Episode 157 - Organizing Secrets for a Clutter-Free Home with Ana Oliveira (Full Transcript)

This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast episode 157.

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here or view our podcast episode guide.

[00:07] Amy Sherman: Welcome to Nirvana Sisters podcast, where we take the intimidation out of well being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state, your nirvana. We are sisters in law and your hosts. I'm Amy Sherman.

[00:18] Katie Chandler: And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation.

[00:28] Amy Sherman: Welcome back to the show, Nirvana Sisters family. I am so excited. We are so excited, Katie and I, to have Anna Oliveira with us today. We have been dying to have a show about organizing and how we organize our homes, which then helps us organize our lives. And we found Anna actually through Kat Ashmore because she has Kat's house. And I was like, okay, she looks amazing. So we reached out and we're so glad to have you here with us today. Anna, welcome to the show.

[00:59] Ana Oliveira: Thanks for having me. This is so exciting. I have listened to one of the latest podcasts and it's been really wonderful to get to know you guys a little bit more and your guests.

[01:13] Amy Sherman: So thank you so much. Well, for our audience, we'll give a little bit of a bio on Anna so you all can get to know her a little bit. But Anna founded top team more than a decade ago when she was pregnant with her first daughter. While she began with a cleaning business, Anna was inspired by her own life experience to expand into home organization. She's a mom of two, wife, founder and lead organizer of top team Connecticut, organizing services, serving Connecticut and beyond today. And I have a quote that I pulled, which I thought was very relevant that you sent over. I was just. I was just an overwhelmed mom that could never pass the kitchen when it came to organizing my home. A tired mom who decided to stop negotiating the non negotiable, the control I have over my physical space. Anna derives great pleasure helping her clients restore peacefulness and order to their busy lives. Watching them fall in love with their homes again and have a space where their families can enjoy life and thrive is the best testimonial I'll ever get. She says. So love that. And I so excited to chat with you today.

[02:13] Ana Oliveira: Yeah, same.

[02:14] Katie Chandler: Thanks for being here.

[02:16] Ana Oliveira: Thank you.

[02:18] Katie Chandler: Okay, should we kick it off with our nirvana of the week? Amy?

[02:22] Amy Sherman: We should. We haven't done this in a while. I'm going to flip it to you, katie, so I can.

[02:27] Katie Chandler: I know. I was just thinking about it and I think last weekend. Well, today. What's today? Today's Friday. So this last Sunday, I guess we can still consider it part of this week, right? This past Sunday, we had such a great family day. My daughter didn't have to go to hebrew school in the morning. So we got to like get up and spend the whole day together. So we got out the door at 10:00 a.m. Went to breakfast, and the next thing I knew, we spent the entire day out. We were just like shopping around, running around town, and then we had lunch out and then we went and had ice cream on the water. And then we came home and I, for whatever reason, just wanted to get in my yard and start like pulling weeds. So we played outside for 2 hours. It was just such a good family day. I don't know, it was like, yeah, we don't have days like that all the time on the weekend. It was so nice. What about you?

[03:17] Amy Sherman: So nice. I would say I had more of a gratitude moment this week, so. My son recently suffered a concussion. He's okay. It's just like, needs a lot of time to heal. And I've been feeling really grateful lately for the support that he's gotten at school and the support from his doctor. Cause everyone's just been really patient and helpful and helping him to get better. So I just feel really grateful that I have their support and they're really helping him to be set up for success. So that's kind of my nirvana of this week in the last few weeks. What about you, Anna?

[03:54] Ana Oliveira: I had several moments this week which was, I'm so grateful for. It's always nice when you have more to thank for than to ask for, I guess. But we got to help one of our, one of our clients who we've been in touch for a while, but they had water issues and we finally get to set up days and, you know, to help him move a few things in his basement. But little did I know. So I met him a couple weeks ago and then we finally got to go see him and execute the project this week. But I didn't have the correct like scoop of the job until we actually got our hands on. And we are used to do different, you know, projects, but this one was like years and years of waiting for this moment to happen on his end. He just didn't know that until we actually went. So the text I got the next day, it was like 8 hours of work straight up, you know, moving up and down the stairs, five different organizers. And I got the text the next day, like the most beautiful thank you note I have gotten in a long time. Just expressing he's in his late seventies, he's not young, you know, it was a huge project that he couldn't have done himself. And it was just like a really, you know, gratitude moment for me. It was nice to hear that you can still, you know, make a change out there, even if, you know, it was a really beautiful moment. I didn't expect to get a thank you note right after. I usually get Google reviews and emails later, but this was like the next day and it was, it was amazing.

[05:45] Katie Chandler: That's nice. He was impacted clearly by everything he did. That's so great.

[05:50] Amy Sherman: Yeah.

[05:50] Katie Chandler: I would imagine your job, your job must be very rewarding in that sense. So, like, as soon as it's over, the gratification is really there, right?

[05:59] Ana Oliveira: Exactly. And this now most of our project, like 99% of our project, we like to call it one day transformation because we get to start and finish on the same day. This was just like after years and years of working with people, you do. This is a service that when you reach out, you're already overwhelmed. You cannot wait for, you know, for us to start and you can't wait for the whole process to be done with. So we found over the years that the most of our problem, 94% of our clients are repeat clients. They come back for more areas they gift family members. But that instant gratification of, okay, she's going to start at 09:00. By 630, I don't know, 05:00 some days it's going to be completely done. So it is pretty amazing and rewarding to. These are projects that people have been pushed and waited for. Like, we have clients that have been in the same home for over 40 years.

