Step number two

Clearing the clutter

You should now have three piles to work with....stay, elsewhere and toss.  (Your maybe pile no longer exists if you went through it enough times to make a decision about each of the items in it.)  Your stay pile will be the focus of step number three, so right now you get to focus on your elsewhere and toss piles.

Remember how you were waiting to leave the area so that you did not get distracted?  Well, that time is over.  Your elsewhere pile can now be taken elsewhere, wherever each of the items needs to be.  And your toss pile can now be tossed--toward the garbage, the thrift store, a friend or onto Ebay.  But a little warning, none of this "I'll sell this someday and make good money."  If you are going to sell it, great.  If it is just a lovely idea, be honest with yourself and find another way for it to exit your home.  Moving around stuff you have not used and will not be using in the future is almost never a good idea.

Now that those two piles are out of the space, breathe a big old sigh of relief.  Boy howdy, I love the feeling of clearing the clutter.

Step number one

Sort and only sort

Sort everything that you currently have in a particular space or room into piles.  You should have a stay pile, an elsewhere pile, a maybe pile, and a toss pile.

I think the piles are pretty self-explanatory, but just in case...

The stay pile is for anything that will remain in the room or space, because it has qualified for residence.  It only gets to be in this pile if it falls under the category of what the space or room will be used for.

The elsewhere pile is for anything that needs to be kept, but goes somewhere else in the house.  This is where the "and only sort" part of step one comes in.  If you leave the space to put things away, you not only lose focus and precious time, but you run the risk of being distracted out of your current job.  Stay where you are and finish the sorting first. 

The maybe pile is just to keep you on task and moving. Many times someone will spend so much time deliberating on an item that they lose all momentum and it is difficult to continue. If you can't decide which pile an item goes into within about 15-20 seconds, put it in the maybe pile.  When you are finished, continue to go back through this questionable pile until it is gone and everything has been put into your remaining piles.

And the toss pile is for anything that will be leaving your home.  It may be headed to the garbage or to the thrift store or to a friend or neighbor or you may want to sell it.  Do what you want with these items, as long as everything in this pile leaves the house.

Now pat yourself on the back.  The first step is the hardest, in my opinion, and having it done makes the other four steps just that much easier.

The five steps

Okay, these aren't the steps I'm talking about, obviously, but they are pretty yes?

I'm actually talking about the five steps to organize any space or room in your home and make it as fabulous as you know it can be.  And don't the next few days just seem like a great one to share each of these steps with you?  I thought so.

But first, an important thought before you start.  Incredibly important in my opinion.  Before beginning the organization of any part of your home, one thing must be determined. What is the space I am working on to be used for? Will this closet hold toiletries and towels or kids' toys and puzzles?  Will this room be used to gather together as a family and play games or will it be for sleeping and reading only?  You need to specifically decide what will go in that particular space and nothing else should be housed there, even for “just a minute.” (Notice I said "housed" not "dropped" there by someone living in your home.  Of course things get out of place often, but if they are put back in their "home" on a very regular basis, that is my definition of success when it comes to a place for everything.) Now, once you have determined the use of the space, you are ready to get started.

So come on back tomorrow for step number one.  And start thinking of the space in your home you can't wait to try it out on.

Oh, but while you are anxiously waiting, a little something to think about.  I personally don't believe that these steps are only relevant to physical rooms and spaces in your home.  The five step plan will also work in your everyday life.

For example, is there a certain part of your day that isn’t working right now? Something in your life that you never find time to do, even though you would really like to? A certain task for your spouse or children that often slips your mind or gets pushed to the back burner?  With each step shared, think about how that particular step can apply to events and responsibilities in your life and how you can make them more organized or more fun or just actually remember them.  And as always, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Okay finally, time for the five steps...

Wise

"The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook."

~ William James

Almost like...magic

One of my favorite things to do with any extra time I have is to give seminars on ways to simplify and organize your life. It is something I love to do. Today I wanted to share one of my seminar ideas with you. Be prepared though, it seems almost too simple to make a difference, but believe me, it definitely does.

When you do not have time to finish a task perfectly, even doing a little bit of it is better than nothing. For instance, if I don't have time to finish the dishes completely, I at least rinse them and stack them nicely. (This idea was even more important during the many years that we lived without a dishwasher.) Or if I have a pile of papers that is frustrating me, instead of leaving them disheveled because I am annoyed I haven't gotten to them, I stack them nicely, largest at the bottom and smallest at the top. Spending just a few moments making your mess look nice, even if you do not have the time to completely take care of it, makes an astonishing difference. Trust me.

Now go find three small areas in your house that are driving you crazy and do nothing but make them look like a little nicer mess. You will be amazed. It's almost like...magic.

Is it?

