Let's face it, we'll never accomplish anything if we don't have a plan.
I know this comes easier for some than for others. So before I start a mass panic attack by talking about planning, let's think about this for a moment. You already use plans everyday.
When you go to the grocery, you have a plan. Even if it's just to pick up one item - you still have a plan. When you stop for gas, you have a plan. When you go on vacation, you have a plan. When you go to work, stay at home, run through the carwash, you have a plan.
As we begin the work portion of our January Organize-a-thon, let's start with a plan.
This step begins with assessing your whole house, from attic to basement, garage to closets, room by room. If the thought of assessing overwhelms you, ask a friend who's passion is to help you reach your goals, and is serious about helping you purge!
Professional organizers say the more you can emotionally detach from your items during the assessment process, the more your stuff will reveal about you. Does your home reflect you? Does it reflect the "you" you're hoping to be in 2013? Does it reflect the "you" you want to change?
What's holding you back? Ask yourself this question: How can organizing my home and streamlining my belongings benefit you and your family? Here are some positives to consider...
1. It will make your home bigger. Do you feel you're "out of space?" Do you wish for more storage? Organizing will give you both space and storage.
2. It will give your spirit a lift. Do you know that we can be bogged down by emotional clutter? Organizing your belongings will give you a sense that all is exactly where it needs to be.
3. It will give you a chance to see what you have, and what you don't need. Do you really need 3 coffee pots? Okay, maybe the answer to that is yes! But do you really need 2 crock pots, 2 blenders, or 6 spatulas?
4. You'll be proud to invite your friends over again. Keeping your home organized will allow you to invite people over without having to spend a week getting ready for the party!
5. You'll feel like you've moved into a brand new space! It's true! When your belongings are organized, you'll wonder what has held you back for so long. You'll feel as if you just moved into your home!
6. Once you complete one room you'll be hooked. Streamlining and organizing will start to be fun!
7. The things you finally decide to keep will have new meaning to you! It's an act of purging and cherishing. Purge out the things that you don't love, and cherish the things you do love!
Use the one-room-a day technique. Estimate how long it will take you to purge your entire house or apartment. Get out your calendar and start blocking off time! Stick to your schedule, but be flexible! Don't be so rigid that you make this a bad experience for yourself.
January 2012 I started this process in my own home. In the end I filled a 500 square foot storage space with stuff I no longer needed, used, or loved. Our whole family got involved. We started carting off these items to the Goodwill and one load at a time, I started to feel better about our home. Now, I know where things are, and what I have. I no longer purchase duplicate items, lose the things I need, and I know where to put things when I'm finished.
It's a process. Know what? I still have so much more... I find things everyday that I can shed from my life.
You can do this! I'm not saying you have 500 square feet of stuff to discard... but I'm sure you have a few things that are no longer needed! It doesn't have to be done in one week, or a month. YOU decide the timeline! Plan, plan, plan. Then get to work!
Join me this month and get your home back in order! There's no time like the present.
Only By His Grace,
Billie
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