Thank you all for sharing your summer plans with me last week. I loved hearing what you’re up to this summer! Travel is definitely in the air! ✈️

This system has seen me through short weekend trips (like my cousin’s wedding), as well as my 9-month digital nomad stint, including months exploring Europe. It’s not a perfect science, but it’s a far cry from doing the shuffle of shame at the airline check-in stands every trip.

If packing stresses you out, or if you somehow end up wearing the same three outfits every trip (despite bringing 15), I think you’ll really enjoy this one.

And if you feel inspired, hit reply and tell me your best travel tips. I swear, I learn more from you all than any travel blog could teach me. 🧳✈️

Are you an overpacker? What’s your just-in-case story? Comment below and tell me what makes it hard to leave things behind?

Happy Adventuring!

The post How to Pack Without Overpacking: A Professional Organizer’s Travel System appeared first on Star Hansen.

No trauma dumping. No soliciting for help in the middle of a crisis.

I love sharing my personal experiences and insights to help make your journey a little easier…and to make you feel not so alone.

But you’re here for organizing support, so I don’t want to add weight to your already full life by bringing you into challenges I’m still working through.

So, I generally keep things to myself (and my close community) until I’ve worked through them. But I think I have to break my own rule.

Because I’ve been dealing with something challenging for years. Something that has been eating away at me. I keep waiting for it to calm down or resolve, but it just won’t.

It’s affected almost every part of my life…even (and especially) the parts that you can’t see.

And I find myself withdrawing more and more. I’m not making videos. I’m not telling you about my life (which is totally fine, we’re all allowed privacy), but it’s time to finally admit to myself, and you, that I’m hiding. And the quieter I’ve gotten, the easier it has become to disappear.

For the last few years, I’ve been dealing with chronic migraines. Not one or two every now and then…but persistent, destabilizing migraines. They’ve gotten a lot worse in the last year or two. This spring, one migraine attack lasted two months. It was brutal.

With love…I don’t need (or want) any advice for healing. I’ve tried all the migraine hacks. I have an amazing care team, and we are (finally!) making good progress. The progress we’ve made is why I’m even able to share this with you.

I’m sharing this with you today because I’m always looking at the deeper cause of clutter. And dealing with chronic pain for the last few years makes me wonder how many people are struggling with clutter and executive functioning issues due to chronic pain or neurodiversity.

It’s easy to keep things organized when we feel good, and our bodies are strong, and our minds are clear. But what about when you’re in pain? Or your brain takes you on a new adventure every 45 seconds? Or when you’re medicating one of these conditions, and the medication causes you to not feel at home in your own body or mind?

These things are real. They affect our lives, our productivity, and our ability to stay organized.

How can you keep organized when you’re barely keeping your head above water?

I think it’s important to name the things that contribute to our chaos because it reminds us that there are often circumstances that lead to the chaos, which are out of our control. It’s also important to remember that there’s nothing wrong with us. That we are simply doing our best to survive a challenging situation.

I wish I had a magic wand to make your (and my) chronic pain and challenging conditions go away in 5 seconds or less. Sadly, I don’t.

I certainly haven’t figured this all out. I’m still learning every day, and finding ways to be patient and loving with myself and my body. But here are a few things I’ve learned that are helping me weather this challenging chapter:

1-Reach out to your community, even when you don’t want to

This morning I called a friend because I felt like I absolutely shouldn’t call someone. I felt too heavy and sad, and like I should only connect with her when I was feeling “better.” But the truth is that I needed support more now than I would when I was feeling better. That 20-minute call completely changed my day. There’s just something about knowing we’re not alone that can make a huge difference. If you don’t have someone to call, hit reply and share what’s happening with me. No one should have to hold everything alone.

2-Lower the bar

This is not a “normal” moment. I know you may want to get back to normal asap…and you may even need to (as a single, self-employed woman, I totally get that urgency). What is a “good enough” version of today? One that helps you make progress while also honoring where you are in this moment, and what your body/mind/soul needs.

3-Focus on today…not 2 years, months, or weeks from now

The present moment is really all we have. I generally love to plan and organize my future because it gives me a sense of control. Chronic pain has taken that away from me in many ways. So, instead, I focus on the now. In this moment, what do I need? Do I need support, help, comfort, community…a snack? What is this moment asking of me? And if I have some extra internal resources, I may ask myself…in this moment, what is going well? In this moment, what am I grateful for? The present is truly all we have, and coming home to ourselves in this present moment can sometimes be exactly the gift we need.

