Maybe, maybe not.

Indecision may or may not be my problem.  Jimmy Buffett

Here's to a New Year where you decide:
to buy less,
be more organized,
spend more time with people you care about,
and let go of things you no longer use, love, or value.

Your choices create your life.
(Go ahead, be amazing!)

Make your own meaning......

“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow,
stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so?
It came without ribbons.
It came without tags.
It came without packages, boxes or bags.
And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before.
What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store.
What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”
                                                                                   Dr Seuss

Clutter free giving.

Give someone the benefit of the doubt.
Give blood.
Give an encouraging word.
Give up one reason you beat yourself up.
Give applause to a co worker.
Give up the need to be right.
Give a sincere thank you to the cashier.
Give up a grudge.
Give yourself credit for how far you've come.
Give someone you love a warm embrace.
Give a smile to everyone today.  Yes, everyone.
Give up one expectation for the Holiday.
Give away something you no longer use, love or value.
Give time to a cause you believe in.

Forgive someone. (Even if they don't know it.)
And forgive your own imperfections while you're at it.

And finally:
Give yourself the gift of the choosing a whole hearted life.
Choose who and what has meaning, and where and how you want to spend your time.
Embrace your whole big wonderful amazing messy imperfect life.

 

Experiences not stuff

Make memories not clutter with the gifts you give this year.

Experiences not stuff, create opportunities to share time and
new activities with the people you love and care about.

Indoors or outdoors,
just the two of you
or in a group.
Something active or quiet,
nostalgic or totally techno.

Here's some ideas to get you started:
Rent a kayak
See a musicalLearn to cook Hear a great authorRise above it allAh...ChocolateVisit the past

Building and nurturing relationships means spending time together.
Give the gift of your time; sharing an experience and making memories.

Tis the Season......

The Season of Shoulds

You should decorate the house.
You should do Elf on the Shelf every day.
You should join the gift exchange at work.
You should make thoughtful  hostess gifts.
You should volunteer at the Christmas party.
You should find the perfect gift for Aunt Carol.
You should make five kinds of Christmas cookies.
You should shop locally to support small businesses.
You should shop on line because everyone says it's easier.
You should be as clever as Martha Stewart (and her staff).
You should be as effortlessly artistic everyone on Pinterest.
Oh. And you should feel Merry and Bright.

Oh no, oh no, oh no,
with all this shoulding,
how can you possibly feel any Ho Ho Ho?

Here's my decluttering suggestion:
Stop the shoulding.

Take one giant step backwards 

(Mother may you?  Yes, you may!)
Take a deep breath.
In fact take two or three.

Ask yourself, "What traditions, rituals, and activities,
truly have meaning in the life I'm living right now?"
"How do I want to spend my time this month?"
"What experiences and feelings do I want to create for myself and those people I care about?
Everything else is holiday clutter.
Seasonal shoulds.

Chances are your celebration will have a new look and feel.
Perhaps be smaller and less elaborate.
And it will be easier, less frantic and actually
reflect what the season truly means to you........

Two words

Thank you.

That's it.

No need to elaborate, explain, or embellish.

Acknowledged silently to yourself or
spoken quietly to another.
Two words that honor how rich your life truly is.

Be grateful for the life you're creating.

How we spend our days is, of course, 

how we spend our lives.  Annie Dillard

How are you spending your days?
What are you buying with your time?
What are you willing to pay to have the life you want?

Your life,
your choices.

Finish the task.

Clutter is often the result of not finishing a task.
Dirty dishes piled in the sink.
Mail half sorted left on the desk.
Laundry folded but not put away.
Bags from the store abandoned  on the table.
Toys or games in the middle of the floor.

I know that distractions happen.
We get interrupted in the middle of a chore.
Someone needs our help and attention; right this minute.

However, if we go back to the task we were working on and
finish it before we move to the next thing, the clutter will be eliminated.

Follow through on your intentions to:
Sort the mail everyday.
Wash, fold and put away the laundry.
  One load at a time.
Empty and put away everything from every bag
  when you get home from the store.
Factor in time not only for playing the game, but
  for cleaning up the pieces and putting it away at the end of play time.

