How to Declutter Your Life!

I found this August Challenge for 5 a day to keep the clutter away on the website:
the ¢entsible life

Since August is my birthday month, I am talking on this challenge as a birthday gift to myself. I will feel better about my "space" and, who knows, I may find some things that I can sell and also make some birthday money! Talk about a win/win! And just so you know, since I work from home; I am starting first with my desk and home office space.

The guidelines are simple.

* Find 5 things a day that you can get rid of. Size doesn't matter. It could be a spoonrest or an entire wardrobe.
* Put them in a box/bag/bin in an out of the way area (your garage, laundry room, a closet)
* At the end of each week or the month depending on your storage space, trash, give away or donate all the items
* If you find something that indeed is sale-worthy you have the month to sell it. If by the end of August it's still in your box, it goes, and you get a nice tax write-off.

Options for getting rid of your items include:

* Goodwill/Salvation Army/other charities
* for toys/kid's clothing consider a local domestic violence shelter
* Craig's List (free or for sale)
* Freecycle
* Ebay
* Be creative! Maybe you have a friend who could use your old lawnmower, or you create a neighborhood swap.

By the end of the month you should have 155 things to go.

Many of us have made great pronouncements and then resolutions to get more organized and to clean out our clutter. But after several months have gone by, we now realize that is Summer and our resolutions have ended up in the same pile of clutter we hoped to eliminate. But you can start now and still accomplish a lot of de-cluttering by the end of the year.

1. What was the MAIN thing that, if you didn't make progress on it, you'd be upset about at the end of the year?

Now is the time to focus on that main thing and do not answer any interruptions for a time while you're working on it. People can call back or come back later if they need to talk to you.

2. If it's hard to choose that ONE thing, then ask yourself, what is the one thing that would give you the biggest feeling of accomplishment and peace of mind - if you made progress on it still this year?

For more tips and a wonderful bonus book, check out Mimi Tanner's great book, Declutter Fast!

We have been told over and over again that being in the midst of clutter will add stress and drive in some crazies. This blog proposes to take advantage of those crazies to help us "get crazy organized". It has a cetain "take that!" attitude that I find not only refreshing but also motivating. I am definitely going to see if I can take my clutter crazies and turn them around to getting crazy organized. Take a look and see what you think.
Get Crazy Organized Blog

Get Organized has put together a wonderful, plain-spoken email mini-course... and it's absolutely free.

Here's some of what will be shared with you...

*How to remove the clutter so you have more open space to enjoy your home;
*How to decide what to get rid of (and what to keep);
*How to quickly create order and remove chaos from your home;
*How to find a place for everything so you're not wasting valuable space.
*How to increase your storage capacity and always know where things are;
*How to stay organized for the long haul;
*How to best create a less hectic atmosphere in a home you can enjoy;
*How to find more time to do things you enjoy;
*How to organize important personal documents;
*How to get motivated to tackle even the biggest mess.

Much, much more...all sent right to your inbox for no cost at all.

Get started today and receive the first part of your Mini-Course within the next five minutes...

Discover Organization

10 Minute Tricks to Help You Get Organized
by: Maria Gracia

Whoever thought you'd be able to get organized in just 10 minutes?! Here are a few simple ideas.

1. 10 MINUTE CHORE BOX:

Rather than spending hours organizing, and doing it all yourself, create a 10 minute Chore Box for yourself--and one for each family member, if applicable.

Each person's box would contain specific chores or tasks that need to be completed. The chores are written on slips of paper, and take a maximum of 10 minutes each to accomplish.

You can gear the tasks towards the person's abilities (e.g. while older kids can help out with vacuuming, a 3 year old may instead be responsible for putting away his/her toys.)

Each day, as a chore is completed, that slip of paper is placed in a holding envelope until the Chore Box is empty. Then, when empty, the boxes are refilled, and the system starts over again. This also works well at the office!

2. 10 MINUTE PICK-UP:

Control the chaos. Schedule a consistent, '10 minute Pick-up' each night. Set a timer to sound an alarm in 10 minutes.

While the clock is ticking, all family members are responsible for clearing out and putting away their belongings from the main family area.

When the timer sounds, you're all done. Give yourselves a warm round of applause for all you've accomplished.

3. 10 MINUTE 'WHEN I HAVE TIME' GOALS:

One of the oldest phrases in the book is, 'I'll do that, when I have the time.' Problem is, that time never seems to come.

If you REALLY want to do something, the time can generally be found pretty easily. For example, if you just won an all-expenses paid trip to the land of your dreams, you'd probably find time to fit it into your busy schedule without much of a problem.

So, it's time to begin fitting in those things you want to do, and 10 Minute Goals can help. Schedule 10 minutes a day to catch up on your reading, or to begin learning that foreign language, or to simply spend having fun with your children. Then, work on those goals when the schedule date and time rolls around.