4-You are not your survival mode

Survival mode is a tool for finding your way through. It’s not who you are. When the pain and healing journey feel like they have become your whole identity, do one thing that reminds you who you are. For me, that’s watching a sunrise or sunset. I remember my true self again when I see the beauty of this world…plus I can make a sunset happen in almost any condition. I can look at pics of sunsets on my phone, watch Sunrise Earth (a gorgeous nature documentary 📺 focused on watching the sunrise 🌅 in various locations around the world), look out my window, walk to the beach, or even just imagine one in my mind. I can match my output to my energy, and still remember who I am.

5-Keep going

Whether you’re exhausted, discouraged, or simply wondering how much longer you can keep carrying this…keep going. You matter. Your presence here is important. I know things can feel like too much sometimes. But nothing stays the same forever. There will be a lighter moment soon. As that saying goes…you haven’t met everyone who will love you yet. There is still so much to do, feel, and experience. Stick around. This world is better because you’re in it.

Is there something in your life that’s quietly making it harder to stay organized?

If you do, please know you’re not alone. I know it can feel really overwhelming. For this moment, let’s just breathe in and know that we are standing together in this.

I hope that by opening up the conversation today, you feel a little less alone with whatever you’re holding right now.

Thanks for holding space for this conversation. And thanks for being here. I’m so grateful for you!

The post When Chronic Pain Makes It Hard to Stay Organized appeared first on Star Hansen.

It’s everywhere. It’s in our homes, our oceans, our food. And while the organizing industry loves a good plastic bin, it’s never really been my thing. 

But, in spite of my strong feelings about plastic, there’s something I’ve said to clients for years:

Plastic is precious. 

Not because plastic itself is precious.  

But because when something is still in its original wrapping, it suddenly feels elevated. Untouched. Like it needs to be preserved.  

And without even realizing it, that thin layer of plastic becomes a barrier. 

It separates you from actually using the thing. 

I see it all the time…  

• Beautiful bars of soap that never get used
• Candles that never get lit
• Stationery that never gets written on
• Nice items quietly waiting to be used at the “right moment.” 

But that perfect moment you’re saving it for? It usually never comes.  

The item gets forgotten. Or the materials break down. Or it just loses its “specialness” because it was sitting so long.  

And in the meantime, you didn’t get to enjoy it.  

If something is in your home, I want you to use it. 

I don’t want there to be a barrier between you and the things you chose to bring into your life.  

Because those things were meant for you to enjoy, use, and have as part of your day-to-day experience.  

So today, I want you to do one thing for me… 

Pick one thing you’ve been saving for “someday”. And use it.

Draw yourself a bath and use those fancy bath salts. Make dinner feel a little more special by lighting some of the taper candles that have been gathering dust in the drawer. Use the “good dishes” for a regular Tuesday lunch. Write a note to your best friend on the pretty stationary in your desk (it will make their day).

You don’t need a special occasion. Today is the occasion. You’re the reason it’s special. 

Just for today, let yourself enjoy something you’ve been holding onto.  No waiting. No saving. Just living.  

You’re worth it! 

The post Why You Don’t Use the Things You Own (And How to Stop Saving Them for Later) appeared first on Star Hansen.

I love receiving handwritten notes in the mail. It makes me so happy! 

But not all mail feels so exciting. Many times, mail can feel stressful, overwhelming, and irritating.  

Medical bills, reminders, charity requests, credit card offers, things we “should’ be handling… it can feel like a lot. 

In fact, mail is one of the main sources of paper clutter. 

I’ve worked with many clients who feel a wave of dread just looking at a pile of mail.

If this is an area where you struggle too, please know you’re not alone.

We don’t need to invent a way to eliminate all mail from the face of the Earth. Instead, what we need is to create a mail system that actually supports you. s

Step 1: Create a Place for Mail to Land

Most people don’t have a true “mail home,” so it ends up everywhere.  The counter, the chair, the floor, your bag…a random pile that seems to move around your house.

Instead, we want to create a very intentional landing spot. Think of this less like a “mail pile” and more like a landing zone.  A place where your mail can land without needing immediate action. 

Because the truth is, you’re not always going to have the energy to go through it the second you walk in the door. And that’s okay. 

Your system needs to support you on your hardest days, not just your best ones. 

So, give yourself a container that can hold at least a week’s worth of mail (larger if you need it).

If you have the energy to go through your mail as you bring it in, great! If you don’t, it has a place to go. 

Step 2: Make it Easy to Let Things Go 

You need a way to get things out as easily as they come in.

That means having a trash, recycling, or shred option right there at your mail station. 

Because if it’s not easy to throw something away, you won’t.

