Testimonials: Columns
“Angela Hoxsey is an organizational Maven. She is fast, efficient and a pleasure to work with. Angela makes getting and staying organized easy with her helpful tips, tricks and knowledge of organizational products. I hired Angela to help me prior to and after a large home remodel. She helped me to declutter, purge and organize multiple rooms in my home. I loved working with Angela, she helped me streamline my home and I enjoy the organizational benefits everyday! ”
Susanne Hudson, Napa, CA
“I’m thrilled with what you helped create. It totally blows my mind how quickly you work and I love your thought process. Fantastic!!”
Dona Bonick, Kopol Bonick Photography, Napa CA
“Angela is always thinking about my organizing issues and often sends suggestions and helpful advice and ideas, even when she is not physically on the job with me. She comes up with unique solutions completely customized to my business, home and personal style—things that I never would have thought of on my own...”
“I can totally trust Angela’s taste and rely on her honesty about what’s working and what’s not with regards to my wardrobe. That said, she is always respectful—if I say I want to keep something, she respects my wishes...”
“I have a lot of “stuff”, and Angela has always been non-judgmental about my collections, while helping me to make smart decisions about how to lose things that I do not need. I value her wisdom, her experience and her perspective. She is a joy to work with, I look forward to our time together and dread to think what my home, closet, garage, life would look like without her expert guidance!”
T. Beller, Verve Napa Valley
“Angela is my dream girl! I was referred to her to help me prepare to move after living in one house for 27 years. She was fantastic in helping me get organized and declutter years of gathering too much of everything...!”
“Angela took me from panic, and an overwhelming moving experience, to an organized new home. She is a pleasure to work with, has lots of energy, while always maintaining a positive attitude. I think she is "THE BEST"!!!”
Sheila Sosnow, Piedmont, CA
“Have you ever accidentally run across someone who just COMPLETELY changed your every day life for the better? And you couldn't imagine your life without them? That's how I feel about Angela. Angela came into my fairly organized but slightly hectic life completely by chance. I wasn't looking for anyone to help me organize or streamline my life because I didn't really think I NEEDED it. And just in the same way that she seemed to just quietly float into my life, she helped me with such kindess, grace and ease.”
Lindsey Wiseman, St. Helena, CA
“Angela has a real gift for seeing what needs to be done and pulling it all together. I have worked with many organizers in the past, but none as efficient and focused as she. From my office to the garage, Angela has helped create a system that works
for the long term!”Karen Schuppert, Napa, CA
“Angela Hoxsey was the best referral that I have ever gotten. Needing to get my house ready to sell and declutter the 20 years worth of accumulation was no easy task. She was fast, efficient and a joy to work with. The best part of working with her was her cheerful yet no nonsense way of getting you to decide 'keep, trash or donate'. . . Love it!”
Cherie Melka, St. Helena, CA
“We spent four hours organizing an enormous amount of paperwork and I feel like I just got a massage!”Joanne Maher, St. Helena, CA
“Whether you are prone to chaos, pretty organized yourself, or a combination of both, Angela Hoxsey can help you bring order to your home. Yes, you could do it yourself, but most of us have so many competing demands on our time that organizing tasks easily fall by the wayside. Angela has brought her professional touch to my home, demonstrating every time
the lasting value of an expert.”Karen Saeger, Ph.D., Berkeley
“You can smell the sanity. Angela is worth her weight in diamonds.”
Masako Takahashi, artist;
San Miguel de Allende/San Francisco
Columns
Noise Clutter
Physical stuff—the boxes of baby clothes in the garage and stacks of unprocessed paper in the office—isn’t the only clutter that can impinge on a person’s serenity. The sounds in our environment, like the physical clutter, impact calm, concentration and overall quality of life. Take time to notice the noise in your home, workplace and travels, and make changes for the better.
First things first—the morning alarm clock. Most are incredibly annoying, as if we wouldn’t possibly rouse from a cozy bed unless a Fran Drescher-like whine mixed with a buzz saw wailed at full volume. If the first thing you hear in the morning startles and annoys you, think about replacing your alarm with something sweeter.
When I travel I set my iPhone alarm to play one of my favorite songs, Bjork’s “Alarm Call.” I also like alarm clocks that start out with a quiet beep but get louder the longer you let it go until finally you can hear it from another building. I’ve never tried one of those clocks that emits a light that gets brighter and brighter (light being able to wake us almost as well as sound), but I like the idea.
Many sounds interrupt and startle us throughout the day. Nothing will impede productivity like being at the beck and call of every cell phone and computer ping, ring and vibration. Put your phone and computer on mute while you are working so that you can focus without distraction This is one of the “duh” tips I give my clients—we have the power to decide if we want to be interrupted or not. Do you really want an e-mail ping from some random newsletter interrupting your flow? When I was shopping for a car, one of the reasons I wanted a Prius is that I love music and hate the sound of engine noise. The Prius is so quiet that my music sounds undistorted or I can just enjoy a silent drive with my thoughts. The other day a snazzy car passed me and the growl and snarl of it, mixed with a shaking can of nuts and bolts made me actually pity the poor Porsche owner.
When traveling, be prepared for noisy hotel rooms. Even at home sleep can be interrupted by road noise in the city and roosters or coyotes in the country. When you seriously need to sleep, wear earplugs. The best for comfort and blocking sound that I’ve found are Mack’s disposable wax earplugs, available at pharmacies. The containers they come in are also great for storing bobby pins, paper clips, AA batteries, vitamins for traveling, and all kinds of things.
Lastly, you can control the sounds in your own environment for the most part, but don’t be afraid to also ask for alterations in the soundscape when you are out and about. As a customer in a salon or restaurant, you should ask to have the volume adjusted if it’s uncomfortably loud. You can request a station change or even silence. There’s no harm in asking and often others will appreciate it. Without being inconsiderate or obnoxious, you can make a little noise –a politely squeaky wheel—to get the peace of mind you crave.