The next three inches.

We're all pretty aware of what's in the first three inches of our cupboards or cabinets,
a drawer or a stack of papers.
But what's in the next three inches?

When we move past the items in the front-those things we use most often, wear most frequently and
left so we'd be sure to find them; what would we find?

Food we'll never prepare,
expired medications or supplies,
a sweater with padded shoulders,
an over due bill or over looked check?

This week, try digging a bit deeper.

Choose a cabinet, drawer or pile of papers 

and sort through it.
What really needs to live in that place?
What needs to be donated or tossed?
What paperwork needs a few minutes of your time and attention?

Maybe spend a few minutes digging a bit deeper personally too.
Are there activities you might be willing to step away from?
Judgments about yourself or others that you'd be willing to let go?
Kind thoughts you'd be willing to articulate in a note to someone special?

It's good to have important things up front and accessible,
and it's wise to be aware of what we're holding on to a bit deeper too.....

Keeping up is easier.

Secret of Adulthood
It’s easier to keep up than catch up.  Gretchen Rubin

Mail, laundry, dishes, house keeping
friendships, work email, putting things away...
Keeping up with these mechanics of daily living,
doing a little bit every day,
prevents them from becoming overwhelming tasks.

Repeating actions on a daily basis creates habits.
Actions become automatic,
and through repetition your situation changes.

Leave the sense of scrambling behind,
and settle into a calmer easier routine.

What can you do today to create the life you want tomorrow?

Move along, move along.......

Sometimes we give up when we need to just move on.

Decluttering and Organizing are processes, not destinations,
and it often takes experimenting with different methods and systems to find the ones that work best for you.

There is no one size fits all approach.
There are certainly guidelines and hints that many people have found useful:
Like with like.
Knowing how many is enough.
That was then, this is now.

However, you will be more successful if you know yourself.
And act from that knowledge.

If you find yourself wanting to just give up and
abandon your decluttering and organizing efforts,
perhaps you just need to change your approach.
Find a different way to deal with mail.
Rethink your laundry routine.
Assign someone else to take care of the doing the dishes.

Try other solutions.
Move on....

The challenge of letting go of things isn't about the item itself, it is about the story surrounding the item.

This is especially true of items with sentimental value.

When you find yourself reluctant to part with an item,
even when you know you don't have the space or the need for it:
Ask yourself what's the story you tell yourself about this piece?

Has it been in the family for years?
Do you associate special events or people with the item?
Does it represent a significant time or place in your life?

Remember the stories and the memories.
Perhaps write them down.
Take a photo of the piece and put it with the story.

Then, be honest about the life you have now.
The amount of space you have in your home.
The real value or usefulness of the object.

Keep the story.
Let go of the stuff........