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Reading time – 5 minutes
The quick declutter challenge is on week 6. The other challenges were to declutter cosmetics, bedrooms, livingroom dining room and office quickly.
It is said that we use 20% of things we own 80% of the time. This leaves 80% of our stuff that we seldom use. For example, do you have a certain style of pens you like and don’t use the rest of the ones in your drawer? You receive lots of newsletters and only read 2 or 3 of them. Do eat the same thing for breakfast most days leaving cereals to go stale or fruit to rot?
Look at your closet, are there clothes you wear a lot? Outfits you love? Items that never seem to get selected? This time of year is good for decluttering your clothes. The types of clothing you wear will be changing with temperature changes. As you reorganize your closet look at the 80% of your clothing you seldom wear and donate them.
Start with a quick declutter of your clothing.
Most times when you are decluttering clothes you find a lot of items in your closet that are not related to your wardrobe. If you have time and energy you can continue with your project organizing your closet so you can quickly find what you need.
If you need help with the quick declutter challenges book a virtual organizing session with me.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home, office, mind and time. She guides and supports you to be accountable for your time, to complete projects and to reach your goals. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
How did the quick declutter challenge 1 – cosmetics go? Did you find it difficult to do it quickly? Did you spend a lot of time making decisions about what to keep and what to let go?
Let’s start with question 1.
Set a timer. A timer can help you
- to focus on the task because there is a deadline for you to stop.
- to start because you know you only have to do the task for a short time and then it is over.
- if you can see or hear the time clicking by, it builds a sense of urgency and importance
Play Music
- Music can help people to focus by blocking out thoughts of other things on their minds.
- Make a playlist of songs that will help to make the decluttering enjoyable.
- Some people will like uptempo music to energize themselves.
- Make your playlist for a set amount of time so when the music is done so is your time for decluttering.
Now for question 2
It can be difficult to make decisions when you are worried you will make the wrong decision. Trust yourself. You make decisions all the time, what to eat, what to wear, where to live and when to exercise. Develop some questions that help you to make decisions. Here are a few examples.
- Do I need this?
- Do I have space for it?
- If I keep it will it help me to meet my goals?
- What is the worst thing that will happen if I don’t have it?
Quick declutter challenge 2 – bedroom
Let me know what else was hiding in your bedroom that you decluttered.
If you need help, let’s work together virtually to declutter your bedroom quickly, julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home, office, mind and time. She guides and supports you to be accountable for your time, to complete projects and to reach your goals. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
The benefits of having a bedroom free of clutter are obvious to see. It is easier to move in the room without tripping on items left on the floor. You can find things on your night table without bumping other items over. Have you thought about how a clutter free bedroom might make you feel? You will feel as though you have a clearer mind when you are in that room, and that might help you unwind and sleep more effectively. When it is less cluttered, you might enjoy being there more and it can become a sacred place. Fortunately, it’s relatively easy to gain a clutter-free bedroom, so let’s take a look at four steps you might not have thought of as a way to achieve that.
Match The Bed To The Room
Have you seen a bedroom with a bed and furniture that takes up all the space so that it is difficult to move around the room? Did you ever think the cluttered feeling could be caused by the size of your bed? Try to match the bed to the room size. A less crowded room is easier to keep clean and organized. When you have a huge bed, one problem is that you might struggle to feel relaxed in that room with no place to move. You might need to visit a mattress store in your area to find better options for your space. Visually your room will look bigger, less crowded and more inviting. You will feel less anxious entering the room and have less stress. Practically it will be easier to get things out, put them away and make your bed every day.
Store Items Under The Bed
This is a simple thing you can do which will make your bedroom less cluttered and visibly cleaner. Storing items under the bed is something that is not always possible – for instance, if you have a divan base that almost touches the floor. Captain’s beds are built with drawers under the bed for storage. Some beds have a base that is hinged to create a storage area in the bed frame. You can create storage under your bed by using bed risers to lift the bed up. When there is space under the bed, make use of it. It’s amazing how this space can be used so you have more room in your closets or dressers.
Minimize Wall Decorations
It can be tempting to go all out and try to decorate your bedroom in a way that is beautiful. You might find it quite beneficial to not go overboard here. In fact, you’ll find that keeping wall decorations to a minimum will lead to a space that has less visual clutter and a much clearer appearance. Put items on the wall that have a calming effect so it is easier to relax and clear your mind as you get ready to sleep.
Store Things Elsewhere
Finally, there is something to be said about not letting the bedroom become a general dumping ground for random items around the home. It is one of the most important rooms in the home and one that you need to care for and respect. It is a space where you rejuvenate your mind and regenerate your body for the next day. It is easy at the end of a tiring day to bring things into the bedroom, put them down and say you’ll put them away tomorrow. Take the extra minute and put them away so you don’t have a constant reminder of an unfinished task when you are trying to go to sleep. Don’t end up with lots of random items cluttering up your restful space.