You’ll set it down and tell yourself that you’ll look at it again later. But then move it from one pile to another. 

We don’t want that. We want one-touch decisions whenever possible.

Get rid of anything you don’t need. 

It’s just as easy to put it in the recycling bin as it is to put it in your mail inbox. 

Step 3: Decide When You’ll Deal with It 

Mail doesn’t magically handle itself (Shocker, I know).

And it’s never going to feel “good” to sit down and go through it.

So, instead of waiting for the perfect moment, choose a rhythm.

Once a week is a great place to start. 

If this is something you tend to avoid, don’t rely on scheduling or willpower. Instead, pair it with something you already do: 

• Laundry day 

• Trash day 

• Sunday afternoon reset 

And if you need a little bit of extra support, try body doubling. Call a friend and go through your mail together. You don’t even have to talk about it…sometimes, just not being alone with a hard task can make a huge difference.

This is about more than just mail. It’s about creating a system that supports your life.  

A system that works when you’re tired. When you’re busy. When you don’t feel like being your most “on top of it” self.  

Because that’s when you actually need it.  

If your mail has been piling up or stressing you out, don’t try to overhaul everything at once. Start with three simple things: 

• Give your mail a place to land 

• Make it easy to let go of things you don’t need 

• Choose when you’ll deal with it 

That’s it. Three small steps will help you stop your paper clutter at the source. 

The post 3 Simple Steps to Create a Mail System That Actually Works appeared first on Star Hansen.

Your garage, attic, closets, and basement…how do they get used in a day-to-day way in your life? 

Not how you wish they were used, or how they could be used. But how are they being used right now? 

For most people, these spaces end up being pretty unintentional. And that makes total sense.

When you moved into your home, you probably weren’t sitting there thinking, “Okay, what’s my long-term vision for this storage closet?”

You were probably just trying to get your boxes unpacked. Or trying to hide the things you didn’t have time to unpack. 

You were just trying to get through the move and make your space livable. So, your storage areas quietly took on a job… 

They became the place where things go when there isn’t a clear decision yet. 

The overflow. The “I’ll deal with this later.” The catch-all. 

And to be honest, they’ve been doing a great job at that. (Seriously, we all need a safe space to shove things from time to time.) 

But a few years go by, and you walk into the space and think, “Wait…how did it get like this?” 

A cluttered storage area doesn’t happen randomly. It happens for many reasons, one of the biggest being that the space was never given a clear intention. 

And when we don’t set an intention, the space creates one for us.   

Storage spaces aren’t separate from your life. They’re extensions of it. 

In the most functional and clutter-free homes, the items that are kept in storage areas connect to something that is active for you. 

The extra paper goods and pantry items? They support your day-to-day living. 

The sports equipment? That connects to your health, energy, and body. 

The memorabilia? That connects you to your people, your memories, and your story.  

These storage items have the opportunity to support your life, your goals…even your loved ones.  

So instead of looking at storage spaces as somewhere to shove things that you don’t want to look at, what if you started looking at them through this lens: 

How is this space supporting my life right now? Is there anything I can do so that this room is even more supportive to my life and peace of mind? 

Because this summer, when you’re tackling your storage organizing projects, you’re not just organizing a room… 

You’re shaping a space that actually has the potential to support you.  

And this doesn’t have to be a big, overwhelming project. You don’t need to solve your whole garage in one day. Just start here: 

• Pick one storage area
• Pause before you touch anything
• Ask yourself, “What are the 3-5 things I want to use this space for that would be most supportive to me?” 
• Take one action that makes this space more functional and supportive to you today (not yesterday you or future you, but today you) 

You’re not just moving things around or making it look better for the moment. You’re building something that supports you and your life today.  

And that becomes the foundation of a space that will not just get organized more easily, but stay organized too. 

The post How to Organize Storage Spaces (So They Actually Support Your Life) appeared first on Star Hansen.

She said, “I cleared off my dining room table. It was driving me crazy.”

I said, “That’s great. I love it! What did you do with everything?”

She said, “I put it in bags.”

I asked, “Did you sort or categorize it?”

She looked at me with wide eyes, like she was about to be in big trouble, and said, “No.”

Was she in trouble? Nope. Did she accomplish her goal of clearing the table? Yes. Did she accidentally just give herself another frustrating clutter project in the meantime? Also, yes.

Here’s the thing…she got exactly what she wanted. The table was clear. She experienced immediate relief and visual calm.

That’s a big win.