[07:02] Amy Sherman: Wow.

[07:03] Ana Oliveira: Yeah.

[07:05] Amy Sherman: Okay, so let's get into it in terms of organizing. So give us kind of your organizing 101. Like, what are some tips and trip, I can't speak today. Tips and tricks and best practices. Like when you're starting to organize a space.

[07:24] Ana Oliveira: I often like to refer our services or even myself. Like when you, when you call someone an organizer, you always picture like holding acrylic products and coming into your house with a bunch of bags and trying to implement all of these products, right. But we have shift a little bit over the last few years because I noticed that what people really crave, although the marketing today, like you open instagram, you do see beautiful spaces with not always attainable results. Right? Because you have a different lifestyle, different family, different budget and all that kind of stuff. So we do like to call ourselves as simplifiers because that's exactly what we do when we come in or our client to our client, into our clients homes, and we develop different systems, is really to simplify their home, if anything, including products is coming complicated the process. We just, you know, we move away from that and try to restart the project. But one of the best tips that I always like to start with, because our focus is to really simplify, I always like to say and start every project. Like, if someone calls me and say, hey, I only need you to come and bring beautiful products and labels, I'm like, mm, mm, mm. I can't do that because the first step and the, the most impactful step is really like, purge first, organize less. You need to go over everything you have first, one by one. And that's why our process is quick, because we're used to it. If you try to do yourself, you're probably gonna take, you know, forever. There is sentimental items that it might take you longer to make decisions on, but we always start with, you have to sort everything you have first, categorize, and then you make decisions on it. Focus is always to simplify, and then we come up and beautify things, but always start with purging.

[09:36] Amy Sherman: Yeah. And that's always the hard part. And do you recommend, like, taking everything out of the space or staying in the space and, like, you know, I know people have different philosophies there, right.

[09:47] Ana Oliveira: I always feel like that's, if you pull everything out, it won't make me overwhelmed. It actually makes me really excited when I do that. But oftentimes, whenever we. So we arrive at 09:00, typically at jobs, and I'm like, most of our clients work full time, but if there is a project that we kind of need some decision making, I always recommend they're being available. They don't have to hold, hold hands with us. But I'm always like, give me an hour, and the place is going to look like a disaster, like a bomb went off. But I promise it won't look like this by 04:00. So it will make you very overwhelmed if you pull everything out. That's why it's highly recommend to have a professional with you who can actually see the final picture. But if you do it yourself, I always recommend if you open a closet, if you open your linen closet and you look at all these, you know, different size sheets and towels and medicine and all that kind of stuff, only pull out what you know, you're getting rid of. If you're up for the project, for the whole project, pulling things out and going one by one, make sure you have time, make sure you have music on, and make sure, you know, don't we underestimate how much time things take? And we often want things like this because we see before and afters, and we're so used to the instant gratification. Right. You see the before picture and then you see the after. There's a lot of that needs to happen in between. So don't underestimate the time. Make sure you have enough time to dedicate to that chore or process.

[11:32] Katie Chandler: How do you help clients decide what to purge and what not to purge? If you have somebody that is really having a hard time letting go of things, how do you get them there?

[11:44] Ana Oliveira: It depends. We always try to find the root of the attachment first. Right. We do a lot of state organizing where there is a lot of sentimental value involved, but we often purge pantries where there is absolutely no sentimental involved, but there is the monetary involvement. Right. The guilt of getting rid of things, the guilt of spending and then tossing things. And I always like to remind clients one thing. If you have a hard time letting go of things because of the monetary value, have in mind that the money that you have spent left your bank account the minute that you purchase. Not when you're getting rid of, not when you're donating, not when you're selling. I mean, some people do make a portion of that money, but you have to have that in mind, and that actually helps you purchase and spend consciously. Because I feel like when you know that your money is gone the minute you purchase, you have a better idea. Okay. I'm not like, Amazon is so quick that we buy things, even if we don't use it. Let's just be honest. But we all do. Right? But I always like to remind clients this. There. If there is sentimental value, I try to remind them that there is other, different, many different ways that you can still treasure that moment or that item in different ways than just, uh, taking up precious real estate of your current home.

[13:30] Katie Chandler: Yeah, it's a good way to put it. I am like, I'm one of those people that everything looks really, really neat from the outside. Like, you walk in my house, like everything's where it should be, always in the same place. Like, I'll have a thing, sit in the same place for a decade. That's where I want it.

[13:53] Ana Oliveira: But then, like, you mean decorative items.

[13:55] Katie Chandler: Yeah, decorative items. Exactly. So, like, everything looks intentional and neat and tidy. But then if you open a closet or a drawer or my office, it's a disaster. An absolute bomb disaster. I mean, I can't. I'm surrounded by disastrous drawers right now in my closet. It's very. It's overwhelming. Like, I don't know. Occasionally I'll organize something, but I'm only going to organize it if it is something that is constantly, like, in my life. Like my daughter's closet, she's very messy. I will take the time to organize her closet because we're constantly going back and forth to that closet. But, like, these cabinets and drawers in my office, I open them twice a year.