Close the circle.
Finish what you were working on before you start on a different task.
Complete the steps necessary to be done with that project.
Focus your energy on one area at a time.

Not only will there be less physical clutter,
there will be less mental clutter too.
There'll be no need to remember all the half completed jobs clamoring for your attention.
Of course there will still be plenty of tasks,
but you will be taking care of them completely,
one at a time.  

Know your tendencies.

Most of what we do all day is habitual and routine.
Although that makes our lives easy,
those behaviors may contribute to not making changes-
even if we've expressed a desire to do so.

Gretchen Rubin's latest book, Better Than Before is about mastering the habits of our every day lives.

Part of that mastery comes from knowing ourselves.
One way to know ourselves is to become aware of our tendencies.
Paying attention to how we act and react in certain situations,
what motivates us,
why some change is easy for us,
and why we struggle in other situations.

Take Gretchen's Four Tendencies Quiz and find out if you tend to be
An Upholder, a Questioner, a Rebel, or an Obliger.
According to Gretchen:
"Upholder—accepts rules, whether from outside or inside. An upholder meets deadlines, follows doctor’s order, keeps a New Year’s resolution.
Questioner—questions rules and accepts them only if they make sense. They may choose to follow rules, or not, according to their judgment.
Rebel—flouts rules, from outside or inside. They resist control. Give a rebel a rule, and the rebel will want to do the very opposite thing.
Obliger—accepts outside rules, but doesn’t like to adopt self-imposed rules."

These are not necessarily hard and fast rules about behavior or personality.
The quiz and the categories are intended to help you know yourself a little better by seeing how you 'tend' to act.

Changing our actions, reactions and habits can be challenging.
Perhaps with a sliver of insight that knowing your Tendency might offer, you may find those changes come a bit easier.
You may see how you can use your Tendency to support
the new habits you are interested in creating.

Here's a surprise, (not) I tend to be an Upholder.
(Although I never make New Year's Resolutions)

An alternative to When/Then.

How often do you think When ______ happens,
Then I will do ___________?

Somehow we think there will be more time tomorrow,
or that waiting to begin on a Monday will be better,
or having new equipment 

or supplies will make the project perfect,
or that you'll have more energy later,
or an number of reasons (excuses) to put off starting.

Start today.
Start now.

Don't wait until you have three free hours to tackle your closet.
Begin today by just pulling out all the empty hangers.
Putting all the known ugly, don't fit, won't wear, out of style, what were you thinking clothes in a bag for donation. 

Don't wait until life is calmer to revisit your meditation practice.
Sitting for five minutes today will make a difference.

Forget about starting a new diet on Monday.
Go for a ten minute walk at lunch today.
Take the stairs instead of the elevator.

Ignore the pile of mail on the table.
Start with what came today:
Recycle the junk mail, note the due date on the bills,
set aside the items you want to read.

Tomorrow has the same 24 hours as today.
If you're motivated enough to consider change;
act on that change right now.

Taking a small step today has greater impact
than never taking the big step tomorrow.

Act now.
Your time and space are limited.

Choose to act today to create the life you really want.

Stop waiting.
Start doing.

Sort. Prioritize. Organize. (Before and After)

Before

After

HAPPY FALL!

Tonight, take five.

This evening set aside five minutes, use the timer on your phone if necessary,and straighten up one room.

We're not talking a thorough cleaning, we're talking getting rid of the trash and recycle, picking up the books or clothes, putting things away that have been left out,
loading the dishwasher, folding the clean laundry on the chair, dealing with the day's mail,
whatever decluttering you can get done in one room in five minutes.

As you have experienced with the Two Minute Rule (If you can do it in two minutes or less, do it now)
you can get an amazing amount done in just a few minutes.
And it saves you from having to go back later to complete tasks.

Working for just five minutes you'll see the evidence of which tasks you fail to follow through on.
Dirty dishes left behind?  Piles of papers?   A trail of dropped clothes?  Incomplete projects?
Small amounts of time and little changes in routines can have a longterm effect on how your space looks, feels and functions.

