Copied From Mommysavers!
Organize
A place for everything and everything in its place. That’s the goal that most families are striving for. Unfortunately, it’s easier said than done. Taking a look at how your household functions can help you come up with creative solutions for keeping your belongings in check.
• Analyze the Space
Keep your goals for how the space should function in mind as you attempt to keep it organized. For example, if your goal for the bedroom is to have it serve as a sanctuary for you and your spouse, it’s not a good idea to keep your home computer there. This means you may have to move some things around and store them elsewhere. Revisit what you had written down for the ideal vision of each room in your house.
• Focus on Trouble Spots
Pay special attention to trouble spots like kitchen counters, utility drawers, and basements that are used as common “dumping grounds.” Keep the things you use most frequently in easily accessible spots, and store the rest.
• Successful Storage
Store similar items together whenever possible, in a place close to where they’re used. Purchase storage solutions that make organization simple and easy. Clear containers that allow you to see what’s inside work well. For things that need to be stored out in the open, pick something attractive such as a decorative basket. Anticipate future storage needs and leave some empty space.
Label boxes, folders and containers accordingly, so there is no questions what belongs where. This makes it easy for everyone in your family to quickly put things away. For kids, use photos instead of words when labeling storage units.
Freshen Up
The final step of creating a clutter-free space is to freshen it up and make it truly reflect the person you are and hope to become. A little change can go a long way in stimulating a fresh start, whether it’s financially or simply motivating you to achieve your dreams.
Re-Arrange
A quick way to change your point of view (literally) is to move your furniture around. Feng shui principles suggest beds should be placed so that you can see the entrance. In your workspace, avoid placing your back to the door as well (or, use a mirror so you can see people as they enter). Make sure hallways are clear of obstructions to allow energy to move freely.
Liven Up
Plants and flowers symbolize life and growth, so be sure to incorporate them as much as possible in your living environment. Shrubs and blooms can be found in your own backyard. Combine them with great vases/decorative stones from the Dollar Store and you have a gorgeous arrangement for a couple bucks. You can do the same thing with fruit: apples, lemons and limes look great in glass hurricanes or decorative bowls. They add a burst of color and can be consumed when you’re done using them as décor.
A Fresh Coat of Paint
One of the least expensive yet most effective ways of making a room look new is to give it a fresh coat of paint. Consider what you’d like to be feeling when you’re in the room. Warm colors energize and stimulate (red, yellow, orange) and cool colors tend to calm and relax (blue, green, purple). Look for mistinted paint at your hardware store to save 75% or more off the original price. Sometimes you can even ask to have it tinted again to something that is closer to the color you want.
Positive Imagery
Review your list of 100 dreams and incorporate as much imagery as possible – on walls, screensavers, in frames, etc. If you want a better relationship with your spouse, make sure you have plenty of photographs of the two of you in happy times around your house. If you enjoy travel, display artwork or posters of the places you’d like to visit. The more you focus on those images – whether consciously or subconsciously, the more likely they are to materialize.
Assignment: Keep going with 15 minutes of decluttering and organization each day. Keep the images of what you want your ideal space to look like in mind. Think of ways to incorporate your dreams into your living space.
*I love the ideas about building a better relationship with your spouse, or in my case, boyfriend. LOL Should I post wedding pictures EVERYWHERE so he gets the hint...LOL. I still need to post our little board about our family dreams.
*A trouble area is my bedroom. Its also my desk area! My closet is a MESS, so with decluddering going on, I've posted clothes on mommysavers to trade for other stuff LOL...lovely.
*We painted our room when I was pregnant...the color is weird now.
*I'd love to decorate my bathroom so it looks more adult like. I'd love to put a buddha in there!!
ahhh, I've got alot of stuff to do!
Showing posts with label decludder. Show all posts
Showing posts with label decludder. Show all posts
Friday, January 30, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Day 26 FTJ Bootcamp Activity
WOW! Going out of town for one day can leave you very behind!
Again...Mommysavers
Decluttering
Why do you hang on to things?
Memory Clutter
For the sentimentalists among us, memory clutter is the hardest type to get rid of. Certain things remind us of special times (high school, college) or special people (relatives, our kids when they were babies. The key is to select a few things to hold onto that have special meaning and toss the rest.
Things are not a substitute for memories. Often this is the case when hanging on to items that once belonged to special people who are now deceased. When it comes to family heirlooms and memorabilia, do you love it enough to display it within your home? Does it have a place of honor? If not, it may be time to part ways. Tell all family members you can no longer store Grandma’s collection of doilies at your home and give them ample opportunity to take it off your hands. Then, your conscience will be clear.