4. 10 MINUTE LUXURIES:

Don't forget to schedule a few 10 Minutes Luxuries per day to do something nice for yourself.

Sometimes the day is so rushed and chaotic, that it's easy to forget the really important things like family, health, spirituality, personal time and so on.

Take that 10 minute vacation every day. You deserve it!

by Maria Gracia - Get Organized Now!

The following tips are from a Time.com article:
Ask the Experts: 5 Steps to Clutter-Free Living.

1. Define your vision
In her new book When Organizing Isn't Enough, SHED your Stuff, Change Your Life, Morgenstern advises people looking to declutter to come up with a theme. "No one lets go without reaching for something else," she says. "You need to come up with a theme for the next phase of your life. Giving a name to what you want to do or feel or express will help dislodge you from your current state of stagnancy." Some common themes are creating a nurturing home, striving for career excellence, and focusing on self-expression and enrichment. Walsh agrees. "If you focus on the stuff, you will never ever get organized," says Walsh, author of the bestselling It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff. "The starting point has to be, 'What is the vision you have for the life you want?,'" he says. "Then you're in a position to ask, 'What do I need for this space?"

2. Define the clutter
Once you have your vision or theme, separating the treasures from trash should be a little easier. Ask yourself: does this item help me get there? What doesn't fit gets purged. Morgenstern emphasizes that clutter doesn't have to be messy. "A perfectly organized closet or drawer is clutter if it is filled with clothes that you haven't worn for years," she says. And clutter doesn't have to be made of stuff. "It can be any obsolete object, space, commitment or behavior that weighs you down or distracts you or saps your energy," she says. "It can be bad habits that take up too much time."

3. Start small
Purging can be very emotional. "It's a big mistake to dismiss clutter as junk," says Morgenstern. "These piles are things that were once important to you, to who you once were or who you wanted to be." To help ease you into the process, she suggests starting in the room you are least attached to. If books are your great love-and clutter weakness-don't start your purging project by the bookcases. Move to a less emotional area, like the kitchen or hall closet. Once you are successful in those parts of the house, it may be easier to tackle the rest. "And be ready for the panic," she warns. Every once in a while you will be overcome with thoughts of "what if I really need that later?" If that happens, just take a deep breath, remember your goal and keep going. "Keep in mind that if you aren't careful, what you own will end up owning you," says Walsh.

4. Let your good riddance help others
It might not be as difficult to say goodbye to your belongings if you're giving them to organizations that can really use them. For instance, those books that are gathering dust in your home could be page-turners at a library, school or senior-citizen center. And those skinny clothes that you'll probably never fit into again could be doing a whole lot more than making you feel bad; take them to a charity shop or shelter.

5. Examine all aspects of your life for clutter
Morgenstern points out that poor uses of time, outdated commitments and bad habits can all be defined as clutter and are worthy of purging. Walsh makes the case for a strong mind-home-body connection in his latest bestseller, Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat? "If you think about it, the reasons why a lot of people buy stuff are exactly the same reasons why a lot of people run out and eat inappropriate food-to make themselves feel better," he says. "The parallels are amazing. Our homes, heads and hips are connected." At the end of the day, experts agree that there are many different types of clutter, and they all rob us of peace and harmony. So look at the vision that you have for your life and then ask does keeping this item - whether it be a chair, vase or eclair - help me get there.

The article can be found at: Time.com

A closet says a lot about a person. A stranger can walk into your closet and know things that would really surprise you. What does your closet say about you?

1. Take everything off the hangers and put it on the bed. Anything that is not something worn comes out and you can start thinking about where it will go because it is not going back in.

2. On three pieces of paper write one the following: "Throw Away"; "Give Away"; "Put Away". Tape the signs on different walls. Let's set some ground rules:
* Throw Away Rule: You must part with clothes that you have squeezed every bit of value out of and can no longer wear due to rips, stains, etc.
* Give Away Rule: It is not wasteful to give something away. It is wasteful to hold on to it and not use it when it may have value to someone else.
* Put Away Rule: You should only put back items that fit, are in good repair and you will wear in public.

3. Try on each and every piece of clothing. This is one basic rule that cannot be broken. Make three piles on the bed: Fits-Too Big-Too Small.
(Everyone is holding on to clothes that are too small. We all have the fantasy that we will lose the weight and get back into those clothes. If it does not fit right now, it does not go back into the closet!)

4. Now you have pruned your clothes down to only those things that fit. Check your regularly worn "rotation clothes" and make sure they are not worn out or dated. Threadbare "rotation clothes" need to be Thrown Away. "Rotation clothes" that are in good condition and clean need to be hung up and prepared to go back in the closet. If they are wrinkled or soiled, wash them before putting them back.

This is a good place to take a break, get another cup of coffee or tea; put on some music to declutter by; and take a deep breath and tackle the rest.