Spend five minutes this evening and get up to a less cluttered space tomorrow.

Wild and precious.

Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?  Mary Oliver

Make memories or buy stuff?
Have experiences or collect things?
Accumulate on line friends
  or nuture your in person relationships?
Aquire clutter or create space?

Make choices that support a heartfelt life.......

Step away from the sale rack.

Oh, it's tempting, I know.
Prices reduced by 10, 20, 50%.
How can you pass up such a great deal?

But before you grab that bargain
and make your way to the checkout, ask yourself:
"How is this one better than the one I already have at home?"
"Where will this live?"
"Is this what I came to the store to purchase?"
"Is this something I need, or merely want?"
"If it weren't on sale, would I even be considering it?"
"How many is enough?"

One of the best ways to prevent your home from being cluttered and disorganized is to 

make conscious decisions about what you bring home.
Practice the One in, One Out rule.

No matter how much and item is marked down,
how much money you save buy buying it on sale;
if you don't need it and it is only going to become clutter-
You paid 100% too much!

Become aware of the sources and costs of your clutter.        

Use what you have.

It is easy to think if only I had the perfect __________ then I could organize my ___________.
If I could just find the right ______________ then I could keep track of my ______________.

Often we write things down but then can't find 

the paper once we want it.
Or we make a list that gets misplaced or forgotten.
Or we have random notes and receipts left here and there 

all over the house.

Sometimes the solution is closer at hand than you may think.
If not literally in your hand, then certainly within reach; your phone.

Although there are hundreds of apps, you can use the basic Notes/Lists feature.

For example, in Notes I have a list for Fred Meyer and Trader Joes.
That way I always have my shopping list with me.
When someone mentions a book I might like to read, 

I add the title to my Books note.
Same with Movies.
If I see an idea for an art project, 

or I get an idea for a blog post; it goes under Ideas.
Restaurants I want to try?  Restaurants.
You can be as specific or as vague as suits your needs.

A receipt you think you may need in the future?  

Take a quick picture of it.

You can easily delete or trash items once they are 

no longer needed or relevant.

Why write things on a piece of paper, 

if later you can't find the paper
or you end up entering it in your phone anyway?
(A chance to practice the Two Minute or Less Rule)

If you are looking for more ways to find/search/organize/share your notes,
Evernote or Google Keep are great options.

Changing the habit of writing things on a scrap of paper,
adding items to the grocery list on the fridge, or
stuffing receipts into your purse or pocket
takes time, but
I think helps uncluttered your life.

Where else in your home and life can you
Use What You Have?

Letting go

But when we really delve into the reason for why we can’t let something go, there are only two:
An attachment to the past or a fear for the future.  Marie Kondo

How much room in your current life do you want to fill with items from your past?
How does being afraid of the future serve the life you currently want to be creating?

Is letting go easy?
Not always.
However, holding onto things we no longer need, use or value doesn't simplify our lives.
And anxiety or worry about what may happen in the future
keeps us from being present with the abundance we now enjoy.

Practice letting go.
Of clothes that don't fit.
Books you'll never read.
Household items you no longer use.
Sports equipment you don't play with.
Thoughts about situations out of your control.

Be present to the life you have now,
have it reflect who and what are your most heartfelt desires.

Your life.
Your choices.

Invisible clutter

The visual clutter is usually obvious.
(Unless you've gotten to the point where you don't see it, or just ignore what you do see....)

There is also invisible clutter.
One type is mental clutter.
The plans, the fretting, the worries, the replay of conversations,
the trying not to forgets, the I'll get to in a minutes.

You know it is effective to spend ten minutes
sorting and decluttering a shelf or drawer.
Ten minutes of mental decluttering can have powerful results also.

A simple way to do this is to grab a pice of paper,
set a timer for ten minutes and do a brain dump.
List everything you've been worrying about,
planning, dreading, meaning to get to, hoping to find time for, etc.
Don't edit, censor or worry about spelling.