But now, she has two giant bags of completely random stuff sitting somewhere else in the house, waiting for her to deal with them. And we all know how that goes…

We tell ourselves we’ll get to it later, but later never comes. And then one day, we happen upon that bag and can’t remember where or when it’s from, and what we should do with it.

Different spot, same problem.

So often, we feel stressed or overwhelmed by a space, so we jump into action. We just want it to feel better. So, we clear it, move it, bag it, hide it, or try to do something (literally anything) to get that immediate sense of relief.

And it works…for a minute.

But the goal is a little incomplete. Because what we want isn’t just a clear table.

We want strong systems that support our daily life. We want to be able to use that space easily. We want to know where things go. We want paperwork to be manageable in real-time, rather than turning into a pile that stresses us out.

We want the space to support us, not just look better for a moment.

When we act from that, “I need this gone right now” feeling, we tend to just shuffle things around the house.

We don’t actually solve anything…we just shift the chaos to a new container. And then wonder why it keeps coming back.

So, here’s a different approach to consider.

Instead of going big, go small…like teeny tiny. Smaller than you even think you should.

Choose something so easy it almost feels like it doesn’t count.

You could:

• Grab a handful of unwanted items and take them to be donated
• Clear dishes from the living room
• Run one load of laundry
• Make a phone call you’ve been putting off
• Throw away old bread ties in your junk drawer

That’s it.

I know that doesn’t sound like a big transformation, but it is.

Because if you do a handful of these small actions consistently, you’ll start to see real change.

And more importantly, you start to trust yourself. You start to have the experience of “I can actually follow through on this,” or “I was able to finish that,” instead of “I tried and it didn’t work” or “things always end up worse than when I started.”

Organizing isn’t just about getting your home in order. It’s about learning how to move through your space in a way that works for you, so you don’t end up burned out or overwhelmed.

If you’re feeling the urge to do a big reset right now, take a quick pause instead.

What’s the smallest thing you could do that would actually move things forward?

Start there.

It may not feel like much, but it’s a start. And that’s all you truly need.

The post When “Cleaning Up” Actually Makes the Clutter Worse appeared first on Star Hansen.

Now, look…I adore my new apartment. I really do.

I love living in San Francisco. I’m at the top of a 4-story building with a big balcony that overlooks the whole city. Most days, I feel like a princess in a castle.

But my laundry situation has me feeling all kinds of annoyed. 

Usually, I’m an A+ laundry student….

I wash. I fold. And I put things away…all in the same sitting.

But in this house, my laundry keeps piling up. Every weekend, I find some excuse not to do my laundry…until it is stacked so high that it feels overwhelming.

What might be causing this breakdown of laundry flow, you ask?

Well, the root cause of this chaos is the laundry machines. It would be an understatement to say that I really don’t like them.

First, they are located in the basement. I have to walk down (and up) four flights of stairs. There’s no elevator here, and as good as those stairs have been for my cardio, they add a hefty burden to an already less-than-fun activity.

Plus, the washer eat my quarters. The dryer barely dries. And everything takes way longer than it should.

None of these things is a dealbreaker, but it activates my perfectionism and awakens an “if I can’t do it right, I’m not going to do it at all” temper tantrum.

Every time I think about doing the laundry, I feel annoyed. I find myself feeling irritated and not wanting to do laundry at all.

So, I let the laundry stack up. I resist going to the bank for quarters. I sometimes even take my laundry to a friend’s house just to not deal with our machines.

I have total resistance about doing laundry here…so much so that I still haven’t bought a portable hamper to carry my loads down. Instead, I carry everything in my arms like a dizzy raccoon doing a weird obstacle course.

The truth is, my resistance to my building’s laundry room is the real monster.

I am the monster that’s causing the chaos with my laundry. Not the machines. 

Clutter loves this kind of thing. It thrives when something feels annoying enough that you avoid it…so it can quietly grow and expand.

If I’m really honest with myself, the situation “is what it is.” The machines aren’t changing. The stairs aren’t going anywhere.

But my attitude is the one thing I do have control over. I can either keep holding onto my resentment and annoyance, or I can do something about it.

I can accept that this is the situation and make a plan for what I’m going to do about it.

That’s where the monster loses its power…when we name what we’re feeling, accept the circumstances, and come up with a workable game plan (notice I said workable, not perfect).

If I keep focusing on my annoyance that my laundry setup isn’t as good as it was in the past, I feed the chaos that keeps my laundry stacking up.

And once I stop fighting reality, I can actually take care of myself. I can bring extra quarters for when the machines get hungry. I can buy a collapsible hamper so I can stop leaving a trail of socks up the stairs. And I can leave enough time to run the dryer twice.