• Create a Memory Album
This works well for kids’ artwork. Instead of hanging on to each “masterpiece;” consider a photo album of their art and keep only a few of their drawings instead. Photograph them with their art to create a reference point for how old they were when they created it as well.
• Shadowboxes/Framed Art
If your grandmother was a great cook, consider framing or shadowboxing one of her handwritten recipes along with one of her doilies or hand-stitched tea towels with a photo of her in the kitchen.
“I Might Need It” or “I Paid So Much for It!” Clutter
If you’re living the frugal life, you realize the value in hanging on to what you have because it would be costly to replace it. However, when you cling to things you really aren’t using, you’re projecting an energy of lack, or want. There is a fine line between the “waste not, want not” mentality and one of a pack rat. The key is learning how to balance the two. If you really do need an extra pot holder, semi-dressy sweater or book on gardening one day, would you be able to replace it? If the answer is yes, consider getting rid of it and you’ll shift your energy to that of abundance.
All those things you’re storing in your home come with a price, and it isn’t the price you paid when you bought them. That boat sailed long ago. Your price is NOW paid in the time it takes to maintain them, the mental strain you experience every time you think about them, and the lost opportunity of what could be if you they were no longer around. Consider what you’d gain by getting rid of them, and if the benefit outweighs the price, then do it.
Now that we've talked about why we hang onto things, what kind of space we want to create in our homes, and making room for our dreams and goals comes the fun part... actually diving in and getting it done!
As you de-clutter, your unwanted belongings generally fall under one of three categories: throw away, donate or sell. Sorting them accordingly can help speed the process along. However, it’s often tough to decide what to do.
Donating may be the easiest and fastest route to take, but many people shy away from it because it doesn’t result in a nice fat wad of cash in their pocket. What it does result in, in most cases, is a tax receipt for your contribution. The amount of this financial perk can vary greatly depending on your tax bracket and whether or not you itemize on your tax return. In general, the higher your tax bracket the more valuable your write-off will be. Decide what makes the most sense for you given your own financial situation and time constraints.
Including your kids in the de-cluttering process helps hone their organizational skills and builds self-esteem. Let them decide which of their belongings to keep and which to get rid of. Talk about the importance of giving to those in need and let them help select a charitable organization for their donation. Have them accompany you when you drop off their things.
The key to a lot of large projects is starting small and just plodding along. Instead of thinking of the huge scope of the entire project, what can you do in 15 minutes today? As with most things, success isn't one huge thing that you do in a short period of time, it's an accumulation of small everyday activities. If there are things you want to do in life, whether it's decluttering or working on a goal -- try just focusing a few minutes each day on it and see where that road leads you.
Assignment: Commit to declutter 15 minutes each day for the remainder of the boot camp. Consider taking "before" pictures today to compare to the end of the project.
Does anyone watch clean house? I have the problem of "I might need this" clutter! Its on my to-do list...and I'm excited!
Again...Mommysavers
Decluttering
Why do you hang on to things?
Memory Clutter
For the sentimentalists among us, memory clutter is the hardest type to get rid of. Certain things remind us of special times (high school, college) or special people (relatives, our kids when they were babies. The key is to select a few things to hold onto that have special meaning and toss the rest.
Things are not a substitute for memories. Often this is the case when hanging on to items that once belonged to special people who are now deceased. When it comes to family heirlooms and memorabilia, do you love it enough to display it within your home? Does it have a place of honor? If not, it may be time to part ways. Tell all family members you can no longer store Grandma’s collection of doilies at your home and give them ample opportunity to take it off your hands. Then, your conscience will be clear.
• Create a Memory Album
This works well for kids’ artwork. Instead of hanging on to each “masterpiece;” consider a photo album of their art and keep only a few of their drawings instead. Photograph them with their art to create a reference point for how old they were when they created it as well.
• Shadowboxes/Framed Art
If your grandmother was a great cook, consider framing or shadowboxing one of her handwritten recipes along with one of her doilies or hand-stitched tea towels with a photo of her in the kitchen.
“I Might Need It” or “I Paid So Much for It!” Clutter
If you’re living the frugal life, you realize the value in hanging on to what you have because it would be costly to replace it. However, when you cling to things you really aren’t using, you’re projecting an energy of lack, or want. There is a fine line between the “waste not, want not” mentality and one of a pack rat. The key is learning how to balance the two. If you really do need an extra pot holder, semi-dressy sweater or book on gardening one day, would you be able to replace it? If the answer is yes, consider getting rid of it and you’ll shift your energy to that of abundance.
