 Ok. Let's get to it! Now look. be realistic...you cant expect to do everything and clear everywhere at once, can you! There may be a specific piece of tidying you NEED to do, a bit of paperwork needs completing, a BIG job like your tax return to do, but can't get past the rest of the clutter in your head (or on the floor!) to get round to it. Sound familiar? If you are like me, its hard to concentrate on doing something REALLY IMPORTANT unless you are in the right frame of mind and to be in the right frame of mind, I have to feel organised. That doesn't mean that I have to have everything in its place, nice and tidy, before I can do anything (great excuse to do nothing!) but it does mean that I have to clear away the piles of stuff I have accumulated over the last day, week or month ... you know, that pile of paperwork - bills, fliers, newspapers, greetings cards, phone numbers you've jotted down, notes to myself, business cards etc etc, before I can get down to the important stuff. So, where to start.... Stand in the room you NEED to de-clutter first. First of all, allocate a 'dump space' - big enough to put everything that's been left on the floor, table or laying about - that you won't need for an hour or two. I would suggest the sofa if you are in the lounge, the dining table or desk in the dining room or study, the bed in the bedroom and the kitchen table or specific piece of worktop in the kitchen and the bath in the bathroom ... and you will also need a large bin-bag and cleaning equipment. 1) Collect all the 'stuff' laying about on the floor ie cushions, clothes, washing up, CD's, books, paperwork, beanbags etc and put everything that is not 'dirty' or 'waste' on the sofa. 2) Put all your obvious rubbish straight in the bin-bag, and anything that belongs in another room (like your dirty socks or last nights pint glass) in the room they should be in, to sort out when you get to that room. 3) DO NOT even think about opening a cupboard or drawer at this point and start to clear this up at the same time! 4) Clean - the coffee table, TV, windowsill, fireplace, dust shelves (putting anything that shouldn't be there on the sofa), wipe down skirting and doors, put curtains in the wash (check the washing instructions) and then vacuum the floor. 5) That 'stuff' on the sofa, bed, table etc ... If it belongs back on the floor then put it there, on your cleanly refreshed and vacuumed floor. If it belongs in a drawer or cupboard, put it in there (shut your eyes though! DO NOT even think about tipping out that drawer or cupboard yet!). 6) Now clean the 'dump space' (and any bits you may drop on the floor whilst doing this), then... 7) Light a fragrant candle. Now, stand in the room and look around. If you had a surprise visitor, would you feel happy for them to come into this room? If so, well done! If not, just tidy those last bits that are nagging you ... BUT DO NOT even think about opening a cupboard or drawer! So, now you have a decision to make. Do you clear ALL the rooms you want, this way, until you are happy, or maybe just downstairs for now, or is there something in that drawer in that first room that you have cleared, that needs dealing with? Take your time. You cannot clear everything in a day. The most important thing to do though is find that 'dump space' and clear from there and do not start a room that you cannot finish that day. Whether you decide to clear and clean all the rooms first or get straight into that drawer or cupboard.....this is what to do when you do finally reach that drawer..... 1) Using your 'dump space' empty the entire contents of ONE drawer or cupboard onto the allocated surface. Don't do more that one drawer or cupboard at a time unless they are duplicates and have both the same types of stuff in them ie two drawers full of new and old bills and documents, all shoved in together! 2) Clean the empty drawer or cupboard thoroughly. 3) What you do next depends on what is in the drawer or cupboard...I would suggest that you keep the contents of your drawers organised into 'subjects' ie bills in one, photo's & momento's in another, stationary in another etc. Invest in new organiser files (they are very cheap in the supermarkets and you can have a different colour for each 'subject') or keepsake type boxes, or use shoe boxes etc 4) Don't make the mistake of just filing everything in your lovely organisers so they are all put away...you MUST have a 'to deal with' or 'pending' place whether its in a separate pocket in the organiser file or in a separate folder altogether. Shred any documents, letters or old bills that you do not wish to keep. 5) Do not start on a new drawer before you have finished the previous one. If you have something for another drawer or cupboard, just pop it in with your eyes shut...it will be that's drawers turn soon enough! Take your time...... don't overdo it. Try to clear or clean one place a day to keep on top of everything. If you don't feel so good (and if like me you are fairly much bed-bound), just empty that box, drawer or pile of stuff onto the bed with you and sort.... even if it's just sorting the sock drawer! Enjoy looking through your stuff and finding photo's and things you had forgotten. If they were important, make sure you find them an album or folder to be kept safely in this time....and treat each room to a little something new whenever you have finished it......a candle, bunch of flowers or a new photo frame. Perhaps its time you invested in a blanket box or toy box for your room (we can make to order specific sizes). If you need more than the above guidance and would like your own personal 'dump-space' plan please contact me and I will draw you one up, specifically for your own home, hobbies and interests that you can work through. If you need more detailed support clearing out and organising those bills, let me know. |
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So that's it...another Christmas over and a New Year looming. How do you feel? Are you excited about your New Years Eve celebrations and don't want to look further into the future yet? Are you feeling stuck in this horrible 'in-between' nothing time of the year? Are you looking forward with excited anticipation to the year ahead? Are you just taking each day as it comes and the New Year will arrive when it arrives? Are you feeling as though every New Year you start with great resolutions but they never last? Are you feeling you can't ever get it right and this year was no better than the last? Are you happy with your expectations of the year ahead or are you ready to do something to make 2015 different? If you want to make a change, follow Grow Your Own SOUL for some great and practical idea's.... If you feel that you need a more personal service...individual guidance and a step-by step plan to get you through, then 'contact me' for details and costs. Sometimes we have issues and difficulties that make life that bit more complicated: a difficult partner, disabilities, debt, low income etc... this does not mean you cannot change things....it just means that you need a more detailed and careful plan for your future. I would love to hear about how you feel right now about the year ahead....how you plan to meet it - head on or respectfully day-by-day? Let's chat.....  |
