Pesky precarious piles.

Pick a pile. Chances are somewhere in your house there’s a pile. Perhaps several! Mail, clothes, magazines, folded laundry, books, empty dvd cases, newspapers, dishes. Choose one of the piles. Before you dig in, and start sorting and rearranging; consider what caused it in the first place. Were you in a hurry and tossed things there thinking you’d deal with it later? Did you get distracted in the middle of a project? Was the storage place for the item too far away from where you used it? Did you lay something on the pile so you’d know where it was, only for it to get buried beneath other things you were leaving out as reminders? Do you not have an effect system for dealing with things you encounter on a daily basis? If you want to eliminate the pile it on, pile falls over, pile finally gets dealt withscenario, you need to change the habits behind the actions. Not as daunting as it may at first seem.  Really. The most important habit you can develop is to pay attention. Don’t be so fixated or distracted by the next thing you have to do that you ignore what’s in front of you. Dealing with items one time, while you have them in your hand, beats having to come back later, rummage around for where you hurriedly dropped it, or  deal with a falling over/slid to the floor pile. Have homes for things in the rooms where you actually use them. If you read in the bedroom, have a bookcase in there.  If you take off your robe in the bathroom, have a hook on the door so it doesn’t end up piled on a chair. Figure out where you drop the mail on your way in and create a simple, easy to follow system for dealing with it, right then, right there. Be honest with yourself-do you really need to have the newspaper delivered every day?  How many unopened issues of a magazine are in the pile? Are you ever going to take that pile of clothes to the consignment store? Stop the piles before they start by:             Paying attention.  Be present in this moment.             Use the Two Minute Rule.             Close the circle. (Take it out.  Use it.  Put it away)             Set up and use simple systems. Okay, now go and deal with one of those pesky piles! Your life, your choices, your results. Karen   www.LifeUnstuffed.com

Outdoor clutter. Before and after.

Before

After

Okay, this is a whole other kind of sorting, prioritizing and organizing...
In truth, it was just a chance to Go Outside and Play!
I invite you to take time for Play-however you define it.....

It's your life, your choices.
Karen


Inspired by Andy Goldsworthy and the documentary Rivers and Tides.

A feat for your feet.

The change in seasons means a change in wardrobe.

Sandals move to the back of the closet, shoes and boots move to the front.

With that comes daily visits to the sock drawer.

What a great opportunity to do some sock wrangling, sorting and purging.

I know you’ve all been practicing

Decluttering Rule #5:  Make your bed everyday.

So, spill the contents of your sock drawer onto the bed and let’s have some fun!

Have a trash container and a donation bag standing by.

Start by tossing all the single socks in a pile.

Next, grab all the pairs you know are too big, too small, too baggy, too tight, too ugly.

Add any of them that still show promise to the donation bag. 

Toss the rest.

(Remember to only donate items that are clean and in good condition)

Now, ask yourself, “How many is enough?” 

(Dressy socks, athletic socks, fun or themed socks)

Decide on a number or a spatial amount. 

The drawer one pair deep, so all the socks are visible when you open the drawer with a bit of room still available, is a reasonable goal.

With your limit in mind, sort through the remaining socks; choosing your absolute favorites, until you reach the number (or you’ve filled the space).

If among the orphan socks you sorted out at the beginning there is a favorite, and you think its mate is in the current laundry, set that sock aside.

If its mate fails to appear at the end of the laundry cycle, send it on to One Sock Heaven. 

(And no, I don’t know where all those single socks hide)

Take the bag of trash socks and throw it away, put the bag of donate socks into your car so you’ll actually give it away.

Open and close the newly organized sock drawer a couple times just to bask in the glow of a task completed.  And know that now, every sock in the drawer fits, has a mate and will give you happy feet while you have them on.

(No more exploding drawer when you try to open it, or trying to stuff just one more pair in before four jump out!)

Oh, and if the laundry chore of sock matching, folding, pairing up is too tedious or frustrating for you, here’s an idea to simplify it:

            Get rid of all the socks you now own.

            Buy a multi pack of white socks and a multi pack of black socks.

When these socks come out of the dryer, toss them into your sock drawer.

Grab two whites or two blacks when you get dressed.  You’ll always have a matching pair.

In a year or so, toss all the socks, buy two more packs and start again.

Organizing your sock drawer is a ‘little bite’ out of the big project of decluttering and organizing your home.  Spending a small amount of concentrated time now will reward you in the future.

And you’ll be able to find your special Halloween socks, now, instead of in December!

Today the socks, tomorrow?

Karen 

Knowing all the answers.....

You are not here to judge or know all the answers. 

You are here to be the creative conduit of heaven and earth, as Chinese Medicine likes to say, and dance with the great mystery of life.

When you feel the pure wonder of the inner and outer realms coursing equally through your own veins, and experience your life as a series of joyful learning experiences, you are fully embodying your true nature. 

You become a cascade of gratitude, a font of appreciation for the majesty of life pouring through you.  Terah Kathryn Collins

Dance with a joyful heart....

Karen

Circles

Complete the circle.

Consider every task, each routine, all your interactions as circles.

Most of us are great at beginnings, pretty good at middles but don’t necessarily manage our endings.

It is often our failure to close the circle that allows clutter to creep into our lives and homes.

We bring in the mail, we may even sort through it but we fail to complete the circle when we don’t pay the bill when it’s due, or respond to the invitation or make the appointment.

We do the laundry, get things folded and stacked up but never quite get it back in the closet.

We carry our dirty dish in from watching the movie, set it on the counter, but fail to put it into the dishwasher.

Someone does something kind or generous for us, we appreciate the gesture, but never thank or acknowledge them.

Take it out.  Use it.  Put it back.

Open it. Read it.  Respond, recycle or shred it.

Converse.  Pay attention.  Respond with kindness.

Pay attention to your endings.  

Complete your tasks and transactions.

And when the circle is complete, move on.

It’s your one Big Life.

Make conscious choices.

Karen