This article claims stress is a choice.  I happen to agree.  Unfortunately, I don't always act like it. So, what do you think?
And if you say yes, what are your thoughts for ways to help us choose differently?  I would be very grateful to know.

Photo borrowed from post shared above

Finding time for what's important

Many months ago, my darling mother-in-law sent me a link to an article about finding time for what's important. (Unfortunately, the link is not longer good, so I can't share the article with you. I really wish I could find it though, as I want to give credit where credit due.) I loved the article though, because not only were the ideas great in my opinion, but they came from a mother of ten. I mean seriously, if she can find time to focus on what is truly important, I believe all of us can. Here were her four main ideas:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  

Create memorable mealtimes.

Focus on homecomings and departures.

Utilize transport time.

Establish happy bed time routines.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

I loved each of these, but especially loved that she used those seemingly simple moments that happen every single day. Dinner is a big deal at our house and I love sitting around talking, laughing and just being together. After I read the article, I have made more of an effort to make sure that when my children come and go from our home, I give them a big hug and tell them that I love them and make those transitions happy, instead of rushed or frustrating. We do our share of driving around for sure, so I definitely thought about how I could use that time more wisely. And it really is up to me if bedtime is happy or not--I'd rather it was happy.

Okay, you are up friends.  I'd love to know how you make any or all of these events fun and memorable in your family. I love having new ideas to make our home a happy place to be!

The gift of Mondays

I have plenty of things that I do in an attempt to organize and simplify my life, but I truly believe that one thing I do on a regular basis that keeps my life as calm as possible, is to give myself the gift of Mondays.

Every Monday morning it seems I wake up to chaos. More than usual I mean. The weekend is over, most of the things in the house are not where they are meant to be and the kids are a bit more tired and off their schedule. That is why I do absolutely nothing on Monday.

Monday is my organization/regrouping day. I do everything in my power to not schedule a single thing on Monday. No appointments, no play dates, no errands, no activities or lessons--nothing. I spend the entire day getting our life back to "normal." I stay home and organize and clean and go through paperwork and get our youngest his needed naps and make a list of what I would love to accomplish the rest of the week. And it is amazing that every Monday is filled up with these tasks alone.

And when the sun sets on Monday night, if I have followed my ideal plan that day, I truly feel calm and peaceful and ready for the rest of my week. Yes indeed, I am a big fan of Mondays.

Pinterest

I haven't tried Pinterest.  And I don't plan to.  Because I hear it is absolutely fabulous.

Don't get me wrong friends, you are more than welcome to try to convince me to join up.  I don't believe it will work, but you are welcome to nonetheless.  The reason I won't join?  Well, considering my personality, I only see two scenarios.

Scenario numero uno, I don't like it.  I wish I knew how to explain my thoughts better here, but pretty much, I'm not into a lot of stuff.  I think there are so many wonderful ideas on the internet and I'm so grateful.  I share a lot of them here and plan to continue doing that.  But spending time "gathering" stuff, even if it is housed elsewhere, makes me feel kind of cluttered and claustrophobic. I'm well aware I am strange and that is okay with me.

Scenario numero dos, I really like it.  I have to be extra vigilant when it comes to how much time I spend on the computer.  I have five children.  And a husband.  And at this season in my life, I want to focus on them and being the best mom and wife I can be.  And because I love to spend computer time reading blogs, keeping in touch with friends, recording our family memories, updating this blog, etc., I know how easily I can become addicted to time on the computer.  And I can guarantee you, I don't need something else I really enjoy doing on this here computer.  At least at this time in my life.

I do have to say though, I love that other people do it and I wouldn't mind being a beneficiary of the fabulous ideas, recipes, articles, crafts, etc. they find.  So if you would like, I would love for you to share (in the comment section) your favorite thing you "pinned" recently on Pinterest.  (Is that how you say it?)  And if you, like me, don't use Pinterest, you can obviously still share anything you have recently seen and love.

I adore seeing new ideas and would also love to feature some of them here if time permits.

Thanks friends!  Happy weekend and happy Pinteresting!

(What?  That it totally a real word.)

1-2-3 Magic

About three weeks ago, I read a parenting book that came highly recommended by someone I greatly admire.  And I would, in turn, highly recommend it myself to anyone who has younger children and would like to take the emotion and stress out of discipline.

1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2-12 is truly just like magic.  In fact I promise anyone that chooses to follow this incredibly simple plan, really follow it, that it will work wonders with your children--in a shorter amount of time than you would ever think possible.  And as a bonus, it will help you to remove the emotion and frustration that naturally comes with discipline.  That part I love!  Because I want to save every bit of emotion, for the fun and loving part of parenting.  Because doing so makes me happy, our children happy and our home happy.  And what isn't fantastic about having a more joyful home and family?

Happy reading friends!