[14:41] Amy Sherman: I know. I feel the same. I totally feel the same way. I call it organized chaos. Like, I know where everything is, and it looks somewhat organized, but there's, like, a lot of stuff. And you're right. Cause I've had, like, on my list to clear my cabinet drawers in my office for, like, a year, and I still haven't done it. Cause to your point, I open it, like, twice a year, and I'm like, oh, I need to organize this. And then I, like, close it, and I'm like, okay, bye.

[15:05] Ana Oliveira: And that. That goes back to where I started because I remember. So I had. I have two girls, and they are two years apart. So for. For a couple of years, I basically had two babies at the same time. My home to manage, a business to manage, you know, along up a lot of other things. And I just felt like I was always, like, running in circles. I could put up a really nice makeup. I like to call it makeup because that's how my house used to look. Like. Like, you would walk in. Like you said, everything had a place, and everybody thought that things were actually organized because they were behind doors. Until a day that I realized that, I was like, okay. So I feel like I'm running in circles. If I'm not home, I'm thinking about the things that needs to be done. There's always a lot of noise if I'm home or even if I'm outside the house. I'm never full. My house could have been the cleanest. Like, from top to bottom, the cleanest. But I knew exactly where the mess was, and that was always in the back of my head. Like, I was always being called if I couldn't, you know, I couldn't play with my kids because there was so much noise around that needed to be, you know, spaces that needed to be dialed in and noises that really had to be muted for me to focus on other things, like, you know, like my business and other things in life. So they really. It is life changing once you get to mute that noise and really, like, enjoy your home. I feel like our homes are definitely.

[16:44] Amy Sherman: Like, frees up that space in your head. Like, mentally, you can just kind of relax.

[16:49] Ana Oliveira: Absolutely. I have a client who used to live down the street from my house until last. Until last November. They decided to move, and she called me up yesterday. I was at work. I was like, I'll call you. Because we became really good friends. And by the time I call her back, she was crying. She was, like, sobbing. She's like, I'm not used to the new space. You transformed my life when I was, you know, in Connecticut, and I'm not used to having more space than I used to have. I'm completely overwhelmed. I felt like I was focusing on so many great things when I was. My house was completely dialed in, and now I'm just trying to figure it out. This whole new layout and this going back to, like, I think going back to where I was is even harder than staying stuck. Cause she was stuck, you know, for a long time. So it is life changing. It is a lifestyle. Living with less, knowing exactly what you have, tracking what you bring into your home. This is all lifestyle that makes your life so much simpler and so much easier to manage.

[18:07] Katie Chandler: What freaks me out is so, all right, we get to the point of everything's organized. How do I maintain it? That's what scares me, because I've tried. I've done this. My old house, I had a really big pantry, and I took the time once to do all the organizing, and I got the glass jars, and I poured all the things in, and, like, it looked very nice, and I had the baskets. But maintaining that every when, every week when the groceries come in and all that was just so not feasible. And that's just the pantry, like, thinking about closets and all that. What are your tips for maintaining it?

[18:40] Ana Oliveira: Okay, so, number one, although the glass jars and the baskets might seem really appealing, it may have not been the right system for you because you found that little difficult level of difficulty to maintain having weekly resets. And we like to call it sometimes on my stories, I'll pop in, and I'm like, oh, I'm in the middle of my weekly reset, which is basically, like, at this point, my house only needs reset. And it's been for the last 810 years. Right? Those are just quick extra minutes. So let's say if you struggle with maintaining the pantry, you know that when groceries come in, you need that extra five minutes to decant things. Because if you're in the rush, like, there. I like to joke that there is only one thing that makes me really messy, and I can be really messy, is hurry. I can be. If I'm in the rush. I can be a tornado if I'm in the hotel room and I need to get ready. I always hope that nobody comes into my room because that's my worst. Like, if I. If you make me rush, you bet everything is going to be, like, a disaster. So if you know this about yourself, it's nice to know that you need that extra time to decant things and make sure that labels are always, like, your best friend, knowing where everything is. Labels are pre made decisions in any space. You don't have to think about it. You don't have to make that decision. So knowing where things need to go, it's always time saving. But that's a little trick that you do have to pay attention. If something's not working, it doesn't mean it's the wrong system, but it may not be the right system for you, for your home, for your space.

[20:32] Katie Chandler: I didn't even know there were different types of organizing systems.

[20:36] Ana Oliveira: Yes, and that's why I like.

[20:38] Amy Sherman: Katie's gonna be calling you after this. She lives in Connecticut. I live in Connecticut.

[20:42] Ana Oliveira: Yeah.

[20:42] Katie Chandler: You might need to have an appointment.

[20:45] Ana Oliveira: That's why I would like to meet clients prior to project dates. We don't simply, like, show up. Let's say you schedule with us and we're just gonna show up and organize your pantry. I do like to know clients beforehand. Yeah.

[20:59] Amy Sherman: I have a question. So this was one that I've been putting off for a very long time, is my closet. So I know I need to get rid of things, but, like, again, I walk in there and I'm just like, so overwhelmed of, like, where to start. So what are your recommendations for cleaning the closet, getting rid of stuff, and actually the way, a good way to organize the closet.

[21:20] Ana Oliveira: Okay.

[21:21] Amy Sherman: Closed closet. I mean, like in bedroom closet, that kind of thing, like clothes, shoes, bag, all that.

