5 Strategic Steps to Streamline Your Life with Miriam Ortiz y Pino – SASM 082

by | Sep 7, 2015

StreamlineI can't believe I'm about to say this … but let's talk clutter.

As you'll hear me discuss (or maybe confess?) in this chat with Miriam Ortiz y Pino of More Than Organized, I'm pretty much the only public-facing minimalist or simple-living advocate who avoids the topic of clutter.

Is it yet another personal hang-up? Probably … but there's more to the story and the influence of “stuff” all around us.

Thankfully, Miriam holds me accountable for my noticeable silence on the issue and adds a ton of value in the process.

I suspect that Miriam is a multipotentialite since she's a Certified Professional Organizer, simplicity expert and coach, entrepreneur, writer, and creator of solutions to streamline your life. She also has a rich history of working with creative folks to gain control of their time, stuff, and space so then can focus on what they do.

(Plus, she's got mad street cred in our community with 20+ years voluntary simplicity, nerdy hobbies and interests, and a flair for busting my chops in some fun ways.)

If you want to streamline your life in one of a bazillion ways, you'll particularly enjoy our deep dive into the five steps of The Streamlined System:

  1. Design a plan for what you want to achieve and what's essential.
  2. Evaluate and arrange your stuff (e.g., sorting and purging).
  3. Create the systems and routines to make maintenance effortless.
  4. Form the right habits and find your accountability partners.
  5. Enjoy the peace, freedom, joy, and possibilities you've created.

Here's a slice of the grooviness we're about to dish up:

Organized people aren't perfect. They don't have it all figured out. We just have the mindset that we know where our things are and what's going to happen with them. It's always at the expense of something else … we just don't worry about dropping that ball because we know how to catch it before it runs down the hill. – Miriam Ortiz y Pino

Let's get your streamlined on and join us for a rollicking good talk. Onward!

You're about to Learn …

  • Why clutter is really just unresolved piles of decisions.
  • The five simple steps to streamline your stuff and life.
  • How Miriam went from a “pack-rat stacker” to an organized simplifier.
  • How reading the right book at the right time makes a huge difference.
  • What cookbooks used to be designed for (besides cooking, of course).
  • How to add a dash of simplicity to your organizing recipes.
  • Why constantly reorganizing means there's something wrong going on.
  • How consumption is stigmatized in simple-living circles.

 

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Resources and Items Mentioned in This Episode:

Topics

  • [06:15] Miriam's seeds of awesomeness
  • [12:25] The challenge and joy of juggling different interests
  • [15:35] Clutter talk (and why Joel never talks about it)
  • [20:15] The five steps of The Streamlined System
  • [33:02] Why it's difficult to know what to do after you streamline
  • [38:39] Wearing a uniform when you don't need to
  • [40:49] Some general silliness about rock art, cheeseburgers, and more
  • [45:18] Miriam's 30 minute free coaching deal for SASM listeners

Extra Gratitude and Special Mentions

Thanks to ForestTreeNut for this wonderful iTunes review: “Joel is quite the quirkster, always singing or doing something silly. But his information and guests are approachable and useful for anyone looking to live a simpler and more fulfilling life.”

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