“Organized people are just too lazy to look for things.”

This quote made me laugh and rang totally true.

Being organized means I can be lazy.
And that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

I don’t have to spend my time looking for misplaced items or
shopping for duplicates or digging through piles.

By employing the adage “Work smarter, not harder”,
I am able to make many of the mechanics of daily living  routine and habitual,
so they require minimum effort on my part.

In this case lazy doesn’t mean I don’t get things done or
I spend my time gazing out the window avoiding projects or responsibilities.
(Although I do enjoy the view outside my windows.)

It does mean I have more time to work on projects because
I know where my supplies are and I can easily access them, use them,
and put them away when I’ve finished.

It means I have time to honor my responsibilities and relationships
because I have made them, not my stuff, my priority.

True, it is going to take some non lazy effort to sort through your stuff,
prioritize and then organize it.
Create homes, systems and habits to insure that the things you use,
love and treasure are where you need them when you want them.

Then the laziness can begin in earnest!

Live the life you truly want.
Why would you do otherwise?

 “That was then. This is now” is one of the mantras I teach my clients.  
(In my least bossy voice, of course)

One source of clutter comes from holding on to items connected to a life we no longer live.
(Or ever did for that matter)

Supplies for a hobby we stopped engaging in years ago.
Sports equipment from an activity we abandoned.
Clothes from a different body or life style.  
Supplies for a Do It Yourself project that will never happen.

We want to believe that our lives, tastes and commitments haven’t changed.
That we have the same bodies, abilities and interests we had two, five, or ten years ago.

What’s true is that isn’t the case.
If those hobbies and activities were important to us,
we would be making time and room in our current lives to do them.

Admit it’s over.

Take an objective look at what’s living in your closets, stacked on your shelves,  
or piled in the garage that no longer has use or meaning in your life.  
Get rid of the unused, excess, nagging, guilt inducing stuff.

If you’re not quite ready to let go of things
(or is it what they represent that has the hold on you?),
set yourself a deadline.
If you haven’t pulled out the yarn, played tennis,
or refinished the chair by X date,
be willing to admit it and let the items go.

I invite you to take look at what you’ve been holding on to that
no longer serves the life you want to be living now.

Admit that yes, you’re done with that hobby, activity or project.

It’s okay, really.

Give the supplies, equipment and clothes to people who will use them,
right now, for the lives they are presently living.

Your letting go will create space in your house and life; physically, mentally and emotionally. 

You’ll have more room for this life, the one you’re engaged in right now.

Make that life a reflection of the people and activities that feed your soul and fill your heart.

Choosing to live an uncluttered life starts with wanting to get rid of distractions.
Once this desire is present, you begin to see your life from this new perspective.
When your mindset has changed, your actions will follow.
                                                                                                            Unclutterer.com

What’s distracting you?
What action could you take today, in the next five minutes,
that could move you forward to a less cluttered life?

Your life.
Your choices.

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…..

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?

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……..

Feel like you’ve fallen off the being organized wagon?
It happens.

Begin again.

Today, hang up your coat.
Sort the mail when you bring it in.
Put the folded clothes away.

Take little steps.
Make small changes.
Pay attention.

Seriously, every moment is a chance to begin again.
You have the knowledge, the power and the ability
to create the life you want.

This was in my email In Box today and I thought it was too good not to share:

Here’s a question for you to ponder: do you spend your money or do you invest it? Do you spend your time in various activities or do you invest it? How about your energy and physical abilities: spend or invest? The difference in these two words can make a big difference in the results you are enjoying in your life.

For my word-buddies, here are some synonyms for invest: devote, provide, advance, supply, entrust.
And here they are for spend: give, pay out, expend, deplete, waste, cast away.

What are you thinking every time you purchase something? Do you think you are giving the money away, depleting your bank account, and wasting or casting away the funds you have in your possession?

What about changing that to devoting, supplying, and entrusting your money to the provider you are handing it to?

This simple word change makes an enormous difference in the attitude we have towards our money, energy, time, and work. Changing our attitude, of course, changes the results. This week when you use money, time, or energy, mentally change your thinking to the idea that you are investing your time, investing your money, investing your energy – and, yes, you expect a return on your investment!
 Krysta Gibson