[21:26] Ana Oliveira: Okay. I like to say that if you're struggling with your closet, your problem, your problem is actually lives in the laundry room, not in the closet, because oftentimes what happens is. And that can happen to anyone. Right? Again, if you're rushing, if you don't have a system for laundry days or laundry, or if you never finish, because we tend to do laundry. My mom used to joke because she's like, I don't know why you guys take so long to do something that a washing machine does the heavy bulk of the work. So it doesn't make sense. That takes three days for you to put clothes away when you haven't even washed it. The machine did. And drive. So, so the problem always starts there. So. So if you don't have a system for your, for your laundry days, there is a very high chance that your closet will be overflowing, messy again if you're not, you don't, if you don't have a good time management for when you're getting ready. Right. I do need extra time because not I'm not in my best. So I do need that extra time to try things on and see what would fit better or if I'm in the rush, there is clothes that it's probably going to land on the floor. So if you want to start organizing your closet, I always recommend getting a clothing rack. Put it outside your closet. Pull things out by category so I can simply pull everything out at once. But I do recommend, if you're doing yourself, let's say all your sweaters come out, purge those sweaters, you're done with that category. Next up, jeans and pants. Pull them out. Purge. Make sure that you do check if they have stains, if they have been, if they have seen better days, if you have more duplicate of that same item, because it does happen that you would buy because you couldn't find the one you had, so you bought a different one. And also the monetary value again goes back. I had pair of jeans in my closet for a long time that I don't think it will ever, ever fit me again. But sometimes, right. But have in mind that again, the price that you paid, the money left when you purchase. So let that go. Move on. Purchase new stuff. Shopping is fun and it would always be fun, but it's a lot more fun when you bring home an item that you love and you worked hard for, but you have a designated place for it. So we often see high value items that have no place to go until we actually organize that space, obviously. But you can tell when, when you run out of surface in a closet, floors becomes your surface, right? And if you look, when we usually when we come in into a messy closet, first thing you look is like, where is, you know, the high value item so we can display and showcase those special things. But if everything is on the floor, you can't really tell what was $10 and what was $5,000. So you do want to make sure you go through everything you have in categories so you're not overwhelmed but really keep things you love and you actually wear.

[25:03] Katie Chandler: Do you suggest like hanging things a certain way or should some things be folded and not hung? Like, is that part of the process or is it more of the person's space dictates certain how things are done.

[25:19] Ana Oliveira: Both we do. A space actually does tell you a lot of what you can and you can't do. Not everyone has a, you know, a walk in closet with 20 different size drawers and tons of space to hang. I do have to say, if you do struggle with folding and doing laundry, you know, in general, I do recommend hanging. Hanging is one step down from folding. Right. Like, my kids, most of their clothes are. Are in hangers because they actually, I do have them to put their clothes away now. They're old enough, so I know that folding will take an extra step. I don't want them to feel frustrated, because I will probably go and check if they did it perfectly. So to avoid all of those things, we do like to hang things as long as hanging. Try to group them in categories just to make your decision easier in the morning. But it does. The space will tell you exactly. Some people have tons of shelving, but they have very little spaces for hanging. So that says you might have to fold your sweaters, you might have to fold your shirts. Some clients don't have any drawers at all, so adding a dresser in the room is also a solution. If you don't have any drawers in your closet, multipurpose items, furniture pieces will help you with all of those things. But do recognize your. Your, you know, I do recognize that hanging, for me, is a lot easier for my husband to put things back. All of his stuff is hanging because it's a lot easier for him. So you do have to recognize those things.

[27:02] Katie Chandler: There's also a special skill when it comes to folding. Like, some. I can't fold a nice, tighty t shirt to save my life. And then my husband does it. Like he works at the gap. Like, it's really funny. Did you know that about him, Amy?

[27:18] Amy Sherman: I did not know that about him. I did not. Um, I'm. That's surprising. I am. It's funny that you say that, because I have a lot of things hung, because I have a lot of hanging space and I have less drawers, but I also find. And maybe it's just me. When stuff's in the drawers, it's like I don't have it. Like, I don't see it. So I like to see. See everything, because otherwise, I'm like, I don't know.

[27:37] Ana Oliveira: But same.

[27:38] Amy Sherman: I actually had an organizer years ago that helped me with my closet and the way I have it organized, like, mine isn't stuff on the floor. Well, I guess shoes and stuff are on the floor that I need to get rid of, but I think she told me to because I have it kind of organized by what it is. Yeah, what it is. Like, so let's say tops, color, and then, like, type. So if it's like, I don't know, like, a long sleeve shirt, then it's like, you know, light to dark and, like, yeah, that's kind of. I'm still kind of following that system. I don't know if it's right.

[28:08] Ana Oliveira: But.

[28:11] Amy Sherman: I saw something on your instagram that I was intrigued with that I thought was really cool for hanging jeans. It was like a hook instead of, like, folding your jeans over the thing. What is that? And where do I get it? Because I was like, that's. Again, that's even less work than hanging it over the hanger. You could literally just hang it.

[28:27] Ana Oliveira: Yes. By the belt hook. By the belt?

[28:32] Amy Sherman: Yeah. By the belt hook. Yeah.

[28:34] Ana Oliveira: The loop.

[28:35] Katie Chandler: Yeah, the loop.

