Virtual Courses for At-Home Learning!

Learning knows no bounds! If you are looking for an activity to do while at home, there are many free online learning courses and activities that you can take part of, right here in Calgary. As more and more businesses and companies move to virtual platforms to practice social distancing and keep our community safe, you can still access a variety of learning courses from companies and local businesses during this difficult time, including the following courses:

Gale Courses (Calgary Public Library) 

Calgary Public Library (CPL) users can access the hundreds of virtual instructor-led courses offered by Gale. Courses cover a variety of topics like computers, drawing, finance and music. All CPL users are able to access two of the six-week courses per year – simply visit the Gale website, choose your course, enter your information, and then complete your library sign in process. For more information, visit the library page here. Not a CPL member? Learn how you can sign-up online for free here.

Barre Exercises (Barre Body Studio)

For those looking to keep up their fitness and physical activity while at home, Barre Body Studio in Calgary is offering online fitness lessons through their social media platforms. These 50-minute courses will be hosted by a variety of Barre instructors and will focus on helping people stay fit with workouts that combine exercises from yoga, Pilates and dance. Visit their Facebook page to see their previously-streamed classes and stay up to date on new releases.

Lynda Courses (Calgary Public Library)

 CPL users also have access to LinkedIn’s online courses on Lynda.com. These online courses can also be accessed on your mobile device and tablet by downloading the Lynda app. The courses provide users with professional-led video tutorials to help people grow current skills or learn new ones. From tutorials on popular computer software to other topics in music, design and programming, there are many skills to learn through this platform. Users will simply need to follow the instructions on the CPL page to download the Lynda app or access the website, create an account, and then sign in as an organization. From here, they will be directed to enter their CPL credentials and will have access to the online learning courses.

 Music Production for Kids (Beat Drop)

Kids can learn the basics of music production for free with Beat Drop’s online beginner course for children and youth ages 8-15. From Tuesday – Friday at 10:00 – 11:00 a.m., registrations will be able to learn about everything that goes into producing music – from how it is structured, to playing chords, using effects, and everything in between. The course is streamed live over four days, so users will need to have access to a computer, web browser and internet to complete the course activities, which are led by an Ableton-Certified Trainer. Learn more and register here.

Calm Order is Best of Houzz 2020!

For the fifth year in the row, Calm Order is honoured to be awarded Best of Houzz 2020!

This award is given to professionals and designs on Houzz based on customer feedback, reviews and services offered. The purpose is to recognize the top-rated professionals and their work in all areas of the home - from organizing to design and landscaping. The “Best of Houzz” awards are organized by category and region and are marked on each professional’s profile on the Houzz website. This way, when people are looking to find a contractor or professional organizer in their area, they can tell based on their profile badges if they are a top-rated business or not.

Calm Order has been honoured to receive this award since 2016. As a Houzz recommended company, Calm Order is proud of the work we have done throughout the city of Calgary in the areas of decluttering, downsizing, professional organizing, space planning and move-related packing and unpacking.

On behalf of the Calm Order team, Karen said that they are “super delighted and excited” to be recognized for the fifth year in a row by the online interior design and home improvement site.

“We love what we do and we love our clients, and we strive to be better all the time,” she said.

To learn more about this award and view Calm Order’s profile, visit the Houzz website here. Calm Order clients are encouraged to visit and leave a review based on their experience, and those interested are welcome to view the profile to take a look at some of Calm Order’s projects and testimonials from past clients.

For more information on Calm Order’s team and service offerings, browse our website!

The Right Space for You

Are you living in the right space for your life right now? 

As people age and their lives change (retirement, becoming empty-nesters), the space they are currently living in may not work for them anymore. Much of this has to do with the items and belongings in this space, how it is organized, and how big it is. As people transition into different stages in their life, it may be time for them to re-think their current situation and start making plans for the future. 

Earlier in life (ages 20-40), people tend to accumulate a lot of “stuff.” Often, these are items that people eventually grow out of or no longer need – especially when it comes to children’s items, old sporting equipment, out-of-date clothing and accessories. While many people convince themselves they need to hang on to it “just in case” for many years, the reality is that you probably won’t be needing them anytime soon.  

This is especially important to consider as people age and think about changing their space and down-sizing into a smaller home. Before reaching this stage, it is a good idea to start going through all the “stuff” that has been accumulated while people have the time, energy, and ability to dedicate to the task.  

A good way for people to start this process is to ask themselves why they have been hanging on to all these belongings for so long – is it because of sentimental reasons, or a sense of obligation? Only keep items that are useful, and evoke feelings of love and value. If an item is no longer useful and isn’t bringing any joy or value into your life, then it isn’t worth hanging onto.  

If people are supporting someone else in this process, whether it is aging parents, relatives or friends, it is important to try and complete this process with them sooner rather than later. Often, many of the items keep for sentimental reasons have interesting stories and history that can be forgotten or lost as they are stored with an assortment of other items and belongings. Taking the time to organize and declutter their belongings together can bring a greater understanding of their purpose and how they may be given a new life or purpose instead of being regulated to a storage room or garbage bin. 

It may seem premature to undertake this process earlier in life, but why keep holding on to these items and pay for them to be packed up and moved or disposed of when they were never needed to begin with? Delaying the process with only make for a bigger headache later on – it is never to early to be prepared. 

This process can be overwhelming, and it can be difficult to say goodbye to items that have been accumulated over a lifetime. The team at Calm Order can help individuals struggling with finding the right space and preparing for their changes in life through the entire organization process and beyond. Large projects like this don’t have to be undertaken alone – Calm Order is here to help!