded by personal or professional belongings that you find depressing, a burden, or that you simply like. Keeping things you love around you will create energy, clarity, and focus. A shift will occur by moving items around until a great flow and energy is produced. Having a flow and space to breathe and feel whole is essential to staying organized and in-tune with your surroundings, enhancing an ideal lifestyle and work ethic. An ideal lifestyle is created by aligning your values with your goals and achieving everything you want. I-Deal-Lifestyle Inc is the place to learn more about enhancing your corporate or business space. Feng Shui can help you gain new community relationships, decrease employee turnover, help you leverage your workforce, retain clients, and gain power within your field. Feng Shui is used by many Hollywood Stars and Billionaires, so their dwellings and offices have a feeling of luxury, space, and overall ease. Feng Shui may be used to unlock and eliminate many typical troubles people face. Feng Shui can address Chronic Disorganization, Attention Deficit Disorder, Depression, and Anxiety. Feng Shui can improve unhealthy family relationships, learning challenges, and Insomnia. It can help loveless relationships, increase money, decrease poor health, and avoid cluttering patterns. Feng Shui principles address not increasing support and creativity. If you or any of your loved ones or employees suffer from these symptoms, call Marla Stone at 1-949-709-7000 for a free 30-minute consultation. Feng Shui is an Ancient Science and Art created in China over 4000 Years ago. Marla Stone is a Feng Shui Specialist, mixing her 25 + Year Knowledge with Interior Décor and Professional Organizing, as well as her Social Worker and Therapist background. With Feng Shui Designs by Marla Stone and her team of Professional Organizers, Lifestyle Coaches, Feng Shui, and Interior Décor Specialists, your business can be in perfect order. We move your business forward with upcycling, recycling, and swapping out older furniture that has grown old and outdated for new furniture that will create your ideal setting for Your Today Taste. Feng Shui helps with the energy and flow of your office space, creating synergy and uplifting employees and customers. Your space is a reflection of your company and what it stands for. Having an assessment to check out your office space is essential since furniture placement and where your executive staff is seated could mean an increase in revenue, closing lucrative deals, staying ahead of your competition, or just being able to relax more in your busy work schedule. Call now for a free 30-minute phone 1-949-709-7000 or email> www.i-deallifestyle.com Marla Stone Realtor Nora Gallogly Group Newport & Company DRE 01823712 DRE02078273 CEO, I-Deal-Lifestyle Inc & Author of The Clutter Remedy: A Guide To Getting Organized For Those Who Love Their Stuff Learning Feng Shui is easy when you have a teacher that makes it easy. Learning Feng Shui in depth can take years, just like learning a language. But the basics of understanding the Bagua (floor plan map) of your home and or office is relatively easy. Basic Feng Shui will teach you how to properly set up any home, business, or office space. Understanding the basics will teach you how to place furniture, which direction furniture pieces like desks, beds, and couches optimally face, what objects belong where, and what things can be eliminated or added. Basic Feng Shui will help you understand each area of a home and what it represents. Recognizing each space, room, home, business, or office is divided into 9 equal parts helps you understand what activities would be best accomplished in what amount of each space. Download your fee Feng Shui Book here> Feng Shui Booklet
You will understand that the 9 areas of any space are Love and Relationships, Fame and Recognition, Prosperity, Children and Creativity, Health, Family, Helping People and Travel, Career and Skills and Knowledge, and how each area affects you, your life, and your family. You will understand how to navigate the Bagua Map and find out how to locate the above areas in any space you go into. You can do Feng Shui in your own room easily and quickly. Friends, family, and clients will marvel at your skill level, intuitive process, and how you will help them re-purpose furniture and set it up, so there is a more aesthetic and creative design. When looking at what you already own, and thinking about purchasing, Ask yourself, "does this stuff work for me? Feng Shui is an ancient Science and Art originally named in China over 4000 years ago. The principles of Feng Shui are used in many cultures by famous people and