Keep writing until the time is up.
(You may be surprised what comes up after the initial few minutes)

Just getting it all out of your head is a relief.
You'll open up a bit of mental breathing room.
And will ease the tension and some anxiety.

Now go back over the list and figure out:
What's important with regard to the life you want to be living?
What can you can let go?

See if there are things
you can take care of with a phone call, an email or text.
Perhaps there are items you can add to a project list.
Or you can delegate to someone else.

Sometimes just the act of writing things down is freeing enough.
Or gives you perspective on how important or silly some of your thoughts and worries may be.
And helps you see your true priorities.

It's important to have our physical spaces organized so
we can access what we need when we need it.
Making sure we have mental space available is just as necessary for us to be able to make good decisions and use our time and energy wisely.

Be kind.

Be kind.To yourself.
To the people you love.
To the people who annoy you.

Grant people safe passage.
Really, you have no idea what's going on
in their heads and hearts.
Or what challenges life is presenting them in this moment.

No, it won't always be easy.
But it will always make a difference....

What would you grab?

There are serious wild fires burning all over the the West.
Dry conditions, challenging terrain, shifting winds, 

and crews stretched thin
mean that people are being evacuated quickly and sometimes with very little time to prepare.

If it were you, your house, your belongings, the evidence of your life-what would you grab?
Once you had gathered family, pets, important papers and your phone and computer, what else?

Obviously, there is no right or wrong answer to this question.

What is important and meaningful is different for everyone of us.
What we cherish, what we couldn't replace, what would we want or need surrounding us to make us feel at home and safe is as individual as we are.

We think this will never happen to us.
And hopefully it never will.
But that doesn't mean it might not be a good exercise
to consider the question....

My thoughts go to the victims of these fires
as well as the dedicated crews and support people 

trying to manage these situations.
It is hard for everyone involved.
May they each have moments of grace.

This does present a great opportunity for me to remind people to spend a few minutes and 

create an Emergency File.
(Paper if that works for you, digital if you're more comfortable with that)
Consider keeping this information either in a fire proof safe in your home, in your bank safe deposit box, or the Cloud.
Have your account numbers, policy numbers, passwords and id information, a list or video of your valuables, 

as well as other important documents
you might need in the event of even a partial loss.
I hope you will never need to access this file.

The Clutter Creep

No, I don't mean some less than desirable person lurking around.
I am referring to the situation where once you have an area organized, somehow little bits of clutter start 

creeping back in.

One way to avoid the creep is before items ever even enter your home.
When you're at the store and considering a purchase,
remember the One in, One out rule
and ask yourself,
"What will this replace?"
"Is this better than the one I already have?"
"Do I have room for this and where will it live?"
"Do I have the time and energy to use and maintain this?"
"Does this reflect the life I really want to be living?"

It isn't necessarily buying things that causes the clutter.
It is when we shop mindlessly or for entertainment or
to impress others that what we purchase ends up being clutter.

Be mindful of the decisions you are making in the store.
Your home doesn't  have room for the Clutter Creep or Justin Case!

Your invisible friend

You know, the guy that's been sharing your 

home and storage spaces.

The guy that whispers what if when you're getting ready to donate something you no longer need, use or value.
The guy that is math challenged and can't ever figure out how much is enough.
Or keeps encouraging you to pile things higher and deeper on the shelves in the garage, the floor of the basement, and the corner of the attic.

You know the the guy I mean, Justin.
Justin Case.

It really is time for you to kick the bum out!
And have him take his unneeded, no longer used, what if stuff with him.

Chances are really really good that all that stuff you've been keeping just in case
you will never need, want or have any use for again.

However, if in a month, or six, you find yourself in need of something you've donated, sold or given away;
you certainly have the brains and ability to get another one.
Or repurpose something you own to do the job,
or borrow the item, buy the item used,
or maybe purchase a new, better version of the one you let go.

You really only have room in your home 

and life for things that are
important and valuable to you.
Don't waste time, space or energy keeping things for Justin Case.
(Trust me, he is taking up valuable space in many people's houses,
he doesn't need room in yours!)