5. A group of clothes that are not allowed back in to your closet are formal clothes that you will never wear again. I would recommend that these dresses go into the Give Away pile. Some bridesmaids dresses make for nice school formal dance dresses. If you have a dress that has some sentimental value such as your senior prom dress that you have held on to for 25+ years, I am not demanding that this dress be discarded. I am asserting, however, that it has no place in your closet.

Formal wear that still fits, is in good repair, that you would consider wearing to a holiday party or other event can go back into the closet. Like your "rotation clothes", look them over and if they are clean and pressed hang them up. If they are not, set them aside and take them to the cleaners.

6. Now lets look at what is left. These are the "sometimes" clothes. The first step is to look at each item and put in the Throw Away pile anything that is faded, has piling, stains, holes, or is otherwise tired. You have gotten your money's worth and it is time to retire them. Next look at the clothes and pull out anything that is not age appropriate. Skirts that are too short, blouses that are too revealing, dresses that offer too much exposure all need to be put in the Give Away pile. There is another group of clothes that you may have in your closet that are no longer appropriate. These might be clothes you wore for a job you no longer have. Keep those items that you may need, but prune way back.

7. Look at each item left on the bed that you have not picked up yet. Is it something you don't wear because you don't like it? For whatever reason you know that you probably won't wear these clothes. Those clothes need to be put in the Give Away pile.

8. Everything that is left now should be clothes that you wear occasionally, fits well, is not worn out, and is appropriate for you age and lifestyle. After inspecting and determining that they are "ready to wear" hang them back in your closet!

Last. Now do the same Throw Away, Give Away, Put Away process with shoes and accessories. Nothing that is not worn on your body should go in your clothes closet!

I don't know why I thought that the computer was going to be different. If I had paper files that were cluttered; why would not my computer files end up cluttered as well. I don't know why but they do. I tend to blame it on the system; nobody showed me a system for the computer. This is where there is a giant smiley face with a wink!

But, one of the things that I do love about the computer and that it opens up a whole world of questions and answers about almost anything you can think up.

Imagine my joy when I came across the following article on one of my favorite blogs,
Zen Habits.com

A 3-Step Cure for Digital Packrats, and
How to Know If You're One of Them!

Every Monday is Productivity & Organization Day at Zen Habits.

"I have a confession to make: until recently, I was a digital packrat.

While my outer life has become fairly simple, as I declutter my home and workspace, and my paper files have also become pretty simple, my digital life was a mess.

I had all kinds of files on my hard drive, just because I thought I might need them. I had all kinds of files in my email, because Gmail storage is so cheap (free) that I felt I didn't need to delete anything. Photos, mp3s, video files, pdfs, word processing documents, spreadsheets, you name it, and I had a bunch of them somewhere.

Trouble is, there are costs to such packrattery. It can slow down your computer, it can complicate your life, it can cost you time in terms of productivity, and it can stress you out more than you know.

How do I know? Because I recently decluttered my digital life to a great extreme, and the relief and speed increases I've found since then have been enormous.

How to Know If You're a Digital Packrat
The main way to know: 1) you feel that you should keep a lot of files "just in case"; 2) it takes you too long to find stuff; 3) your digital life is becoming complicated, with multiple email accounts, drives, storage mediums and either a mess of files or a mess of folders.

But here are a few symptoms:

*1. Do you have 20 or more folders and sub-folders in your documents folder on your hard drive?
*2. Is your list of Internet bookmarks long and overwhelming?
*3. Is your email program nearly full, or do you use more than one email account because of all the storage you need?
*4. Do you have multiple duplicates of photos, and is it hard to find a photo you need?
*5. Is your hard drive 75% full or more?
*6. Do you have multiple accounts for similar things, making it hard to find stuff?
*7. Are any of your digital file systems overwhelming?
*8. Do you have email from 5 years ago?
*9. Do you have project files from 2 years ago?
*10. Do you have folders of stuff to read that would take a year to actually read?

If you answered "yes" to more than one of these questions, more than likely, you're a digital packrat. Welcome to the club!

Now, if being a digital packrat is OK with you, I am not disparaging you. But if you'd like to declutter your digital life and learn the simpler ways of a zen digital existence, see Zen Habits for a cure and some practical tips based on my experience.

Enough Already!:
Clearing Mental Clutter to Become the Best You

Get Peter's Book-Watch Oprah-Clear Out Clutter!

Clutter maintenance will begin when you've achieved your ideal. Your home is a place where you are relaxed and comfortable and inspired to live the life you want. You're surrounded with things that are meaningful to you. You remember the past, look forward to the future, but live in the present. You've found the right balance.

To keep it this way, make sure everyone in your home knows and follows the golden rules:

* If you get it out, put it away.
* If you open it, close it.
* If you finish it, replace it.
* If it's full, empty it.
* If you take it off, hang it up.
* If it's dirty, wash it.
* If it's garbage, trash it.