[28:36] Ana Oliveira: Yes. So I did it first in my daughter's closet because she loves jeans, and I was like, she can't fold it. She can't fold it. We don't have enough drawers. Let's just hang them. Let's just, you know, get hooks and just hang them and see how it goes. Perfect. Never had once had to go back and fix anything because that's, like, genius, dumb proof way of. First of all, some people don't like that little mark that. The little. So I was like, this is perfect. I'm gonna use it for me, but I use it for my husband. We're all gonna do the same way of hanging jeans. It's been working wonderful for clients, especially, again, if you're not a big fan of folding, if you don't have enough time, if you're not, you don't have the skills of folding. Just keep that and hang your jeans.

[29:28] Katie Chandler: And where did you get the. Is it a special type of hanger that has the hooks?

[29:32] Ana Oliveira: No, it's actually single hooks. So Amazon has it. We love the ones from Amazon. The container store also has them, but they come in last in the pack, so Amazon is the best.

[29:43] Amy Sherman: So is it just, like, hook over the bar and then it's just literally.

[29:46] Ana Oliveira: Like a hook just over the rod?

[29:48] Katie Chandler: Yeah.

[29:48] Ana Oliveira: Just make sure you. Because some people have that really thick rod that only fits, like, hangers. Just make sure you buy the ones that are a little wider, tiny, more like for metal shelving, not actually for clothing. So make sure you just get the whiter ones.

[30:07] Amy Sherman: But those were literally just hang it. So I would imagine if you have that. You would want to hang that on a higher rack so the jeans don't hit the floor. Or does it?

[30:15] Ana Oliveira: It depends. We actually do use the bottom. We like to use the top four tops, bottom for bottoms. But it really goes by how much space you have, because those usually that higher, the bottom rod is usually fixed. You can't really regulate the height. So check what you have in your closet. For me, for example, I'm short. I'm five two. I can easily hang mine whenever, but my husband's a little, you know, he's taller, so we needed more room. So play around and see what works best.

[30:52] Amy Sherman: Yeah, I love that because I hate hanging the jeans and I hate that thing. So.

[30:56] Ana Oliveira: And folding. Who likes folding?

[30:58] Amy Sherman: I know. And then I can maybe get rid of some of my jeans because I was like, I just have collection way too many. Even though I do wear a lot of jeans. I was like, all right. Okay. So I like these tips that you're. You've inspired me to, like, start. Do you also recommend from a closet standpoint to, like, do it all in one day or do sections?

[31:16] Ana Oliveira: Definitely sections. Even with three or four organizers, that's a full day project for us.

[31:22] Amy Sherman: Yeah.

[31:23] Ana Oliveira: Because there is a lot of folding involved. The last thing you want is start something and feel frustrated in the middle of it and just having to shove everything back. So, you know, recognize that nobody has the skills. I mean, no one. Not everyone has the skills. And you're not. You're only. If it's only you recognize that you need a lot more time. We're sometimes three, four professionals doing it, and we still need a full day.

[31:52] Amy Sherman: It's also nice to work with a professional because they can, like, make the decision for you. Because I found that when I worked with someone years ago, I was like, should I get rid of that? And she's like, yes, done half the time, something by myself. I'm like, well, maybe I'll wear this and, like, try it out, but warn it. Oh, right, yeah, exactly. Sorry, Katie, what were you going to say?

[32:10] Katie Chandler: I was just going to say, do you recommend labeling for kids? Like, my kids, my girls closets or their toy room? I've been thinking about doing this for a while, especially for my older one. She has ADHD, so things are. Can be, like, very messy inside the drawers, like myself. I guess that's maybe where she gets it from. Maybe it's not the ADHD. I feel like if I labeled things, then she will have just, okay, my shorts go in this drawer. Like, is that something that you do often.

[32:42] Ana Oliveira: Often you have to. Labels are, like I said, they're pre made decisions, especially for people who really feel overwhelmed making decisions. There's different studies that shows that we make at least 800 decisions a day without knowing that we're making decisions. What do I wear? What sneakers do I wear today? Which. So we don't even notice that the last thing you want is deciding where. Especially for kids, it's pretty overwhelming. If labels are there. They're great at following directions. Great. Kids are awesome at following directions. So labels in place, you won't have to even, like, ask, which is huge for kids not having to ask to put things where they need to go. Labels will tell them everything they need to know. That bin holds your arts and crafts. This bin holds your shirts. And, you know, definitely invest in labels, and you will see how amazing they work for you.

[33:42] Katie Chandler: Do you have a favorite label maker?

[33:44] Ana Oliveira: I do. I have a few. I have several. But the p touch cube is one of my favorites because you can play with different label sizes in one machine opposed to having to buy one size label for that specific machine.

[34:00] Katie Chandler: Okay, nice. We'll have to put that link in our show notes.

[34:03] Amy Sherman: Yes, we will. Yeah. Okay, let's talk about. We didn't talk about two topics. We could, like, talk about this all, because I love, like, this whole organizing conversation, but two things. Um, first, the fridge, and then the, like, kitchen mud room mail. Like, cluttery type stuff. So let's start with fridge. Okay. Our fridges can get out of control.