None of this is glamorous. But there is no better solution than:

• Noticing what isn’t working
• Accepting the truth, and
• Building a game plan around it.

Most clutter monsters don’t start off big and scary.

They start with something small that just feels a little bit off. Something that annoys you enough that you don’t want to fully deal with it.

And then it grows.

So, take a minute look around your home…

Is there a little clutter monster in your home right now? (not an overwhelming monster, just a little annoyance you’ve been side-stepping)

Comment below and tell me about it. Venting is a great place to start when it comes to facing the clutter monster.  

I’ve got your back! 

The post Why My Laundry Keeps Piling Up (and what I finally did about it) appeared first on Star Hansen.

And I get it. Most people expect that I’m going to come in with the answers, hand them a system, and show them the “right” way to do it.

But that’s not really how this works. Because organizing systems don’t get people organized. Trust does.

I’m not the expert on you. You are.

And no matter how much experience I have, I will never know you better than you know yourself.

So, the way I approach organizing is a little different than what most people expect. I’m not coming in to tell you what to do with your stuff, and I’m definitely not using some one-size-fits-all system.

I’m not trying to override your instincts. I’m here to work with them.

I’m here to help you see what’s already working, and build on it…even if it’s subtle or inconsistent or half-formed. I’m here to help you take the pieces that already exist in your space and build them into something more sustainable.

Every client I’ve worked with already had the start of a system, hiding in their clutter.

It’s always there. But unfortunately, people don’t always see it or trust it.

They’ll start organizing something, get a few steps in, and then hesitate. They pause, or rethink their plan. They start to wonder if there’s a better way to do it, or if they’re missing something. And then the momentum drops.

Not because they don’t have good instincts. But because they don’t fully trust them.

A big part of my job is helping you recognize that you already know what you’re doing.

You are the only person who has been with you your entire life. You know what you reach for without thinking. You know what you avoid. You know what feels easy, and what feels like a constant effort.

That’s the information we build from.

Organizing, at its core, isn’t really about the stuff. It’s not about making everything look a certain way or fitting your life into someone else’s system.

Organizing is learning how to work with yourself.

It’s about understanding how your brain operates and what kind of support it actually needs.

It’s about building systems that match your real life, not your fantasy life. It’s about developing skills you may never have been taught in the first place.

When you start to see it that way, organizing stops feeling like a project you’re just trying to “get through”. And it starts to be a transformational journey.

That’s why you won’t see before-and-after pics on my website. I’m not interested in that version of “after”. I care about something deeper than that.

I care about the moment when you trust your own decisions again.

When you stop looking for the “right” answer and start paying attention to what actually works for you.

That might look like a perfectly made bed. Or it might look like an unmade bed you genuinely don’t care about. It might look like a color-coded closet. Or a closet arranged by your mood.

That’s the work.

Not forcing yourself into someone else’s idea of being organized, but using your space as a way to understand (and honor) yourself more clearly.

Because in the end, this isn’t about the clutter.  It’s about building trust with yourself again.

And that’s the kind of change that actually lasts.

The post Organizing Doesn’t Start With A System (It Starts With Trusting Yourself) appeared first on Star Hansen.

As I’ve been packing and planning, I’ve been thinking about how much my relationship with packing has changed.

I used to be a chronic overpacker.

Not a little extra, I mean, truly deeply committed to the idea that I might need absolutely everything.

And many of my clients are the same way.

Packing brings up a lot…

Will I have what I need? What if the weather changes? What if my body feels different that day? What if I want more options? What if I get there and wish I had brought the other thing?

It’s easy to act like packing should be simple, but it’s not. It’s actually a pretty complex project.

You’re trying to plan for future weather, future moods, future activities, laundry access, location changes, and, for a lot of women, a body that may not feel exactly the same from one day to the next.

That’s a lot to account for.

Which is why I think one of the biggest mistakes people make is skipping the planning part of packing and going straight to the suitcase.

If you do that, it’s hard to stay focused…

The clothes start talking. Your shoes start talking. Your anxiety starts talking. The size (and weight) of your suitcase is talking…

And suddenly you’re no longer making choices from a clear space. Instead, you’re reacting to whatever feels loudest at the moment.

That rarely ends well.

There’s a quote I love (often attributed to Abraham Lincoln):

“If I had four hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend the first three sharpening the axe.”

The post The Stress-Free And Strategic Way to Pack For Your Next Trip appeared first on Star Hansen.

What’s one thing I can do differently next year to make tax season easier?

The post One Tiny Thing to Make Next Tax Season Easier appeared first on Star Hansen.