One of Gretchen Rubin's Secrets of Adulthood is:
 Focus Not on Doing Less, or Doing More, 

but on Doing What You Value.  

Which got me thinking, and considering variations:
Focus Not on Buying Less, or Buying More, 

but on Buying What You Value.

Or
Focus Not on Working Less, or Working More, 

but on Valuing your Work.

Or
Focus Not on Saving Time, or Spending more Time, 

but Value the moment you're in.

I assume you are getting the gist.
And that your mind may have started generating 

some Less/More Secrets of its own.

We get to choose where we spend our time, energy and money.
We decide what has value in our lives.
Sometimes we need less of some things
or  more of other things.
Sometimes we have just the right amount.

May your values inform your choices.

Mental clutter

Mental clutter.
Repetitive thoughts, circular arguments, replaying past conversations,
holding on to anger, regret, should haves, could haves, would haves,
worrying about tomorrow, picking at past hurts and disappointments;
you get the idea.

For today, decide which piece of mental clutter you're willing to let go.
Choose one thought, story, memory, continuous sound loop that
no longer supports the life you want to be living.
Just take a breath and let it go.
(And the next time it pops up, let it go again.  And again.)

No matter how many times you revisit the conversation,
no matter how wrong you think they were,
no matter how justified you are in your indignation:
You can't change the past.

But you can control how you let the past color your present.
Do a bit of mental decluttering and see what opens up.....

Close the circle.

Clutter is often the result of a distraction or a delayed decision.

You will get an item from its home, use it and then spot a
bright shining object, oops
you're distracted and the item never gets put away.
And you've moved onto something else.

Or you buy something,
bring it home, but
haven't decided where it will live
so it gets left out,
causing clutter.

Make a practice of closing the circle.
Get the item.
Use it.
As soon as it is no longer needed
close the circle
by putting it back in its home.

Before you buy and bring something new home
decide what it is going to replace,
and where it will live.
Then when you bring it home,
discard the old one and
close the circle by putting the new one away.

You close the circle when you:
Place the dirty dish into the dishwasher,
Put the folded laundry away.
Shred the mail as you open it.
Hang up your towel.
Drop off the bags of donations.

Close the circle.

Have nothing........

"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be   useful, or believe to be beautiful."

                                                                         William Morris

Alas, no fairies...

Nope.
No fairies to sprinkle magic Make the Clutter Disappear dust.
No witch to wiggle her nose and the counters become clutter free.
No Fairy godmother with a magic wand.

Sometimes you just have to do the work.

Choose the project,
decide on the goal,
make the time,
and then start the process.

If you find yourself denying, delaying,
ambivalent or shoulding on yourself:
Look at why you are even considering the project.
Do you really want a change?
Is it really worth the time and energy?
Do you honestly believe your life will be happier, easier
more alined with your values and beliefs if you
complete the project and alter your situation?

If so, then do the work.
If not, make peace with that choice.

(ps.  It's okay to ask for help......)

A little bit happier.

Just a small bit of happiness can make life better.

Instead of waiting for a big change,
a huge Aha moment,
a totally organized house,
your weight to be perfect,
more money in your savings account,
or the garden to be weed free.

Make one small change and let that be enough.

Organize one drawer.
Go for a ten minute walk instead of eating a cookie.
Skip the latte and toss the money into your 

Vacation Fund jar.
Weed the four feet closest to the front door.

Let yourself experience that little flash of joy that comes
when your small actions reflect your bigger values.

Little bites.
First steps.
Small changes.

It all adds up.

Every choice moves you toward 
or away 
from the life you want to be living.

THE easiest storage solution.

Store it at the store.

Now that is a brilliant way to simplify your storage needs!

There is a balance between having what you use and need available to you, and not turning your home into a warehouse of items you bought 'on sale', or Justin Case, or because it came in a multi pack.

The best storage 'home' for some things is right on the shelf or the rack at the store.

Let them use their square footage so you don't need to waste any of yours.