[34:23] Ana Oliveira: Right? Um, I feel like fridge. I like to. I hate to say that you have to take one day to actually completely clean out your fridge, although you do, I would say, every three months, seasonal, take everything out. Wash from top to bottom, you know, soap and water. Go. Go to town. But the secret to keeping it organized, it's not even products, because some people, if you add two products, they're done. Like, there's no room for leftovers. There's no room. So I hate to. That's very controversial, because if you see pictures online of fridge organizations, you're like, this is like ****. It's so good. There's so many products, and I can't believe they only eat fruit and veggies, because that looks good in containers. But in real life, we do have leftovers, you have takeouts and all of those things. So, um, the secret to keeping it organized is really like you. I'm used to doing food shopping once a week. Right. Instacart delivers. I know that day I need to kind of like spend 1015 minutes just cleaning out and bringing new stuff in. Washing all the fruits and vegetables before putting in the fridge is a huge time saving. It's not. It's not that I'm crazy about washing them and putting them in the fridge, although it's kind of gross, but it's more like time saving. So once it's done, it's done. We just have to kind of, like, live a whole week until I actually refresh again. And that goes back. Takes us back again to that weekly refresh, that every space in your home will need to keep things. To keep things organized. And you said. You said mudroom and, like, mud room.

[36:16] Amy Sherman: Kitchen counters, that kind of situation.

[36:18] Ana Oliveira: Okay. There is a difference between which it took me years to realize, and actually, that was like, the light switch that it blows my mind that it took me so long to realize that there is two different types of clutter. Right. And in my head, it was always like, it's one. The entire house is cluttered. I need to, let's just burn it down and move out. But the thing is, there is an thing called expected mess and clutter. Right. Expected mess is basically what we all struggle with. It's the daily refresh that we need to do is the cleaning the counters, picking up the shoes from the mud room, putting backpacks away, cleaning up your bathroom counters after you brush your teeth and put your makeup on, putting things away. That's all expected. Because you have a family. There is no such a thing as a house that it's perfect all the time. Mess will happen. It's actually a great sign that you have, you know, healthy kids and life and all of those things. But once you realize that the expected mass is non negotiable, you have to do it right. I deserve to wake up with a clean kitchen, but in order that to happen, I need to act on the non negotiable, which is cleaning up the kitchen after dinner. Right. And that applies for, I think mudroom and kitchen counters are really, like, one feeds the other. Mudroom is, like, the only room in my house that I tell the kids. I'm like, drop everything you have. I don't care how it looks. I'll catch up. I'll get to that. At the end of the day. At the end of the week, I don't care. But everything needs to stop there. So when you realize and when you do know the difference between the expected mess and the clutter, things become really clear. Really clear. Okay, so if I don't act on things that are really important, which is the expected mess. Right. I need to clean up the kitchen after breakfast. I need to pick up the mail and, you know, soar through and have a place to put it. My house. I would be. I would. That would save me so much time that I would actually have time to tackle on the real clutter, because that's not the expected mess is non negotiable. I act on it. It's done. That frees up space for me to really act on the root of the problem, which is the clutter, that it's behind doors, like we were talking.

[39:00] Katie Chandler: Yeah, I was gonna say that's the part that I'm really, really good at. The expected mess all day long. I can deal with that when I get home from work, before work, before I go to bed, et cetera. But then it's like, I take the expected mess things that maybe don't have a home, and I shove them in, like, a junk drawer.

[39:15] Amy Sherman: That's like, what happens with our mail? It's, like, piles up, and my husband can't stand it. He's like, what's all this clutter? And I'm like, I don't even know where to put it.

[39:21] Katie Chandler: Yeah.

[39:22] Ana Oliveira: So I have a system for. For paper clutter that I started using years and years ago, and it really has changed. And I. Even if clients say, you know what, it's fine. I don't really have mail, you know, coming. They don't really use that certain door that leads to the kitchen to bring mail in. I'm like, I'm gonna give you this bin as a gift and tell me if it works in two months. Soon enough, after two months, when we come back for the next project or to see them again, you notice that it's been used. So it's literally an acrylic box. They sell it on from. We get it from Amazon, but container store has a really pretty one that blends in. In any counter. Any counter. You could have the most beautiful, you know, luxury kitchen. If you have that box, you wouldn't even notice it's there. So we use files inside that box. It's either, like, blue, light blue, or white, depending on the aesthetics of the home. And then we have different files. In my home, for example, we have five or six. One for act, which it really catches all the mail that we need to act on, or at least for a while you think you need to, like, oh, it's a form from school, or it's a bill that needs to be paid, goes into the act file. The labels are beautiful. They're vinyl labels, so it's very subtle. Like I said, you wouldn't even notice. The boxes there goes in the act file. The other file is called file. That means those are. Those are act on paper that needs to be filed. But I do not feel like going up upstairs and filing those paper, that paper right away. So it's gonna fill that file until it's full, and then I'll act on and move to my file cabinet. The other one is for the kids, so that just lands. Anything that comes in that I need, I don't need to act on. But those are information like USA gymnastics card, USA swimming car, things that I need handy. But if I place anywhere else, there is a very high chance that I won't remember where it is. So it's there. And then a couple of other ones, like miscellaneous, that are just, like, random stuff, like cards. Context that we have that it has to be there. We need to keep it handy. But those actually, that box catches hundred, 100% of your paper clutter. There is no such a thing as papers laying around for the last, I would say for the last ten years in my house.

[41:56] Amy Sherman: Oh, my God. That's amazing. I need to. I need this box. You need to tell us where to get this box so we can. This organizing box where we put all the things with the folders. Because I think our audience would find that valuable as well as us. Because I'm like, okay, yeah.