business owners worldwide. Going into people's homes for years, I realized some people who have never even heard of Feng Shui do it naturally, while others lack energy and flow and live in chaos and discomfort. When I give Feng Shui tips, ideas, and suggestions to the latter clients, often they remark, "that's how I used to have the space set up." With grief, loss, divorce, and life-changing events, people often undo their good energy and flow and create a space that reflects their sorrowful inner self. Helping people get back an ideal living space is the primary goal of Feng Shui Specialists. Helping people increase wellness in their health, relationships, family, children, loved ones, creativity, and wealth at work and school is the aim and point of Feng Shui. Feng Shui is a great way to purge items that do not belong in your space. Pictures of sad and lonely people, fake plants and flowers, things that hold negative memories, or objects that just don't reflect your being or nature tend to dampen the energy of the space and the occupants. Many of my clients tend to keep items around that are never used, don't serve a purpose, are not sentimental, and that they just don't love but have difficulty parting with them. Feng Shui makes editing fun and easy. You will learn how to de-clutter with Feng Shui principles. Getting better energy and flow to all areas of your home, business, and office is a great idea; you will learn how to do it yourself. A Feng Shui teacher will come into your home, office, or business and teach you on-site all the tricks of the trade and get your space Feng Shui'd on the spot. The Feng Shui teaching packages are 4 hours for $340.00, 6 hours for $510.00, and 8 hours for $680.00. You will know every aspect of Feng Shui you can absorb in your session. You can perform Feng Shui for a deserving family member and or friends. You will be able to practice Feng Shui independently by the time your session(s) end. Wouldn't this be a fun gift for you or someone you love? You can also get an I-Deal-Lifestyle Feng Shui Specialist Certificate by learning from Marla Stone. Feng Shui business or just helping family and friends with confidence. On-going consultations with a Feng Shui Specialist over Skype, telephone, or email are always available by appointment. Working with a Feng Shui Master, Feng Shui Teacher, and Feng Shui Specialist is the best way to learn how to do Feng Shui. Find out more about getting a free 30-minute consultation to become a Certified I-Deal-Lifestyle Feng Shui Specialist now at 1-949-709-7000 or email info@i-deal-lifestyle.com Preparing and decorating your home with a Feng Shui designer will always include decluttering. I-Deal-Lifestyle Inc is designed to get you organized from the inside out and outside in. Decluttering involves sorting all your belongings into like categories. We clear your space first, categorize everything you own into broad categories and then create containment systems for your stuff so everything does not smoosh back together and create clutter chaos again.
Once you are categorized, before the containment, you can go through your items to determine if they are "good" Feng Shui. "Good" Feng Shui means that things have great energy and create a happy feeling when you see them. "Good" Feng Shui also means excellent furniture and decor placement. Great furniture and decor placement create good energy and flow in each room. Feng Shui placement also includes the order of items that are symbolic of the Bagua areas in your home. The Bagua is simply a template that divides your floor plan into nine equal parts. You start from your front door to determine your nine areas. It sounds complicated, yet it is easy to locate the 9 regions. Download a free Feng Shui Booklet here> Feng Shui Booklet The nine (9) Bagua areas are
Call Marla Stone, Realtor® and Feng Shui Expert, for a free 30-minute phone consultation and find out which part of your home is Prosperity located now at 1-949-709-7000. Marla can teach you Feng Shui over the phone and Skype and assess your home or business space via email anywhere in the world. Marla Stone Realtor Nora Gallogly Group Newport & Company DRE 01823712 DRE02078273 CEO, I-Deal-Lifestyle Inc & Author of The Clutter Remedy: A Guide To Getting Organized For Those Who Love Their Stuff 949-709-7000 www.i-deallifestyle.com info@i-deal-lifestyle.com Update Your Home with Everything You Already Own by Marla Stone, MSW, Realtor®, Feng Shui Expert1/19/2023 Going discount for decor via Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, sell/buy groups, and consignment is the decorator trend. Finding what you love is the key. Finding what you love is divine intervention.