All those things you’re storing in your home come with a price, and it isn’t the price you paid when you bought them. That boat sailed long ago. Your price is NOW paid in the time it takes to maintain them, the mental strain you experience every time you think about them, and the lost opportunity of what could be if you they were no longer around. Consider what you’d gain by getting rid of them, and if the benefit outweighs the price, then do it.
Now that we've talked about why we hang onto things, what kind of space we want to create in our homes, and making room for our dreams and goals comes the fun part... actually diving in and getting it done!
As you de-clutter, your unwanted belongings generally fall under one of three categories: throw away, donate or sell. Sorting them accordingly can help speed the process along. However, it’s often tough to decide what to do.
Donating may be the easiest and fastest route to take, but many people shy away from it because it doesn’t result in a nice fat wad of cash in their pocket. What it does result in, in most cases, is a tax receipt for your contribution. The amount of this financial perk can vary greatly depending on your tax bracket and whether or not you itemize on your tax return. In general, the higher your tax bracket the more valuable your write-off will be. Decide what makes the most sense for you given your own financial situation and time constraints.
Including your kids in the de-cluttering process helps hone their organizational skills and builds self-esteem. Let them decide which of their belongings to keep and which to get rid of. Talk about the importance of giving to those in need and let them help select a charitable organization for their donation. Have them accompany you when you drop off their things.
The key to a lot of large projects is starting small and just plodding along. Instead of thinking of the huge scope of the entire project, what can you do in 15 minutes today? As with most things, success isn't one huge thing that you do in a short period of time, it's an accumulation of small everyday activities. If there are things you want to do in life, whether it's decluttering or working on a goal -- try just focusing a few minutes each day on it and see where that road leads you.
Assignment: Commit to declutter 15 minutes each day for the remainder of the boot camp. Consider taking "before" pictures today to compare to the end of the project.
Does anyone watch clean house? I have the problem of "I might need this" clutter! Its on my to-do list...and I'm excited!
Day 24 and 25 FTJ Bootcamp Activity
*As Usual. Copied From Mommysavers!
Getting in the Decluttering Mindset
Your external surroundings can also help (or hinder) your dreams and goals. In the next few steps we’ll be focusing on decluttering and how it can help us all to “Forget the Joneses.”
Your home right now is a function of your current life. With your goals and dreams in mind, think about what you’d like your life to be like in the future. Is there some way you can change your home to facilitate it? By changing it slightly, it can allow yourself to grow into your ideal life.
As with most things, it’s hard to accomplish a goal without a clear plan or vision. Decluttering your home is no different. Many of us set off to “declutter” or “purge” without knowing what that really means to us or our home.
To get to the heart of this project, begin by asking yourself a few questions. Why are you decluttering? What do you hope to get out of this process? What are your goals? Do you hope to rid your home of things you no longer use or need? Or, are you getting rid of excess things in order to be able to manage your home more efficiently? Do you want to turn your clutter into extra cash by having a garage sale? Grab a notebook and write down what you hope to accomplish by participating in this phase. When you get in touch with your motivations for jumping on the decluttering bandwagon, you’ll energize the process.
Next, visualize the space you’d like to create. Go through each room in your house and imagine the perfect version of how you would like it to appear. As you visualize, also think about how you’d like the room to function. What will you be doing in it? What will you NOT be doing in it? How would you like to feel when you’re in it? What will you need to remove or add to the space to facilitate those activities and feelings? How would the furniture be arranged? What would the shelves, closets and drawers look like? Then, while the vision is still clear in your mind, write down a clear description of that vision.
Don’t rush this step. Take a long time sitting in each room and reflecting on how you’d like it to be. It’s helpful to get your spouse involved with this and talk about what you hope to accomplish together. Often spouses have completely different agendas when it comes to how rooms should function – he wants the TV front and center, you want a relaxing sanctuary in which to read, etc. If your ideas differ, try to figure out a plan so that you can each accomplish your goals.
Make Room for New Experiences
Decluttering is more than just getting rid of what you don’t want in your life anymore. It’s about creating room for new things and experiences to enter. What will getting rid of things allow you to do and accomplish? Here are some examples:
• If you want to procure new clients at work, clear out old files and create blank ones for new clients
• If you want to try your hand at writing, try clearing away some old clutter and creating a special new space for you to write
• If you want to learn a new topic, clear away old books that you’re not reading anymore to make space on your shelf for new interests
• Try clearing off your kitchen countertops to make more space for cooking if you want to hone your culinary skills
What goes around comes around. It may sound counterintuitive, but if you want something to enter your life, try giving it away. If you want friendship to enter, be a friend. If you want your spouse to be more compassionate, try showing him some compassion. The same principles work with material things. Ever notice how many women become pregnant again as soon as they give away all their baby gear? If you want to improve your wardrobe, donate old clothing to Goodwill. If you want to do more cooking from scratch, get rid of the old kitchen appliances you no longer use. With the empty space you create, the more room there will be for new things and experiences to enter. Try it and you’ll see.
