Who among us couldn’t benefit from less clutter and less stress? Internationally renowned speaker, author, and caregiver advocate Deborah Greenhut offered tips and insights on “Decluttering Our Lives and Reducing Stress” for our Paid-up Membership Brunch on Sunday morning, Nov. 10, at 10 a.m., at a private home in Mendham.
All paid-up members were welcome. Members were able to pay that morning if their membership had run out ($40 a year).
Deborah Greenhut
According to Deborah, when we say “clutter,” we generally mean papers and other stuff that piles up—in our home, our office, even our car. But these piles often mount up because our lives are simply too busy to keep the piles from growing in the first place. Time is not elastic, so learning to manage it well is key to decluttering.
And for many of us, clutter in our lives becomes a major source of stress. So decluttering enables us to considerably reduce our stress levels as well.
In Deborah’s program, members first mapped the big picture of their life to see what’s distracting them from doing what’s most important. “When we start to understand the distractions that are throwing our lives out of balance, we can take control to get rid of the clutter in every aspect of our lives,” Deborah points out. “By assessing our goals, and looking at how we manage our time and how we can delegate tasks in our lives, we can chart a clear path to balance and avoid cluttering task-creep.” Members were encouraged to bring a pen and pad for an exercise that morning. Extra pads and pens were available for anyone who didn’t bring them along.
This hands-on program, addressing paper of all kinds (tchotchkes, too), plus physical or electronic files, gave each of member a guide to time management, decluttering, and stress reduction.
Deborah has taught time management and communication skills throughout North America and in Western Europe for employees of Fortune 500 and smaller companies. She has published two books that help caregivers reclaim their time—The Rational Caregiver and The Sharegiver and the Crown: A Journey to Empowered Caregiving. She also launched a podcast, called The Sharegiving Secret. A recent cover story, in Insight Magazine, profiled Deborah’s 50-year career in education and writing as a complement to her recent inclusion in the 2024 Who’s Who in America. Deborah teaches writing at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute of Rutgers University.
RSVP to stellahartpr@gmail.com.