Southern California's ever-changing interior design trends are switching to a more transitional approach for decorating business and residence properties. Incorporating modern elements and accessories with ornate antique pieces painted in a matt finish is an up-and-coming trend in the retail store styles of home furnishings and decor. With simple touches of the old and new combined, it helps create a unified look for both old and new generations to enjoy. When renovating or redecorating a home, the goal is to create an appealing space with a new and universal look. Designers and stylists have found plenty of new ways to incorporate the past with the present, but doing it with a splash of innovative creativity is vital to loving what you have. Renovated public malls, restaurants, hotels, and large chain home furnishing retail stores are the best places to look for design inspiration. On a trip to Harrods Department store in London, Marla Stone, owner of www.i-deal-lifestyle, was amazed at the unique and lovely designs room by room, floor by floor. Just know this, you know what you like and do not like. Just stick with that! Most people make the biggest mistake in decorating when they scratch everything they own and go for a generic-looking trend. Using some of your current furniture and decor with updating and eclectic styling can significantly benefit your property's look. Looking around at Craigslist ads, you will see a lot of potential in custom handcrafted furniture. Adding a coat of new paint or creating a faux rustic finish to an antique heirloom can save you $1000's on the in-store retail prices of today. I-Deal-Lifestyle services allow you to recreate a functional space with green design and the proper decor touches for an organized living space. I-deal-lifestyle's design approach includes Feng Shui principles, which help with furniture placement, space planning, and a good circulation pattern. If the room doesn't feel "spot on," or you find yourself constantly walking around a table or couch daily, your room is not set up correctly. The scale of home furnishings is another dilemma that most new homeowners find when either downsizing their home or simply buying a house that is too large for their recent small-scale furnishings. Knowing what items you own and the condition of each piece of furniture are vital to the decision-making process for planning a design in a new or old space. It is a wise investment when you plan on refurbishing a specific piece that may or may not have been kept in the most superb condition. Simple things like "Do the drawers open?", "Is the fabric stained?", "Are the cushions still comfortable?" are the three basic questions that will cover the basis of knowing what to keep, if any, functional piece of furniture you own. When determining the use of a piece of decor that simply serves the aesthetic purpose of sitting on a table or hanging on a wall, it tends to be the more sentimental items that homeowners often have a more difficult time making decisions about whether to donate or keep. To determine if it is worth keeping, ask yourself, "DO I LOVE IT?" If yes, it is an accessory that will play a vital role in determining the color scheme and style you want your new space to be designed around. Finding that one piece you love can tell any designer or decorator a lot about your interest in what you can see yourself looking at and living around every day of your life. The biggest misconception in design, for people who are not in a creative field, and are more functional and practical-based, is that they want more objectivity when it comes to design. This is entirely NOT TRUE! By keeping the above basic concepts in mind, for determining your taste, in what items you keep and donate, you will be able to find your ideal style today. http://www.i-deal-lifestyle.com Call for a free 30-minute phone consult at 1-949-709-7000 Marla Stone Realtor Nora Gallogly Group Newport & Company DRE 01823712 DRE02078273 CEO, I-Deal-Lifestyle Inc & Author of The Clutter Remedy: A Guide To Getting Organized For Those Who Love Their Stuff 949-709-7000 www.i-deallifestyle.com info@i-deal-lifestyle.com Utilizing the skills of a Feng Shui/Real Estate Professional is essential not only for the skills that tell a person if the house is "good" feng shui but also for having the guidance of a sensitive person who understands real estate, values, design, and function. Recently I helped a woman looking for a home in Laguna Beach, and last month in Irvine; before that, I helped people find the best homes from Coto De Caza, San Clement to Dana Point and Newport Beach.