Usually, I talk about the process of decluttering a room to have less unwanted stuff. These 4 steps approach making a bedroom clutter-free in a different way, through the thoughtful selection of furniture, decoration and storage. They also help to create a room with less visual clutter and mental clutter.
In the comments share how you make your bedroom clutter-free.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices,oachng you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home, office, mind and time. She guides and supports you to be accountable for your time, to complete projects and to reach your goals. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Reading Time – 3 minutes
If you enjoy informatics you will enjoy this blog. Cut the clutter a little each day. Some tasks feel overwhelming. Begin by dividing them into bite-size pieces. Start with the piece that is easiest to tackle, build your confidence and continue on your daily diet making small changes that you can sustain.
My guest blogger is Tom Happ President of Closet Works based out of Elmhurst, IL which for the past 32 years served the Chicagoland area with customized Closet and Storage Solutions. With a team of over 100 staff, each Solution is Designed, Fabricated and Installed to optimize the storage for every room within the home.
Graphic created by Closet Works.
Contact Closet Works or Julie Stobbe for help with planning your organization diet.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of physical activity to reduce clutter, in your home and office. She guides and supports you in managing your time. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
Photo by BBH Singapore on Unsplash
Today I have a guest blogger, Haley Kieser of Zog Digital. She always shares an inspiring fresh approach to freshening up your home.
Organizing a master closet is one of those tasks that usually comes last on the list. Master closets are often where extra things get stored to be dealt with later. Instead of putting off this chore, make your closet functional right now by planning out what you’re going to do and then tackling the make-over.
Clean-Up
Take everything out of the closet. You won’t be doing yourself any favours if you tackle this project with all the things still in it, or by doing part of it at a time. You need to get a fresh start.
While everything’s out, do some paring down. You can use the Marie Kondo method, ask yourself these questions, or simply choose to get rid of items that you haven’t worn in a year or more. If none of these get you to the point of decluttering, consult with a professional organizer.
Lighting
Next, make sure there’s a bright light near or inside your closet so you can easily see your clothing. This may mean simply placing a lamp close by, or if you have the room, installing a light inside. If there’s no existing fixture, you can either hire an electrician to run the wiring inside or choose a wireless lighting option. There are many strong, high-quality LED lights that you can add. Choose the center of the closet as placement for a larger light or pick two or three smaller ones to provide plenty of light across the board.
If there’s already a light inside the closet, consider whether it’s bright enough and whether you like the fixture aesthetically. This is the time to choose something decorative that goes with your personal style, like a fun crystal piece.
Paint
A new coat of paint makes a huge difference inside a closet. Not only will it rid the walls of the wear and tear closets always get, it will also make them seem bigger and brighter. First, pick a shade and finish. WOW 1 Day Painting suggests using semi-gloss paint. This is a shiny finish that reflects light better than satin or eggshell, so you can better see your clothes. Choose a light-toned colour. It doesn’t have to be white but go for the lightest colour in your chosen colour family.
Organizational System
Decide whether your current shelving and clothing rod system is meeting your needs. Perhaps you want more shoe storage or don’t have enough space to hang your clothes.
Measure your closet both horizontally and vertically and sketch out a plan. You can do this on paper (graph paper works best) or use a software tool. When planning, keep in mind that generally, you want to have the things you use every day at your eye level. Little-used clothing, like formal dresses or overcoats, can go in a less-reachable space.
Consider whether or not you like to hang up or fold most of your clothes. If you like to fold them, then you’ll want shelves or drawers more than you want closet rods. Allow 40-42 inches of vertical space for hanging clothes.
There are lots of mostly pre-made closet systems available at home improvement stores these days. These come in single or multiple components, so you can mix and match them for your needs. For instance, if you have a lot of purses, you may want to install cubbies. The good thing about these systems is that they’re easy to install with some basic tools and are already painted.
You can also make your own shelving or hire a professional to do it. If you’re making your own shelving, then you’ll want to do this step before the paint, so you can paint everything at once. You’ll also need some higher-level handyman skills and tools like a table saw to do the job well.
Accessorize
Even if you don’t have much room, you can choose some things like fancy closet hooks to give your space some personal flair when you hang up necklaces and robes. A small chair or pouf to sit on is both practical and can reflect what you like.
Now that your closet system is in place, you can put all your clothing and accessories back. A functional closet is a lot more fun to use, and the organization system will make it easy to keep neat.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home and office. She guides and supports you in managing your time. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
