Tag Archives: decluttering

How To De-Clutter a Room

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Remember,

De-cluttering and organizing your home is not about getting rid of everything. It’s about surrounding yourself with the things that speak to you, make you feel happy, and reflect the person that you are.

Make the appointment and keep it!

Respect yourself enough to show up. Respect yourself enough to keep the appt like you would respect your friend, co-worker, business associate, or your Dr, Hair dresser, child’s teacher, etc. Why not? You are just as important as they are to your life.

Gather equipment. A donate box, and/or clear plastic bag, a dump bag and/or box, and a delegate bin. This is for those things that are going to another room or place like a garage or storage space.

Turn on some music.

Set the timer for 20 minutes.

Listen to the ticking to focus on the task.

Zone in on one area at a time. You’re keeping only the items that have a home and deserve that prime real estate.

Honour the item if it does.

Use it or lose it.

Use your good things now.

It’s not the end of the world if you have to replace a piece or two.

Donate, Delegate, Dump   Remove to containers. Don’t think long about each item.

Designate a permanent donate container. This is especially useful in the closet.

Sort like with like.  You will eventually designate zones for items that are alike. This makes things easier to find. I know if something is a paper, it’s in my office zone.

Acknowledge your progress - even if you don’t do it perfectly. Focus on what you ARE doing.

Reward yourself: You choose! When the timer goes off, decide if you’re on a roll, and keep up the momentum, or reward yourself with a break, even if it’s just a stop for a cup of tea with your feet up. But time the break also, if you plan on doing more. When I’m involved with a task, it seems that I work beyond the 20 minutes, and

5 Small Steps to Start your Holiday Season

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I just can’t help it! I have to start writing about the season. The blanket of snow outside my front porch is so beautiful at the moment, while I’m cozy in my robe. I’m allowed, today, because I just finished my 2 12 hour night shifts at the hospital. This 5 day-off segment is going to be packed full of both business and social activities.

I’ve been surfing and reading about the trends in holiday decorating for 2011, and none of it really surprises me.

This year you will see a blend of both silver and gold together in the same setting.

Bling, bling, bling! I love both, although I’ve been using silver the past few years.

This early in the season, there are a few things that you can do to get a head start on your holiday decor. Remember, think of the small steps, the tasks, rather than the whole project at hand.

1. A simple wreath in either natural green or pure white will show your neighbours that you’re in the spirit already.

2. The next time you’re in any store that has Christmas decor,  take a stroll down the aisle,  just for a look at what’s happening.

3. Have a peek at your boxes of last year’s decorations.  Are there things that you’ve tired of? If they don’t represent the holiday that you want this year, take a box over to your donation store. Someone else will surely enjoy them.

4. Personally, I wait for Dec 1 to put up my tree, but now is the time to start de-cluttering that space. Don’t add to the decor, replace instead. Simplify, simplify!

5. If you choose to send greeting cards this year, get out your address book, update it by checking the white pages on your computer for postal codes, addresses, etc. New friends this year? Business contacts? You may want to add them to your list. Just sayin’!