Growing up with a dad who was a real estate developer for over sixty years, having a real estate appraiser husband, and an extensive background in Feng Shui have influenced my ability to pick fabulous properties with investments written all over them. Also, with my social work and psychotherapy background, I understand people and have great intuition when matching people with properties. My main goal in helping people seek properties is that the land parcel and dwelling will work for them aesthetically, professionally, and personally and be excellent investment prospects. Being a licensed realtor and owning a professional decluttering and organizing business makes it very simple to find your ideal home or corporate business space. The first thing I do is understand what my client's values are, in life, personally, professionally, and socially. I guide you to different destinations depending on whether you are an empty nester looking for quiet with no noisy kid areas or loud mowers and blowers going 24/7. If the client loves to entertain yet is looking at a home with a small living room and dining areas, I will help them understand the house does not lend to large groups or small intimate parties. If the family has growing kids that love athletics, yet the neighborhood is empty nesters with no grass options or other kids, then let's look at more options. I understand that a great and creative cook/entertainer is looking for a large and functional kitchen; a person with physical functionality challenges doesn't want multiple levels. Sensitive-to-energy types don't want a bunch of power lines all around, and beach people don't like 30-minute away properties from the ocean. Knowing my client is number one for me to help them get to the correct neighborhood, plot of land, and space. Feng Shui aspects are essential to include when looking for property. Most notable are that the property is on a rectangular lot. Homes on triangular or oddly shaped lots leave a resident unsettled. Also, homes with another home hovering over them can create less prosperity and less privacy. Bedrooms, where the headboard faces west if you are born in the Western world or facing east if you were born in the Eastern world, may cause health challenges and disturbed sleep. Other negative features are homes with stairs directly down to the front door, houses with fire pits or fireplaces in the prosperity section of the backyard, or pools located anywhere other than the prosperity area. Water features are always great Feng Shui in the prosperity areas of a property. More negative aspects and examples of bad Feng Shui are encroaching properties, loud street noise, damaged or destructed properties, choppy floor plans, homes with poor wall-to-window ratio, driveways where you have to back out, no parking near the house, and homes that are below street level. However, there are Feng Shui fixes for most negative aspects. Selling or locating properties for clients is all about client happiness. Honing in on people's personalities helps me identify neighborhood, city, and even state properties that will work for clients long term. It is more than a one-stop-shop opportunity. Real estate professionals' job is to find a property that fits the client rather than benefit themselves. It is not about the real estate professional paying off a second mortgage or sending a child to college or a new grandbaby. Also, some professionals who tell you there is not a lot of inventory may want to sell you specific homes where they will benefit the most. Make sure your Realtor® has your best interest at heart. Call Marla Stone, Realtor® and Feng Shui Expert, to find your dream home. Marla Stone Realtor 949-709-7000 www.i-deallifestyle.com info@i-deal-lifestyle.com Nora Gallogly Group Newport & Company DRE 01823712 DRE02078273 CEO, I-Deal-Lifestyle Inc & Author of The Clutter Remedy: A Guide To Getting Organized For Those Who Love Their Stuff Marla Stone is a feng shui real estate expert located in Orange County. Call 1-949-709-7000 for a free wants assessment!  If there’s one positive thing that has come out of the pandemic, it’s the recent increase in mental health awareness and accommodations. Whether you’re neurodivergent, have a disability, or are struggling with the symptoms of burnout, these resources are here for you to take advantage of. Here are a few suggestions to help you protect your mental health while in the workplace.
Create a Space You Love Working in an environment that makes you happy is an excellent way to boost your mood throughout the workday. If you work in an office, personalize your space as much as you can with knickknacks or family photos. If you work from home, you have much more creative freedom. Creating a relaxing, inviting space for you to do your work will improve your focus and mental well-being. Choose furniture, paint, and decor items accordingly! If you don’t have a designated office in your home, consider converting your garage into an office instead. Prioritize Your Needs You’ll never meet your needs if you don’t acknowledge or voice them. When you need rest or a mental health day, allow yourself to move slowly and take your time. Be patient, and don’t worry about being productive. Sometimes, it’s OK to let some tasks wait until tomorrow. Reach out, ask for help, and communicate when you’re overwhelmed. It’s also important not to allow your boss to pile on work beyond your job description—doing the work of multiple people will only burn you out faster. Build Community With Your Coworkers Your coworkers and higher-ups can and should be a support system. While managers and bosses can sometimes be unsympathetic, coworkers are often in similar circumstances to you. Collaborating and supporting each other will build community among your peers that can prove vital. When you have a community, you have a team that you can trust. This is important to have in a positive workplace environment. Protecting your mental health in the workplace is possible when you remember that you are a valuable contributor! Protecting your peace and mental health will prevent you from feeling bogged down and drained. Marla Stone, MSW REALTOR® License ID: 01823712 Nora Gallogly Group Beverly & Co. DRE#02078273 i-deal-lifestyle.com | Direct (949) 709-7000 | Connect with Marla on Instagram & Facebook! Marla is the Author of The Clutter Remedy: A Guide To Getting Organized For Those Who Love Their Stuff |
 Here you will find an array of blog articles about decluttering your home, life and how to improve your business strategyMarla is known as the Declutter Your Strategy™ expert. Marla earned her BA in Psychology and a Master's in Social Work and is the founder of |
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