Refer back to your vision of what you want your space to look like. Go one step further and imagine what feelings that space will provoke. Really think about the type of positive change you want to see in your space and in your life, and make sure your home reflects that.
Assignment:
Before you begin the actual work of decluttering, get in touch with your motivations for purging and visualize what you’d like the end result to be. Review your list of goals. How can you create space for these new experiences to enter your life? Write down your goals and clearly describe what you’d like each room to look like and how it should function. Take “before” photos of each room so that you will be able to see your progress later on.
**Wow! I'm going to have a blast! So Far I've done:
Getting in the Decluttering Mindset
Your external surroundings can also help (or hinder) your dreams and goals. In the next few steps we’ll be focusing on decluttering and how it can help us all to “Forget the Joneses.”
Your home right now is a function of your current life. With your goals and dreams in mind, think about what you’d like your life to be like in the future. Is there some way you can change your home to facilitate it? By changing it slightly, it can allow yourself to grow into your ideal life.
As with most things, it’s hard to accomplish a goal without a clear plan or vision. Decluttering your home is no different. Many of us set off to “declutter” or “purge” without knowing what that really means to us or our home.
To get to the heart of this project, begin by asking yourself a few questions. Why are you decluttering? What do you hope to get out of this process? What are your goals? Do you hope to rid your home of things you no longer use or need? Or, are you getting rid of excess things in order to be able to manage your home more efficiently? Do you want to turn your clutter into extra cash by having a garage sale? Grab a notebook and write down what you hope to accomplish by participating in this phase. When you get in touch with your motivations for jumping on the decluttering bandwagon, you’ll energize the process.
Next, visualize the space you’d like to create. Go through each room in your house and imagine the perfect version of how you would like it to appear. As you visualize, also think about how you’d like the room to function. What will you be doing in it? What will you NOT be doing in it? How would you like to feel when you’re in it? What will you need to remove or add to the space to facilitate those activities and feelings? How would the furniture be arranged? What would the shelves, closets and drawers look like? Then, while the vision is still clear in your mind, write down a clear description of that vision.
Don’t rush this step. Take a long time sitting in each room and reflecting on how you’d like it to be. It’s helpful to get your spouse involved with this and talk about what you hope to accomplish together. Often spouses have completely different agendas when it comes to how rooms should function – he wants the TV front and center, you want a relaxing sanctuary in which to read, etc. If your ideas differ, try to figure out a plan so that you can each accomplish your goals.
Make Room for New Experiences
Decluttering is more than just getting rid of what you don’t want in your life anymore. It’s about creating room for new things and experiences to enter. What will getting rid of things allow you to do and accomplish? Here are some examples:
• If you want to procure new clients at work, clear out old files and create blank ones for new clients
• If you want to try your hand at writing, try clearing away some old clutter and creating a special new space for you to write
• If you want to learn a new topic, clear away old books that you’re not reading anymore to make space on your shelf for new interests
• Try clearing off your kitchen countertops to make more space for cooking if you want to hone your culinary skills
What goes around comes around. It may sound counterintuitive, but if you want something to enter your life, try giving it away. If you want friendship to enter, be a friend. If you want your spouse to be more compassionate, try showing him some compassion. The same principles work with material things. Ever notice how many women become pregnant again as soon as they give away all their baby gear? If you want to improve your wardrobe, donate old clothing to Goodwill. If you want to do more cooking from scratch, get rid of the old kitchen appliances you no longer use. With the empty space you create, the more room there will be for new things and experiences to enter. Try it and you’ll see.
Refer back to your vision of what you want your space to look like. Go one step further and imagine what feelings that space will provoke. Really think about the type of positive change you want to see in your space and in your life, and make sure your home reflects that.
Assignment:
Before you begin the actual work of decluttering, get in touch with your motivations for purging and visualize what you’d like the end result to be. Review your list of goals. How can you create space for these new experiences to enter your life? Write down your goals and clearly describe what you’d like each room to look like and how it should function. Take “before” photos of each room so that you will be able to see your progress later on.
**Wow! I'm going to have a blast! So Far I've done:
- decluttering of the closet...sort of. I've gone though and picked out what I dont need or want, and posted it on the mommysavers.com boards
- Made my desk area clean. I've ordered 2 journals. One is "Wreck this journal" and another is just a regular one to write in.
- On my to-do list is declutter under the bathroom sink.
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