[42:11] Ana Oliveira: We have clients that have one file for coupons, one for recipes, one for a calendar or things like that, that you don't want to live on the counter. You need a space for it. Let's just face it. If you have an. I don't know if your office is right off the kitchen, but unless your office is right off the kitchen, there is a very high chance that you do have paper clutter sitting. Yeah. On your.

[42:35] Amy Sherman: You just put it in the box and the box stays in the mud room. Is that what you were saying? Or stays in the kitchen?

[42:40] Ana Oliveira: Mine stays in the kitchen, but you can have it in the mud room. Perfect. Whatever. Make sure that it's visible and it's right by the door that you would actually come in because as soon as we walk in.

[42:52] Amy Sherman: Right, you.

[42:53] Ana Oliveira: Yeah. Recycling act file done. Takes like 5 seconds.

[42:58] Amy Sherman: I love that.

[42:59] Katie Chandler: Yeah, I like that, too.

[43:00] Ana Oliveira: Yeah.

[43:00] Katie Chandler: I. I was just looking over in my office, and I have an entire corner piled up with all of my children's artwork and school supplies and not. Not school supplies. I'm sorry, but like anything that they came home with homework that just looked cute and like any project. And it's from years and it is my closet. Yeah. I'm like, what do I do with that?

[43:22] Amy Sherman: And you don't want to throw it away because you're like, I don't want to look back at it.

[43:25] Katie Chandler: I know.

[43:25] Ana Oliveira: That's a great question. That's a great question. I do have another solution, which is called memory box. It's called the memory box. We do make it for clients. I used to make it and ship those boxes, but it just became a little bit of a, you know, time consuming on top of my day to day work. But it's basically a box. I do have to say, go through that pile again, because you might have find that you have 57 different footprints or handprints of your kids and you only need five of them because those are from the same school year. So pare down what you're keeping. Have in mind that one of the things that we do see when we do state organizing, which have taught me a lot about what to keep for my kids and from my kids and things that I want to pass on, like they each have one box and one trunk. That's it. They're 14 and twelve. And I only have a few years left to fill that up and just, you know, send them away. But I gave myself a physical space to fill it up, so I know that I can't overpass that, you know, that little box or that trunk. So pare down to what you have. But then this memory box that we, that we have made for clients and we still do, they have different files from baby and pre k all the way to high school. Each file holds that school year, which is, you know, you can add school pictures, projects. If you can't remember, that's fine. You can kind of guess what's from elementary school to middle school and high school, obviously. But as long as they don't over flow that it's a file box. It's a plastic type file box about this size. And you know that your space would be that file. If you have more than that specific that you can fit in that specific space, it's time to probably purge.

[45:33] Katie Chandler: Right.

[45:34] Amy Sherman: I like that idea because it's like the more space you have, the more you'll just fill it up.

[45:39] Ana Oliveira: Right. And I had this when my kids were little, and especially in preschool and elementary school, I had, I used to associate the fact that I was, I was only going to be a good mom if I had, if I was sitting on the floor all day, playing with, or at least the time that I was home playing with my kids, I had that vision. You know when you see commercials and you're like, oh, the mom is playing and doing puzzles and coloring. I was never that mom because I worked full time. And by the time I used to get home, it was anyways. So I had that picture in my head that I was like, okay, because I'm not home all the time, I'm gonna keep everything for them. And, you know, for the longest time, every single little handprint from preschool that they couldn't even sign their name, but the teacher put the date on the back. I have to keep it. And then I found something about myself that I really. It was life changing. Again, the age that they are now, it's a. It's very challenging. Two girls, twelve and 14. Not that fun. But on the other end, you do have. I'm the mom that I love to. I rather have conversations than playing on the floor. That was just something I learned about myself. But that helped me pare down the things that I do want them to have. They are also at the age that they went. They have done. A couple times we went through that little box and they told me, like, I don't want this. I don't want that little tree that I made in, you know, first grade. You can get rid of that. But all the. I know that all the yearbooks, they love the. The school pictures. They love, you know, certain projects that they did, and I saved, things that they spend a lot of time, they did want it to keep. So it's. We reevaluate. Not every year, maybe, but whenever we have a chance or we're down in the basement, I'm like, why won't we bring all your pictures out in that little box and let's just go. We make it fun. But it's. I always bring a garbage bag with me.

[47:49] Katie Chandler: Yeah, that's funny, because I have gone through some. I've tried to do that with my girls. Like, they always come on with an art folder at the end of the year, like, huge art. And I'm like, so should we keep this one? Yes. What about this one? Yes. You know, every single one. And of course, I want to keep them, too. But, like, I try to pare it down and they're still at that age with, like, no, no, mom, you're not.

[48:12] Amy Sherman: Show them something this year from last year and then see how they feel, because it's like a year old.

[48:17] Ana Oliveira: Yeah. And also, there's a bunch of apps that you can download those projects and make it like a yearbook photo book. There's different ways. Yeah.

[48:28] Katie Chandler: Yeah, those are cute.

[48:29] Ana Oliveira: Yeah.

[48:30] Katie Chandler: Nice. All right.

[48:31] Amy Sherman: Okay, let's get into our wrap session. Just as a side note, Katie, I have to wrap it too, so that's why I could, like, literally talk all day, because I love this stuff. Um, okay, let's get into our wrap session because I've been, like, looking at your skin, and it's so beautiful. So we need to get all of your beauty hacks as well while we have you. So what is your favorite wellness or beauty hack?

