Life will always be messy and that's a good thing!
Every spring, Oprah puts out her organizing issue in March and its always full of goodies- great items, tips, online resources, I usually keep them to refer to later on. This issue has the new rules of de-cluttering- Some very useful tidbits that I want to share, but her final point may be the most important.
Give stuff away, don't be afraid to let it go!
Pair down the clothes in your closet, whether too big or too small, much can be donated.
A junk drawer IS allowed-this is a spot where odds and ends can have a home- a little chaos in a clean house is good!
Finish the cycle- Don't do things halfway, complete the routine, dirty dishes go in a dishwasher, mail needs to be sorted not piled, clothes hung- it will save time and energy!!
Fork it! everything in your life should be easy to put away, it have its own place - just like if you found a random fork somewhere you would know exactly where it goes.
Life will be always be messy- That's a good thing!
the rule which caught me was the last- we collect clutter - we have memories and experiences and that's a good thing! Organization should not make you feel the need to be perfect- nothing is- a perfect, spotless home lacks life and is unrealistic, who wants to live in a museum anyway?
Creating systems which minimize stress and create balance is what we strive for. A messy life is a happy one, but organization will help you breathe easier and get out the door on time! So make a plan, follow through, purge, sort and keep and then get started living with less.
Its cold, its windy and we are inside- looking around at the spaces that need help! One blog I follow, Simplify 101 talked about receiving a letter from a follower- a busy mom who works, has children in activities and has a husband who travels. The dog fits in there somewhere too! As she put it"Just your average, middle class, overworked, overstressed, running daylight to dark, ready to pull my hair out mom" Sound familiar? The blogger put together a list of the best techniques she uses in her own home for getting and staying organized and I thought they were worth hearing- After a little tweaking of my own- Here are 5 tips that we could all use!!
1. Own Less Stuff- of course! The less you have the less you have to deal with! It takes up so much time and space- pare down and don't be afraid to let it go! If you do not use it, if it doesn't fit, or you just don't like it then its OK to donate- you will feel free!
2. Progress Using Small Chunks of Time- If you decide one weekend that you want to clean the basement- you will fail! A project needs time and dividing that time into bits is OK because you will make progress! Even 15 minutes can make a dent- declutter one specific area and then stop. Its OK if its not all done- progress is progress, big or small and you will feel accomplishment rather than failure.
3. Start Saying No!! If you need to create some breathing room in your schedule than start saying no so you can free up time. Use that time to catch up and focus on the projects in your home you want to tackle. Remember its not no forever for everything, just for now.
4.Keep up don't catch up!- Becoming overwhelmed is never a good feeling- so stay a step ahead of the clutter by keeping up with it. So once a space is organized- take the time required to keep it that way- its probably only a few minutes!
5. Simplify anything you can! Have a simple meal plan you rotate- keep a grocery list so you don't recreate it every week, set up automatic bill paying etc etc! Anywhere you can simplify do it! Create systems that will save you some time.