Often what you  think you save, in money or time or convenience; you end up paying for in clutter, crammed closets and drawers, or forgotten about stock piles and caches.

The more you have on hand the more money you've spent,
the more storage places you need to create,
the more you need to keep track of,
the more you need to maintain.

Take advantage of the free, unlimited storage the store has available.
Choose less to have more........

Not a competition

As you are going through the uncluttering process, remember that there isn’t a competition to see who can have the fewest things.
The purpose of uncluttering is to right-size your possessions and commitments so that you can focus on what matters to you most.  UnClutterer.com

You get to choose how many is enough.
Make choices that reflect who and what you value,
and the life you want to live.

Simple and clever organizing tricks.

I love it when I see ideas for organizing that aren't  just prettifying but are clever and functional.
And ideas that reuse or repurpose items people already own
I find especially helpful.
Looking good is an added bonus.

Lynette Thomas, friend and amazing real estate professional, recently posted this link to several great organizing tips.
Some may be familiar to you and some may be things you could scurry right off and take care of today.

Make the mechanics of daily living easier.
Create homes where items are used,
Store things in accessible places, and
Establish easy systems and simple tricks
to reduce and  eliminate clutter.

Rip off these ideas or come up with some of your own.
Choose and create ways to make your life as simple
and easy as possible.

(Thanks to Sally for sharing Lynette's post)

Keep it close.

One way to avoid creating clutter is:
Have what you need near where you use it.

Sort the mail over the recycle bin.
Keep your sheets in the bedroom.
Store the stamps in the same place as the envelopes.
Charge your phone where you lay it down when you get home.
Stash a supply of clean empty bags in the bottom of each trash can.
Have a donation bag in your closet so you as soon as you decide it isn't 'you', it can be on its way.

Eliminating steps; both physically and literally, 

simplifies your life.

Life is complicated enough.

Keep the mechanics of daily living as simple and routine as possible.

The math of donating.

Donating is more than just the math of subtracting something from your home that you not longer need, use, love or value.  (Or that you've been keeping for Justin Case)

There is the math of subtracting the value of your donation from your taxes.

There is the plus of the jobs your donations help create at the organization your donation supports.

There is the plus of the money your donation generates when the items sell.

There is the plus of meeting the need of the person buying your item who will use, love and value it.

Do the math.

Beat the clock.

Two Minute Rule:  

If you can do it in two minutes or less, do it now.

Not on the counter, into the dishwasher.
Don't put it down, put it away.
Make the phone call.
Pay the bill.
Hang it up.
Recycle it.

Don't think, 'I'll do it later'.  You won't.
Avoid touching things multiple times.
Quit piling, stacking, ignoring.

Thirty seconds now eliminates clutter in the future.

Go ahead. Choose.

"Most decisions don’t require extensive research." 
Gretchen Rubin, Secrets of Adulthood

Analysis Paralysis  keeps many people from moving forward in their lives.
Fear of making the wrong decision or not considering every possibility keeps ideas churning in our heads and prevents us from committing to an action and allowing things to unfold.

Very very few decisions are irreversible and often we don't know where our choices may actually lead us.
How often have we thought that if I do A. then B. will follow along?
Only to have C. or even K., L or P options rear their heads?

Quit trying to figure every angle, every possibility, every scenario.
Pay more attention to your gut and less attention to the voices swirling around and around in your head.

Make a choice.
Be willing to live with it until you need to make a different choice.
You can handle the consequences.  

I have every confidence in you.

There will always be options.

Word clutter

The clutter of unnecessary  words and repetitive thoughts keep us from having the calm and relaxed life we want.

Too often in conversation we are not listening to the other person, just mentally rehearsing our next comment and polishing our point of view.

Before you offer your next bit of advice, argument or observation; ask yourself, "Is this kind and is this helpful?"
If the answer is no, keep silent.
Don't comment.
Don't suggest.
Don't escalate an argument.
Allow there to be the space of silence.

Really, wouldn't you rather be kind than right?
(If not, why is being right so important?)

 Just as you choose which physical items to have in your life,  mindfully choose which words you want in your conversations.