[48:50] Ana Oliveira: Oh, my gosh. I feel so bad because I'm not that good about it, but I do take. Let's put it this way. I've been better these days. I feel like I focus a lot more on, obviously, sunscreen, but I do take. Which you have probably heard from other people who. Kat Ashmore. She also takes the same thing. And it's funny because when we first met, she's like, I'm like, you do take the liquid collagen. She's like, me too.

[49:20] Amy Sherman: Yeah, I buy it from her. Yeah. Her link. Yeah.

[49:23] Ana Oliveira: So I've been taking for, I would say, four years now.

[49:27] Amy Sherman: Oh, wow. Okay. I just started, like, six months ago.

[49:30] Ana Oliveira: But you will see a huge improvement in her skin. It's life changing. So I do take that daily, and I do take different supplements. There is one. It's called wellbeing vitamins. I take that. I buy them from Amazon, but I swear by it. And a lot of sunscreen over the years, I noticed that I do need it. I've been on and off in the wintertime. I know you're supposed to wear them even in the winter, but now I'm back at it.

[50:02] Katie Chandler: Nice. All right, well, this.

[50:03] Amy Sherman: Your skin's beautiful.

[50:04] Katie Chandler: Yeah, it is. It's beautiful. It's glowing. This next one, we call it our five minute flow. You just got out of the shower and Ubers pinged you. They're five minutes away. What are you going to do to get into that Uber on time? Like, you have holy grails that you go to to get out the door?

[50:17] Ana Oliveira: You mean clothing or just like.

[50:19] Katie Chandler: Like, whatever? Like what? Like, what's your beauty routine?

[50:21] Ana Oliveira: Oh, okay. Okay. Any makeup that I would do cannot take longer than seven minutes because I'm not good at it. I have. I pare down with the things, like the items that I like and know how to use, and that takes me literally seven minutes to get out the door. So it's basically just like vitamin C. And then a quick, like. Just like. I. I just. It's a dirty sponge. You just put a little bit of a foundation, but then it's literally, like, I just make it really dirty. And I would just go around my face. That's literally what I did before the show. And just blush and lip gloss.

[51:05] Amy Sherman: Yeah.

[51:05] Ana Oliveira: I get my lashes done, so they do take away a lot of the makeup time, I would say, because it looks, like, ready all the time. That's. That's always helpful. And then I'll throw a black dress on.

[51:18] Katie Chandler: And you're ready to go.

[51:19] Ana Oliveira: Yes, and I'm ready to go. Simple.

[51:22] Amy Sherman: Classic. Love it.

[51:23] Ana Oliveira: Simple. Yeah.

[51:23] Amy Sherman: Okay. And how do you maintain your daily nirvana?

[51:27] Ana Oliveira: Who? I've been trying my hardest to be consistent because I feel like you get. Sometimes you're so good, but then life, you know, changes, and then your routine changes. But one thing that I try to keep it. Keep it simple. It takes no longer than ten minutes in the morning, but I do wake up before the kids. I do my daily devotional, and I read if I'm reading a book, or I try to do all those things in the morning, and that really keeps my sanity. And I feel like my day just started. If I don't do those things, I'm kind of off until, like, do you feel that way?

[52:14] Katie Chandler: I do. Yeah. I totally get it. It's a great way to start the day. I do the same. I get it up an hour before my kids for that exact reason. If I don't actually, I don't even know. The last time was that I didn't.

[52:24] Ana Oliveira: Yeah.

[52:24] Amy Sherman: Cause then you don't feel right.

[52:25] Katie Chandler: You're like, yeah, I have to have at least 30 minutes, but typically, it's an hour.

[52:30] Amy Sherman: Yeah. Okay. And where can people find you if they want to work with you or follow you? On Instagram?

[52:36] Ana Oliveira: Yeah. So we're very active on social media, especially on Instagram. But if you go on our website, there is a way of scheduling a over the phone consultation. That's the first step. Find us on social media. Make sure you head to our website. Schedule it 15 minutes over the phone just to. That's just a discovery call. We like to call it. You get. I get to hear what kind of help you need. There's. When you fill out the form, it asks for pictures. So you just send, you know, a couple pictures just for me to have an idea of the space. But after the discovery call, it's pretty easy. We talk about pricing, scheduling, and all that kind of stuff and then we'll move from that. As soon as you're on my schedule, you're good to go.

[53:25] Amy Sherman: What's your website URL and your handle?

[53:28] Ana Oliveira: Yes, yes, it's topteamct.com. You will find all the information you need there. There's a quick, quick form that you fill out and then you get to pick the dates and times that works for you for the call. It's very simple. We make it. Like I said, I like to simplify, not complicate people's lives, starting with the fall.

[53:49] Amy Sherman: I love that. I love that. Well, thank you so much for all your generous time today and all your tips and tricks. I love it. I'm going to start implementing some of these and we'll get all the links from you so we can share with our community. And thank you so much for joining us. This was so helpful.

[54:05] Katie Chandler: Thanks Anna.

[54:06] Ana Oliveira: Thank you so much girls.

[54:08] Amy Sherman: Thanks for listening to Nirvana Sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes. Please subscribe and leave us a review. Also find us on Instagram Irvanasisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know some wood that would please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana Sisters. We'll continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to. Bye.